Recreation

Books into film and television

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L. A. Confidential
From the novel L. A. Confidential by James Ellroy
La Cage aux folles
Based on a French play La Cage aux folles by Jean Poiret
La machine
From the novel La machine by Rene Belletto, translated 1993
L. A. without a map
From the novel Los Angeles without a map by Richard Rayner
Ladies in lavender (2005)
From a short story Ladies in lavender by William J. Locke
The Lady and the Duke
From a book The Lady and the Duke by Grace Dalrymple Elliot
Lady Audley’s secret
From the novel Lady Audley’s secret by Mary E. Braddon
Lady Chatterley
Ken Russell’s film version of the D.H. Lawrence novel Lady Chatterley
The Lady vanishes
From the novel The Wheel spins by Ethel Lina White
The Lake of darkness
From the 1980 novel The Lake of darkness by Ruth Rendell
Lakota Woman: Siege at Wounded Knee
From the book Lakota Woman: Siege at Wounded Knee by Mary Crow Dog
The Land girls
From the novel The Land girls by Angela Huth
Lassie
From the novel Lassie by Eric Knight
Last bus to Woodstock
From the 1975 novel Last bus to Woodstock by Colin Dexter
The Last detective
From the 1976 novel Dangerous Davies: The Last detective by Leslie Thomas
The Last Don
From the novel The Last Don by Mario Puzo
The Last hit
From the novel The Long kill by Patrick Ruell. Also published under the author’s other name, Reginald Hill
Last King of Scotland coverLast King Of Scotland
The 1998 debut novel by Giles Foden, winner of the 1998 Whitbread First Novel award, is about the crazed dictator Idi Amin. It is told through the fictional journals of a Scottish doctor who becomes Amin’s personal physician. In the film version Amin is played by Forest Whitaker with James McAvoy as the doctor, Gillian Anderson and Kerry Washington. Scottish director, Kevin Macdonald, who made the film of Touching the void, is behind the camera.
Read the Book ~ About the Film
The Last of the High Kings
From the novel The Last of the High Kings by Ferdie Macanna
The Last of the Mohicans
From the novel The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper
The last mistress (2007)
From the 1851 French classic novel, Une vieille maitresse by Jules Amedeee Barbey d'Aurevilly
Last orders
From the 1996 Booker Prize winning novel Last orders by Graham Swift
Last seen wearing
From the 1976 novel Last seen wearing by Colin Dexter. In The Second Inspector Morse omnibus
The last sin eater (2007)
From the 1998 novel The last sin eater by Francine Rivers
Last stand at Saber River
From the 1959 novel Last stand at Saber River by Louis L'Amour
Last stationThe last station
Jay Parini’s 2007 novel gives a fictional account of Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy during his last year of life that culminates in Tolstoy’s fatal abandonment of the estate where he spent his entire life. The story is told from the various perspectives of several narrators, among them Tolstoy’s wife, daughter, and doctor. The film version has Christopher Plummer as Tolstoy and Helen Mirren as his long suffering wife (originally these roles were to be played by Anthony Hopkins and Meryl Streep). His disciple and close friend, Vladimir Chertkov, is played by Paul Giamatti and his secretary, Bulgakov, by James McAvoy with Anne-Marie Duff as Tolstoy’s daughter Sasha.
