Films That Are Most Faithful to the Novel

Eyes Wide Shut is surprisingly faithful to Traumnovelle, besides changing the time and the setting. Almost every element and plot twist from the book is in the film, though Kubrick adds a new ending and a few other extra things. And obviously there aren't any explicit sex scenes in the book.

there aren't any in the film either, unfortunately.

i wouldn't say it was 'unfaithful' but it's not very much like the film.

beyond characters and plot this is a very difficult question.

I think it was quite faithful, the plot and basic themes are pretty much the same.

difficult probably because so many are. the merchant ivory films are all very faithful to their sources, most brit costume dramas probably are.

it wasn't a very good book, 'traumnovelle'.

Not a novel, but Brokeback Mountain is very very close to the short story, aside from the fact that the two men are described as sort of homely.

No Country For Old Men is maybe the most letter-faithful adaptation I've ever seen. I think the only things they added were the mariachi guys, a Coen-y joke, and maybe the silencers on guns?

it's striking me how few novels i read. probably two or three in the last two years.

Rosemary's Baby's novel/film are very very close.

Where Are You Going Where Have You Been/Smooth Talk very close, though notable differences.

Touch. Other than being set in 1997 instead of 1977 (and therefore omitting the death of Elvis), it's one of the most faithful adaptations I've ever seen.

Brokeback the film added all the boring-as-hell wives stuff!

The Maltese Falcon (Bogart version) is real close, save for censorship issues and Spade is even more of an SOB in the book.

I think Clockwork Orange is a pretty faithful take on the novel. Mostly being faithful is pointless, since the virtues of books and films are pretty different.

Spade is even more of an SOB in the book

Cairo is even more of a fruit, too.

Clueless-Emma

I second The Maltese Falcon, John Huston version (there were several other crappy versions prior to that one). When you read the novel you realize that almost all the movie dialogue was reproduced word-for-word from the book. Moreover, the plot is in careful lockstep with the novel and the excisions are few, minor and were very artfully bridged over. It's pretty amazing.

i think clockwork orange is faithful in many ways but the way it was visualized and shit -- ie the important stuff! -- not so much. i still have problems with that film and think the rape scene was badly judged (to say the least) but its vision of england is what i take away, rather than the moral point.

The novel of The Maltese Falcon is worth reading just for the Flitcraft story, which is about the only thing not in the movie.

Yes, The Maltese Falcon.

I agree with No Country as well, but they did take out the whole part about Bell's WWII cowardice.

ditto farewell my lovely

didn't polanski make rosemary's baby just like the book bcz he thought in america by law you HAD to follow the book exactly? or is that just an urban legend? or did i dream it?

Sounds like an urban legend, I don't think he was that silly. Plus surely he had seen previous American movies adapted from books that weren't too faithful.