From Print
to the Big Screen
We
all know there is a lot of controversy when word gets out that our favorite
books are being made into films.
Everyone commonly assumes that a motion picture can never live up to its
original paper manuscript. Truth is,
with a creative director and versatile actors who truly understand the plot and
its characters, film adaptations can be just as enjoyable as the books. Even when a movie doesn’t follow a book’s
story line scene-for-scene, the movie can still be impressive as its own
product.
There are many great novels that
have been made into very successful films.
In no particular order, I’ve compiled a list of 25 that I personally
think were stunning on the big screen, whether they followed the story line or
not.
# 1 – The Help (2011)
Author: Kathryn Stockett
Director: Tate Taylor
An aspiring author during the civil rights
movement of the 1960s decides to write a book detailing the African-American
maids’ point of view on the white families for which they work, and the
hardships they go through on a daily basis.
I had the pleasure of seeing this film before
it was even released to the general public and I must say, I left the theater
with a great sense of empowerment. The movie was beautiful and the acting was
entirely believable. It was definitely not a disappointment to the novel.
# 2 – The Notebook (2004)
Author: Nicholas Sparks
Director: Nick Cassavetes
A poor and passionate young man falls in love
with a rich young woman and gives her a sense of freedom. They soon are
separated by their social differences.
I really don’t care how predictable and
cliché the critics say the story is. I can watch this movie a million times
over and only cry…….every…single…time. Rachel McAdams gives a stellar
performance and The Notebook leaves every woman hoping guys like Noah really do
exist.
# 3 – Jaws (1975)
Author: Peter Benchley
Director: Steven Spielberg
When a gigantic great white shark begins to
menace the small island community of Amity, a police chief, a marine scientist
and grizzled fisherman set out to stop it.
The novel was a great success, staying on the
bestsellers list for 44 weeks. Only 16
months later, Spielberg released the film adaptation. The film omitted some of
the novel’s minor subplots, but Jaws became the highest grossing movie in
history up to that point and is regarded as a watershed film in motion picture
history.
# 4 – Harry Potter (2001-2011)
Author: J.K. Rowling
Directors: Chris Columbus, Alfonso Cuarón,
Mike Newell, David Yates
The eight book series chronicle the
adventures of a wizard, Harry Potter, and his friends, all of whom are students
at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
The film series is without a doubt one of the
most successful film franchises of all time.
The franchise has earned over $24 billion after its release of the final
film last year and has cultivated a huge fan base.
# 5 – The Green Mile (1999)
Author: Stephen King
Director: Frank Darabont
The lives of guards on Death Row are affected
by one of their charges: a black man accused of child murder and rape, yet has
a mysterious gift.
I personally believe this is one of the
greatest, most touching films of all time. Though it’s a long movie, it is and
absorbing, powerful experience and well worth watching for three hours.
# 6 – Pride and Prejudice (2005)
Author: Jane Austen
Director: Joe Wright
Sparks fly when spirited Elizabeth Bennet
meets single, rich and proud Mr. Darcy. But Mr. Darcy reluctantly finds himself
falling in love with a woman beneath his class.
Though I had to read it for school, I
actually loved this book. I enjoyed the 1995 film adaptation, but I loved the
cast of the more recent version. The
film is quite literal in its interpretation and Keira Knightley and Matthew
Macfadyen offer it an emotional authenticity.
# 7 – Walk the Line (2005)
Author: Johnny Cash (Man in Black 1983)
Director: James Mangold
Walk the Line was based on the book “Man in
Black”, a life story as told by Cash himself. The film is a chronicle of music
legend Johnny Cash’s life, from his early days on an Arkansas cotton farm to
his rise to fame with Sun Records in Memphis, where he recorded alongside Elvis
Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins.
I absolute love this film. Joaquin Phoenix
and Reese Witherspoon did their own singing for the film and together they were
an amazing duo. Their performances were brilliant and it was nice to see a film
that did not show only the glamorous side of being a celebrity.
