Just watched Hearts in Atlantis...

[Dallas Riley]

I finished the book Saturday, and with a lot of King Books there's a movie adaptation :)

Very good read, Low men in the Yellow Coats being the best followed my the title story imo.

However, A couple of things I liked in the movie better than in the book.

One. When Carol and Bobby are first surrounded by the 3 boys, Ted shows up and scares them away instead of Carols Aunt? I forgot her name. Plus how he said he knew of Harry's secret reminded me of "The Storm of the Century"

Two. The story of Bronco.

Note. Carols plays the Daughter of Carol at the end as well.

[Bryan James]

I preferred the movie adaptation.

Ted "Brought Again" is (no spoiler warning needed, I think) is pre-sentient, so Sir Hopkins's speech about the "kiss by which all others will be judged," and his intervention of the First Fight (instead of Fatty McButtnoise), makes more sense in the movie than the random events in the book.

Oh well, hindsight is 20/20...Ted just happened to have 20/20 foresight.

I enjoyed the remaining 2/3rds of the book, though.

BJS

[Loopy]

Carol's aunt is Rhionda, if I remember right. Just finishing the short version in "Stephen King Goes To The Movies". I have read the novel years ago and this has prompted me to re-read it; if I can find it in my SK storage area. Ha Ha. Cheers.

[leighG]

I think this should have been a miniseries chronicling all the parts of the book, just my opinion though

[Goodlovin]

I enjoyed the movie when it came out and due to that I avoided reading the book. I just finished it and i truly regret not reading it a decade ago or whenever it came out.

I think finishing the book makes me dislike the movie now a bit as there is so much more of the story.

[Denise Marsden]

Havn't seen the movie but adored the book,something said by Ted to Bobby always sticks in my mind.'There are books full of good writing that dont have very good stories. Read sometimes just for the story,not like' book snobs' who won't do that.Read sometimes for the words,the language. Don't be like the' play it safers',who won't do that.When you find a book that has both good story and good words treasure that book.Is the movie worth a watch if I get the chance?

[Jaedpact]

um... If you can be satisfied with only a part of the book being developed into a movie then i would say yes. if however you are prone to book to movie disappointment, then I would say no.

[doowopgirl]

I also enjoyed Hearts in Atlantis. Both book and film. I liked the randombits in the book sort of hooking up at the end ( the pimply guy from the university in Vietnam still trying to get people to play Hearts), but I loved Sir Anthonys Ted so much. A great quote from the book was when Ted was trying to get Bobby to read Lord of the Flies and he said, Some books you read for the story and some books you read for the writing. Its the greatest thing when you get both in the same book.

[Ben E Gas]

um... If you can be satisfied with only a part of the book being developed into a movie then i would say yes. if however you are prone to book to movie disappointment, then I would say no.

I loved the book. The movie was disappointing. So much is left out. I didn't like the directors interpretation of the Low Men. Sully John seemed non existent and 2/3 of the book were cut out. They should've done this as a three and a half hour movie or a miniseries.

[DreamDarkly]

Where do they sell the movie? I have never seen it before...

[kading]

Hearts in Atlantis is my absolute all time favorite movie. Just enough strangeness to make it interesting.I love Anthony Hopkins,he is such a great actor.

[kading]

My girlfriend just bought one at a pawn shop and another friend ordered hers at Amazon

[GNTLGNT]

I'm sorry, maybe it's just me(and probably is-precious few share my skewed world view), but I kept hoping Sir Anthony would go all Hannibal Lectorish on someone...talk about Low Men in a lovely Port Wine Sauce with a side of shallots!:eyebrow:

[Damaris]

Agreed, GNTL, he will always be Hannibal for me. Can you imagine him doing the "a goose just flew out my ass" line? :biggrin2: I saw the movie before I read HIA and thought it was pretty good (I watch the movie/miniseries first whenever possible so it has a chance to stand on its own before I read the book and go, "aw, crap, they left half of it out and changed half of what was left!"). After reading HIA I watched it again and, yeah, not so great. Not bad, just not nearly as good as what plays in my head when I'm reading the story. There are a few scenes though that I love (mostly because I'm a sentimental fool), and some really good lines. Plus, um, I'm a sucker for David Morse's hangdog eyes. :wink2:

[Lady Di]

I totally agree. Hearts in Atlantis is my favorite Stephen King book, and the movie left out way too much. I really liked the part about the college years since I grew up in that era.
The ending of the book makes me cry every time.

