Which movie is closest to its novel?

[Orko Is King]

Just curious.

 

[Mr.E.Nygma]

Casino Royale I guess.

The most far is probably The Spy Who Loved Me, which was a total different history in the movie in contrast with the novel (I heard this in the bonus features of the SE (not Ultimate) DVD if I recall well)

 

[Two-Face]

I say Goldfinger, FRWL, OHMSS and CR.

 

[Everyman]

Thunderball is quite close to the novel as well. The thing is, even with the closest ones, they still departed a lot from it.

 

[Agentsands77]

DR. NO, FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE, GOLDFINGER, THUNDERBALL, ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE, and CASINO ROYALE are all pretty faithful.

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY is also a pretty faithful adaptation of two Fleming short stories, RISICO and FOR YOUR EYES ONLY.

 

[Orko Is King]

Do you think the films would've benefited if they were closer to the books?

 

[Agentsands77]

Do you think the films would've benefited if they were closer to the books?

Entirely depends on the film/book.

 

[CaptainGenerica]

Well, with Goldfinger for example, the movie is considered (one of) the best of the Bond movies, but the book is mediocre. The movie is better.

Dr. No is probably better as a movie. In the book 007 fights a giant squid for crying out loud. And Dr. No dies under a pile of guano. The book is great, but slightly edges out the movie in the silly department.

But that being said, it really does depend on whether you like the movie Bond or the literary Bond better. Neither is really better per se, just different.

 

[TheTurtle]

From Russia With Love and On Her Majesty's Secret Service are probably closest to the source material, Casino Royale isn't really, massive changes to the story there - but in most cases completely necessary ones (length being the major issue).

However, quite a lot was still changed from the novel

Spoiler

(the bomb attack on Bond for example, although there's a general concensus among Bond fans this was "replaced" by the terrorist attack on the airport),

and Bond

Spoiler

being poisoned

could be considered the moveis version of the man with the walking stick gun. It's more about sticking to the tone of the novel, while updating it and upping the action a bit.

 

[AndrewBerger]

The MOST faithful, if we have to pick, is Dr. No.

The film that's superior to the novel is Goldfinger I'd say. Perhaps maybe even CR, we'll see.

The novel that's far and away better than the film version is You Only Live Twice.

 

[Agentsands77]

The film that's superior to the novel is Goldfinger I'd say. Perhaps maybe even CR, we'll see.

Yeah. GOLDFINGER and CASINO ROYALE, I'd say. Maybe THUNDERBALL as well, for the inclusion of Fiona Volpe. Definitely THE SPY WHO LOVED ME - the novel is just a bad romance novel with Bond barely featured (Fleming disowned the novel after releasing it).

There's a case to be made for DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER or THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN, too (not great films, mind you, but they're not really great novels).

The novel that's far and away better than the film version is You Only Live Twice.

Indeed. Best of the Bond novels, but there's not a snowball in hell's chance that the book will ever be adopted faithfully.

 

[Kevin Roegele]

Ironically, Licence to Kill is the closest movie to the novels in everything except the fact it's not based on a specific novel. It even has Bond's sexism.

 

[Agentsands77]

Ironically, Licence to Kill is the closest movie to the novels in everything except the fact it's not based on a specific novel. It even has Bond's sexism.

LICENCE TO KILL still takes elements from Fleming stories (LIVE AND LET DIE, "The Hildebrandt Rarity"), though it is ultimately its own thing. I think it's close to Fleming, but it's not as close as it could be. There are those goofy Q moments and that horrendous ending.

Honestly, I'd say FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE is perhaps the closest movie to the novels, portrayal of Bond and all.

 

[TheVileOne]

What part of the ending of License To Kill are you referring to?

When he makes the 18 wheeler go on it's side wheels to avoid the stinger missiles?

I didn't find Casino Royale to be this ultra-faithful movie. Especially when the entire first half is basically having nothing to do with the novel at all.

Also the third act.

 

[Agentsands77]

What part of the ending of License To Kill are you referring to?

Bond diving into a pool after a weepy girl, followed by a stone fish *winking*.

I didn't find Casino Royale to be this ultra-faithful movie. Especially when the entire first half is basically having nothing to do with the novel at all.

Also the third act.

Well, it's faithful in that it maintains a good deal of the novel. It adds a lot too (because CASINO ROYALE is far too short to be a feature-length Bond film), but most of it is maintained. And the third act does have to do with the novel - it's just very beefed up.

It's certainly preserves its source as much as DR. NO, or even FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE.

 

[Everyman]

Indeed. Best of the Bond novels, but there's not a snowball in hell's chance that the book will ever be adopted faithfully.

The problem with YOLT is that the villain's plan is way too bizarre to work in a movie. Blofeld spends a fortune to do evil, just for the sake of it really.

 

[Agentsands77]

The problem with YOLT is that the villain's plan is way too bizarre to work in a movie. Blofeld spends a fortune to do evil, just for the sake of it really.

Yeah, it's out there. I always thought the point was that Blofeld had really gone off his rocker, though. But the whole book is too crazy for most people, I think. Bond getting amnesia and getting a Japanese fishing girl pregnant won't sit well with many viewers.

 

[Everyman]

Yeah, it's out there. I always thought the point was that Blofeld had really gone off his rocker, though. But the whole book is too crazy for most people, I think. Bond getting amnesia and getting a Japanese fishing girl pregnant won't sit well with many viewers.

In the book, Bond comments on Blofeld's descent into madness in a few occasions. YOLT is often more of a nightmarish fairytale than a spy story. Fleming was really taking risks with the character of Bond that they wouldn't dare to do in the movies.

That said, I thought of a loose adaptation of YOLT, orr ather Blofeld's scheme in the novel: a badguy who has a factory making sarin gas, anthrax, etc, which he sells to terrorist organisations throughout the world. That's the only realistic way I found to develop the plot of YOLT.

 

[Palpadious]

I think the most faithful film to the book is OHMSS. The only thing I can recall being different from the book is the fact Bond is angry about being kicked off the Blofeld case. In the book, he's mad because he's tired of having to look for him.

 

[Batman Beyond]

ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE is the most faithful. CASINO ROYALE ain't cause it just ain't about Cold War and all that anymore, so no. GOLDFINGER is a close one, and improved in its film version in that. FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE is also the most faithful one.

So FRWL and OHMSS share the place, for me.

 

[Agentsands77]

THUNDERBALL is slightly closer to its novel than OHMSS and FRWL are, IMO. Though the three of them are probably all the closest.

 

[Everyman]

THUNDERBALL is slightly closer to its novel than OHMSS and FRWL are, IMO.

Maybe because Thunderball was a movie project before becoming a novel.

 

[Agentsands77]

Maybe because Thunderball was a movie project before becoming a novel.

Yeah, I think that's a good part of it. The book reads as if it was made to filmed, and so I think it's natural that the film adaptation is so close.