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'.
Dick Francis Mysteries: Twice Shy / In The Frame / Blood Sport (1989)
Director: Vincent McEveety, Dierdre Friel, Wigbert Wicker
Starring: Ian McShane, Karl Hayden, Niall Toibin, Conor Mullen, Lloyd Bochner, Kenneth Wel...
Three detective stories starring Ian McShane, from the pen of jockey-turned-best-selling author, Dick Francis. 'Twice Shy' sees British Jockey Club i... Read more
Diminished Capacity (2008)
5.7/10
Director: Terry Kinney
Starring: Matthew Broderick, Alan Alda, Virginia Madsen, Dylan Baker, Bobby Cannavale, Lou...
A delightfully bittersweet comedy with Matthew Broderick as a newspaper editor who finds himself rotated from the political section to the comic strip... Read more
Disappearances (2006)
5.1/10
Director: Jay Craven
Starring: Kris Kristofferson, Gary Farmer, William Sanderson, Luis Guzman, Genevieve Bujol...
Near the end of Prohibition, a hardscrabble farmer (Kris Kristofferson) recruits his 15-year-old son (Charlie McDermott), his brother-in-law (Gary Far... Read more
Disclosure (1994)
6.1/10
Director: Barry Levinson
Starring: Michael Douglas, Demi Moore, Donald Sutherland, Caroline Goodall, Dennis Miller
Michael Douglas and Demi Moore portray two characters engaged in a deadly battle over sex, power and money. Based on the novel by Michael Crichton. 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
Doctor Dolittle (1967)
6.2/10
Director: Richard Fleischer
Starring: Rex Harrison, Samantha Eggar, Anthony Newley, Richard Attenborough, Peter Bull
Rex Harrison is the man who can talk to the animals in this epic musical entertainment for children of all ages, based on the stories of Hugh Lofting.... Read more
Doctor Zhivago (2002)
7.5/10
Director: Giacomo Campiotti
Starring: Keira Knightley, Hans Matheson, Sam Neill, Bill Paterson, Celia Imrie
One of the world's most famous love stories and half a century of Russian history come to life in this lavish adaptation of Boris Pasternak's epic mas... Read more
Doctor Zhivago (1965)
8/10
Director: David Lean
Starring: Alec Guinness, Geraldine Chaplin, Julie Christie, Omar Sharif, Ralph Richardson,...
David Lean demonstrates again why he's a peerless filmmaker of substance and scale, directing Boris Pasternak's tumultuous tale of Russia divided by w... Read more
Don Quixote (2000)
6.2/10
Director: Peter Yates
Starring: John Lithgow, Bob Hoskins, Isabella Rossellini, Vanessa Williams
In this fanciful version of Cervantes' classic story, John Lithgow is the middle-aged Spaniard who retreats into a world of fantasy while searching fo... Read more
Don't Look Now (1973)
7.3/10
Director: Nicolas Roeg
Starring: Donald Sutherland, Julie Christie, Hilary Mason
Excellent psychic thriller about a married couple who, just after the accidental drowning of their young daughter, start having strange occurences in... Read more