Novelizations of movies

[BAYLOR]

I remember seeing the 1970s hardcover on a book rack and there were other monster books but I can't remember what they were. I bought the Kong one.

Now that I think about it , I recall there was a hardcover Kong book . . 1976 probably came out due to the remake of King Kong.

The Day the Earth Stood Still was based on a short story Farewell to the Master by Harry Bates (which ive read ) In 1976 Arthur Tofte did a Full novelization of The Day the Earth Stood Still. I had a copy of that book.

 

[Dave]

I think I read Return of the Jedi as a novelisation first, as I couldn't wait for the UK release date. My experience of novelisations is not good, and in general I stay well away from them. I often feel that the writer was watching an entirely different film to me (and if it was based upon an earlier script, then maybe he actually was.)

Like the others here though, I have read those "rip-off novels" of The Hobbit, Dune and Jurassic Park. All three are much better than the filmed versions, as is Make Room, Make Room that became Soylent Green.

Making films from short stories is an entirely different animal to novelisations of films, but I think filling out a short story is generally more successful than cutting down a book. The majority of PK Dick films were from short stories.

 

[Vince W]

Like the others here though, I have read those "rip-off novels" of The Hobbit, Dune and Jurassic Park. All three are much better than the filmed versions, as is Make Room, Make Room that became Soylent Green.

Making films from short stories is an entirely different animal to novelisations of films, but I think filling out a short story is generally more successful than cutting down a book. The majority of PK Dick films were from short stories.

I still don't know how they got Total Recall from We Can Remember It For You Wholesale.

 

[BAYLOR]

I still don't know how they got Total Recall from We Can Remember It For You Wholesale.

Having read that Story by Dick , I can't figure out how they got a whole movie form that one .

There was novelization of Total Recall done by Piers Anthony .

 

[Vince W]

Having read that Story by Dick , I can't figure out how they got a whole movie form that one .

There was novelization of Total Recall done by Piers Anthony .

I'm glad I didn't read that.

 

[KGeo777]

There was a novelization of "Bram Stoker's Dracula" but not written by Bram Stoker!

It was based on the movie with that name.

Total Recall had a long bizarre history. Every director brought in contributed something-at one point David Cronenberg was to make it, and he added some things like Quaid not wanting to go back to his old self...
I liked the idea of the original ending to one of the screenplays--Quaid (who was supposed to be a wimpy looking guy) was deliberately having his memory suppressed by the humans because he was in fact a Martian super weapon and they were afraid what would happen if he realized it and when he puts his hand into the grooves of the alien machine with the handprint (which was supposed to match his own--an ancient machine with his distinct hand print) he gets total recall and so he turns to the others and says: "It's going to be fun being a god."

So kind of more scary/ironic since he went from being a wimp to imagining himself a secret agent to being in fact an alien superman.

 

[BAYLOR]

Thea Von Harbor did a novelization of Fritz Lang's Metropolis. I have this book.

 

[BAYLOR]

2001 A Space Odyssey. I actually much prefered the book - but they were written to work in tandem, rather than as "stand alone" works.

First ever book I read that I'd seen first as a movie was "Jaws" by Peter Benchley.
Quite different in parts - not least regarding Dreyfuss's character - but overall the main feel of the story was preserved.

Have you read The Lost Worlds of 2001 ? It shows some story alternate takes on the film. It's quite good.