Books into film and television

10 things I hate about you

Modern reworking of The Taming of the shrew

100 rifles

From the 1966 novel The Californio by Robert Macleod

101 dalmatians

From the 1956 novel 101 dalmatians by Dodie Smith

127 hours

Danny Boyle, whose last movie Slumdog millionaire was a huge hit, takes on a difficult 'man against the elements' theme in this adaptation of Aron Ralston’s 2004 book Between a rock and a hard place.

Read the book ~ About the film

13th warrior

From the novel Eaters of the dead by Michael Crichton

13 days

Based on the 1997 book The Kennedy tapes: inside the White House during the Cuban missile crisis by Ernest R. May and Philip D. Zelikow

1408

This one is based on a short story of the same name which appears in Stephen King’s 2002 collection, Everything’s eventual. It’s about a writer who’s made a career out of debunking the whole world of the paranormal and expects to be able to do the same when he checks into the notorious room 1408 at a hotel. Naturally, he gets more than he bargained for. Mikael Hafstrom directs a cast led by John Cusack (as the writer), Samuel L. Jackson (as the hotel manager), Mary McCormack and Len Cariou.
Read the Book ~ About the Film

1914-18

Tie-in book by JM Winter

The 1940s house

Tie-in book by Juliet Gardiner

2001: a space odyssey

From the short story The Sentinel later published as a novella under film title 2001: a space odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke

2010

From the novel 2010: Odyssey two by Arthur C. Clarke

20,000 Leagues under the sea

From the novel 20,000 Leagues under the sea by Jules Verne

300 (2007)

Based on the 2000 Frank Miller graphic novel 300

39 Steps

From the novel The 39 Steps by John Buchan

4 Weddings & a funeral

is not based on a book. The poem in it is W. H. Auden’s Funeral blues aka Stop all the clocks and it’s in any complete Auden as well as Tell me the truth about love: ten poems

8 women

Based on a 1981 French play Huit femmes by Robert Thomas

9 1/2 Weeks

From the 1978 novel 9 1/2 Weeks by Elizabeth McNeill

About a boy

From the novel About a boy by Nick Hornby

About Schmidt

From the 1996 novel About Schmidt by Louis Begley

The Absent minded professor

From the story A situation of gravity by Samuel Taylor

Absolute power

From the novel Absolute power by David Baldacci

Accident

From the 1965 novel Accident by Nicholas Mosley

Ada

From the 1959 novel Ada Dallas by Wirt Williams

Adam resurrected

Yoram Kaniuk’s novel, first published 1969 and first translated 1971, is set in the aftermath of World War II and is about Adam, a former circus clown who was spared from death in the concentration camp and arrives in Israel in 1958 where he becomes the ringleader of a group of holocaust survivors. The film version is directed by American Paul Schrader and the title character is played by Jeff Goldblum. Willem Dafoe, Derek Jacobi, Israeli actress Ayelet Zurer and top German actors Moritz Bleibtreu, Juliane Kohler and Veronica Ferres also star.
Read the book ~ About the film

Adaptation

From the 1998 book The Orchid thief by Susan Orlean

Adrian Mole: the cappucino years

From the novel Adrian Mole: the cappucino years by Sue Townsend

An Advancement of learning

From the 1971 novel An Advancement of learning by Reginald Hill

The Adventures of Baron Munchhausen

From the novel The Adventures of Baron Munchhausen by Rudolph Erich Raspe

The Adventures of Captain Fabian

From the novel Fabulous Ann Medlock by Robert T. Shannon

The Adventures of Huck Finn

From the novel The Adventures of Huck Finn by Mark Twain

The Adventures of Pinocchio

From the novel The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi

Affinity (TV-2009)

Based on the 1999 novel Affinity by Sarah Waters.

