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'.
Inkheart (2008)
6.1/10
Director: Iain Softley
Starring: Brendan Fraser, Eliza Bennett, Sienna Guillory, Paul Bettany, Andy Serkis, Jim B...
Family fantasy adventure with Brendan Fraser as a storyteller with a very special gift. He is a 'Silvertongue'; when he reads a story, the characters... Read more
Interview with the Vampire (1994)
7.6/10
Director: Neil Jordan
Starring: Tom Cruise, Stephen Rea, Christian Slater, Brad Pitt, Antonio Banderas
Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Antonio Banderas, Stephen Rea and Christian Slater are all featured in this spellbinding adaptation of Anne Rice's runaway best... Read more
Ironweed (1987)
6.8/10
Director: Hector Babenco
Starring: Carroll Baker, Diane Venora, Fred Gwynne, Jack Nicholson, Meryl Streep, Michael...
Oscar-nominated turns by Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson spark this somber Depression-era tale, based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by William K... Read more
Isola (2000)
5.5/10
Director: Toshiyuki Mizutani
Starring: Yoshino Kimura, Yu Kurosawa, Makiko Watanabe, Ken Ishiguro
In the aftermath of the 1995 earthquake in Kobe, psychic Yukari takes a break from her studies to help with the rescue effort. She meets up with Chih... Read more
It: Chapter Two (2019)
6.8/10
Director: Andy Muschietti
Starring: Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, Bill Hader, Jay Ryan, James Ransone, Bill Skarsg...
Defeated by members of the Losers' Club, the evil clown Pennywise returns 27 years later to terrorize the town of Derry, Maine, once again. Now adults... Read more
It: Chapter Two (Blu-Ray) (2019)
6.8/10
Director: Andy Muschietti
Starring: Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, Bill Hader, Jay Ryan, James Ransone, Bill Skarsg...
Defeated by members of the Losers' Club, the evil clown Pennywise returns 27 years later to terrorize the town of Derry, Maine, once again. Now adults... Read more
Ivans xtc (2000)
Director: Bernard Rose
Starring: Danny Huston, Peter Weller, James Merendino, Tiffani Amber Thiessen, Lisa Enos
Based on Tolstoy's 'The Death of Ivan Ilyich', this remarkable film by Bernard Rose, stars Danny Huston, (son of John), as a powerful Hollywood agent... Read more
Jamaica Inn (1983)
6.3/10
Director: Lawrence Gordon Clark
Starring: Patrick McGoohan, Jane Seymour, Trevor Eve, John McEnery, Billie Whitelaw, Vivia...
The respected squire of a quiet Cornish village is in reality the leader of a gang of murderous pirates who attack passing ships, kill their crews and... Read more
Jamaica Inn (1939)
6.3/10
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Starring: Charles Laughton, Maureen O'Hara, Leslie Banks
Hitchcock's last film in England before moving to Hollywood. With Charles Laughton in a story set in the eighteenth century about a young Irish girl w... Read more
Jane Eyre (1944)
7.4/10
Director: Robert Stevens, Robert Stevenson
Starring: Orson Welles, Joan Fontaine, Margaret O'Brien
A very effective, atmospheric adaptation of Charlotte Bronte's classic novel. Joan Fontaine plays the spinsterish governess who takes a position on a... Read more