[Sarge]

Yeah well you didn't watch Hearts In Atlantis, you watched Low Men In Yellow Coats shot using the wrong title. Kind of a pet peeve for me. In the book, I really liked the Hearts story the most. It seemed like both a scarier time and a simpler time to live in. I know thats a contridiction but I cant imagine anyone going to college today and having the guts to ditch class to play cards addiction or not.

Hey that line about the kiss that all other kisses would be measured against? Didn't that get used in a much earlier movie or book? When I read it I was sure I had heard or seen it before.

[nate_watkins]

I thought book the movie and the book were great. I also like the Hearts story, but I'm not sure how they could pull that off now... although the actress who played Carol is old enough now to play her again in that story. lol.

[lovely1]

I saw the movie. It was good but they left out the other stories and the low men, and they should have played up Ted's psychic abilities as well. Maybe they should do a remake with all the stories then it would truly be Hearts in Atlantis. I have the book so I think I might give it a read again.

[Pucker]

Hey that line about the kiss that all other kisses would be measured against? Didn't that get used in a much earlier movie or book? When I read it I was sure I had heard or seen it before.

Ben Hanscomb and Beverly Marsh, perhaps?

[Ben E Gas]

Great book, loved the story and will probably read it again. But terrible movie. Movie was so far off from the book that I disliked watching it and will not recommend that anyone see it.

[MrZetakappa]

il film mi è piaciuto ma preferisco il romanzo sara' x la bravura di King nel descrivere i personaggi e la loro personalita'

[Susanne]

I think this should have been a miniseries chronicling all the parts of the book, just my opinion though

good idea! I´d watch it. I loved the book. The movie is also acceptable. I like the music they used there. One of the songs was also in Sleepwalkers.

[JohnDalglish]

Hi,

Sir Anthony Hopkins for Ted Brautigan in the upcoming DT films/series.

Please.

Don't you think?

Long days and pleasant nights

[Mookie]

Hi,

Sir Anthony Hopkins for Ted Brautigan in the upcoming DT films/series.

Please.

Don't you think?

Long days and pleasant nights

OMG that would be perfect. I adore his acting.

[Moderator]

Not to mention that he's already played the part for Hearts in Atlantis.

[Ela]

Can anyone explain to me why is it titled "Hearts in Atlantis"?

[Bryan James]

Can anyone explain to me why is it titled "Hearts in Atlantis"?

"Aces," "Clubs," or "Spades" just wouldn't have worked.

[Ela]

I didn't finish the book yet. I've seen the movie. I am at the part about playing Hearts and chasing the bitch, and hearing of Atlantis from time to time. Still..there must be more then cards to this title. I'm just curious.
Thanks Bryan and Nate.

[Damaris]

The title can have all sorts of meanings, depending on how you want to look at it. First, it's about the game of "Hearts" that they were playing in "Atlantis" (as the narrator called the 1960s), that's the most obvious meaning. But then you could take "Hearts" to include the different romantic relationships in the stories and the sort of opaque fantasy that the mention of "Atlantis" in general brings. Similarly, "Hearts" could include all the important emotional experiences within all the book's characters (as in taking something "to heart"). And "Atlantis" could also be taken to signify everything that was lost during that time and from that generation (the "lost" city of Atlantis) as well as the characters with unknown or unhappy fates (as Atlantis was thought to have both). I'm sure I could go on, but that's a reasonable start, I think. In short, it means as much or as little as you want it to mean. :laugh:

[Ela]

Thanks Damaris. I am at the last story of the book.

Yeah, I guess the most fitting in my opinion is that it is about the past love and past live, and what's lost. Sort of like; here I am but my heart is there, searching, exploring and some past just never goes away, just like Atlantis.
The Hearts game fits as a metaphor for winning but at what cost, the meaningless war for some but money maker for others. And for students, some gain and lost at the same time, they even lost life if they did not study as the 'duty' called and they had to go to war and fight.

Hearts in Atlantis..hmm

Cheers!

Ela

[Trickmind]

The movie had it's good points but man it really really really sucked compared to the book and COMPLETELY screws with the first story (which is the only story it attempts.)