10 Times Writers Hated The Movie Versions Of Their Work

English author Daphne du Maurier had a bit of an up-and-down relationship with Alfred Hitchcock. The director made three movies based on her work: Jamaica Inn, Rebecca, and The Birds. All three films were classics in their own right, but du Maurier only really enjoyed Rebecca.

Regarding The Birds, she was upset at Hitchcock's decision to change the setting of her story from Cornwall to the USA and was frustrated to see so many elements of her original work left out. Jamaica Inn, however, was the biggest disaster in du Maurier's eyes, and Hitchcock himself even agreed. The film rights were purchased by actor Charles Laughton, who was a huge star at the time.

Laughton hired Hitchcock to direct the film, but the director actually had little creative influence. Fuelled by his own ego, Laughton pretty much controlled every aspect of production, changing large parts of the original story just to give himself more screen time and even giving the film a totally different ending to du Maurier's novel. Du Maurier was so deeply angered by the film that she considered not selling the rights to Rebecca, but relented in the end.