# 8 – A Beautiful Mind (2001)
Author: Sylvia Nasar
Director: Ron Howard
After a brilliant but asocial mathematician
accepts secret work in cryptography, his life take s a turn to the nightmarish.
Russell Crowe was brilliant in this film. He
really became the character. The psychology was intriguing and the storyline is
a refreshing break from the usual Hollywood blockbuster.
# 9 – Forrest Gump (1994)
Author: Winston Groom
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Despite his sub-normal IQ, Gump leads a truly
charmed life, with a ringside seat for many of the most memorable events of the
second half of the 20th century.
This is one of my all-time favorite
movies. Though not the first choice for
the role, I personally believe no one could have played Forrest Gump better
than Tom Hanks. As bizarre and unlikely as
the storyline seems, it is touching to see the world simply and truthfully
through the eyes of such a loveable character.
# 10 – Schindler’s List (1993)
Author: Thomas Keneally (Schindler’s Ark
1982)
Director: Steven Spielberg
In Poland during World War II, Oskar
Schindler gradually becomes concerned for his Jewish workforce after witnessing
their prosecution by the Nazis.
After the release of the film, Holocaust
survivors, claiming to be on the list referred to in the title, proclaimed that
the film exactly depicted how things had been nearly 50 years ago in Eastern
Europe. The film was depressing, but brilliant and endearing.
# 11 – Gone With the Wind (1939)
Author: Margaret Mitchell
Director: George Cukor
American classic in which a manipulative
woman and a roguish man carry on a turbulent love affair in the American south
during the Civil War and Reconstruction.
This movie is an icon of American filmmaking.
It is a unique story that was so well received that the film critics couldn’t
even hate it.
# 12 – The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Author: L. Frank Baum (The Wonderful Wizard
of Oz 1900)
Director: Victor Fleming
Dorothy Gale is swept away to a magical land
in a tornado and embarks on a quest to see the Wizard who can help her return
home.
I grew up watching this movie over and over
again….it never gets old. Aside from the
entertaining wardrobe, characters, and music talent, the story still finds a way
to express a meaningful message.
# 13 – The Hunger Games (2012)
Author: Suzanne Collins
Director: Gary Ross
Set in a future where the Capitol selects a
boy and girl from the twelve districts to fight to the death on live
television, Katniss Everdeen volunteers to take her younger sister’s place for
the latest match.
I am a fan of The Hunger Games trilogy. The
first book of the series is the only one to be released as a movie so far and I
must say, I was not too disappointed. The story is original and it was exciting
to see the characters and Panem come to life on the big screen. I’m looking
forward to see if the rest of the trilogy will be equally successful as the
first film.
# 14 – The Da Vinci Code (2006)
Author: Dan Brown
Director: Ron Howard
A murder inside the Louvre and clues in Da
Vinci paintings lead to the discovery of a religious mystery protected by a
secret society for two thousand years which could shake the foundations of Christianity.
Despite what the critics may say about the
film (and the book for that matter), I rather enjoyed this movie. Since there is no surprise in the movie that
isn’t in the book, this is one of those films you will want to watch before
reading the book. Then if you decide to read the book you can get a deeper
insight to the theories explained in the film. I think Tom Hanks was excellent
as the lead.
# 15 – I Am Legend (2007)
Author: Richard Matheson
Director: Francis Lawrence
Years after a plague kills most of humanity
and transforms the rest into monsters, the sole survivor in New York City
struggles valiantly to find the cure.
Usually modern horror thrillers are overproduced,
but I Am Legend didn’t look bombarded with CGI. Being one of the only
characters in the film for much of the time, with exception of his dog, Will
Smith gives a terrific performance. Being a sucker for post-apocalyptic films,
I was pleased to get three genres in one: science fiction, horror and action.
# 16 – I, Robot (2004)
Author: Isaac Asimov
Director: Alex Proyas
In the year 2035, a techno-phobic cop
investigates a crime that may have been perpetrated by a robot, which leads to
a larger threat to humanity.
