This grew out of a conversation I had yesterday with a student over lunch. He was talking about why the books are nearly always better than the movies that are made based on them. I said that this is true, but there are some cases in which the movie is actually better than the book.
The example I gave was “Peter Pan.” The book, by J. M. Barrie, has all of the Victorian vices of sentimentalism and child-worshipping, and I find it unreadable. (As Chesterton said, Barrie’s central conceit of a boy who doesn’t want to grow up is the fantasy of an adult, not a child. Actual children can’t wait to grow up!)
Another: “The Wizard of Oz.”
I have another one in mind, but I’ll see if you can come up with it. What are some other movies that are better than the book?
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