Agnes Browne

From the novel The Mammy by Brendan O'Carroll

After dark, my sweet (1990)

From the 1955 novel After dark, my sweet by Jim Thompson

Ahead of the class (2005)

From the 2003 book Ahead of the class by Marie Stubbs

AI

From the short story Supertoys last all summer long by Brian Aldiss

Ainsley Harriott’s gourmet express

Tie-in book by Ainsley Harriot

Ainsley’s big cook out

Tie-in book (1999) by Ainsley Harriot

Ainsley’s barbecue bible

Tie-in book by Ainsley Harriot

Air America

From the 1979 book Air America by Christopher Robbins

Albert Schweitzer

The Nobel Prize winner Albert Schweitzer’s life and career as Africa’s famous jungle doctor is the subject of this biographical drama. It is adapted from James Brabazon’s 1976 book, Albert Schweitzer: a biography. British director Gavin Millar has made the film on location in South Africa and Dutch actor Jeroen Krabbe plays Schweitzer with his wife Helene played by American actress Barbara Hershey. Samuel West, Judith Godreche. Armind Rohde (as Albert Einstein) and Jonathan Firth also star.
Read the book ~ About the film

The Alchemists

From the 1996 novel Alchemist by Peter James

Alex

From the novel Alex by Tessa Duder

Alfie

From the play Alfie by Bill Naughton

Alfie

Bill Naughton’s 1963 play became famous when it was adapted into one of the more famous British films of the 1960s. The film became something of a sixties icon and made Michael Caine into an international star. Caine played the title character, a Cockney womaniser who manages to avoid any kind of commitment to the many women in his life. The new version transfers most of the action to New York although ironically most was filmed in London, Liverpool and Manchester. This time Jude Law portrays Alfie and he will be talking direct to camera as Caine did in the original. The women in his life are played by Marisa Tomei, Susan Sarandon, Jane Krakowski and Sienna Miller
Read the Book ~ About the Film

Alice in wonderland

There have been so many adaptations – live, cartoon, musical – over the years that there wouldn’t seem to be room for one more. The next one, however, is Tim Burton’s take on the classic Lewis Carroll tale. Johnny Depp is the Mad Hatter, Crispin Glover is the Knave of Hearts, Anne Hathaway is the White Queen, Helena Bonham Carter is the Red Queen, Michael Sheen is the White Rabbit, Alan Rickman is the Caterpillar, Stephen Fry is the Cheshire Cat, Christopher Lee is the Jabberwock and Mia Wasikowska is Alice. A big supporting cast includes Lindsay Duncan, Timothy Spall, Tim Pigott Smith and Matt Lucas who plays Tweedledum and Tweedeldee.
Read the Book ~ About the Film

Alice through the looking glass

From the story Alice through the looking glass by Lewis Carroll

Alistair Maclean’s Death train

From the novel Alistair Maclean’s Death train by Alastair MacNeill

Alive

From the book Alive by Piers Paul Read

All creatures great and small

From the 1972 book All creatures great and small by James Herriot

All quiet on the western front

From the novel All quiet on the western front by Erich Maria Remarque

All the king’s men

From the 1992 book The Vanished batallion by Nigel McCrery

All the King’s men (2006)

Robert Penn Warren’s 1946 novel won the Pulitzer Prize and went on to be a much lauded movie in 1949. The major actors Broderick Crawford and Mercedes McCambridge won Oscars for their portrayals of wily Southern politician Willie Stark and his campaign manager. The book is a veiled portrait of the famous Southern populist Governor Huey Long of Louisiana. The novel was later adapted a stage play and even an opera. Steven Zaillian, screenwriter of Schindler’s list, is directing a new version with Sean Penn, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, Patricia Clarkson and Mark Ruffalo.
Read the Book ~ About the Film