I, Robot is thrilling and consistently entertaining.
There are great special effects and Will Smith gives a believable performance. It’s
not high art but still very enjoyable.
# 17 – The King’s Speech (2010)
Author: Mark Logue & Peter Conradi
Director: Tom Hooper
The story of King George VI of Britain, his
impromptu ascension to the throne and the speech therapist who helped the
unsure monarch become worthy of it.
This film took me by surprise. I left the
theater wanting to talk about it. Definitely one of the best films of 2010.
# 18 – The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008)
Author: John Boyne
Director: Mark Herman
Set during World War II, a story seen through
the innocent eyes of Bruno, an eight year old son of the commandant at a
concentration camp, whose forbidden friendship with a Jewish boy on the other
side of the camp fence has startling and unexpected consequences.
The scenes within may not have been deep, but
the film itself is profound. Seeing the Holocaust from the perspective of a
child built me up for a very powerful ending.
Maybe not as powerful as the book, but seeing the story visually played
out was very heart-stopping.
# 19 – Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Author: Thomas Harris
Director: Jonathan Demme
A young FBI cadet must confide in an
incarcerated and manipulative killer to receive his help on catching another
serial killer who skins his victims.
The film maintains its reputation as a
chilling drama even to this day. Anthony
Hopkins makes Dr. Hannibal Lecter a character to remember. The movie is great,
but the book is brilliant. Still the movie is a great example of classic
dramatic horror.
# 20 – Shutter Island (2010)
Author: Dennis Lehane
Director: Martin Scorsese
Drama set in 1954, U.S. Marshall Teddy
Daniels is investigating the disappearance of a murderess who escaped from a
hospital for the criminally insane and is presumed to be hiding nearby.
This movie kept me guessing the entire time.
When you think you’ve figured out the plot, the mystery just keeps getting
deeper and deeper. This film being the fourth collaboration between DiCaprio
and Scorsese is the best they’ve done together. Well worth having on DVD.
# 21 – Water for Elephants (2011)
Author: Sara Gruen
Director: Francis Lawrence
A veterinary student abandons his studies
after his parents are killed and joins a travelling circus as their vet.
Not the “most spectacular show on earth,” but
quite a show. The backdrop of a 1930s train circus and costumes is very
appealing. It seems like a taste of old fashioned Hollywood with a steady
balance between romance and tragedy.
# 22 – Jurassic Park (1993)
Author: Michael Crichton
Director: Steven Spielberg
During a preview tour, a theme park suffers a
major power breakdown that allows its cloned dinosaur exhibits to run amok.
One of the first great films I ever saw. As a child it was terrifying and now as adult
I’m still equally thrilled with it. The film greatly displays Spielberg’s gift
of making fantastic seem realistic.
# 23 – War Horse (2011)
Author: Michael Morpurgo
Director: Steven Spielberg
Young Albert enlists to serve in World War I after
his beloved horse is sold to the cavalry. Albert’s hopefully journey takes him
out of England to the front lines as the war rages on.
This film was an emotional roller coaster…in
a good way. The vivid detail and technical proficiency was astounding. Leave it to Spielberg to visually create such
an epic story about a boy and his horse. The film offers many memorable moments both
tragic and profound.
# 24 – Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Author: Stephen King (Rita Hayworth and
Shawshank Redemption 1982)
Director: Frank Darabont
Two imprisoned men bond over a number of
years, finding solace and eventual redemption through acts of common decency.
Shawshank is still to this day one of the
greatest prison movies of all time. The film was based on a short story by
Stephen King. You just can’t go wrong with a narrator like Morgan Freeman who
has never struck a false note in his career.
# 25 – The Godfather (1972)
Author: Mario Puzo
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
The aging patriarch of an organized crime
dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son.
It’s hard to find a moment in the film that
wasn’t great. The Godfather has made its way to the top of numerous lists of
the best movies of all time. The
terrific performance by a stellar cast makes The Godfather a defining film in
the history of cinema.
-
~ Michelle
Marks
