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Books and films are two closely-related forms of art and entertainment. Since the science of film was first established in the late 1800s filmmakers have been using it to tell stories, and they soon began utilising the existing narratives and characters of novels. These films have succeeded (or not) to varying degrees in the transition, some accurately portraying the writer's intention, some building on it and some disappointing the original readers. No matter how well the adaptation is done however, it is still nice to be reminded that yes, happily, there is more to read than Harry Potter. For screen translations of Charles Dickens, Agatha Christie, Stephen King and many other notable authors click their links under this category, left. For adaptations of plays and Shakespeare, use the 'Alice's Playhouse' link. Right: Kubrick's adaptation of Thackeray's novel 'Barry Lyndon'.

$ 9.99 (2009)

6.7/10
Director: Tatia Rosenthal
Starring: Voices Of, Geoffrey Rush, Anthony LaPaglia, Samuel Johnson, Barry Otto, Joel Edg...

Based on a series of short stories by famed writer Etgar Keret, this feat of stop-motion animation poses the question 'what's the meaning of life' and... Read more

10:30pm Summer (1966)

6.7/10
Director: Jules Dassin
Starring: Melina Mercouri, Peter Finch, Romy Schneider

Director Jules Dassin collaborated with author Marguerite Duras for this haunting adaptation of her novel. Peter Finch and Melina Mercouri are an unha... Read more

1421: The Year China Discovered the World (2004)

6.5/10
Director: David Wallace

Based on Gavin Menzies' controversial book and his '1421 theory' that Chinese mariners had explored and charted the world, long before Europeans. Fol... Read more

1915 (1982)

7.3/10
Starring: Scott McGregor, Scott Burgess, Sigrid Thornton, Jackie Woodbourne, Bill Hunter,...

Boyhood friends Walter and Billy have formed a pact - if one enlists in England's war so will the other. Split between the young men as they go off t... Read more

1984 (1984)

7.2/10
Director: Michael Radford
Starring: Cyril Cusack, John Hurt, Richard Burton, Suzanna Hamilton

An extraordinary film version of George Orwell's dystopian masterpiece, starring John Hurt and Richard Burton. A story of impossible love and tragic b... Read more

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

8.3/10
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Starring: Gary Lockwood, Keir Dullea, Leonard Rossiter, William Sylvester, Daniel Richter,...

Light years ahead of its time, this groundbreaking, visually stunning masterpiece grows even more wondrous as time passes. Beginning with The Dawn of... Read more

2001: A Space Odyssey ( Blu-ray ) (1968)

8.3/10
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Starring: Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, Leonard Rossiter, William Sylvester

Light years ahead of its time, this groundbreaking, visually stunning masterpiece grows even more wondrous as time passes. Beginning with The Dawn of... Read more

30 Days of Night (2007)

6.6/10
Director: David Slade
Starring: Mark Boone Junior, Ben Foster, Melissa George, Josh Hartnett, Danny Huston, Joel...

For 30 days every winter the isolated town of Barrow, Alaska is plunged into complete darkness. It's a bitter time when most of the inhabitants head s... Read more

30 Days of Night ( Blu-ray ) (2007)

6.6/10
Director: David Slade
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Melissa George, Danny Huston, Ben Foster, Mark Boone Junior

For 30 days every winter the isolated town of Barrow, Alaska is plunged into complete darkness. It's a bitter time when most of the inhabitants head s... Read more

300 (2006)

7.7/10
Director: Zack Snyder
Starring: Gerard Butler, Lena Headey, Dominic West, David Wenham, Vincent Regan, Michael F...

A hyper-real, testosterone-laden interpretation of the Spartan legend, based on Frank Miller's graphic novel and drenched in the same CGI-enhanced gol... Read more