From page to soundstage: Award-contending films based on books
LA Times
Long before Hollywood became obsessed with superheroes, the studios looked to the publishing world for content and inspiration. That turned out to be the case this year when a number of books — novels and nonfiction — got turned into prestige films.
Here are eight awards contenders that are based on books, some of which spent years on the bestseller lists while others flew under the cultural radar. We look at the key similarities and differences between the book and screen versions. Warning: spoilers ahead!
'American Sniper'
The book: A 2012 memoir by Chris Kyle, with Scott McEwen and Jim DeFelice.A nonfiction bestseller.
The scenario: A Navy SEAL marksman becomes the deadliest shooter in U.S. military history during four tours of duty in Iraq.
The movie: Adapted by Jason Hall; directed by Clint Eastwood. Starring Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller.
Key similarities/differences: The book is more procedural and technical in tone, while the film foregrounds and dramatizes key battle sequences. As in the book, the film opens in 2003 when Kyle (Cooper) makes his first kill as a sniper. However, the decision to shoot is his, not an order from a superior, and the initial target is a woman, not a boy. Following Kyle's death in 2013 at a Texas shooting range, screenwriter Hall added more emotional context based on conversations with Kyle's wife, Taya ( Miller).
The film implies Kyle was 30 when he became a SEAL, but in reality, he was two months shy of his 25th birthday when he started basic training in 1999. The film omits that the Navy initially rejected Kyle in 1996 due to pins in his arm from a rodeo injury. An expanded coda in the film sets up Kyle's death and includes a memorial service at Cowboys Stadium.
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Here are eight awards contenders that are based on books, some of which spent years on the bestseller lists while others flew under the cultural radar. We look at the key similarities and differences between the book and screen versions. Warning: spoilers ahead!
'American Sniper'
The book: A 2012 memoir by Chris Kyle, with Scott McEwen and Jim DeFelice.A nonfiction bestseller.
The scenario: A Navy SEAL marksman becomes the deadliest shooter in U.S. military history during four tours of duty in Iraq.
The movie: Adapted by Jason Hall; directed by Clint Eastwood. Starring Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller.
Key similarities/differences: The book is more procedural and technical in tone, while the film foregrounds and dramatizes key battle sequences. As in the book, the film opens in 2003 when Kyle (Cooper) makes his first kill as a sniper. However, the decision to shoot is his, not an order from a superior, and the initial target is a woman, not a boy. Following Kyle's death in 2013 at a Texas shooting range, screenwriter Hall added more emotional context based on conversations with Kyle's wife, Taya ( Miller).
The film implies Kyle was 30 when he became a SEAL, but in reality, he was two months shy of his 25th birthday when he started basic training in 1999. The film omits that the Navy initially rejected Kyle in 1996 due to pins in his arm from a rodeo injury. An expanded coda in the film sets up Kyle's death and includes a memorial service at Cowboys Stadium.
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