From Print into Pictures - Nerdy's Top 10 Book-to-Screen Adaptations
You know how it goes - the book is always better that the movie. But every once in a while book-to-screen adaptation can steal your heart! If you're looking for something to watch this weekend, here's a list of my top 10 book-to-screen transitions! *Note: I'm not including major adaptations such as Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones because I think we can all agree those are awesome!
10) The Secret Garden (written by Frances Hodgson Burnette)
The 90's where a great decade for book-to-movie adaptations (as reading this list will show). While I also love the adaptation for Burnette's A Little Princess, the film version of The Secret Garden is more faithful to the book and a bit more real-to-life.
Kate Maberly was a wonderful fit for Mary Lennox, and I sometimes wonder when I watch the movie again whether she's just a good actress or if she was really a bratty kid on set. Her transformation from snotty, spoiled kid to warm and caring is wonderfully portrayed, and I'm sorry any movie featuring the great Maggie Smith gets an A in my book.
If you're looking for a great adaption of a literary classic that's child appropriate and still enjoyable for adults, I suggest starting with The Secret Garden. I know my kids will be watching it!
9) The Last Unicorn (written by Peter S. Beagle)
If you haven't seen The Last Unicorn, then please, do yourself a favor and buy it immediately. The book, written by the great Peter S. Beagle, is beautifully transformed into one of the best animated films ever (or so I think). True, I watched this movie so much as a kid that my sister still can't stand it to this day (she'll leave if I turn it on. Really), but there's a very valid reason - it's awesome!
The fact that Beagle was present and assisted with the movie during all parts of production really makes this a great adaptation. Amazing casting (Mia Farrow as Amalthea, Christopher Lee as King Haggard, etc) and beautiful artwork bring this tale of self-discovery to life. I was lucky enough to see this movie on it's most recent road-tour and meet Mr. Beagle, who is an amazing person (in addition to being a fantastic writer). The book and the movie go hand in hand together perfectly.
8) Jane Eyre (written by Charlotte Bronte)
If pressed, I will admit that Jane Eyre is my favorite book of all time. I have read this book more times than I can remember, and for a little while I wanted to be Jane. There have been some pretty horrible adaptations of this story, and some passable. The latest rendition, released in 2011, solves that problem and gives us a movie that not only tells the whole story, but fully realizes all the emotions and circumstances the classic novel contains.
I love Mia Wasikowska as Jane - she's just the right amount of unique to fully represent a character who can't imagine herself as beautiful (even though she is). Also, Michael Fassbender as Mr. Rochester is just....amazing. Beautiful. WATCH THIS!!
7) Hamlet (written by William Shakespeare)
What's better than a Shakespeare play that takes you a full day to read? A movie adaptation of that play that takes a while day to watch!
Hamlet is far and away my favorite tragedy, and Kenneth Branagh couldn't have been a better person to bring it to life. It's really hard to put how awesome this performance is - it sucks you in and takes you on the crazy train with Hamlet, Horatio and Ophelia. Honestly, if you're looking for a Shakespeare movie that you can watch instead of having to read the play, pick this one.
6) Black Beauty (written by Anna Sewell)
As I said, I watched a lot of children's book-to-movie adaptations growing up. One of my absolute favorites is Black Beauty.
As a little girl, I loved horses (and kind of wanted to be one), so to watch a movie based around the life of a horse was amazing to me. This is when I fell in love with Alan Cumming (who voices Black Beauty), and unlike most children's movies today Black Beauty doesn't shy away from the harsh realities of life. Birth, love, abuse, death, and coming home are all aspects that this movie touches on with beautiful accuracy. I didn't read the book until after I'd seen the movie (about a million times), and I've really found them to be on an even level - amazing. Don't let the 90's cheese fool you - this movie is a classic and should be part of everyone's library.
5) Interview with the Vampire (written by Anne Rice)
Before Twilight became all the rage, Anne Rice was queen of the vampires. Her Vampire Chronicles is one of my favorite series, and holds a special place in my heart for being the first "adult" literature I bought without my mother's consent. The movie adaptation of the first novel, Interview with the Vampire holds a similar nostalgic place for me.
