Ever seen a movie that was actually better than the book?

Question

I read this book a while back and it was just OK. But the movie was much better and portrayed the young man as the hero he really was.

Answer 1

The Wizard of Oz. 

Answer 2

Rooster, I have not. For twenty years, however, I postponed reading THE REMAINS OF THE DAY because I did not think a book could come anywhere near the exquisitely nuanced rendering of Emma Thompson and Anthony Hopkins...but THAT book was a whole new dimension greater still...definitely better than the movie!

But yes, I would guess it would be a war movie which could convey a story more powerfully than the written word...how about THE DEER HUNTER,  or SAVING PRIVATE RYAN? (I have not read those books, just making a guess.)

Answer 3

It looked, formerly, that even outstanding movies could rarely be better than the original literature, unless a film created a new story, but there have always been exceptions.

On the other hand, if referring to theatre and opera, the written stories could'nt / cannot go without the corresponding pictures or shows with acting people, custumes, speaking, miming and the surrounding scenes, and, for operas, the corresponding presentations with music and singing.

And literature went along with visual arts, like drawing, painting, sculpture, etc., or performing arts, like music, dancing, etc.