Fiction vs. Fiction: The Shawshank Redemption

 Stephen King is practically a money factory when it comes to Hollywood.

As such, many many Books and Short Stories have been written for the Screen.

Let's take a look at how a 106-page novella into one of his most beloved adaptations.

***VS***

What's the Same?

The Plot is 100% the same here.
Two Prisoners form a bond, time passes and one of them makes a famous escape.

So...

What's Different?

This is a good example of how you take a Novella and tweak things to a more normal, Film narrative.

For starters, the Casting is a bit different.  Andy is short and wears glasses in the Story.  Red is Irish, so presumably a Ginger.

In the Film, Andy gets in with the main Guard to get the 'Sisters' off of his back (and to break theirs).  In the Book, he takes care of that himself and helps out the current Warden.

The Guards change out quite a bit in the Story, as Andy is imprisoned for 27 years.

He's only in it for 19 in the Film, but I'm not sure why they changed that.

There's also more than one Warden in the Book, which would make sense with the timespan here.  The Film makes it one Warden the whole time for maximum drama.
It is a logical change.

Andy's famous moment of protest with playing the record is NOT in the Book.  He's punished by the Warden just for wanting to get proof of his innocence.

On that note, the Warden has the guy who get Andy acquitted killed off, as opposed to getting them sent to a Minimum-Security Prison in the Book.

Speaking of death, Brooks (the old Librarian) just dies of old age in the Book (stating that they took everything from him), while he actually kills himself in the Film (as he's too used to Prison).

In the Book, Andy explains that he had a friend make a fake identity for him to invest his money in before he was sent to Prison.  Said friend is now dead, making Andy wait to figure out how to pull off the scheme.

In the Film, he uses money made in Prison to set it up.

Andy's escape plays out the same way, though he's got a Linda Ronstadt Poster in the Book.  The Warden retires in shame in the Book, but the Film has him commit suicide to avoid justice.

Lastly, Red complains about normal life and being around women for the first time in 4 Decades on the outside (complaining about being 'half hard all day'), while that part was wisely excised.
The Book is also more ambiguous about the duo meeting, which is what Frank Darabondt wanted too.

Thoughts

The Film makes many obvious changes, focusing the tale more on certain people and consolidating them into one or more people from a dozen.

I do like the original Story and its structure.  It features Red as the sole Narrator and leaves the blanks of Andy's life open until the end.

Either way, it is a good Story.  The Film has great people behind it- including Roger Deakins as Cinematographer- so it is hard to complain much.

Which Is Better?

The Film

Not a knock on the original Story at all, but with a tighter narrative and great production, it really delivers on the potential that the Story promises.

(FYI, I have 'Different Seasons,' so I can easily get at least 2 more King Comparisons out of it)

Fiction vs. Fiction: Superman Returns (2006)

 Another Book to Film comparison, but with a semi-modern twist.

This time it is Superman Returns, which has a big anniversary coming up later this year.

Instead of reading the Novelization, I *listened* to the Book on CD version.

This is...

****VS****

What's the Same?

As a Novelization, they didn't change the basic Story.
This one is just about what didn't make the cut in the Film (which was still nearly 3 hours).

Makes sense?

What's Different?

The Novelization- done by famed Writer Marv Wolfman- is not limited by Budget or mortality.

As such, we get a whole Flashback Sequence to them sending Superman away.  ON TOP OF THAT, we get a Flashback within a Flashback to how Jor-El and Lara met.

Alright!

We also get to see how Superman returned to Krypton in his ship and nearly died out there, since the kryptonite core was exposed.

This cost several million dollars and was then CUT from the Film.
It's also not on the Blu-Ray I own (unlike most of the stuff I'll mention later) but is online in 2026.

In Smallville, we briefly see him and Mom together for a bit before he goes to Metropolis and she's gone until the end.
The Book features more of her and her new beau (James Karen in a Deleted Scene).  This sets up the idea that lots has changed since his absence.

No major changes for a while, save the Book leaning into the idea that Jimmy was super drunk at the Bar before Superman's big reveal.  Not sure what that added.

