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'.
Poldark: Series 4 (2018)
8.4/10
Starring: Eleanor Tomlinson, Aidan Turner, Jack Farthing, Heida Reed, Beatie Edney
Ross must defend Cornwall from an empowered George Warleggan, and risks everything he holds dear as he embarks on a political journey which takes him... Read more
Patrick Melrose (2018)
8.4/10
Director: Edward Berger
Starring: Hugo Weaving, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Benedict Cumberbatch, Pip Torrens, Anna Made...
This five-part limited series based on the acclaimed novels by Edward St. Aubyn, tracks Patrick Melrose (Benedict Cumberbatch) from a privileged but d... Read more
Little Women (2018)
7.9/10
Director: Clare Niederpruem
Starring: Lea Thompson
A modern retelling of Louisa May Alcott's classic novel, we follow the lives of four sisters - Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March - detailing their passage... Read more
Papillon (2017)
7.1/10
Director: Michael Noer
Starring: Charlie Hunnam, Rami Malek, Yorick van Wageningen, Roland Moller, Tommy Flanagan...
The epic story of Henri "Papillon" Charrière, a safecracker from the Parisian underworld who is framed for murder and condemned to life in the notorio... Read more
Journey's End (2017)
6.6/10
Director: Saul Dibb
Starring: Asa Butterfield, Sam Claflin, Paul Bettany, Tom Sturridge, Toby Jones, Stephen G...
Led by young officer Stanhope, whose mental health is rapidly disintegrating, a group of British soldiers await their fate in an Aisne dugout during t... Read more
The Children Act (2017)
6.7/10
Director: Richard Eyre
Starring: Emma Thompson, Stanley Tucci, Ben Chaplin, Fionn Whitehead
In the midst of a marital crisis, a High Court judge must decide if she should order a life-saving blood transfusion for a teen with cancer despite hi... Read more
Disobedience (2017)
6.6/10
Director: Sebastian Lelio
Starring: Alessandro Nivola, Rachel Weisz, Allan Corduner, Anton Lesser, Rachel McAdams, A...
New York photographer Ronit Krushka flies to London after learning about the death of her estranged father. Ronit is returning to the same Orthodox Je... Read more
The Bookshop (2017)
6.5/10
Director: Isabel Coixet
Starring: Frances Barber, Patricia Clarkson, Bill Nighy, Emily Mortimer, James Lance
Florence Green, a free-spirited widow, puts grief behind her and risks everything to open up a bookshop -- the first such shop in the sleepy seaside t... Read more
Little Women (2017)
7.1/10
Starring: Angela Lansbury, Emily Watson, Michael Gambon, Dylan Baker, Julian Morris, Kathr...
A dramatisation of Louisa May Alcott's novel about the lives of the four March sisters during the American Civil War as they learn to navigate love, l... Read more
Howards End (2017)
7.3/10
Director: Hettie Macdonald
Starring: Tracey Ullman, Matthew Macfadyen, Hayley Atwell, Philippa Coulthard
Based on E.M. Forster's classic novel, the miniseries adaptation of "Howards End" is a portrayal of England at the turn of the 20th century told throu... Read more