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'.
Return to the Lost World (1993)
5/10
Director: Timothy Bond
Starring: John Rhys-Davies, David Warner, Eric McCormack, Tamara Gorski, Darren Mercer
Answering a distress call from Africa, two rival scientists set out for the Lost World and find it threatened with destruction by sinister oil prospec... Read more
Shanghai Surprise (1986)
3.1/10
Director: Jim Goddard
Starring: Sean Penn, Madonna , Paul Freeman, Richard Griffiths
Perhaps the only real surprise is that anyone let Madonna near a film set again after this muddled romantic adventure sank like a rock. Playing like a... Read more
The Bridge of San Luis Rey (2004)
5.1/10
Director: Mary Mcguckian
Starring: Robert De Niro, Kathy Bates, Gabriel Byrne, Harvey Keitel, F Murray Abraham, Ger...
Adapted from Thornton Wilder's Pulitzer-winning novel, and set in Peru in 1714 when the collapse of a rickety bridge kills five people. Brother Junip... Read more
Omoo Omoo - The Shark God (1949)
3.2/10
Director: Leon Leonard
Starring: Ron Randell, Michael Whalen
A sea captain (Trevor Bardette) courts disaster when he removes a pair of black pearls from a native shrine. According to native legend, bad luck will... Read more
Marsupilami: A Tail of Two Cities (2000)
6.3/10
Based on the popular Frencghh/Belgian comic book, the often off the wall, nonsensical, non-speaking antics of an animated creature with an enormously... Read more
A Time to Love and a Time to Die (Blu-ray) (1958)
7.7/10
Director: Douglas Sirk
Starring: Don DeFore, Keenan Wynn, John Gavin, Jock Mahoney, Lilo Pulver
Douglas Sirk's wartime romance is based on the novel by Erich Maria Remarque, author of the classic anti-war novel 'All Quiet On the Western Front', w... Read more
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey ( Blu-ray ) (3D) (2012)
7.8/10
Director: Peter Jackson
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Christopher Lee, Elijah Wood, Hugo Weaving, Ian Holm, Ian McKell...
The first in a trilogy of films based on the enduring masterpiece The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey follows title charac... Read more
The Other (Blu-ray) (1972)
6.9/10
Director: Robert Mulligan
Starring: Uta Hagen, Diana Muldaur, Chris Udvarnoky, Martin Udvarnoky, Norma Connolly, Vic...
An eerie occult horror set on a an idyllic farm in 1930s New England, where twin brothers Holland and Niles live with their family. Niles is outgoing... Read more
Jane Eyre (Blu-ray) (2010)
7.3/10
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
Midsomer Murders: Series 9 (2014)
7.7/10
Director: Sarah Hellings, Peter Smith, Jeremy Silberston
Starring: John Nettles, Peter Smith
Welcome to England’s most murderous county. . . The English village mystery gets a contemporary spin in this hit British television series that has... Read more