Quand la caméra, plutôt que d'être un stylo, est un couteau de boucher
Books are most usually better than their relevant, derivative movies. Books let you imagine the settings and the events happening in the stories. They are also more detailed than movies because movies sometimes must leave out some important details. Movies tend to last about two hours, while book readng takes time and lasts longer. There are cases in which it would really be impossible for Hollywood to work miracles. For example, Tennessee Williams was a great writer @Streetcar Named Desire, but he wrote a number of bad books that no director, however good, could possibly rescue.
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- DirectorZina ModianoStarsOuassini EmbarekMarie ModianoClaire NadeauHenry James' notebook entry describes the title story of this collection as " a rank fantasy". This should have been a very funny fantasy, satirizing celebrities of all sorts. The Wheel of Time is a more serious book.This, however, is impossible to abridge as a synopsis: various folk congregate at a well-appointed country house – somewhere between an artistic salon, a writers' retreat, and a gathering of pals. Mildly surreal shenanigans ensue, a bit Bunuel, a bit Rivette; one of the more unusual, weird and ultimately original literary adaptations.
- DirectorJane CampionStarsNicole KidmanJohn MalkovichBarbara HersheyAn American girl inherits a fortune and falls into a misguided relationship with a gentleman confidence artist whose true nature, including a barbed and covetous disposition, turns her life into a nightmare.I agree with the user who describes this travesty as ¨a hodgepodge of bits and pieces, wrong approaches, anachronisms and undeveloped narrative plot lines, which converge to make a most unsatisfactory adaptation and a completely twisted view of the heroine, Isabel Archer.¨
- DirectorJonathan ParkerStarsNoah WyleIlleana DouglasKate MaraCaught between Olive's righteousness and Gavin's affection, the idealistic and innocent Zoe must choose between a cause she's grown up supporting, or the affections of a man who stands for everything she believes is wrong."The Californians" is director Jonathan Parker's attempt to update Henry James' "The Bostonians" as a socially relevant romantic comedy. Leaden, obvious, somnambulant & unfunny.
- DirectorGeorge D. BakerStarsGeorge WalshBessie LoveCarmel MyersPoet Raphael de Valentin is down on his luck until a friend introduces him into society. He meets the Countess Fedora, and after she reads his poems, his work becomes an overnight sensation.Balzac never for a second imagined when he wrote "La Peau de Chagrin," that it would be presented years afterward in film form under the title of "Slave of Desire." It may be that the producers realizing the liberties they have taken with the author's story, decided to call it by a new name, the English one being, "The Wild Ass's Skin."
- DirectorDuane GravesJustin MeeksStarsAli FaulknerJohnny WalterDerek Lee NixonA birthday celebration at a fancy restaurant leads to some friends' encounter with flesh-peddling cannibals.Supposedly inspired by Jonathan Swift's cannibalistic tale A Modest Proposal, the Boneboys are international predators who deal in human flesh - dead or alive. Their hunting grounds are the cities of the world. No further comments.
- DirectorWagner de AssisPablo UrangaStarsDeborah SeccoLuigi BaricelliIlya São PauloRita is about to marry a wealthy physician, Dr. Augusto Vilela. One night, Vilela's best friend, Camilo, is brought to the hospital, dying from an overdose. Vilela saves his life and introduces him to his fiancée. Rita and Camilo fall in love and, confused about what to do, the girl goes to a fortuneteller to seek for advice.
- DirectorMoacyr GóesStarsMarcos PalmeiraMaria Fernanda CândidoBruno GarciaFree adaptation of Machado de Assis's "Dom Casmurro". Bento marries an actress, and soon afterwards she gets pregnant. He begins to suspect the child isn't his, but his best friend's.This one made Machado de Assis roll in his grave. Horrible dialogue and corny acting.