When Lois and Lex meet, his suspicions about her son Jason being Superman's are much more amplified in the Film.

In the Book, the bad guy is crushed by a bookcase, making it vague if Jason did it or the rocking ship did.  Lex leaves a bomb with the duo on the ship.
In the Film, he seems to push a piano across the room at 80mph and then Lex flees without leaving a bomb.

The Book is also more explicit about Superman's accrued injuries on Lex's new Island.  I guess they did more since you don't get the proper visual...maybe?

In contrast, the Film really milks the whole drama of 'Did Superman Die' way more than the Book does.  It feels like 5-10 minutes in the Film.

Thoughts

Both versions of the Story are good.  The Book has the habit- as Books tend to do- to stop and expand on random things all the time.

A quick shot of Perry White in the Film, for example, has a flashback that probably took up a page or two in the Book.
It's not a bad thing- it's just a thing.

The Film certainly paints a great visual, but feels like a weird mix of rushed and dragging. 
It would make the Whiplash guy go mad!

Original Lois and Jimmy with new Clark and his Wife.

Which Is Better?
The Film

It's a closer match than I was expecting, but the Film's added visual/audio elevates the material.  That and it has less filler (as good as said filler is).

Fiction vs. Fiction: Black Sunday (1977)

 Let's celebrate the Big Game (TM?) with a look at possible peril!

I already watched and reviewed Black Sunday years ago, but didn't get the Book until later.

Well, now let's see how the two match up!

This is...

***VS***

What's the Same?

As the Film is based on the Book, the Plot doesn't change.

It is still about a crazy guy being manipulated into attempting to blow up a blimp during the Superbowl.

What's Different?

For starters, the Film was released 2 years after the Book, so the Setting has to change.  The Book is set when the 1975 Game happened and the Film is set when the 1977 Game happened.

In addition, the Book gives you way more backstory on everyone involved, from the villains to the heroes.  The former gets a whole Chapter to set up why he's so crazy and driven.

Curiously, the biggest difference here is just who survives the Story and who doesn't.

The 3 Writers for the Film mixed things up for one reason or another.  So...

Kabakov (Robert Shaw) dies in the Book, but lives in the Film.
Moshevsky (his Partner) lives int the Book but dies in the Film.

(A random Cop is killed in the partner's place in the Book)

Fasil (the planner) survives to be tried in the Book but dies in the Film.

Muzi (the importer of the explosives) is tortured for information in the Film, but this happens to Fasil in the Book.

In addition, Muzi dies in an explosion set by the villains in the Book, but now he's a Japanese Captain in the Film.

The last big change is in the branding involved.

The Book uses the fill-in TV Station name of NBS, but the Film uses CBS and real Broadcasters.
They also got Goodyear to let them use their blimp, but conditions were attached to this.

They had to say that Landers (the Pilot) was not an official Employee and they couldn't blow up the blimp with 'Goodyear' facing the camera.
No, really.

Final Thoughts

Both versions are good- no question.

One is a tense Book Thriller that really explores the Characters.
One is a tense Film Thriller that delivers on all of the big moments.

To be fair, the finale of the Book is rushed.  They only launch the Blimp in the last EIGHT PAGES (of a 318-page book).

There's really no bad option.

What is Better?

A hard choice, but I give the slight edge in execution to...

The Film

I'm glad that I got around to reading the Book and rewatching the Film.  Give them both a look, honestly.

Fiction vs Fiction: Gremlins (1984)

 A late Christmas gift for all of you!

The 1984 Film Gremlins is a Christmas Classic a la Die Hard, Reindeer Games and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.

Did you know that it had a Novelization?
Well, you do now....

***VS***

What's the Same?

The Plot doesn't change here.  Like most Novelizations, the core Story is untouched.

That said, there are many, MANY little tweaks and/or additions.

What's Different?

Right on Page 1, we get a big addition- the origin of Gizmo and the Mogwai.

They are Aliens!
No, really.

The Book tells you about the race that created them, why and how they got to Earth.
We also learn that their brains work 'faster than their mouths,' so they can't talk like we do.

