Recently, the trailer for the Hobbit has been spreading around the internet like wildfire. If the trailer is any indication, the movie should be a good one. The release of the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is also creating waves due to the book’s popularity. But what other movies based on books or other literary works are worth the watch? Here are the top ten literary movies you should watch in your lifetime. Movies are listed with the author of the work they are based on.
10. J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings - the Return of the King (2003) – the third and final piece of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the screen adaptation directed by Peter Jackson will be loved by any fan of the series, and by any fan of action movies with actual plot. With a whole host of talent including Viggo Mortensen and Orlando Bloom, this movie is both touching and a powerhouse, and well worth seeing.
9. Stephen King’s The Shining (1980) – Yet another of Kubrick’s outstanding works, The Shining is a cult classic and a favorite of many horror movie aficionados. Many of King’s novels have been adapted for the big screen but few as effectively as this one. Arguably Jack Nicholson’s best performance and one of King’s most psychologically twisted stories combine under Kubrick’s masterful guidance to create a movie nobody should go without experiencing.
8. Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Ernest (2002) – Oscar Wilde’s satirical and strange humor is perfectly conveyed in the screen adaptation of one of his best-known plays. Director Oliver Parker writes a screenplay that is very true to the original, and the lead male parts are hilariously well played by Colin Firth and Rupert Everett. Fans of Wilde’s work and anyone with a strange and sarcastic sense of humor will find this movie highly enjoyable.
7. Frank Herbert’s Dune (1984) – Director David Lynch takes one of Science Fiction’s most prized novels and creates an outstanding film. Herbert himself was impressed with how completely Lynch was able to capture his masterpiece in such a short film – the runtime is only 137 minutes. Science fiction fans would be remiss to miss this film.
6. Joseph D. Pistone and Richard Woodley’s Donnie Brasko (1997) – Based on a true story, this adaptation directed by Mike Newell stars some heavy hitters, with Johnny Depp and Al Pacino as the leading men. For fans of mafia movies, this one is a surefire hit, with excellent performances all around and a view of life both inside and outside the mafia.
5. Kathryn Stockett’s The Help (2011) – It did not take long for the world to notice this masterpiece from director Tate Taylor. The best-selling novel it is based on touched the heart of many, and the movie touched anyone who was left. Though set in the 1960s, the messages of the movie are still very relevant, and the movie is sure to find its place in the heart of the viewing public for years to come.
4. William Goldman’s The Princess Bride (1987) – Fairly unique among movie adaptations in that both the book and the screenplay were written by the same author, this movie is a favorite of many. With an engaging and interesting plot, an endearing story and setting, and action and humor to spare, there is almost no audience to which this movie cannot appeal.
3. Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (1990) – Also a movie where the author wrote both the play and the screenplay, this nihilistic mind-bending comedy derived from Shakespeare’s Hamlet is phenomenally written and flawlessly performed. Gary Oldman and Tim Roth team up for a sometimes incomprehensible but always engaging trek through the human mind in this literary classic.
2. Chuck Palahniuk’s Fight Club (1999) – It is rare to find someone who has not seen director David Fincher’s crowning piece, and almost impossible to find someone who has not heard of it. Fans of Brad Pitt know it as one of his best performances. Fans of Edward Norton know it as one if his best performances. No matter what a person knows this movie for, you’ll usually find the word “best” in there somewhere. If you have not seen it, do so.
1. Anthony Burgess’s A Clockwork Orange (1971) – Yet another Kubrick film has made the list, unsurprisingly. Gruesome, morbid, deranged, whatever you want to call it, this movie is brilliant. A faithful take on the novel, and a powerful and thought-provoking piece of film. Not recommended for the squeamish or the young, but for anyone who’s up for taking a couple mental blows this movie is well worth seeing.