- DirectorNelson Pereira dos SantosStarsNildo ParenteIsabel RibeiroArduíno ColassantiA new priest comes to a Brazilian coastal town and builds an insane asylum. Eventually the whole population ends up in the asylum.https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065430/reviews?ref_=tttr_ql_op_3
- DirectorJames FrancoStarsJames FrancoTim Blake NelsonScott HazeA look at the trials and tribulations of the Compson family, living in the Deep South during the early 20th century.I agree with critic Matt Hoffman: ¨One can say that Faulkner is unfilmable, but any work will be unfilmable when it is being adapted by a talentless director. In this case, the fault of the film’s issues stem completely from James Franco and not at all with the difficulty in Faulkner’s writing. Hopefully, after two failed outings, the actor will learn to leave Faulkner’s masterful work alone. Although knowing him, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him try his hand at adapting one of the author’s works again.¨
- DirectorJames FrancoStarsJames FrancoTim Blake NelsonJim ParrackBased on the classic novel by William Faulkner, first published in 1930, "As I Lay Dying" is the story of the death of Addie Bundren and her family's quest to honor her last wish to be buried in the nearby town of Jefferson.James Franco's vanity did not do anything to enhance the cinematic experience. Also, and anyway, as far as filmmaking is concerned, I nearly always demand the use of a tripod, a crane or maybe some rails. Camera movements without a steadicam make me kinda sick.
- DirectorNicolas RoegStarsTim RothJohn MalkovichIsaach De BankoléA trading company manager travels up an African river to find a missing outpost head and discovers the depth of evil in humanity's soul.A literary massacre
jgcorrea (1 March 2023)
Why do movies usually change things from the original book? Some changes are made because they would supposedly make for better film storytelling, id est something that might work as plot exposition in the book wouldn't work as well if filmed that same way. Well, it ain't the case in here. The present changes created new conflicts for the characters, which weren't there in Conrad's novella. When you read a book, you can interpret the plot and the story to your personal liking and cutural formation. Rather than movies, books allow your mind to be more creative. Furthermore, they are much more detailed. - DirectorSean WalshStarsStephen ReaAngeline BallHugh O'ConorAdapted from James Joyce's Ulysses, Bloom is the enthralling story of June 16th, 1904 and a gateway into the consiousness of its three main characters: Stephen Dedalus, Molly Bloom and the extraordinary Leopold Bloom.I agree with critic Rachel Cameron: ¨Sean Walsh's film remains a mostly dull and uninventive affair. Workaday cinematography and sets devoid of atmosphere don't help, but it's the reliance on voiceovers that really starts to bore: Joyce's famous stream-of-consciousness is reduced to actors wandering about matching thoughtful looks to dense dialogue drawn straight from the page.¨
- DirectorAlexandre AstrucStarsJean-Claude BrialyMarie-José NatDawn AddamsFrédéric, a shy small-town man, falls in love with Anne, a middle class woman married to Didier, who cheats on her with top model Barbara. Catherine, a very determined woman, is secretly in love with Frédéric and in order to keep him away from Anne, pushes him into Barbara's arms. After a while, she gives herself to him. On the other hand, Didier is forced to leave the country due to a swindle. Anne decides to follow him but, before leaving, she exchanges a last kiss with Frédéric. Catherine understands she has lost the game. Frédéric remains by himself.Stick to the Bovary versions available, as far as Flaubertiana is concerned. Astruc was a fine ¨auteur¨ but he stumbled badly here and modernized a literary masterpiece by simplifying it grossly.
- DirectorCarlos Alberto Prates CorreiaStarsNelson DantasTamara TaxmanTânia AlvesAdventurer travels by train through the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil, meeting old and new lovers and remembers love-affairs of his youth.from Guimaraes Rosa's Soroco, Sua Mãe, Sua Filha
- DirectorCliff OwenStarsNicky HensonTrevor HowardTerry-ThomasTom Jones, a maid's son adopted by the nobleman she worked for, now all grown up must run away from home when he is set up by his jealous cousin. He has several adventures and women on his way to town where his possible salvation awaits.