Gizmo also has many inner monologues in this one.
In addition, we 'hear' him and Spike 'talk' to each other in their crazy Mogwai voices.

It sure is easier and a bit less silly than watching the two wag at each other with Subtitles on the screen though, right?

The Town's local DJ gets WAY more focus in the Book as well.

We 'hear' him explain a TON of events that we actually just see in the Movie.
He's also not attacked by the Gremlins in the Book (which we hear in the Film).

Was Don Steele too busy to actually appear on camera?

In the Book, the Gremlins frame the Dog for making a mess in the House, which is why the Dad takes him away with him.
In the Film, they tie it up with the Christmas lights (off screen) and that's...enough for the Dad.  Okay...

The oddest change- we don't get to 'see' the famous, over-the-top death of Mrs. Deagle (whose Deleted Scene motivations are also in the Book) in the Book.

The Movie shows her booby-trapped Electric Stair Car launch her up the stairs, through a wall and in front of the Cops.

The Book goes from the setup to...having the DJ explain how the Cops found her.  WTF?!?

Poor Judge Reinhold was mostly cut out of Gremlins.
In Deleted Scenes, we see him scheme and later hiding out in the Bank Vault.

In the Book, he went a bit crazy after the Bank Manager was killed (off screen) by the Gremlins and is 'turning this into a Bank for Little People.'

The Book has other minor tweaks here or there that were likely adjustments made on-set.
Like how the Cops crash their car via Gremlin sabotage in the Film but run into a 'sea of concrete posts' put up by the Gremlins in the Book.

Lastly the Chinese Shop Owner (Keye Luke) is much nicer in the Book.  He says that 'they accomplished a great deal' as he leaves, as opposed to telling him that 'mankind is not ready for the Mogwai' in the Film.

Final Thoughts

The Book is a fun adaptation.  It gives background to the Story that is nice (but not needed).
It has the same charm of the Film, minus a few baffling omissions.

As a reminder, VHS tapes were SUPER expensive in this Era, so this was a MUCH cheaper option than spending say $80 to own the Film back then.

Anyone still have these?

What is Better?

As fun as the Book is and how silly the explanation of them being Aliens is, there's no replacing...

The Film.

Seriously, I'm glad I found this Book.
That and the Sequel Book- see you in 2026, Mister!

Fiction vs. Fiction: Superman IV- The Quest for Peace

 Two books in one month- too bad this isn't Middle School.  I'd get a prize if it was.

Instead, my reward is getting to watch Superman IV yet again.

Being an Adult kind of sucks sometimes.

This is the showdown between...

**************

This was also written by the Author of Superman 3's Book.

What's the Same?

This is a Novelization, so the Plot is untouched.  That said...

Canon Films was going through financial difficulty and basically had to sell the distribution rights to Warner Bros just to finish making the Film.
They also slashed the budget (some say in half).

Oh, and they also cut anywhere between 30-45 minutes from the Film before release!
So, the Book is based on the Script and not the final Film.

Are you already lost?  I don't blame you.

In short, some stuff here is not in the final Film, but its original cut.  So...

What's Different?

Like the other Book, some stuff is tonally darker.  There's just much less here.

For instance, the Film shows (above) that the Guards survived Luthor's escape.  The Book doesn't.

In the Book, Lex steals a hair donated by Superman to work on a creation.  He unties it.
In the Film, he cuts it with bolt cutters...despite the fact that it could somehow hold 1,000 lbs!

The final Film cut almost all of the stuff after Jeremy pleads to Superman to stop potential nuclear war.

The Scene where Superman actually meets him at Schol- cut after the bad Screening.

It's available online- obviously.

In addition, there's a big chunk of the Story that was cut entirely.

After they steal Superman's Hair (more on that later), they make a clone...that sucks.

It fights Superman (which is somehow worse in the final Film) and dies.
Lenny then takes the goop (which is just dust in the Film) and they make the more famous and less terrible version.

In the Book, one of Lex's arm dealer pals stashes the stuff on a missile that Superman is going to toss into the Sun.
In the Film, he (a famous criminal) dresses like Patton, gets on a base and does it himself.

