It's Too Close to Call

This is part 3 of my Based on the Book series. First I talked about 4 books that I thought were superior to their movie counterparts and then last week I shared 2 movies that I liked better than the original books. 

Today I move into gray area.  I want to discuss books and movies that are so good I can't pick a favorite.  The three that stand out to me are all classic books, but their movie counterparts are also excellent.  Maybe the movies aren't quite the same caliber, but I love them anyway because they hold their own without greatly compromising the integrity of the books.

The discussion is the fun part. I want to hear your opinion, too.  Do you agree with my choices? What books or movies hold a soft spot in your heart?

Too Close to Call
{All book and movie titles are Amazon affiliate links.}

The one that quickly comes to mind is Anne of Green Gablesby L. M. Montgomery.  I fell in love with the movies first.  I can't even begin to imagine how many times I've seen them. When I was in highschool I invited a few friends  over and we had an all-day Anne movie marathon.  When I was gifted the entire Anne series of books as a teenager, the books became some of my all-time favorites.  Obviously, the books have far more detail and they go beyond the timeline of the movies, but it is hard to discount the near-perfect performance of Megan Follows in the movie series.  She is Anne Shirley.

Many people may disagree with my second pick.   For years, another of my favorite books has been Little Womenby Louisa May Alcott.  I've seen several movie adaptations, but nothing compares to the 2000 versionstarring Winona Ryder. A 2-hour movie cannot include every detail of a 500+ page book, but I loved that the movie incorporated much the book's dialogue.



I'm really taken with Sherlock Holmesby Sir Arthur Conan Doyle right now.  I've read 1 of his full-length novels and 3 of his short-story collections and I plan to read more. I also have a slight obsession with all 3 seasons of the BBC's Sherlock series, though after the original episode, none of the following 8 have been able to top it. I also love both  Sherlock Holmes moviesstarring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law. I have a difficult time rewatching movies, but these movies are so mentally fast paced that I discover something new each time.

An odd little tidbit: when I read the Sherlock Holmes books, I picture Benedict Cumberbatch (from the BBC series) as Sherlock Holmes, but I imagine Jude Law (from the movies) as Dr. Watson.

How about you?  Can you think of a book-movie combo that you like equally?

Come back next week for a book review.  I saw the movie years ago, but only got around to reading the book this month.