Based on...
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'.
Conversations With My Gardener (2007)
7.1/10
Director: Jean Becker
Starring: Daniel Auteuil, Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Fanny Cottencon, Hiam Abbass, Alexis Bar...
An artist moves to the country and strikes up an unlikely friendship with the gardener - a man he knew as a child many years before. As the men talk t... Read more
Les Miserables (Neeson) (1998)
7.4/10
Director: Bille August
Starring: Liam Neeson, Geoffrey Rush, Uma Thurman
This lavish, superbly acted adaptation of Victor Hugo's classic stars Liam Neeson as Jean Valjean, the fugitive who has become a mayor in France durin... Read more
Jeeves and Wooster: Series 2 (1991)
8.4/10
Starring: Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry, Martin Clunes, Robert Daws, Vivian Pickles
Following the immense success of the first series, British greats Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry return to the iconic swing-time roles of P.G. Wodehouse'... Read more
Jane Eyre (2010)
7.4/10
Director: Cary Fukunaga
Starring: Judi Dench, Jamie Bell, Michael Fassbender, Sally Hawkins, Mia Wasikowska
Mia Wasikowska, Michael Fassbender and Academy Award winner Judi Dench star in acclaimed director Cary Fukunaga's daring new adaptation of Charlotte B... Read more
Marnie (1964)
7.2/10
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Starring: Sean Connery, Tippi Hedren, Diane Baker
This story of habitual thief (Tippi Hedren) whose employer (Sean Connery) is determined to understand her illness was considered a misfire in 1964...... Read more
Jude (1996)
7/10
Director: Michael Winterbottom
Starring: Christopher Eccleston, Kate Winslet, Liam Cunningham, Rachel Griffiths
Sumptuously filmed version of Thomas Hardy's 'Jude the Obscure' details the life of Jude Fawley, a stonemason with doomed intellectual aspirations in... Read more
Queen of the Damned (2002)
5.3/10
Director: Michael Rymer
Starring: Aaliyah, Stuart Townsend, Marguerite Moreau, Lena Olin, Paul McGann, Vincent Pe...
Based on the novel from Anne Rice's 'The Vampire Chronicles' series, this over-the-top horror outing stars Aaliyah as Queen Akasha, an evil and powerf... Read more
Angel Heart (1987)
7.3/10
Director: Alan Parker
Starring: Mickey Rourke, Robert De Niro, Lisa Bonet, Charlotte Rampling
Mickey Rourke is thrown into a head-bending world of violence and voodoo that moves from the streets of New York to the swamps of Louisiana. Lisa Bone... Read more
Christ Stopped at Eboli (1979)
7.8/10
Director: Francesco Rosi
Starring: Gian Maria Volonte, Paolo Bonacelli, Alain Cuny
Rosi's BAFTA-winning epic stars Gian Maria Volonte as Carlo Levi, an artist and political exile banished to a southern Italian village by Mussolini's... Read more
The Kite Runner (2007)
7.6/10
Director: Marc Forster
Starring: Khalid Abdalla, Homayoun Ershadi, Shaun Toub, Atossa Leoni, Said Taghmaoui
Director Marc Forster's adaptation of Khaled Hosseini's bestseller about one man's search for redemption following a childhood betrayal in his native... Read more