10 July 2010

No Movies Here: Books that are Unfilmable

While roaming the net (I don't surf) I found this post about books that are unfilmable.  Awesome.  According to Paul Hollywood Briggs at Screenhead, certain books would be so difficult to adapt that to do so is rather impractical.  He lists the following as unfilmable:
  1. Ulysses by James Joyce (I've heard this one might also be unreadable...)
  2. Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut 
  3. The Wind Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami
  4. The Third Policemen by Flann O'Brien
  5. 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
  6. In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust
  7. Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (I think this one could be done with modern technology)
  8. The Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
  9. Any and all Thomas Pynchon novels
  10. Don Quixote by Cervantes
  11. The Atrocity Exhibition by JG Ballard
  12. Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
  13. Molloy, Malone Dies, and Unnameable by Samuel Beckett
I, of course, would like to know:
  • Do you agree? Disagree?
  • Which one do you wish could be made into a movie?  Why?
  • Are there any other books that you think are unfilmable? (as the above list proves, it doesn't matter if someone has turned it into a movie already; it can still be unfilmable!)

Our List
  1. Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
  2. Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
  3. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
  4. Ulysses by James Joyce 
  5. Any and all David Foster Wallace
Posted by Trisha at 6:45 AM
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14 comments:

  1. I agree with Catcher in the Rye...because it would be BORING!
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  2. I confess to never having read any of the books on the list except Catcher in the Rye. I've always thought The Lovely Bones was unfilmable, and after seeing it actually done, thanks to Peter Jackson, I haven't really changed by opinion. :-) Speaking of Murakami (and Kafka), I'd also add Kafka on the Shore to the list.
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  3. The only books on that list I've read are Catcher in the Rye and The Confederacy of Dunces and it's been so long since I read them I can't remember if they'd make a good movie or not.
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  4. Good lord I hope no one tries to make a film of Ulysses!

    Also - Catcher in the Rye must never filmed.
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  5. Anything by David Foster Wallace is unfilmable - though John Krasinski gave it a good go with Brief Interviews With Hideous Men, it just didn't quite work out for him. I've heard that Infinite Jest has been in the works for years, and if that ever happened, I'd cry. A lot.
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  6. Well hell. I haven't read any of those books so I don't have an educated opinion! I guess if a book is highly dialogue driven and not plot driven, it would be tough to film. But my mind goes blank on examples. I'm going to think about it though.
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  7. Gosh ... I'm not familiar enough with any of the books to have a good opinion. I love the question though. It makes me wonder if I can come up with any of my own.
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  8. Come to think of it, years ago I heard a rumor that they were casting actors for a screen adaption of Confederacy of Dunces. Since to my knowledge this movie was never made, it certainly strengthens the argument that it's truly a novel which cannot be adapted for the silver screen.
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  9. This makes me think of examples of books that have already been made into movies, like:

    1. Under the Tuscan Sun. The book is unbelievably different from the movie . . . mainly because the movie has a plot.

    2. The Accidental Tourist. OK, so it has been years (maybe even decades) since I read and watched this one, but from what I can remember, the book is so internal that I was amazed that someone made a movie of it.

    3. Starship Troopers. Giant alien killer bugs are the entire movie. They are barely mentioned in the book. And yes, I am embarrassed to admit I've seen the movie, so stop sniggering. Also, this one doesn't really belong on a "books that are unfilmable" list, but from the amount that the book was changed in adaptation, you would have thought it did.
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  10. Jill - Definitely!

    Stephanie - I neither read nor watched The Lovely Bones, so I can't comment on that one. :) KotS is soon-to-be-read.

    Kathy - Sounds like my problem with a few of those books up there. I just can't recall enough detail to make a judgment.

    Bethany - I agree with CitR, but I haven't read Ulysses yet; although from what I hear it really wouldn't be possible to film it.

    Greg - Good call! Wallace would definitely be unfilmable!

    Sandy - I hadn't thought about the dialogue- versus plot-driven idea!

    Jenners - I certainly hope you can!

    maphead - Good point! Those adaptations which have been "in production" for decades are probably good bets for unfilmable.

    Kathy - The list of bad adaptations should come next for sure!
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  11. Jill said it: The Catcher in the Rye shouldn't be made into a movie because it is boring.

    The Lovely Bones was made into a movie but I haven't yet seen the movie to know if they adapted it onto the screen well or not.

    I thought Eat Pray Love would be a hard one to adapt to screen but they have done it so now I am just waiting to see if that is good as well. But the author said on Oprah that the movie was more than she could have hoped for, so that is a good sign when the author likes the adaptation.
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  12. Confederacy of Dunces would definitely make a good movie. Will Ferrell was supposed to play Ignatius but negotiations fell through. Words can't express how disappointed I am but I am hopeful that the movie may eventually be made.
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  13. I would say anything by Anita Brookner. They tried with her Booker Prize-winning Hotel du Lac but I think the result was less than good.
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  14. I have been having trouble leaving comments for awhile. Don't have the energy to retype my very insightful opinion :)
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