Read the Book ~ About the Film
Lantana
From the play Speaking in tongues by Andrew Bovell, first produced in 1996
The Lawnmower man
From the short story The Lawnmower man by Stephen King in his collection Night shift
Lawrence of Arabia
From the book The Seven pillars of wisdom by T. E. Lawrence
Laxdale Hall
From the 1951 novel Laxdale Hall by Eric Linklater
Layer cake (2004)
From the 2001 novel Layer cake by John J. Connolly
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
From the graphic novel League of Extraordinary Gentlemen by Alan Moore
Lease of life
From the 1954 novel Lease of life by Frank Baker
Leaving Las Vegas
From the 1990 novel Leaving Las Vegas by John O'Brien
Legally blonde
From a novel Legally blonde by Amanda Brown which was originally published in the U.S. as an e-book
The Legend of 1900
From the stage monologue Novecento by Alessandro Baricco
The Legend of Bagger Vance
From the novel The Legend of Bagger Vance by Steven Pressfield
CoverLegend of Earthsea
Mini-series based on the Earthsea quartet by Ursula Le Guin
Legends of the fall
From the novel Legends of the fall by Jim Harrison
The Legend of Lobo
Based on the book Biography of a Grizzly by Ernest Thompson Seton
The Legend of the Seeker (TV)
based on Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind
About the TV series
Lemony Snicket’s A series of unfortunate events
Based on a series of children’s novels written by Daniel Handler under the pseudonym of Lemony Snicket. The movie is based on the first few books of the series and its story of three young orphans taken in by a series of odd relatives and others allows juicy roles for Jim Carrey as Uncle Olaf, Meryl Streep as Aunt Josephine and Timothy Spall as Mr Poe. Lemony Snicket is played by Jude Law.
Read the Books ~ About the Film
L'ennui
From the novel The Empty canvas by Alberto Moravia
Lenny
From the 1971 play Lenny by Julian Barry
Leopardman
From the 1942 novel Black alibi by Cornell Woolrich
Les Miserables
From the novel Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
Let him have it
Is not based on a specific book. The Craig-Bentley case is the subject of David Yallop’s book To encourage the others
Let me call you sweetheart
From the novel Let me call you sweetheart by Mary Higgins Clark
Let the right one in
From the novel Let the right one in by John Ajvide Lindqvist (English translation of the original novel in Swedish).
Liam
From the 1980 novel The Back crack boy by Joseph McKeown
Licence to kill
Although the title does not come from an Ian Fleming story, parts of this film are based upon his novel Live and let die and the short story The Hildebrand rarity
Lie down with lions
From the novel Lie down with lions by Ken Follett
Lie with me (TV-2004)
From the 2003 novel Tell me lies by Tony Strong
The Lies boys tell
From the 1991 novel The Lies boys tell by Lamar Herrin
Life
Based on an Australian play Containment by John Brumpton, first produced 1991
The life and death of Peter Sellers
Based on the 1994 book The life and death of Peter Sellers, by Roger Lewis. About the Film
Life in the freezer
Tie-in book by Alistair Fothergill
The life before her eyes
Laura Kasischke’s 2002 novel is about a woman living a privileged life as an artist and housewife with a supportive husband and a young daughter. This perfect world starts to fall apart because of what happened twenty years ago when she and her best friend were targets in a Columbine-like school shooting and the best friend died. The film version is directed by Vadim Perlman who previously did the adaptation of the Andre Dubus novel House of sand and fog. Uma Thurman is in the lead with Evan Rachel Wood playing the young version, Eva Amurri as the teenage friend, Sherman Alpert and Brett Cullen.
Read the book ~ About the film
A Life less ordinary
An original script by John Hodge
The Life of birds
Tie-in book by David Attenborough
The Life of mammals
Tie-in book by David Attenborough
Life of the party: the Pamela Harriman story
Based on the 1994 book Life of the party: the Pamela Harriman story by Christopher Ogden
Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
cover
The 2005 children’s fantasy novel The lightning thief, first in a series by Rick Riordan, focuses on Poseidon’s 12-year-old half-human son (Logan Lerman), who embarks on a quest across modern-day America to save his mother, return Zeus’ stolen lightning bolt and prevent a deadly war between the gods. A big cast includes Uma Thurman, Pierce Brosnan, Kevin McKidd, Melina Kanakaredes and Sean Bean as gods and Catherine Keener as Percy’s mother. The director is Chris Columbus
Read the Book ~ About the Film
A Likeness in stone
From the 1997 novel A Likeness in stone by Julia Wallis Martin
Lili
From the 1954 novel Love of 7 dolls by Paul Gallico
Lillie
From the 1975 book The Prince and the Lily by James Brough
The Lincoln lawyer
This 2005 Michael Connelly thriller is about an L.A. criminal defence lawyer who takes on the case of a real-estate dealer on an assault charge, a case that gets bigger than he’d envisaged. The central character is played by Matthew McConaughey with Marisa Tomei, Ryan Phillippe, William H. Macy and John Leguizamo supporting.