Is this worse than when Pryor did it in Superman 3?

In the Book, Superman battles the creation around the World and it wrecks the Great Wall of China.
The Book just says that 'he fixes it.'

In the Film, he...shoots blue lasers that reverse the footage?!?

There's a reason that the Film is viewed as too silly.

In the Book, N. Man wounds Superman and he's weakened.  A shot from him sends Superman flying away, leaving...his costume behind.  Is he...naked now?

In a rare improvement, the Film has the CAPE be left behind and recovered.

There's also a Scene that is not in the Novelization (but I guess in the Script).
In it, Clark reveals his identity to Lois, talks about what he should do with the nukes and... then mind wipes her again with a kiss.

B.B. was right to cut this.

Lastly, the Finale plays out mostly the same.  The Book describes NM turning into a missile.
The most the Film can do (in a cut bit) is a yellow ball of energy.

Final Thoughts

The Novelization is a pretty good version.  It is the full version, so you get all of the context and things make sense.

Well, make sense in a very relative sense that is.

It was clearly written for a younger Audience as well, as every Chapter is about 4-6 pages long.  It makes for a quick read though, letting me do a second one this Month.

Simple, but fun.

What is Better?

The Book.

The Movie- in its proper form- is a mess in so many ways.  When you cut 45 minutes out of a 2-hour or so Film, things are going to be confusing.

It is still the story of Superman IV, so, set your expectations appropriately.

Fiction vs. Fiction: The Amityville Horror (1979)

 Long ago, I covered the original Amityville Horror Films.  Is that due for a Compendium too?

In any event, I stumbled upon the original Book (actually 2 copies, but I only need 1).
It is pretty famous, so why not check it out?

It is time for another face-off between the written and visual mediums...

***VS***

What's the Same?

Both the Film and Book tell the tale of the Lutz Family in 112 Ocean Ave.  They buy a House unaware of the recent murders...somehow.

Strange stuff starts to happen.  Flies appear.  George goes crazy.

In the End, they leave (and The Conjuring Series is somehow set up).

What's Different?

So if the Story Beats are the same, why bother with this?
Well, many MANY things were added or removed.

George goes crazy in the Book as he's always cold, confused by the dog's behavior and awoken at 3:15 am every morning.

In the Film, he's driven mad and compelled to try and kill his family!

This is not in the Book.  The Remake added him killing the Dog (which led to a lawsuit).

The Book has weird stuff like a ceramic lion somehow moving (when nobody is watching) and somehow attacking George (which he doesn't see).  
This is not in the Film.

The Babysitter Scene is only in the Film(s).

The Book implies that the House drove George to not shave, making him end up looking like Ronald DeFeo (who died in 2021).
The Film just has James Brolin with the beard from the get-go.  Probably easier for a Film.

Curiously, the Book calls the Priest as 'Father Mancuso.'  The Film calls him Father Delaney.
He's made sick and eventually made blind by the evil forces.
In the Book, he grows welts and feels sick all of the time.

In a random change, he always seems to be talking to Kathy and not George in the Film.  I guess it is because George is just going crazy.

The Book's finale has George speaking in tongues, Kathy floating and other weird stuff.  They leave.
An Epilogue says that people came in, felt sick...but otherwise saw nothing crazy.

Final Thoughts

The Book really tries to get you to relate to the Family.  It also features lots of little details like random drawings of the House Layout at key points.

The Film really lays it on thick with George being driven crazy and erratic.  It makes for a more interesting Film to have him be 'a villain,' whether he's in control or not.

The Book really pushes the idea that the Family must work together to survive.  The Film is about the House making George into 'a new Ronald.'

What is Better?

The Book.

While the Film has big moments, I think the focus change is a misstep.  Yep, I'm here telling you that a Classic Film that got 27 and 3/4 Sequels got it wrong.

Welcome to Film Blogging.

A Book that is full of third-hand accounts of fright and unprovable things.  That said, it builds up dread and makes you feel for the Family more than the Film(s).