Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Click on the link for more info and to find out about future topics.
This week’s theme is: Page to Screen Freebie
While I have always been a bookworm, in the last couple of years, I have also started watching a lot of movies/shows. One reason is because of the avalanche of web channels (Netflix, Prime, Hotstar, and so on). Another reason is I work in the video space, and as I develop my skills in this area, my interest and appreciation of video content has also increased.
I particularly love it when some of my favorite books make it to the screen, and here I list some of my favorite page to screen adaptations (in no particular order).
The Beach by Alex Garland
The Beach was one of my favorite novels. It’s a backpacker’s delight, and I loved watching Leonardo diCaprio in the movie version. The movie was generally panned, but I loved it (those beautiful beaches!).
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Yes, I know this book and movie are both problematic in the way they portray race. But I still love both (the movie a little more than the book). Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable were magnificent and acted their hearts out. It’s a movie I can watch again and again.
Gone Baby Gone by dennis lehane
This is one of the few cases where I watched the movie before reading the book. I loved the gritty Boston atmosphere, the taut script, and the fabulous acting. Casey Affleck and Michelle Monaghan in the lead roles were great. Plus when you have awesome second leads like Ed Harris and Morgan Freeman, you just know this movie is going to be good. I loved the movie so much, I read the book, but I think I liked the movie better. The characters really came through so well on screen.
You don’t have to take my word for it. Read this review, then you just can’t not watch the movie.
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
In this case, I loved the book better than the movie. The Gone Girl book was genuinely new and shocking for me. When I watched the movie, somehow I felt that the impact of the twist was diluted. Knowing the twist reduced the tension in the movie. However, it was well directed and well acted, and I still watch it once in a while, when it comes on the telly.
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
Sharp Objects is my favorite Gillian Flynn book, and I loved the TV series starring Amy Adams (who is brilliant, simply brilliant). I also loved that the show runs leisurely without attempting to pack the book into a tense two hour movie. It unfolds languidly building a very sinister atmosphere. Oh! I simply loved it!
Emma by Jane Austen
I don’t need to say anything about Emma. It’s a classic, and it’s one of my favorite Austen novels. I also really loved the movie adaptation starring Gwyneth Paltrow. Also loved Clueless, the modern-day adaptation. I love this book so much, I think I can watch anything based off it.
THE War of the worlds by H.G. Wells
This is classic science fiction by Wells. The movie version diverges quite a bit from the book. But somehow I didn’t mind it too much. It was entertaining as a one-time watch. But yeah, not the best book-to-movie adaptation. This movie was directed by Steven Spielberg, and while proof-reading this post, I realize I should really have put Jaws or Jurassic Park in this list instead of this one. Oh well! Maybe I should just amend the heading to include all book to movie adaptations by Spielberg. The man is a genius!
A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE BY GEORGE R.R.MARTIN
How can this list be complete without mentioning this massively huge Fantasy series. I love the books. I have often deplored the TV series. But however ridiculous the shows get or however much they diverge from the books, they do make addictive watching.
The WIZARD OF OZ BY L.FRANK BAUM
This is one of my childhood favorites. There are many more I’d like to add to this list – such as Mary Poppins. But The Wizard of Oz is what stands out in my memory. I loved the songs, the characters – everything was note-perfect.
Harry potter series by J.K.Rowling
The first time I saw the Harry Potter movies on screen, I wasn’t that impressed. The child actors seemed a bit stilted, and somehow I felt that the movies hadn’t captured the magic of the books. Recently, I watched the movies again with my kids, and seeing them wide-eyed, it had me also falling in love with the movie series.
So, this is my list. I could have easily added a few more. There are so many great book to screen adaptations. But this shortlist is all I could think of. What are some of your favorites? Do share in the comments.
I love book to movie adaptations too when done right! I see a lot of your favorites has the word “Gone” in the title.
Harry Potter is the reason why I am reading. It was the first book that I’ve read and it was an incredible experience. After that I got hooked!
Seems like we almost have same choice in books. Emma remains my favorite though. But Song of Ice and Fire books were not completely released by George RR Martin!
I loved Sharp Objects. It was such a well done series. Another one of my favorite adaptations is The Martian. The book was incredible and so was the movie.
I forgot about The Martian, yeah, that was a lovely movie. Especially loved all the effects!
I think Gone With the Wind is one of my all time favorites. Admittedly, I’m way more of a movie person than a book person. Love Wizard of Oz, and Harry Potter movies too.
Gone with the wind is one of my all-time favorites too!
Gone girl is amazing. One of my favs ever. I’ll have to check the others out!
The only movie I have seen is of course harry potter. I think I would like to see a few of these though!
I can recommend all the movies on this list! Worth watching!
Amazing list! I’ve read most of them, the list is really good and highly recommended. Thanks a lot.
I have seen 3 or 4 of these transposition and in fact it is always better the book even if the Harry Potter films love them!
I want to watch Sharp Objects soon. I had not heard anyone talk about the TV show so I was skeptical but good to know you liked it. I agree about GOT. Even though I hate some plot points, it was addictive to watch.
I haven’t heard much about the show either, but I love the book, so ended up watching. The acting is fabulous, I loved the Southern atmosphere too. It’s a tad slow, but it worked for me.