All the pretty horses

From the 1992 novel All the pretty horses by Cormac McCarthy

All the way up

From the 1962 play Semi-detached by David Turner

All the winters that have been

From the 1995 novel All the winters that have been by Evan Maxwell

Almost dead

From the 1988 novel Resurrection by William Valtos

Along came a spider

From the 1993 novel Along came a spider by James Patterson

The Ambushers

Loosely based upon the Matt Helm novels by Donald Hamilton

Amelia

This adaptation of Susan Butler’s 1997 book East to the dawn is a big screen biography of the famous flier Amelia Earhart and Hilary Swank has the plum role of the aviatrix. The director is the talented Mira Nair who has done everything from Monsoon wedding to Vanity Fair. The film is an adaptation of two biographies of Earhart: Susan Butler’s East to the dawn (1997) and Elgen M. Long’s Amelia Earhart: the mystery solved (1999). Richard Gere plays publisher George Putnam who became her husband and Ewan McGregor plays aviation publisher Gene Vidal (father of writer Gore Vidal). Christopher Eccleston, Mia Wasikowska and Cherry Jones are also in the film.
Read the Book ~ About the Film

The American

Anton Corbijn, who went from photographer to director with Control, the film about Ian Curtis of Joy Division, has chosen as his next film an adaptation of the 1991 novel A very private gentleman by the late English writer Martin Booth. It’s a clever piece of psychological suspense about an assassin who hides out in Italy where he is to do his final assignment. George Clooney is in the lead. He is partnered by Italian actress Violante Placido and Dutch actress Thekla Reuten with Paolo Bonacelli and Bruce Altman also starring.
Read the book ~ About the film

American buffalo

From the play American buffalo by David Mamet

An American dream

From the novel An American dream by Norman Mailer

American gangster (2007)

Based on the magazine article - in New York Magazine, 14/4/2000 - The return of Superbly by Mark Jacobsen

American psycho

From the novel American psycho by Brett Easton Ellis

American splendor

From the 1994 book Our cancer years by Harvey Pekar and Joyce Brabner

American Visions

Tie-in book by Robert Hughes

The Americanisation of Emily

From the 1959 novel The Americanisation of Emily by William Bradford Huie

Amish grace (2010)

Based on the 2007 book Amish grace by Donald B. Kraybill.

Amistad

Not based on any particular book - there have been acrimonious court cases in US to try to prove this

Among the cinders (1983)

From the 1965 novel Among the cinders by Maurice Shadbolt

Amongst women

From the novel Amongst women by John McGahern

The Amityville Horror

From the book The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson

Anastasia

From the play Anastasia by Marcelle Maurette in Plays of the year, volume 9

Anatomy of hell (2004)

From the 2001 French novel Pornocratie by Catherine Breillat

And the band played on

Based on the book And the band played on by Randy Shilts

And the beat goes on

From the 1991 book And the beat goes on by Sonny Bono

And the sea will tell

Based on the book And the sea will tell by Vincent Bugliosi

And then there were none

From the novel And then there were none, originally published as Ten little niggers, by Agatha Christie

And when did you last see your father?

Blake Morrison’s highly readable memoir of his doctor father first appeared in 1993. It’s a very touching and honest memoir of a man who was affectionate, loved by his family and his patients but also a man who couldn’t resist getting something cheap or for free if he could wangle it, who was impatient, loved practical jokes and possibly had a roving eye. Morrison followed this some years later with an equally revealing and moving memoir of his mother. This has been a long time coming to the screen with Anaud Tucker, who made the film biography of Jacqueline Du Pre, directing. Colin Firth plays Morrison with Gina McKee as his wife. The father is played by Jim Broadbent and the mother by Juliet Stevenson.
Read the Book ~ About the Film

Andre

Based on the 1975 book A Seal Called Andre by Harry Goodridge and Lew Dietz

The Andromeda Strain

From the novel The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton

The real life of Angel Deverell

One of the biggest surprise successes of recent years has been the screen adaptation of Elizabeth Taylor’s superb novel Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont. That novel had already been adapted twice to the screen before, in British and French television adaptations, and a couple of her other novels and some of her short stories were adapted for television as well. Her earlier novel, Angel, which was published in 1957, is about Angelica Deverell, a teenager at the turn of the 20th century. She’s the daughter of a widow who keeps a grocery shop in a dull provincial backstreet and who works hard to pay for the daughter’s education so she can 'better herself'. Angel, however, rejects the drabness of her daily life and, retreats into a world of romantic dreams, writing stories remarkable for their extravagance and fantasy. To those around her it is simply folie de grandeur, but she knows better... She knows she is different, that she will grow up to be a feted authoress, owner of great riches and of the mysterious Paradise House. The novel attracted the interest of French film director Francois Ozon (Swimming pool, Eight women, etc) and he has chosen it as his first English language film. Angel is played by Romola Garai with an impressive cast that includes Sam Neill, Charlotte Rampling, Lucy Russell and Jacqueline Tong.
Read the Book ~ About the Film

