The Color Of Money

D

drivermaker

Banned
I have a first edition print of The Color Of Money sitting around the house for so many years the pages were starting to turn colors. Finally, I read it last week and couldn't believe what I was reading. Sure, I figured the book would have some twists that might be a little different from the movie, which is why I never bothered to crack the cover, but there is NOTHING...and I mean NOTHING that is similar between the two other than the character Fast Eddie. I have no clue how the writers of the movie came up with the script, characters, and story line if it was supposed to have anything to do with the name of the book. I don't know if very many of you have read the book, but if you want a totally different story and to pass some time lost in a pool book, get TCOM if it's still available.
 
Driver, Do you think the book is better then the movie? I haven't read the book, if its better then the movie I may try to pick it up.

Kent
 
drivermaker said:
I have a first edition print of The Color Of Money sitting around the house for so many years the pages were starting to turn colors. Finally, I read it last week and couldn't believe what I was reading. Sure, I figured the book would have some twists that might be a little different from the movie, which is why I never bothered to crack the cover, but there is NOTHING...and I mean NOTHING that is similar between the two other than the character Fast Eddie. I have no clue how the writers of the movie came up with the script, characters, and story line if it was supposed to have anything to do with the name of the book. I don't know if very many of you have read the book, but if you want a totally different story and to pass some time lost in a pool book, get TCOM if it's still available.
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Driver, I liked the book much better. The producers were looking for a vehicle for Tom Cruse and the book TCOM didn't offer that vehicle. Like the title says, it was all about, The Color Of Money. Allways is, in Hollywood. That is the reason Disney refused to release, Fahrenheit 911. Even though they thought it would make money they saw the boycott coming.

I agree, if you can find the book it is worth the read.
 
pooljunkie73 said:
Driver, Do you think the book is better then the movie? I haven't read the book, if its better then the movie I may try to pick it up.

Kent
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I read the book years ago, and enjoyed it very much. Other than the fact that it involves a comeback from Fast Eddie the whole story is different than the movie.

A book is simply different than a movie. It is a much longer and more detailed experience. Any keen player should enjoy it.
 
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What about The Hustler, there is a book of that no? Is The movie version of The Hustler different then the book version?
 
pooljunkie73 said:
Driver, Do you think the book is better then the movie? I haven't read the book, if its better then the movie I may try to pick it up.
Kent
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It's totally different from the movie and a super read. Wouldn't you like to know what might happen if Fats and Fast Eddie were to meet again after all those years and were to play against each other once more? You won't live up to your name if you don't get it..........
 
pooljunkie73 said:
Driver, Do you think the book is better then the movie? I haven't read the book, if its better then the movie I may try to pick it up.

Kent
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Just thought I'd throw in my opinion on this. The book is a good read, not great fiction. The writer is competent, but not great. Worth the read.
Better than the movie? They're so different it is hard to say.
 
Celtic said:
What about The Hustler, there is a book of that no? Is The movie version of The Hustler different then the book version?
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Yes it is different, but not as radically different as TCOM. Also a good read if you like to read.
 
Celtic said:
What about The Hustler, there is a book of that no? Is The movie version of The Hustler different then the book version?
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Yes...Go to www.amazon.com and do a search on The Hustler by Tevis. Reader reviews indicate a difference between the two but not as great as TCOM, which is 180 degrees.
 
Don't know about the book, but just a few days ago a finally watched The Color of Money movie. Prior to that I was very dissapointed with Poolhall Junkies movie. Naturally I expected TCOM to be much better due to all that hype. Yes, it was entertaining, but the play wasn't very impressive at all.

Constant smashing at the cue ball, at least 2 bank shots per rack, silly combo's, top players nearly always out of position and having to play kick shots...Fast Eddie also commits an obvious foul on one of the masse shots which wasn't called...when the cue ball was frozen to the object ball...a clear push shot.

No long draw shots? Angular draws? Force follow? Everyone loves to see those...I thought that the whole idea of showing pool playing in the film was to show some unusual and attractive/difficult shots to the casual player/viewer. I didn't see any shot which would require superb stroke.

At least Poolhall Junkies had a few medium draw shots which to me look 1000 times better than a bank shot at warp speed. But that's just me.

If I were a movie director, I'd make most of the shots so difficult that they would require a Mike Massey stroke...LOL.
 
Actually, The Hustler movie is amazingly faithful to the book, by Hollywood standards. A fair number of scemes are verbatim from the book.
 
I read The Hustler about 10 years ago. The major differences I recall are as follows: There is no Sarah character in the book and corresponding suicide climax in the movie. In the end, after Eddie beats Fats, he joins Burt instead of going against him like he does in the movie.

I liked the movie better, which is not usually the case in book vs. movie comparisons.
 
iusedtoberich said:
I read The Hustler about 10 years ago. The major differences I recall are as follows: There is no Sarah character in the book and corresponding suicide climax in the movie. In the end, after Eddie beats Fats, he joins Burt instead of going against him like he does in the movie.

I liked the movie better, which is not usually the case in book vs. movie comparisons.
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+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++=

That story evolved a lot, I have all of them, from memory, I think the first one was a short story in Collier, then a longer one in the new playboy magazine, the original character was big sam and there was no fast eddy, that went into a book in 59, then re written again in 61 for the movie. There were 4 total rewrites of the story and it kept getting better as time went on.

Fast Larry Guninger The Power Source Pool School.
 
WARNING - PLOT SPOILER BELOW IF YOU HAVE NEVER READ "THE HUSTLER"

I read "The Hustler" recently. You are correct there is no dramatic suicide scene, but the final confrontation between Bert and Fast Eddie is left ambiguos, you do not know for sure if he joins Bert or not. Potentially he could have turned his offer down.

Another nice little touch is Bert in the book mentions Fats is rich not just because of Pool but because he invested in "property". At the end of the book you realize that did not necessarily mean houses and land, but Pool players.

I thought the film of "The Hustler" was very good. Most of the changes made from the book were to increase drama and it was done without sacrificing the feel and intention of the book. Paul Newman's speech to Bert during the final match is one of my all-time favorite scenes from any movie, and the movie would not be nearly as strong without it.

TCOM is a whole other kettle of fish. A great fun movie in it's own right, but nothing like TCOM the book or the first movie and book.
 
**PLOT SPOILER**

I recalled at the end of the book Eddie gave his cue to Burt and/or Fats to put in the poolroom's locker, thereby showing his intentions to join them. Like I said before, this is from memory, so I could be off.
 
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