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From Printed page to silver screen....

Film adaptations of literature



Many films, like the Lost World have been inspired by novels, plays, or short stories. How the literary work is adapted for film is always interesting. "They have taken my ox and turned it into a bouillon cube," John Le Carre was reputed to have said about the film adaptation of his spy novel, The Little Drummer Girl. This list offers a selection of titles that should be entertaining and enlightening, and you can be the judge as to which is better--the book or the film.


[More dinosaur sites] [Movie Info] [Science Fiction] [Literary Classics] [Popular Fiction] [Mystery]

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More dinosaur sites

  • Brian Cooley's Dino Scuplture
  • Dinosaur Hall at the Smithsonian
  • Dinosaurs in Cyberspace.
  • Thunder Lizards: From Science to Fiction
  • Dinosites
  • Scotty, the T-RexVisit Scotty in Saskatchewan with links to other dinosaur sources.
  • Dinosaurs as movie stars.
    Picture of dinosaurs above from online exhibit of the Field Museum in Chicago.

    Movie Info

  • Movies and Films from Yahoo
  • Cinemania
  • Internet Movie Database
  • Films based on novels
  • CineMedia
  • Turner Classic Movies
  • The Reel Store The Planet's Biggest Movie Store.

    Science Fiction

    2001: Space Odyssey. 1968 film by Stanley Kubrick based on the The Sentinel by Arthur C. Clarke. HAL, the computer is an important character. Read about Hals Legacy

    For the continuing story, read 3001: The Final Odyssey 823.914 C55th.

    Contact. Jody Foster stars in this movie of Carl Sagan's novel of the same name.

    Book:Read Contact 813.54 Sal8c

    Johnny Mnemonic. Keanu Reeves is an information courier in this film based on a short story by William Gibson.

    Book: Read Neuromancer the progenitor of the cyberpunk genre. 813.54 G35n

    Blade Runner. Harrison Ford stars in this futuristic thriller set in Los Angeles, 2019.

    Book: Based on a short story by Philip Dick, Do Androids dream of Electric Sheep Read Collected Stories of Philip K. Dick 813.54 D551sh.

    Discussion of the book and the film at Do Androids dream of Hollywood Fame.

    Jurassic Park and The Lost World. Dinosaurs run amuck in these sc-fi thrillers.

    Books: Jurassic Park(Available in Curriculum Library)Lost World813.54 C862l.

    Read about the 1925 film The Lost World based on the story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

    Congo. Watch out for the really big gorilla. Another thriller by Crichton.

    Book: Congo 813.54 C862c.

    Farenheit 451. Julie Christie stars in this librarian's nightmare about a future fascist state where book burning is the job of the firemen. Directed by Francoise Truffaut.

    Book: Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. 813.54 B728f

    Something Wicked This Way Comes. Another film of a book by Bradbury. A sinister carnival visits a small Illinois town.

    Book: Something Wicked This Way Comes813.54 B728s 1993


    Films of Literary Classics

    Emma Film adaptations of Emma The story of a delusional young woman and her journey to maturity and self-knowledge. Considered one of Austen's "mature" novels, it explores with light, acerbic humor the social politics of a small, early-nineteenth century social sphere and paints biting portraits of human nature.

    Book: Emma by Jane Austen. 823.74 Au7e

    Jane Austen Information Page View this site if only for the photograph of Jane Austen lounging by a Hollywood pool.

    Howard's End. Howards End isn't the demise of a man named Howard, but rather the name of an almost-in-the-country English super-cottage with the quiet vine-covered warmth and charm that is the perfect antidote to roiling bustling London in 1910, a city on the brink of social disintegration. Actors include Anthony Hopkins, Vanessa Redgrave, Emma Thompson.

    Book: Howards End by E. M . Forster, 823.91 F77h 1985

    Little Women starring Winona Ryder is the story of the joys and sorrows of the March sisters.

    Book:Look for Little Women by Louisa May Alcott in the Curriuclum Library.

    Portrait of a Lady.

    Book: Portrait of a Lady by Henry James 813.46 J27p 1976

    Discussion of other film adaptations of the works of Henry James.

    Age of Innocence.

    Book: by Edith Wharton 813.5 W55a

    Dr. Zhivago. Winner of five Academy Awards. in 1965, Dr. Zhivago continues to resonate with viewers as a unique cinematic masterpiece.

    Book: Dr. Zhivago by Boris Pasternak 891.73 P26d

    Popular Fiction

    Prince of Tides. Nick Nolte and Barbara Streisand star is this film set in New York and the low country of South Carolina.

    Book:Read the book by Pat Conroy, 813.54 C765p. Other books by Pat Conroy, adapted for film, include Lords of Discipline, based on the author's experiences at the Citadel and The Great Santini. Read his newest book, Beach Music813.54 C765b.

    The Road to Wellville. Story of Dr. Kellogg's search for healthful living. Book: by T. Coraghessen Boyle. (not in Todd Library)

    His most recent book in the library is Tortilla Curtain813.54 B696t.

    The Chamber, The Firm, The Pelican Brief. Legal thrillers based on novels by John Grisham.

    Books:The library has all of the books by John Grisham. Check out the latest, The Runaway Jury813.54 G889ru.

    Dead Man Walking. True story of a nun's experiences with death row inmates.

    Book: Read Sister Helen Prejean's account in Dead Man Walking 364.66 P91d.

    Waiting to Exhale

    Book: Bestseller by Terry McMillan.813.54 M2281w

    The Bridges of Madison County

    Book: by Robert James Waller. 813.54 W1565b Read also Slow Waltz in Cedar Bend 813.54 W1565s

    Like Water for Chocolate. Love story set in Mexico.

    Book: by Laura Esquivel, imaginative love story with lots of recipes for Mexican dishes. 863 Es6l

    Accidental Tourist with Geena Davis, William Hurt, and Kathleen Turner.

    Book: by Anne Tyler 813.54 T972a.

    Mystery/ Suspense

    Dolores Claiborne, Firestarter, Carrie, The Shining, Cujo, Misery and many others. Try a Stephen King Movie. Books: Check the catalog for books by Stephen King. Most recent title is The Regulators written under the name of Richard Bachman.

    Patriot GamesJack Ryan, on vacation with his family in England, foils an assasination attempt.

    Book: by Tom Clancy 813.54 C52p. Read his newest novel, Executive Orders 813.54 C52e

    Striptease. Demi Moore stars in this film.

    Book: Based on an hilarious novel of south Florida by Carl Hiassen, 813.54 H52s.

    Rear Window. Alfred Hitchcock film with James Stewart and Grace Kelly. A man confined to a wheelchair with a broken leg, sees a murder committed.

    Book: Based on a novel by Cornell Woolrich. Enjoy other stories by Cornell Woolrich in The Fantastic Stories of Cornell Woolrich 813.54 H52s.

    Presumed Innocent. Legal courtroom thriller.

    Book: by Scott Turow, 813.54 H52s.

    The Maltese Falcon a classic film with Humphrey Bogart and Peter Lorre.

    Book: by Dashiell Hammett. Included in The Novels of Dashiell Hammett 813.54 H182n


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    Send comments and questions to: vvesper@ulibnet.mtsu.edu

    Virginia Vesper, Collection Managment Librarian
    Middle Tennessee State University
    Murfreesboro, TN