Book to Movie Adaptation: Roald Dahl's The BFG

Although I knew of his work, I hadn’t read any of Roald Dahl’s books until this past year when my son studied him in school. He brought home several of Dahl’s books, including The BFG, to read as part of literature discussions.

When he brought home The BFG, my daughter (who is 13) was excited for him. “I LOVE The BFG!” she said, and then pointed to the spot on her bookcase reserved for the Roald Dahl books she’s been collecting for the past several years. As soon as we started reading the novel, I was hooked, too. The language in The BFG is unique, clever, and flat-out brilliant. The conversations between the title character (who is actually The Big FRIENDLY Giant, for those who don’t know) are, in my opinion, the best part of the story. Even my son, who spent many years stuck in a Diary of a Wimpy Kid/Big Nate graphic novel phase, was intrigued. So imagine our excitement when we saw the movie trailer for The BFG a few months ago. It was very moving and even brought me to tears.

We thought it would be perfect to see over this long, holiday weekend. So we headed out as a family on Saturday to see this fantastic book brought to life. I thought with Steven Spielberg directing, it would be a surefire winner. The movie began, and although I found most of the fun language and dialogue from the book to be there (The BFG’s use of worlds like “frobscottle,” “whizzpopper,” “trogglehumper,” “Her Majester” when referring to the Queen of England, etc.) I found my mind wandering during the first 45 minutes of the movie. It starts off slow when The BFG plucks the main character, a precocious little girl named Sophie, from an orphanage in the wee hours of the morning after she sees him lurking in the city streets outside of a window. I felt like the movie spent too much time with scenes focusing on him talking to Sophie about various things and Sophie hiding from the much larger, much more frightening giant siblings of the BFG.

Sure, these scenes provided some much-needed action in the film, but Hollywood can sometimes take the scenes and drag them out, which I felt was done in this case. The glossy special effects stood out most in the scenes where The BFG takes Sophie to the place where he collects dreams, and takes the swirling balls of many colors and bottles them with different labels in his beautifully-written calligraphy. In the middle of the movie I started thinking that maybe The BFG is just one of those stories that translates better in a novel, because while I had no problem sitting and reading the lively and colorful discussions between The BFG and Sophie, they weren’t as exciting on the big screen.

The story definitely picked up in the last half of the film, when the two develop a plan to stop the horrid giants (appropriately named Fleshlumpeater and Childchewer, to name just a few) and their child-eating ways, but I spent much of the film dissecting the differences between the book and the film (and there were many) and hoping my kids weren’t too disappointed. In the end we all agreed that we did enjoy the movie, but it started off pretty slow and we were worried it wouldn’t pick up. Although the trailer moved me to tears, the actual movie didn’t. It’s a good family film but the scenes with the giants could be scary for younger children.

What are your thoughts on book to movie adaptations? Do you think it's difficult to adapt a great novel into film? What are some of your favorites?

Renee Roberson is an award-winning writer and editor who also works as a Blog Tour Manager for WOW! Women on Writing. Visit her blog at Renee's Pages.

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4 comments book to film, Disney's The BFG, movie review, Renee Roberson, Roald Dahl

List of Movies Made From Books in 2009

Many of us dream of writing a book, finding an agent, and getting our book published by a traditional publisher. It's a dream come true for any aspiring writer! And while we're putting words on paper and watching our characters come to life, sometimes, in the back of our minds, we dream that eventually our book will be made into a major motion picture. Some of us even pick out actors who could play our beloved characters on screen. Why not? It's fun!

These authors (below) had their dreams come true twofold. First, by getting their books published and, second, by seeing their words portrayed on the big screen. And the list is long. It gives us hope and reminds us that anything is possible.

So as you're enjoying your Christmas day, and perhaps going to the movies with your family or watching a good flick at home, remember that a writer just like you probably had a hand in the film you're watching. Some of them are obvious, like Julie & Julia, for instance, but others may surprise you. See how many you can pick out. Merry Christmas!

