Is the Movie close to the book
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bradnfrank — 20 years ago(June 04, 2005 08:10 PM)
You should also check out the 1998 BBC TV version. It's even closer to the book, and with the extra time, not quite as condensed as the film. And Fielding himself appears as onscreen narrator. Don't bother, however, with the 1976 film version.
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johnhughes3 — 17 years ago(March 24, 2009 03:42 AM)
"And Fielding himself appears as onscreen narrator. Don't bother, however, with the 1976 film version."
Now THAT'S funny!
I realize I am replying to a 4 year old thread, but this quote made me laugh out loud. Henry Fielding wrote Tom Jones in the 1700's - for him to appear onscreen would truly be movie magic! -
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yetanotherwoo — 20 years ago(January 16, 2006 07:53 PM)
I have not seen the movie. For others out there, the book was one of my favorites from college, many of the complications in the book are comedy standards for sitcoms today, haven't read in a while, though.
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Colkitto — 19 years ago(June 18, 2006 02:35 PM)
The movie is heavily condensed and certainly shouldn't be used as a crib by those who can't be bothered to read the book at all (I recommend them to the Nineties TV version), but it's a good introduction. The major characters are all present and correct, and depicted pretty much as Fielding wrote them.
"An inglorious peace is better than a dishonourable war" ~ John Adams
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Chwelve — 19 years ago(June 24, 2006 05:17 PM)
The movie should definitely not be used as a Cliff's Notes. That said, it is one of the best film adaptations I have seen of a great novelit is the book's cinematic equivalent, just as good and not sacrificing a faithful adaptation for a truly wonderful cinematic adaptation. Highly, highly recommended, but read the book as well.
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themill — 19 years ago(July 07, 2006 01:05 AM)
Had a question on this subject, it being a while since I've read the book: The little snippets and snatches of verse read by the film's narrator are (for the most part) not actually from Fielding's text, are they? I couldn't remember any of them, and I'm pretty sure the little rhymes, at least, are not in the novel. Don't have time to revisit this imposing volume at the moment, maybe one of you guys can help me out?
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finnegansword — 16 years ago(August 08, 2009 05:50 AM)
The quotes that THEMILL I think remembers are mostly from the Classics, and are apposite. For example, in the Vauxhall Gardens scene we have Fielding's voice-over thus:
"To see and be seen, in heaps they run;
Some to undo, and some to be undone."
This is a translation from the Latin by John Dryden of Ovid, Art of Love.
There is another pithy one that goes,
"Hope is a good breakfast, but is a bad supper."
by Francis Bacon. Apothegms, 36. As true today as in Fielding's time.
Perhaps the most famous is:
"Happy the man, and happy he alone,
He who can call to-day his own:
He who, secure within, can say,
To-morrow do thy worst, for I have lived today."
which is a translation from Horace, bk 111, ode xxix, but none of these appear in the text of the original volumes.
These quotations will be familiar only to boys such as myself who were educated in a school with Classical traditions (in my case, Scotland) during the 40's. I doubt if American readers will appreciate them, and I suspect this is why so many people here on this board, actually hate the 18th century philosophy that the novel expounds. There are too many Philistines amongst you!
By all means watch the 1963 DVD starring Albert Finney and the young Susannah York. It makes a charming introduction to the very long novel which runs to three volumes in my American edition! -
shandy8 — 17 years ago(March 17, 2009 01:51 PM)
The first half is pretty close to the novel; however, the second part (London etc) is very much condensced, and the "Man on the Hill" is not in the movie.
Some characters have been combined, and several scenes have been changed completely (for example Squire Allworthy's sister does not get killed in a buggy accident).
"I love corn!"