I would agree the movie is better, but only based on the fact that all the parts that dont' add anything to the story are taken away like the Luci Mancini movie. She is a supplimental character along with Fontane. As great as those parts are to flushing out the story. What is already there aside from those parts IS the movie and FFC was really faithful to the parts of the book he did use.

It's ironic because so many films based on book A) do not do the book justice and B) are soon forgotten. I think it's due to FFC's imagination that the movie has reached such immortal status along with the book.