- DirectorTony RichardsonStarsAnn-MargretPeter FirthMichael HordernLady Booby alias "Belle" (Ann-Margret), the lively wife of the fat landed squire Sir Thomas Booby (Peter Bull), has a lusty eye on the attractive, intelligent villager Joseph Andrews (Peter Firth), a Latin pupil and protégé of Parson Adams (Sir Michael Hordern), and makes him their footman. Joseph's heart belongs to a country girl, foundling Fanny Goodwill (Natalie Ogle), but his masters take him on a fashionable trip to Bath, where the spoiled society comes mainly to see and be seen, yet Sir Thomas really seeks relief for his sick foot, but drowns in the famous Roman baths. When the all but grieving lady finds Joseph's Christian virtue and true love resist her lusting passes just as well as the many ladies who fancy her footman, she fires the boy. On his way back on foot, he falls prey to highwaymen who rob him of everything, even the clothes on his back. He's found and nursed by an innkeeper's maid, which stirs lusts there, again besides his honorable conduct, but is found by the good Parson. Meanwhile, the lady consents to her cousin marrying below his station when learning the fiancée is Joseph's sister, Pamela (Karen Dotrice). The Parson barely escapes a wicked gentleman's totally unjust, all but gentle justice after being accused of the attempted rape committed by a squire he actually prevented, and comes to learn ever more about a relevant child-theft by Gypsies, but meanwhile, he, Joseph, and Fanny, fall prey again to the rapist's utter debauchery.Henry Fielding was neither Voltaire nor Benny Hill. As his kind of irony was completely different, the notes here sound false.
- DirectorJean-Marie StraubDanièle HuilletStarsHelmut FärberMichel DelahayeGeorges GoldfaynA group of actors declaim excerpts from Mallarmé's 'A Throw of the Dice Will Never Abolish Chance' in the cemetery where the martyrs of the Paris Commune were shot in 1871.Rather a tasteless joke
- DirectorCarlos Hugo ChristensenJerry WarrenCarlos SchlieperStarsErnesto VilchesJohn CarradineChela BonCompilation of two Chilean titles, the first adapted from Robert Louis Stevenson's "The Suicide Club," the second the tale of younger siblings dominated by their evil elder brother.from Stevenson's ¨Suicide Club¨
- DirectorHiroaki YoshidaStarsJeff FaheyBridget FondaHiroaki MurakamiIn Corinth, a dying town 15 miles from Pittsburg: One evening, a Japanese businessman, who wanted to tear down the closed iron mills to build an amusement park, is found half dead in his mill. Bellboy Barry admits to have done it - in self defense. Chief Ruhle interrogates him and Sugito's young wife and business partners, but it takes a while, until he gets through the maze of apparently contradictory statements.from Akutagawa's In a Grove
- DirectorJames ScottStarsRobert LindsayMolly RingwaldMarianne PriceA London accountant on his honeymoon gets swept away by gambling fever.from Graham Greene's Loser Takes All
- DirectorGeorge GalloStarsOrlando JonesEddie GriffinGary GrubbsA man on the run takes another man's passport, only to find himself stuck with the identity of a street hustler.from Graham Greene's Across the Bridge
- DirectorManuel PeluffoStarsAyres CamposMaria de Lourdes LebertJosé Gomesfrom Nelson Rodrigues' lesser trash
- DirectorBilly DavisStarsJece ValadãoOdete LaraLia RossiMillionaire Heitor Wernek asks his son in law Peixoto to look amidst his employees someone that could marry his youngest daughter Maria Cecília, who had her honour disgraced after she was raped by three men.Pure garbage. The original play wasn't that good, though.
- DirectorNeville D'AlmeidaStarsAntônio FagundesAna Maria MagalhãesLima DuarteNoronha, a low-class civil servant and his wife Gorda have four elder daughters. Silene, the youngest, is expelled from boarding school for killing a cat and newborns.How not to transplant a stage play into the silver screen
- DirectorWilliam J. CowenStarsDickie MooreIrving PichelWilliam 'Stage' BoydAn orphan boy in 1830s London is abused in a workhouse, then falls into the clutches of a gang of thieves.Oldie but NOT goodie