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Many great novels have been adapted for the big screen, and many of them have done justice to their source material and received acclaim in their own right, and have been nominated for or won Oscars. This is, of course, due to a number of factors such as the plot, themes, and praise of the original novel, as well as the actors and filmmakers involved in the film adaptation.
But then there are the novels that are great enough on paper to make a wonderful film adaptation, and a great team is put together both in front of and behind the camera, but despite that, it somehow fails to capture the spirit of the novel, and as a result, is criticized by critics and audiences and snubbed by the Oscars. One of the most prominent examples I can think of here is Serena by Ron Rash. The novel is basically a retelling of Macbeth, with the setting changed from medieval Scotland to Great Depression-era North Carolina. Instead of nobles murdering a king to seize the throne, the protagonists, George and Serena Pemberton, are timber barons who are fighting against environmentalists protesting their empire. Meanwhile, George learns that he illegitimately fathered a child from before his marriage to Serena, and when he begins to secretly support the child financially, Serena begins to see the child as an additional threat. I won’t say much more beyond that; go and read the novel for yourself.
Anyway, the film adaptation looked like it would be great, with Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence starring and Susanne Bier directing. Yet, somehow it all fell flat. Cooper and Lawrence’s performances were okay, but nothing special, at least not as special as you would’ve hoped if you read the novel. The writing and the directing also feels stilted, and the production design and costume design don’t do enough to capture the look and feel of the time. The whole film feels like you’re just moving from Point A to Point B without real cohesion. Plus, the epic ending of the novel is completely eliminated here, throwing away the whole theme of karma that the novel portrayed. As a result, it’s no wonder the film got zero Oscar nominations, which is a shame, because it definitely had the potential to be a major contender from the novel alone.
Anyway, that’s my personal take. What are some other book-to-film adaptations, that on paper could’ve been an Oscar contender, yet the finished product was extremely disappointing?
ReplyOne I know many people found to be disappointing was The Lovely Bones. Not only was the original novel very well regarded, but you also had the great Peter Jackson directing its film adaptation with an all star cast consisting of Saoirse Ronan, Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, Stanley Tucci, and Susan Sarandon. Yet, the end results of the movie didn’t quite stick the landing, and only garnered one Oscar nod for Tucci’s performance. Though I must say that I actually quite liked the movie more than a lot of people did. In fact, the last time I watched it back in 2018, I thought the story became more relevant due to the (at the time) recent start of the #MeToo movement. Plus, as someone who read the original novel in my freshman year of high school, I found the adaptation to be pretty faithful.
ReplyCopy URLWhile not without their strong moments, The Hobbit movies should’ve been at most two, and shouldn’t have been overcrowded with all kinds of new stuff. If they were more accurate representations of the beloved books, they might’ve had some serious awards success, although they never would’ve done as well as Lord of the Rings.
ReplyCopy URLBLINDNESS, directed by Fernando Meirelles, based on José Saramago’s novel.
José Saramago is just way too complex and inaccessible to get adapted just like that. Blindness is literally one of his most philosophical books. It’s just too complex. Baltasar and Blimunda, on the other hand, would be an amazing adaption with the right director/writer. After watching The Favourite, I think Yorgos Lanthimos would do a phenomenal job.
ReplyCopy URLThe Great Gatsby. They always rely far too heavily on the material which is silly for a book like Gatsby. I feel like someone like Greta Gerwig could give it a fitting adaptation though.
ReplyCopy URLFYC:
Best Actress: Viola Davis (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom)
Best Actor: Anthony Hopkins (The Father)
Best Supporting Actress: Ellen Burstyn (Pieces of a Woman)
Best Supporting Actor: Leslie Odom Jr. (One Night in Miami)José Saramago is just way too complex and inaccessible to get adapted just like that. Blindness is literally one of his most philosophical books. It’s just too complex. Baltasar and Blimunda, on the other hand, would be an amazing adaption with the right director/writer. After watching The Favourite, I think Yorgos Lanthimos would do a phenomenal job.
Lanthimos adapting Saramago is what dreams are made of.
ReplyCopy URLThe Golden Compass was the most disappointing one. Had it adapted the novel properly then it could have been a big contender.
For example despite the film being complete trash Kidman gave an Oscar worthy performance as Mrs. Coulter and with better writing and a better film she could have actually been nominated in Supporting Actress that year.
ReplyCopy URLFYC OSCARS : VANESSA KIRBY FOR "PIECES OF A WOMAN", AMANDA SEYFRIED FOR "MANK", CHADWICK BOSEMAN FOR "MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM", PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN (BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY).
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