Angel heart

From the 1978 novel Angel heart by William Hjortsberg.

Angels and Demons

The film version of Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci code was, like the book, more of a phenomenon than a film and director Ron Howard and star Tom Hanks are up for this one, based on Brown’s 2000 novel, and it is likely to make enough money to refloat the American economy. It’s more paranoia thriller material again with a secret society out to destroy the Vatican with an antimatter bomb. The novel has been so successful that there are Angels & Demons tours in Rome so that you can follow The Path of Illumination. This time round Hanks is partnered by Israeli actress Ayelet Zurer and there’s a big supporting cast including Ewan McGregor and Stellan Skarsgard.
Read the Book ~ About the Film

Angels and insects

From the novella Morpho Eugenia in the Angels and insects book by A.S. Byatt

Angels In America

From the play Angels In America by Tony Kushner

Angela’s ashes

From the book Angela’s ashes by Frank McCourt

Angie

Based on the novel Angie, I says by Avra Wing

Angus, thongs and full frontal snogging

Louise Rennison’s 1999 YA novel is coming to the screen directed by Gurinder Chadha who made Bend it like Beckham and Bride and prejudice. The main character, Georgia (who features in a series of novels of which this is the first) is played by Georgia Groome and her father is played by comedian Alan Davies with the film being made on location in Eastbourne on the South Coast.
Read the Book ~ About the Film

The Animal factory

From the 1977 novel The Animal factory by Edward Bunker

Anita and me

From the 1996 novel Anita and me by Meera Syal

Anna Karenina

From the novel Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

Anne of Green Gables, Anne of Avonlea etc

From the novels by L. M. Montgomery

Annie

From the musical play Annie by Charles Strouse

Answer me (2004)

From the novella, first translated 2002, Rispondimi, by Susanna Tamaro

Antiques roadshow

Tie-in book

Anthony Adverse

From the 1933 novel Anthony Adverse by Hervey Allen

Antonio Carluccio’s Southern Italian feast

Tie-in book by Antonio Carluccio

Anybody’s nightmare

From the 1998 book Anybody’s nightmare by Angela and Tim Devlin

Anything to survive

Based on the 1981 non fiction book Almost too late by Elmo Wortman

Apocalypse now

Loosely based on the Joseph Conrad novella Heart of darkness

The Apocalypse watch

From the 1995 novel The Apocalypse watch by Robert Ludlum

Apollo 13

From the 1994 book Lost Moon: The Perilous voyage of Apollo 13 by Jim Lovell

Apparition

From the 1992 novel Apparition by Steve Szilagyi

The Apple dumpling gang

From the 1971 novel The Apple dumpling gang by Jack M. Bickham

Apt Pupil

From the novella Apt Pupil by Stephen King in his collection Different seasons

Aquamarine

The 2001 children’s novel by the popular author Alice Hoffman is about two twelve year old girls who are best friends spending their last summer together before one of them moves away. The main thrust of the story is their discovery of a broken-hearted mermaid in the swimming pool of a deserted beach club. The film is aimed at the lucrative market of pre-teen girls and teen singer JoJo and Emma Roberts play the girls with Sara Paxton as the mermaid. It has been filmed on Queensland’s Gold Coast.
Read the Book ~ About the Film

Aristocrats

From the 1994 book Aristocrats by Stella Tillyard

Armadillo (2001)

Based on the 1998 novel Armadillo by William Boyd

The Arrow

Based on the 1988 book Shutting down the national dream by Greig Stewart

Arsenic and old lace

From the play Arsenic and old lace by Joseph Kesselring

As far my feet will carry me

Based on As far my feet will carry me by Josef Martin Bauer (translated into English from German in 1957)

The assassination of Jesse James by the coward Robert Ford.

