3 Great Movies Adapted From Books

When it comes to films adapted from books, I love to investigate the way in which they have been adapted: what has been changed, if anything and who has been cast of which characters from the book. But the most important things about the adaptation is whether it gives off the same atmosphere and air as the book, whether it is scripted in the way the book would also be written even though using different speech and lines would be understandable.

When someone chooses to adapt a book to a movie, you need to understand that there will be differences and so, if you’re looking for a list on closest adaptations then this probably will not be the list for you. As someone who studied adaptation, I am very clear about three things which make a good adaptation of a novel:

• The same/similar atmosphere
• Speech reflecting the ideas and themes of the novel
• Characters which have similarities to the characters in the book

So, as we delve into the different films that I believe have been well-adapted from books, I wanted to make clear that best does not necessarily mean closest. It includes these three things and plus, it also makes a good viewing experience for the audience.

Let us get on with the list then and these are in no particular order because, you know, I don’t really like rating things like this. And don’t worry if you don’t see your personal favourites, I am planning a part two as we speak.

Three Movies Adapted From Books

Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

I believe that Peter Jackson made a massive effort on “Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” in order to make the lore and story of the ring understandable to an audience who had not read the book. Admittedly, I read the book a few years after I saw the film, because I saw the film shortly after it came out. I must have been about six years’ old and six year old me is not going to read that - I’m going to stay with Secret Garden thanks. Anyways, the atmosphere of Peter Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings” films are known for being done thoroughly, with language use being as grand as when we see the book. Blended with the fact that you do not really have to understand the lore in the book to understand the way in which it works in the film, makes this film a great viewing experience for the audience.

Bram Stoker’s Dracula

As someone who was on the fence about this film when I first watched it, I do admit that the film was a good adaptation of the novel it is based on. Why? Well, when we read the book, we get this romantic gothic horror atmosphere, charged with this strange and uncomfortable air. This is something we also get from the film and though the speech I don’t think fully reflects the novel, I do think that Francis Ford Coppola was trying to make it understandable to the audience. Since the novel was written at the end of the nineteenth century, I can understand why it has been slightly changed and shaped for the audience of the time. Finally, we have the characters and I think that Gary Oldman really did embody a very watchable Dracula. I think that this was also how the gothic romance of Dracula is received from the book and, adapted on to the screen, may not be loved by all, but is understood in context of what Coppola is trying to achieve.

The Silence of the Lambs

A great adaptation of a novel that is quite underrated as a thriller. It depicts a very similar atmosphere to the book and the speech was definitely on par with the book and the way in which the characters communicate with each other and yes, I know the film misses out things from the book but again, that is not what this is about. The characters being cast were definitely thought about in terms of the book and so, when we look at the way in which Sir Anthony Hopkins builds Hannibal Lecter, you can definitely see he read the book and understood the character traits. Making it watchable for an audience of a different medium shows that Jodie Foster and Sir Anthony Hopkins took it upon themselves to build the tension via their interactions rather than in the book, where it is built via descriptions.