December 2009 & Upcoming:

Up in the Air
Cast: George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick, Jason Bateman, Danny McBride
Based on: Up in the Air by Walter Kirn

The Lovely Bones
Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, Susan Sarandon, Stanley Tucci, Michael Imperioli, Saoirse Ronan
Based on: The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

Invictus
Cast: Morgan Freeman, Matt Damon, Scott Reeves, Bonnie Henna
Based on: Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Made a Nation by John Carlin

Youth in Revolt
Cast: Michael Cera, Portia Doubleday, Justin Long, Ray Liotta, Steve Buscemi
Based on: Youth in Revolt by C.D. Payne

November 2009

The Box
Cast: Cameron Diaz, Frank Langella, James Marsden, Gillian Jacobs, Michele Durrett, Kal Thompson
Based on: Button, Button: Uncanny Stories by Richard Matheson

Disney's A Christmas Carol
Cast: Jim Carrey, Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Bob Hoskins, Robin Wright Penn, Cary Elwes
Based on: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

The Men Who Stare at Goats
Cast: George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Kevin Spacey, Jeff Bridges
Based on: Men Who Stare at Goats by Jon Ronson

Precious
Cast: Gabourey Sidibe, Mo'Nique, Paula Patton, Mariah Carey, Lenny Kravitz
Based on: Push by Sapphire

Fantastic Mr. Fox
Cast: George Clooney, Owen Wilson, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe, Angelica Huston, Michael Gambon
Based on: Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl

The Blind Side
Cast: Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, Quinton Aaron, Ray McKinnon, Kathy Bates
Based on: The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game by Michael Lewis

New Moon
Cast: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Dakota Fanning, Chaske Spencer
Based on: The Twilight Saga: New Moon by Stephenie Meyer

Me and Orson Welles
Cast: Christian McKay, Claire Danes, Zac Efron, Ben Chaplin, Zoe Kazan, Eddie Marsan, Kelly Reilly, James Tupper
Based on: Me and Orson Welles by Robert Kaplow

The Road
Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce, Robert Duvall, Garret Billahunt
Based on: The Road by Cormac McCarthy

The Private Lives of Pippa Lee
Cast: Robin Wright Penn, Julianne Moore, Winona Ryder, Keanu Reeves, Alan Arkin, Monica Bellucci, Blake Lively, Maria Bello, Ryan McDonald
Based on: The Private Lives of Pippa Lee by Rebecca Miller

October 2009

Whip It
Cast: Drew Barrymore, Ellen Page, Marcia Gay Harden, Kristen Wiig, Juliette Lewis, Jimmy Fallon, Daniel Stern, Alia Shawkat
Based on: Whip It by Shauna Cross

I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell
Cast: Matt Czuchry, Jesse Bradford, Geoff Stults, Keri Lynn Pratt, Marika Dominczyk
Based on: I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell by Tucker Max

Where the Wild Things Are
Cast: Catherine Keener, Max Records, Benicio Del Toro, Forest Whitaker, Catherine O'Hara, Paul Dano, Lauren Ambrose
Based on: Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

The Vampire's Assistant
Cast: Salma Hayek, John C. Reilly, Ken Watanabe, Josh Hutcherson, Chris Kelly, Patrick Fugit, Jane Krakowski
Based on: The Cirque Du Freak series by Darren Shan

September 2009

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
Cast: Anna Faris, Bill Hader, Bruce Campbell, James Caan, Andy Samberg, Tracy Morgan, Mr. T.
Based on: Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett and Ron Barrett

The Informant
Cast: Matt Damon, Scott Bakula, Joel McHale, Mike O'Malley, Andrew Daly, Adam Paul, Melanie Lynskey, Thomas F. Wilson
Based on: The Informant: A True Story by Kurt Eichenwald

Brief Interviews with Hideous Men
Cast: Bobby Cannavale, Ben Shenkman, Max Mingella, Christopher Meloni, Julianne Nicholson, Josh Charles, John Krasinski, Dominic Cooper, Timothy Hutton, Will Forte, Lou Taylor Pucci, Chris Messina
Based on: Brief Interviews With Hideous Men by David Foster Wallace

Coco Before Chanel
Cast: Audrey Tautou, Benoit Poelvoorde, Alessandro Nivola, Marie Gillain, Emmanuelle Devos
Based on: L'irreguliere, Ou Mon Itineraire Chanel by Edmonde Charles-Roux

August 2009

Julie & Julia
Cast: Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, Stanley Tucci, Chris Messina, Jane Lynch
Based on: Julie & Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously by Julie Powell, and My Life in France by Julia Child and Alex Prud'homme

Taking Woodstock
Cast: Demetri Martin, Kevin Chamberlin, Emile Hirsch, Imelda Staunton, Liev Schreiber, Eugene Levy, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Paul Dano
Based on: Taking Woodstock by Elliott Tiber

The Time Traveler's Wife
Cast: Rachel McAdams, Eric Bana, Ron Livingston, Jane McLean
Based on: The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

July 2009

Public Enemies
Cast: Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Marion Cotillard, Stephen Graham, Giovanni Ribisi, Billy Crudup
Based on: Public Enemies: America's Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI 1933-34 by Bryan Burrough

I Love You, Beth Cooper
Cast: Hayden Panettiere, Lauren Storm, Shawn Roberts
Based on: I Love You, Beth Cooper by Larry Doyle

