Movies based on classic books

Parent Cafe
21

<p>I loved the movie of Passage to India, but the book was miles more interesting. I like all the Merchant and Ivory adaptions. </p>

<p>If you like sci fi there are two movie versions of Solaris by Stanislaw Lem. I loved the first Russian movie.</p>

<p>BBC’s original version of the Forsythe Saga was wonderful. I hated the recent one though it got very good reviews. Masterpiece theater in the 70’s did some great adaptions, many of which have been mention. They did some good versions of various Thomas Hardy novels, though my favorite was a movie with Julie Christie - Far from the Madding Crowd.</p>

22

<p>Well, it was based on novels, mythmom; definitely a lot to quibble with in Graves’ interpretation, too. Still, they got the succession right :)</p>

23

<p>I’ll amend my list to include Last of the Mohicans.</p>

24

<p>Another vote for To Kill a Mockingbird</p>

<p>Quick - without checking - who played Boo Radley in the film?</p>

25

<p>Robert Duvall! No need to check - it was the first of many indelible performances. What an actor!</p>

26

<p>Last of the Mohicans was a pretty good movie and Masterpiece Theater did a good version too, but I thought the book was practically unreadable.</p>

<p>I loved the movie of Dr. Zhivago, but it is nothing like the book. The doomed love affair is a teeny tiny part of the book.</p>

27

<p>I’m glad WashDad mentioned Roxanne and The Three Musketeers, and I endorse those choices, too. I especially like the Richard Lester Three Musketeers (with Michael York as D’Artagnan and Faye Dunaway as Madame).</p>

28

<p>Did anyone mention Lolita?
The Scarlet Pimpernel was turned into TV series and a movie. Hardly what I would call a “classic” but it was fun to read.
Another non-classic turned into a movie, Quo Vadis.</p>

29

<p>A few quite-good movies that were adapted from non-fiction books (none of them “classics”, exactly, but not bad):</p>

<p>The Right Stuff (which is really a terrific movie)
Everything You’ve Ever Wanted To Know About Sex<em>(</em>but were afraid to ask)
Fast Times At Ridgemont High
Saturday Night Fever (actually based on a long New York magazine article)</p>

<p>It is also worth mentioning that, while Apocalypse Now owes its plot line to Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, it owes a lot of its tone, and specific scenes, to Michael Herr’s Dispatches, which I think IS a classic of war journalism on its own. If I recall correctly, Herr was given some kind of screenwriting credit for the movie, although maybe not the official credit.</p>

30

<p>For Whom the Bells Toll
The Godfather.
Has The Scarlet Letter been mentioned? I gather the movie was bad.</p>

31

<p>There are so many great ideas here. I looked up virtually every movie/book mentioned. I added 66 items to my Netflix queue and loaded up my Amazon shopping cart based on your suggestions. Some of my choices are limited because my mom only approves some R movies. I have two younger brothers, so I have to opt for movies that we can all watch together most of the time. My mom has approved One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, The Godfather, Slaughterhouse Five, Apocalpse Now, The Last of the Mohicans, and Catch-22 for viewing after my youngest brother is asleep.</p>

<p>Thank goodness for Netflix. Olivier’s Richard III in a set with Hamlet and Henry V costs $55.00 used!</p>

<p>I didn’t know that The Maltese Falcon was literature-based. I can hardly wait to read it. </p>

<p>The Perfect Storm - - I could barely sit through that movie because it was really hard to watch people making the wrong decisions. The director did a great job in creating anxiety for viewers!</p>

<p>Frazzled1- TCM is my favorite channel. I love Agatha Chrisite – I’ve read them all. I watched Witness for the Prosecution recently. I really enjoyed it. I’ve loved all of the Poirots with David Suchet, and I’ve tried to catch most every Holmes version I’ve been able to access. </p>

<p>I’ve also tried to see all versions of Phantom of the Opera. There are quite a few.</p>

<p>Passage to India sounds great - -it was directed by David Lean (Dr. Zhivago, Lawrence of Arabia, Bridge on the River Kwai). I am going with a David Lean version of Great Expectations, too.</p>

<p>I looked for Cannery Row on DVD, but it is only of VHS right now. It looks really good, so I hope it comes out on DVD soon.</p>

<p>Jewel in the Crown/Raj Quartet sound really intriguing, too. </p>

<p>I have All Quiet on the Western Front (DVD) on hand right now. The book is one of my assigned summer readings. I’ve got Nicholas and Alexandra on hand, too. I didn’t know it was based on a book. Will look for it. I plan to see Tess this week as well. </p>

<p>I made the mistake of choosing Dr. Zhivago in book form for a middle school book report. I really did not like the book. However, I adore the movie.</p>

<p>Another disappointment was Collette’s story of Gigi. One glance showed it was essentially a dime novel. Too bad. I really liked the musical. </p>

<p>Washdad – I adored Cyrano de Bergerac. G</p>

32

<p>Don’t buy! rent!</p>

<p>But you already have quite a summer of reading and viewing ahead. Enjoy.
I haven’t seen the Nicholas Nickleby movie, but the BBC series earned rave reviews.</p>

33

<p>Aaaaargh! Sure, Collette’s books are trash, but they are exquisite, entertaining, skillful, life-affirming trash. The best kind of vacation reading, especially for young, intellectually precocious woment. (See – or hear – Rosanne Cash’s lovely song, “The Summer I Read Collette”.)</p>

34

<p>Folks, as someone who attended a primary school named after this writer, may I point out that Colette takes only one “l?” :frowning:
My girlfriend and I argued for weeks about what “ortolans” were and why it was so important to eat them properly.<br>
Also, I did not understand why Gigi’s mother was disparaging all this English brown furniture until I came to the US and saw mahogany furniture.</p>

35

<p>I think ortolans were again served in The Count of Monte Cristo, which, by the way, had significant plot and character deviations from the book. Entertaining nonetheless.</p>

36

<p>Netflix is a rental service. We get 5 movies at a time, return them, then get 5 more. Over and over again. Our plan (5 at a time) costs about $30 a month.</p>

37

<p>I know about Netflix; it’s the price for some movies not part of that system that made me gag.</p>

38

<p>You’d be surprised how many old out-of-print movies are available in libraries, at least here in US metro areas.</p>

<p>I have to vote for the “Wives and Daughters” miniseries based on Gaskell’s book. It’s my favorite!</p>

39

<p>I’m surprised. It seems nobody has mentioned Alice in Wonderland! I thought JHS would come up with that one.</p>

<p>Does non-fiction count? How about A Beautiful Mind or Black Hawk Down?</p>

40

<p>KollegeKid,
You might like “Julia” starring Vanessa Redgrave and Jane Fonda, based upon a short story of the same name, in Lillian Hellman’s book, “Pentimento.” Two brave women in war-torn Europe. It’s edgy and not for the faint-of-heart.</p>

<p>I also liked Patty Duke in “The Miracle Worker” about Helen Keller, a million years ago. Makes me cry.</p>