Read the book ~ About the film
 
A Line in the sand
From the 1999 novel A Line in the sand by Gerald Seymour
The line of beauty (TV- 2006)
From the 2004 novel The line of beauty by Alan Hollinghurst
The lion in winter (1968 & 2004)
From the 1966 play The lion in winter by James Goldman
The lion, the witch and the wardrobe (The chronicles of Narnia)
The biggest film project for New Zealand since Peter Jackson’s Tolkien trilogy is being directed by New Zealander Andrew Adamson who made Shrek. The original novel, published in 1950 is the first in the Narnia Chronicles, the story of four children who reach the magic land of Narnia through the back of a wardrobe. Their adventures, leading the golden lion, Aslan in his good versus evil struggle against the White Witch has been filmed as an animated television version but this is the first big screen attempt. The four children are played by young English actors: Georgie Henley, aged 9, as Lucy, Skandar Keyes (12) as Edmund, Anna Popplewell (15) as Sarah, and William Moseley (17) as Peter. Tilda Swinton plays the White Witch, Jim Broadbent is The Professor and James Cosmo is Father Christmas. There are also well known actors voicing.
Read the Book ~ About the Film ~ More about Narnia
Little Children
Todd Field, who directed the much acclaimed In the bedroom, is directing the film version of Tom Perrotta’s 2004 novel. Perrotta’s novel Election was brought successfully to the screen a few years back and this book has the same shrewd observation of middle class life along with quite dark humour. It’s set in a reasonably affluent suburban world where the central characters, a one-time radical turned dutiful wife and mother, starts an affair with a ex-sportsman turned stay-at-home father. The stars of the film are Jennifer Connelly, Kate Winslet and Patrick Wilson.
Read the Book ~ About the Film
Little Girls in pretty boxes
From the 1995 book Little girls in pretty boxes by Joan Ryan
Little Lord Fauntleroy
From the novel Little Lord Fauntleroy by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Little men
From the novel Little men by Louisa May Alcott
The Little prince
From the novel The Little prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
A Little princess
From the novel A Little princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Little women
From the novel Little women by Louisa May Alcott
Live and let die
From the novel Live and let die by Ian Fleming
Live free or die hard (2007)
Based on the magazine article A farewell to arms by John Carlin (from the May 1997 issue of Wired.)
Live from Baghdad (2002)
From the 1992 book Live from Baghdad by Robert Wiener
Lives of Jesus
Tie-in book is God, Jew, Rebel, The Hidden Jesus by Mark Tully
The Living daylights
From the story in the collection Octopussy, and The Living daylights by Ian Fleming
Living Islam
Tie-in book by Akbar S. Ahmed
Logan’s run
From the 1967 novel Logan’s run by William F. Nolan and George C. Johnson
Lolly Madonna XXX (1973)
From the 1969 novel Lolly Madonna XXX by Sue Grafton
The Long and the short and the tall
From the 1959 play The Long and the short and the tall by Willis Hall
Long day’s journey into night
From the play Long day’s journey into night by Eugene O'Neill
The long firm (2004)
From the 1999 novel The long firm by Jake Arnott
Long gone
From the 1979 novel Long gone by Paul Hemphill
The Long hot summer
From the 1940 novel The Hamlet by William Faulkner
Longitude
From the book Longitude by Dava Sobel
The Lookalike
Based on a short story The Lookalike by Kate Wilhelm
Looking for Alibrandi
From the novel Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta
Looking for Richard
From the play Richard III by Shakespeare
Loot
From the play Loot by Joe Orton
Lord Edgware dies
From the novel Lord Edgware dies by Agatha Christie
Lord of the rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
From the first novel in the Lord of the rings: The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien
Lord of the rings: The Two Towers
From the second novel in the Lord of the rings: The Two Towers by J. R. R. Tolkien
Lord of the rings: The Return of the King
From the third novel in the Lord of the rings: The Return of the King by J. R. R. Tolkien