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson
Based on: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling

June 2009

Cheri
Cast: Michelle Pfeiffer, Kathy Bates, Rupert Friend, Felicity Jones, Iben Hjejle, Stephen Frears, Christopher Hampton
Based on: Cheri The Last of Cheri by Colette

My Sister's Keeper
Cast: Cameron Diaz, Alec Baldwin, Abigail Breslin, Joan Cusack, Jason Patrick
Based on: My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

The Stoning of Soraya M.
Cast: Shohreh Aghdashloo, Jim Caviezel, Mozhan Marno, Navid Negahban
Based on: The Stoning of Soraya M: A True Story by Freidoune Sahebjam

May 2009

Angels & Demons
Cast: Tom Hanks, Ewan McGregor, Ayelet Zurer, Stellan Skarsgard, Pierfrancesco Favino, Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Armin Mueller-Stahl
Based on: Angels & Demons by Dan Brown

April 2009

High Noon
Cast: Emilie de Ravin, Ivan Sergei, Cybill Shepherd
Based on: High Noon by Nora Roberts

Tribute
Cast: Brittany Murphy, Jason Lewis, Tippi Hedren, Diana Scarwid
Based on: Tribute by Nora Roberts

The Soloist
Cast: Jamie Foxx, Robert Downey Jr., Catherine Keener, Tom Hollander, Lisa Gay Hamilton, Steven Root
Based on: The Soloist: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship, and the Redemptive Power of Music by Steve Lopez

March 2009

Watchmen
Cast: Bill Crudup, Matthew Goode, Jackie Earle Haley, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Matt Frewer, Malin Akerman, Patrick Wilson, Carla Gugino
Based on: the graphic novel Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons

Northern Lights
Cast: Rosanna Arquette, LeAnn Rimes, Eddie Cibrian
Based on: Northern Lights by Nora Roberts

Midnight Bayou
Cast: Jerry O'Connell, Lauren Stamile, Faye Dunaway
Based on: Midnight Bayou by Nora Roberts

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency
Cast: Jill Scott, Anika Noni Rose, Lucian Msamati, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Desmond Dube, Tumisho Masha, Bongeka Mpongwana, David Oyelowo, John Kani
Based on: The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

February 2009

Coraline
Cast: Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher, Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, John Hodgman, Ian McShane
Based on: Coraline by Neil Gaiman

He's Just Not That Into You
Cast: Ben Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Connelly, Kevin Conolly, Bradley Cooper, Ginnifer Goodwin, Scarlett Johansson, Justin Long
Based on: He's Just Not That Into You: The No-Excuses Truth to Understanding Guys by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo

Confessions of a Shopaholic
Cast: Isla Fisher, Hugh Dancy, Joan Cusack, John Goodman, John Lithgow, Kristin Scott Thomas, Leslie Bibb
Based on: Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

Gomorrah
Cast: Toni Servillo, Gianfelice Imparato, Maria Nazionale, Salvatore Cantalupo, Gigio Morra, Salvatore Abruzzese, Marco Macor, Ciro Petrone, Carmine Paternoster
Based on: Gomorrah: A Personal Journey into the Violent International Empire of Naples' Organized Crime System by Roberto Saviano

January 2009

Not Easily Broken
Cast: Morris Chestnut, Taraji P. Henson, Jenifer Lewis, Maeve Quinlan, Kevin Hart, Eddie Cibrian, Wood Harris
Based on: Not Easily Broken by T.D. Jakes

Defiance
Cast: Daniel Craig, Liev Schrieber, Jamie Bell, Alexa Davalos, Allan Corduner, Mark Feuerstein
Based on: Defiance: The Bielski Partisans by Nechama Tec

Hotel for Dogs
Cast: Emma Roberts, Jake T. Austin, Kyla Pratt, Lisa Kudrow, Kevin Dillon, Don Cheadle, Johnny Simmons, Troy Gentile
Based on: Hotel for Dogs by Lois Duncan

Inkheart
Cast: Brendan Fraser, Paul Bettany, Helen Mirren, Jim Broadbent, Andy Serkis, Eliza Hope Bennett, Rafi Gavron
Based on: Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

Killshot
Cast: Diane Lane, Thomas Jane, Mickey Rourke, Rosario Dawson, Johnny Knoxville, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Don McManus
Based on: Killshot by Elmore Leonard

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Wow, what a list! I'm probably missing some, but these are the ones that I know of. If you've both read the book and seen the movie, what did you think of the adaptation from book to film? I'd love to know your thoughts!

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5 comments book to film, list of films made from books 2009