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'.
Saawariya (2007)
5.4/10
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Starring: Sonam Kapoor, Salman Khan, Rani Mukherjee, Ranbir Kapoor
In this Bollywood offering - can Gulab (Rani Mukherjee) win the heart of Raj (Ranbir Kapoor), the musician who yearns for Sakina (Sonam Kapoor), who i... Read more
Salo, or The 120 Days of Sodom (Blu-Ray) (1975)
6/10
Director: Pier Paolo Pasolini
Starring: Paolo Bonacelli, Giorgio Cataldi, Uberto P Quintavalle, Aldo Valetti
Nazi-Fascist Northern Italy, 1943-44. Four senior members of government, aided by henchmen and Nazi soldiers, kidnap a group of young men and women. T... Read more
Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island (1956)
7.7/10
Director: Hiroshi Inagaki
Starring: Toshiro Mifune, Koji Tsurata, Kaoru Yachigusa, Mariko Okada, Michiko Saga, Takas...
Hiroshi Inagaki's acclaimed Samurai Trilogy is based on the novel that has been called Japan's "Gone with the Wind". This sweeping saga of the legenda... Read more
Sanshiro Sugata (1943)
6.8/10
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Starring: Takashi Shimura, Denjiro Okochi, Susumu Fujita, Yukiko Todoroki, Ryunosuke Tsuki...
Based on a best-seller, the debut film from master auteur, Akira Kurosawa, tells the beginning of Judo in Japan. The eponymous protagonist is on a qu... Read more
Satan Never Sleeps (1962)
6.1/10
Director: Leo McCarey
Starring: William Holden, Clifton Webb, France Nuyen
Based on Pearl S Buck's gripping novel, this memorable Cold War drama follows priests William Holden and Clifton Webb as they are stationed at a remot... Read more
Satantango (1994)
8.5/10
Director: Bela Tarr
Starring: Peter Berling, Janos Derzsi
Internationally acclaimed filmmaker Bela Tarr's epic rendering of Laszlo Karsnahorkai's novel about the decline of Communism in Eastern Europe, is a u... Read more
Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1961)
7.7/10
Director: Karel Reisz
Starring: Albert Finney, Shirley Anne Field, Rachel Roberts
A key film of the British New Wave, "Saturday Night and Sunday Morning" was a great box-office success - audiences were thrilled by its anti-establish... Read more
Savage Grace (2007)
5.9/10
Director: Tom Kalin
Starring: Julianne Moore, Stephen Dillane, Eddie Redmayne, Hugh Dancy, Elena Anaya
The incredible true story of the murder of Barbara Daly. A social climber who married into the 'Bakelite' fortune just as it was beginning to wane, Ba... Read more
Saving Shiloh (2006)
6.5/10
Director: Sandy Tung
Starring: Scott Wilson, Ann Dowd, Jason Dolley, Gerald McRaney
Jason Dolley portrays Marty, and Scott Wilson returns as Judd, in this family movie based on the last book of Phyllis Reynolds Naylor's boy-and-his-do... Read more
Schindler's List (1993)
8.9/10
Director: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, Ralph Fiennes, Caroline Goodall, Jonathan Sagalle, Em...
Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson) is a Nazi Party member out to profit from the war. The local Jewish population provide a ready source of cheap labour fo... Read more