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It’s a difficult prospect; to take a beloved book and turn it into a film, but with the success of The Hunger Games I decided to look at other books that successfully made the leap into film.
The successes: literature to film.
Shawshank Redemption:
Copyright – 1994 Castle Rock Entertainment
Based on the short story by Stephen King Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, it follows the life of Andy Dufresne after he is wrongly incarcerated in Shawshank Prison for the murder of his wife and her lover.
Lord of the Rings Trilogy:
Copyright – New Line Productions inc.
There are few people who can disagree that Peter Jackson transitioned the J. R. R. Tolkien’s books to films flawlessly. After all, there’s a reason that all three films found their way into imdb’s top 30films of all time, and won 17 Oscars, including Best Picture for The Return of The King.
To Kill a Mockingbird
Copyright – 1978 Leo Fuchs
Based on the book by Harper Lee, it follows Atticus Finch and his kids, as he defends a black man against an unjust rape charge in an Alabama town during the 1930s – starring Gregory Peck.
Breakfast at Tiffany’s
Audrey Hepburn stars in her most iconic role, as Truman Capote’s heroine Holy Golightly. When a struggling writer moves into a New York apartment building, he becomes fascinated with his quirky and sophisticated neighbour, Holy Golightly.
Empire of the Sun
Copyright – 1987 Warner Bros
A young Christian Bale stars in this film version of J. G. Ballard’s Empire of the Sun, as a young English boy who struggles to survive during World War II under Japanese occupation.
A Clockwork Orange
Copyright – Warner Bros
This cult film adaptation of Anthony Burgess’s 1962 crime novel , centres on Alex whose interests focus on classical music and ‘ultra-violence’ in a dystopian future. Fans of the book were not disappointed.
The Godfather
Copyright – 1972 Paramount Pictures
Based on the 1969 novel by Mario Puzo, this film is not only one of the best film adaptations from literature, but one of the best films of all time. It chronicles the experiences of the Corleone family as Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) passes over control of the family ‘businesses’ to his son, Michael (Al Pacino).
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Copyright – 1975 Warner Bros.
Jack Nicholson stars as a brash rebel, who upon arrival at a mental institute, rallies the other patients together to take on an oppressive dictator-like nurse, in this adaptation of Ken Kesey’s drama.
Oliver Twist
‘Please Sir, I want some more’, which is exactly what we are given in David Lean’s adaptation of the beloved Dickens’ classic. Widely acclaimed as the best film adaptation of Oliver Twist, this film truly allows us to view Dickensian London through the eyes of young orphan, Oliver Twist.
A Room with a View
With an all-star cast, this adaptation of E.M. Forster is utterly flawless. When Lucy Honeychurch goes to Florence under the watchful eye of chaperone Charlotte Bartlett, she has no idea how her experiences in Italy will affect her life at home.