Lorna Doone
From the novel Lorna Doone by R. D. Blackmore
Loser takes all
From the 1955 novel Loser takes all by Graham Greene
Losing Gemma (TV-2006)
From the 2002 novel Losing Gemma by Kay Gardner
Losing Isaiah
From the 1993 novel The Other mother by Seth Margolis
Lost for words
From the book Lost for words by Deric Longden
The Lost garden of Heligan
Tie-in book by Tim Smith
Lost in Yonkers
From the play Lost in Yonkers by Neil Simon
The Lost world
From the 1912 novel The Lost world by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The Lost world
Based on the novel The Lost world by Michael Crichton
Love after death
From the play The Marriage fool by Richard Vetere
Love and death on Long Island
From the novel Love and death on Long Island by Gilbert Adair
Love and murder
From the 1993 novel Love and murder by Gail Bowen
Love And Other Drugs
Viagra as the theme for a romantic comedy? This is an adaptation of a 2005 book Hard sell: the education of a Viagra salesman by Jamie Reidy. The book is an expose of the author’s time working for the big drug company Pfizer whose products include the famous performance enhancing help for men. The film sounds a quirky affair in that it centres on the main character’s romance with a woman who has Parkinson’s disease. Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway play the leads with George Segal, Hank Azaria, Judy Greer, Jill Clayburgh, Oliver Platt and Gabriel Macht. Edward Zwick directs.
Read the book ~ About the film
Love in a cold climate
From the 1945 novel The Pursuit of love and the 1949 novel Love in a cold climate by Nancy Mitford
Love in the time of cholera
Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s novel, first translated in 1988 and regarded as something of a modern classic, is about a man who rises through the ranks of society and has relationships with a large number of women just to win the envy of a childhood love who turned him down years ago. The novel has been adapted to the screen by English playwright Ronald Harwood and the director is Mike Newell, also English. The leads are Spanish actor Javier Bardem and Italian actress Giovanna Mezzogiorno and the international supporting cast includes John Leguizamo, Hector Elizondo, Felicia Montenegro, Catalina Sandino Moreno and Benjamin Bratt.
Read the Book ~ About the Film
Love is a many splendoured thing
From the 1952 novel A Many splendoured thing by Han Suyin
The Love letter
Based on a short story The Love letter by Jack Finney
The Love letter (1999)
From the 1995 novel The Love letter by Cathleen Schine
Love letters
From the play Love letters by A. R. Gurney
Love story
From the novel Love story by Erich Segal
Love! Valour! Compassion!
From the play Love! Valour! Compassion! by Terrence McNally
The loved one (1965)
From the 1948 novel The Loved one by Evelyn Waugh
Lovejoy
This is an original for TV. The Lovejoy character was created by Jonathan Gash
The lovely bones
Alice Sebold’s 2002 novel was less a bestseller than a phenomenon and this love-it-or-hate it book was always going to be a challenge for a film adaptation. As everyone knows, Peter Jackson is making the film and he, partner Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, have adapted the novel. The main character, Susie Salmon, who narrates the novel from heaven, is played by Saorsie Ronan. Her mother is played by Rachel Weisz and the father was to have been played by Ryan Gosling who was replaced just before filming began by Mark Wahlberg. Susan Sarandon plays the grandmother, Stanley Tucci is the man who has murdered Susie. Two young New Zealand actresses, Rose McIver (as Susie’s sister) and Carolyn Dando, are also in the cast. The film is being made on location in Pennsylvania and New Zealand.
Read the Book ~ About the Film
The Lover
From the novel The Lover by Marguerite Duras
The Loves of Joanna Godden
From the 1921 novel Joanna Godden by Sheila Kaye-Smith
Lucie Aubrac
From the 1993 book Outwitting the Gestapo by Lucie Aubrac
Lucky Jim
From the 1953 novel Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis
The Luzhin defence
From the novel The Luzhin defence by Vladimir Nabokov
Lying to be perfect (TV-2010)
Based on the 2006 novel The Cinderella pact by Sarah Strohmeyer.