There are two amazing things about this movie: 1) Anne Rice wrote the screenplay herself, keeping it true to the novel, and 2) Tome Cruise plays a gay vampire to perfection. I love Lestat to death, and whoever designed Tom's wardrobe and make-up needs some sort of award, because he is Lestat. This never happens to anyone, but the Lestat in this movie is the exact image I visualize each time I read one of Mrs. Rice's books.
While there are some things that bug me (Louis and Armand have hair that is way too long. Also, while I love Antonio Banderas, he was a horrible casting choice for Armand) this movie fully embodies the spirit of the book. So please, watch it. Don't let the splat which is Queen of the Damned (starring Stuart Townsend) prevent you from seeing this masterpiece.
4) The Mists of Avalon (written by Marion Zimmer Bradley)
If you look into literature (and movie) history, you'll quickly find more versions of the King Arthur legend than you can count. From the original stories (Sir Gawain and the Green Knight) to the latest block-buster movie (King Arthur: The Legend of the Sword, coming to theaters 2017), everyone has their favorite. Mine is The Mists of Avalon.
While I'm not a feminist, I do like reading stories from the feminine perspective. It's great that Arthur's a great warrior and all, but I love how Marion Zimmer Bradley tells the story from Morgaine's point of view. The Mini-Series adaptation stays true to the point Zimmer Bradley is making and tells the story from Morgaine's perspective. Like the book, the series also starts from the very beginning of the legend and follows the characters to the end. While there are some key scenes left out, this series is fantastic when you consider not only the time it was released (1994), but the fact that it was shown on normal cable TV. Check out your local thrift or used video store for this gem!
3) The White Queen (based on the Cousin's War series by Philippa Gregory)
As you may know (or are about to learn), I have a love affair with the Wars of the Roses and Tudor England. So, one of my favorite authors is Philippa Gregory (who also wrote The Other Boleyn Girl). When I found out that Starz was creating a mini-series out of Gregory's Cousin's War series (about the women of the Wars of the Roses), I nearly exploded.
Starz did not disappoint with this series. While there are some changes from the books (as can be expected when you smush five books into one ten-episode series), the scenes shift beautifully between the three main characters - Elizabeth Woodeville (The White Queen), Margaret Tudor (The Red Queen) and Anne Neville (The Kingmaker's Daughter). The gratuitous love scenes with Max Irons (Jeremy Irons' son, who plays Edward IV), are nice too (I mean, you get to see his bum. A LOT.). Overall, this is a great weekend binge series - you've got a love story, some fighting for the guys, and a tale that's (somewhat) what really happened.
2) Johnathan Strange and Mr. Norrell (written by Susanna Clarke)
In 2006 a friend lent their copy of Johnathan Strange and Mr. Norrell to me with strict instructions to take good care of it (or they'd steal my soul). Since then, I've read this book about four times and find something new and exciting each time I read it. The same feeling happens each time I watch the BBC mini-series adaptation.
The BBC deserves its reputation for production quality, because the amount of effort that must have gone into this production is astounding. While the series is a bit long, so is the book and I'm so happy that the BBC took the time to let the story tell itself rather than trying to rush everything into a made-for-TV-movie. The costuming, sets, and effects are glorious.
Casting in this movie was perfect as well. Eddie Marsan was an amazing Mr. Norrell, and while I originally envisioned Mr. Norrell as a thin, stickly old man Marsan's performance replaced that image with no quarrel. If you love magic, adventure, and a bit of humor, watch this! It's totally awesome!
1) The Namesake (written by Jhumpa Lahiri)
Not only is The Namesake my favorite contemporary, slice of life novel, it's also one of my favorite movies. This movie will make you laugh, cry, and appreciate all the relationships you have with family, friends, and culture.
I have always enjoyed Kal Penn as an actor, but he really shines here. To show his dedication to the project, Mr. Penn actually went to all the locations his character, Gogol, lives and really immersed himself in the story. All the major events in the book happen in the movie, and all of the characters comes through as accurate representations.
So seriously, watch it. It'll become one of your favorites too.