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LAST WEEKEND, we brought you a shortlist of some of the worst adaptations of books to come out of Hollywood in the past decade. In a follow-up to that post, here’s a selection of eight of the best film adaptations of well-loved books from recent years:
High Fidelity, 2000
Although Nick Hornby’s bestseller was set in England, Stephen Frears’ 2000 film adaptation set in the US and starring John Cusack and Jack Black succeeded in retaining the tone, humour and encyclopaedic musical knowledge of the novel:
Cormac McCarthy’s Pulitzer-winning novel of a man and boy’s survival in a post-apocalyptic world was tastefully adapted in the John Hillcoat-directed film version starring Viggo Mortensen and Charlize Theron:
Peter Jackson’s epic adaptation of JRR Tolkien’s fantasy trilogy couldn’t quite pack everything from the novels onto the screen, but has been hailed for its faithful and imaginative portrayal of the hobbit quest:
Ang Lee’s film of the Annie Proulx short story about the secret relationship of two cowboys won him the Oscar for best director alongside two other Academy Awards in 2006:
Young Irish actress Saoirse Ronan was nominated for an Oscar for her role as Briony Tallis in Joe Wright’s faithful adaptation of Ian McEwan’s novel about family, loss and betrayal:
(Video via oldhollywoodtrailers)
No Country for Old Men, 2007
The Coen Brothers’ adaptation of the hugely popular dark Cormac McCarthy novel about a coldblooded assassin was a big hit upon its release five years ago:
As with the Lord of the Rings series above, the Harry Potter set has disappointed some fans of JK Rowling’s heptalogy by leaving out numerous details along the way, but has generally packed as much in as possible (particularly by breaking the lengthy final book into two-parts):
Wednesday 18 December, 2024
Wednesday 18 December, 2024
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Eight of the best film adaptations ever made
LAST WEEKEND, we brought you a shortlist of some of the worst adaptations of books to come out of Hollywood in the past decade. In a follow-up to that post, here’s a selection of eight of the best film adaptations of well-loved books from recent years:
High Fidelity, 2000
Although Nick Hornby’s bestseller was set in England, Stephen Frears’ 2000 film adaptation set in the US and starring John Cusack and Jack Black succeeded in retaining the tone, humour and encyclopaedic musical knowledge of the novel:
(video uploaded by neondreams25)
The Road, 2009
Cormac McCarthy’s Pulitzer-winning novel of a man and boy’s survival in a post-apocalyptic world was tastefully adapted in the John Hillcoat-directed film version starring Viggo Mortensen and Charlize Theron:
(Video by trailers)
Children of Men, 2006
PD James’s grim tale of a future where no babies have been born in almost two decades proved a hit for director Alfono Cuaron in his 2006 adaptation:
(video by vtek4life)
The Lord of the Rings (trilogy, 2001-2003)
Peter Jackson’s epic adaptation of JRR Tolkien’s fantasy trilogy couldn’t quite pack everything from the novels onto the screen, but has been hailed for its faithful and imaginative portrayal of the hobbit quest:
(Video uploaded by MoviesHistory)
Brokeback Mountain, 2005
Ang Lee’s film of the Annie Proulx short story about the secret relationship of two cowboys won him the Oscar for best director alongside two other Academy Awards in 2006:
(Video uploaded by LGBTcinema)
Atonement, 2007
Young Irish actress Saoirse Ronan was nominated for an Oscar for her role as Briony Tallis in Joe Wright’s faithful adaptation of Ian McEwan’s novel about family, loss and betrayal:
(Video via oldhollywoodtrailers)
No Country for Old Men, 2007
The Coen Brothers’ adaptation of the hugely popular dark Cormac McCarthy novel about a coldblooded assassin was a big hit upon its release five years ago:
(video via nailfish00)
Harry Potter (eight films, 2001 – 2011)
As with the Lord of the Rings series above, the Harry Potter set has disappointed some fans of JK Rowling’s heptalogy by leaving out numerous details along the way, but has generally packed as much in as possible (particularly by breaking the lengthy final book into two-parts):
(Video uploaded by warnervoduk)
Have we missed out on any notable adaptations? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Eight of the worst film adaptations ever made >
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Adaptation Books Cormac McCarthy Film High Fidelity Hollywood Movies Novels Short stories The Road