In today’s cinematic climate, adaptions are ten a penny. Whether from a comic book, a play or even another film, page to screen adaptions are notoriously difficult to pull off, to both do justice to the source material and both appease and placate a wider audience.
Of course, some adaptions don’t wear their colours so brightly on their chest. Some twist the genesis of their literary beginnings to make a derivative or wholly original fresh take, or some films are just adapted from sources so obscure that no-one really catches on that they’re adaptions at all.
Below, check out our picks of the 8 films that you probably didn’t know were in fact based on a book.
EASY A
Based on: The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Emma Stone’s star making turn as sarcastic teen heroine Olive Penderghast is still a wonder to behold, and Easy A itself has often been under looked for how succinct and biting its criticisms of societies views on sex and popularity are when viewed through the prism of a stereotypical teenlock, Stone’s Penderghast finds herself the social centre of attention after lying about losing her virginity.
CRUEL INTENTIONS
Based on: Les Liaisons Dangereuses by Choderlos de Laclos
Already adapted in a critically acclaimed drama starring Glenn Close and Michelle Pffeifer, de Laclos’ timeless tale of lies, lust and deception is given a very 90s makeover, casting Sarah Michelle Gellar and Ryan Phillippe as duelling step-siblings who have a hint of Cersei and Jamie Lannister about them.
MEAN GIRLS
Based on: Queen Bees and Wannabees by Rosalind Wiseman
The most potent satire of this generation was actually inspired by a self-help book looking to educate parents about the dangers of high-school cliques. The source material was turned by former Saturday Night Live writer Tina Fey into a cavalier social satire boasting a multi-layered and fascinating performance from Rachel McAdams as main villain Regina George. It’s a film that masquerades itself as a teen comedy, like a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
STARDUST
Based on: Stardust by Neil Gaiman
Adapted into a blockbuster by Matthew Vaughn, Stardust is a dark, modern twist on the typical fantasy quest narrative, full of falling stars, daring deeds and soul-sucking witches named after ancient Greek demons. Vaughn and screenwriter Jane Goldman actually adapted the script from Neil Gaiman’s novel. Interesting to note is that, in the past few years, Gaiman’s oeuvre as become something of a fertile ground for adaption. His magnum opus American Gods was recently turned into a TV series and the long-gestating cinematic debut of his Sandman graphic novel is still stuck in development hell.
CALL ME BY YOUR NAME
Based on: Call Be My Your Name by André Aciman
Beautiful and rapturous, Luca Guadagnino masterpiece may be a sun-soaked ode to a love that burns as bright as the Italian sun, but this bittersweet love story has its roots in literature. Following its critically acclaimed adaption, André Aciman’s source material is every bit as tender as its big-screen counterpart. But one glaring difference is the time period was changed by Guadagnino and screenwriter James Ivory to 1983. This was partly because it was the time period Guadagnino grew up in, and also to distance the film’s narrative from the burgeoning AIDs crisis in the 80s, which would have been more prevalent in the original time period of 1987.
ARRIVAL
Based on: Story of Your Life by Ted Chiang
Both Arrival and its literary counterpart focus on the power of language and the notion of free will, destiny and determinism. Whereas the film was turned into a sci-fi tour de force by French-Canadian auteur Dennis Villeneuve, Ted Chiang’s novella lacks a powerhouse performance by Amy Adams to outweigh its heavy rumination about life and the universe.
NOCTURNAL ANIMALS
Based on: Tony and Susan by Austin Wright
Tom Ford’s classy and stylish neo-noir is full of obsession and violence. Much like the film, Austin Wright’s novel interweaves the story of a divorced art dealer receiving a copy of her ex-husband’s manuscript and becoming drawn into the hazy story about a weak man whose wife and young daughter are murdered in the American heartland.
FILM STARS DON’T DIE IN LIVERPOOL
Based on: Film Star’s Don’t Die In Liverpool by Peter Turner
Film Stars Don’t Die In Liverpool is the true life story of Liverpudlian Peter Turner, who fell in love with ageing Hollywood starlet Gloria Grahame in the late 1970s. A tender and heartbreaking tale, acclaimed British director Paul McGuigan adapted Turner’s memoir into a film starring Jamie Bell and Annette Benning as Grahame, which despite three BAFTA nominations, was all but snubbed by all other major film awards.
