Why do they change films adapted from Books?

[EvianBaby]

I watched My Sisters Keeper last night and was just reading about some of it online. I didn't realise it was based on a book and that the ending of the book was completely different to the ending of the film. I found the same when I read About A Boy after watching the film.

So, why do they change the endings so much? Is it that the ending of the books wouldn't fit well in a film or would just make a film drag on too long? Or do they just think they can re-write the original better?

[knowabit]

They did the same with the Horse Whisperer. The book is excellent, film complete tosh!! Completely changed the ending!

[maggiebee]

Many years ago I watched "Puppet on a Chain" with Rodger Moore - absolute tosh unlike the book by Alastair Maclean which I had loved.

[rockyracoon]

I couldn't watch this film as the end is so wrong, just watered down and predictable. I think they like to dumb things down, give the viewer what they think the viewer wants, rather than what the author actually writes. Some films are quite faithful, The Godfather was if I remember rightly, but not many are though. I've got the Swedish version on The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo on my planner, I'll be interested to see if it matches the book, then I'm going to watch the US version, I bet that doesn't.

[doctordb]

There are so many factors involved in making a film that don't apply to a book; location, production costs, time, structure. Then you have to deal with all the different opinions of director, producers, actors, sponsors and distributors. It's almost so impossible to remain true to the book that you have to try and separate the two pieces of work.

[EvianBaby]

So, in essence they come up with what they think is a better ending in order to fit it in? I think most people would rather see the 'true' ending as in the book. With the right direction and editing (plus getting rid of some useless bits in the films) they'd be able to do that wouldn't they.

[friedgreentomato]

Most films have two endings made - they then show them to a focus group and the one with the most votes win - it is not normally the ending that is in the book.

Example - P&P Jane Austen - American veiwers did not like the ending of the book so they added an extra ending where Darcy and Elizabeth are in their nightwear after obviously 'doing it' and smooch!!

[EvianBaby]

Oh, that's interesting. So they actually do try and keep it along the lines of the book as much as possible and then a select group decides whether that's a bit pants and if it is they change it.

To be honest, I liked (as much as you can like someone dying) the ending in the film. I had expected some stupid mirable recovery. But once I found out about the ending in the book (which I've not yet read) I thought I'd quite have liked to have seen that.

[jno]

they do test screenings to see what audiences think. Glenn Close was killed by audience request in Fatal Attraction

After poor audience reaction to the original ending, it was decided that the ending be re-shot. Glenn Close was opposed to redoing the ending, but eventually felt she owed it to everyone else to do it. (In the November 1996 edition of 'Movieline' magazine, Close said: "The original ending was a gorgeous piece of film noir. She kills herself, but makes sure that his prints are all over the knife, and he gets arrested. He knows he didn't do it, but he's going to jail anyway. But audiences wanted some kind of cathartic ending, so we went back months later and shot the ending that's in the movie now.")

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093010/trivia

[jno]

PS apparently the original ending is still in the Japanese version

[AliceTickband]

I went to see my sister's keeper at the cinema when it first came out as I had read, and thoroughly enjoyed the book, the ending being a complete surprise to me.

I was very disappointed with the film, the casting, the stupid ending et al.

It was the same with Atonement. The book was so emotional and again (perhaps I am a bit on the thick side), the ending was very emotional and unexpected.

In future if I read the book I will not watch the film.

[rockyracoon]

EV, I was shocked at the ending of sister's keeper (book), but it fit, it was right, not fluffy, and just uncomfortable enough. I was really cross with the ending of the film, a complete change, and a load of rollocks. I wish authors would insist on final say on screenplays, then at least we might get the proper endings.

[FredPuli43]

They have to think cinematically. Short stories lend themselves to film, but novels are generally too long, with incidents which don't drive the narrative, long character development,too many characters, and, sometimes an ending which is too open-ended or simply wrong for a satisfactory film or good box office returns; Hollywood prefers happy and final endings.

Another factor is the 'beats' . Scripts all follow a basic pattern, which has a rhythm to it, of pacing and regular emphasis and less emphasis, of highs and lows, of 'beats'. It's rare to find a novel which, in the reading, conforms to this pattern. One reason why scripts are rewritten many times is that the beats seem wrong, and every time somebody changes a bit the whole script has to be adjusted for that.

[mike11111]

For many years I have been an Agatha Christie fan and have read all of her crime novels. My favourite is "Murder is Easy", a real page turner with a suspenseful ending. I was surprised therefore when a couple of years ago it was featured in the latest batch of Miss Marple mysteries (with Julia McKenzie). Apart from the fact that the film was in no way as suspenseful as the book, Miss Marple does not appear in the original story (nor Poirot for that matter). It is perhaps her only successful crime novel without any of her usual protagonists.

[Mojo-Jo-Jo]

My only real beef was the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. There's no way Douglas Adams would have allowed Arthur Dent to get the girl. It ruins the whole thing.

[nannybooby]

Worst one ever was the English Patient nothing like the book .Also
the Kate Atkinson Broie novels that were on tv recently missed out whole chunks be interested to see what happens to "Started Early took my Dog" as a lot ofhe charactors appeared in the prev 2 novels but "vanished" on tv.

[nannybooby]

That was Brodie

[tonyav]

The film ' The Shining ' was nowhere near as good as the book imo.

[chaptazbru]

Loved the book so wanted to watch the film. I was fuming when they changed the end, totally spoiled it for me.

[EvianBaby]

Are there any that have kept strictly to the storyline of the book and been either a complete success or a complete flop?

[tonyav]

Which book chaptazbru ?