Ron Hansen’s 1983 novel is a fictional account of the story of Robert Ford who joined the Jesse James gang then became resentful of the gang leader and devised a plan to kill him. The film version features Brad Pitt as Jesse James, Sam Shepard as his brother Frank, Mary Louise Parker as his wife and Casey Affleck as Ford.
Read the Book ~ About the Film

Assault at West Point

Based on the 1972 book Court martial: a black man in America by John F. Marszalek

The Associate

From the novel The Partner by Jenaro Prieto (first translated into English in 1931)

Asterix and the big fight

From the comic Asterix and the big fight by Goscinny

Asterix and Cleopatra

From the comic Asterix and Cleopatra by Goscinny

Asterix in Britain

From the comic Asterix in Britain by Goscinny

Asterix the Gaul

From the comic Asterix the Gaul by Goscinny

Asterix vs Caesar

From the comic Asterix vs Caesar by Goscinny

Asylum

Patrick McGrath’s 1996 novel is a grim compulsively readable story set mostly in a psychiatric hospital in the late 1950s. It is about the wife of the new superintendent and how she becomes involved in an obsessive and dangerous relationship with a patient. The film features N.Z. actor Martin Csokas as the patient with Natasha Richardson as the wife and Hugh Bonneville as her husband. Ian McKellen plays the psychiatrist through whose eyes the story unfolds.
Read the Book ~ About the Film

At risk

It’s been on the cards for a long time to bring Patricia Cornwell’s Scarpetta series to the screen (last bulletins had Angelina Jolie as a possible) so in the meantime Cornwell comes to television with an adaptation of her 2006 stand alone novel. L’Oreal’s most irritating presenter Andie MacDowell is apparently worth it to play the lead here with Ashley Williams, Daniel Sunjata and Diahan Carroll leading the supporting cast.
Read the book ~ About the film

At war with the army

From the 1949 play At war with the army by James Allardice

Atonement

Ian McEwan’s 2001 Booker Prize winning novel is an elegiac tale of another time and place which begins at a big English country house in the 1930s. A young girl mistakes a communication between her sister and the housekeeper’s son and a wrongful accusation of rape is made. The atonement is made by the girl in the years after. There’s more than a hint of Merchant-Ivory about the setting but the novel has a complexity and power that overshadows the nostalgia/heritage industry nature of the setting and playwright Christopher Hampton is a good choice for the script. Joe Wright, who directed the recent film version of Pride and prejudice, is behind the camera. The part of the young girl is taken by new comer Saoirse Ronan and the lovers by Keira Knightley and James McAvoy. The large supporting cast includes Brenda Blethyn, Vanessa Redgrave, Abbie Cornish, Romola Garai, Emily Watson, Kristin Scott Thomas and Rue McClanahan.
Read the Book ~ About the Film

Attack of the clones: Star wars Episode II

Tie-in novel by R.A. Salvatore. See also If You Like… Star Wars

Au Petit Marguery

From the 1991 novel Au Petit Marguery by Laurent Benegul

Auto focus

From the 1993 book The Murder of Bob Crane by Robert Graysmith

An Autumn shroud

Based on the 1975 novel An April shroud by Reginald Hill

The Avenging angel

From a novel The Avenging angel by Gary Stewart

Awake to danger

Based on the 1986 novel The Other side of dark by Joan Lowery Nixon

Away from her (2006)

From the short story The bear come over the mountain by Alice Munro

An Awfully big adventure

From the novel An Awfully big adventure by Beryl Bainbridge

The ax (2005)

From the 1997 novel The ax by Donald E. Westlake

Ay, Carmela

From the 1985 novel Ay, Carmela by Jose Sanchez Sinisterra