Books have been an essential part of our culture from the very beginning. Before the advent of the internet or any screen presence, people usually turned to books for comfort. Books were a great source of knowledge or helped readers loosen up a little. All good books have a unique charm that keeps the reader hooked until the last page. Reading is a vivid imaginative experience, but not all people have the patience to finish a book.
But that should not be a major issue if they are adapted to your big screen. Watching a book adapted on the big screen is a different experience altogether. But onscreen adaptations are often critiqued by the audiences because it limits your imagination, misses out on several minor details, and overall fails to capture the essence of a good book. Anyway, an excellent book-to-screen adaptation is worth watching, and even some of them have become iconic. Here are our top five book-to-screen transformations, which have evolved popular over time:
Table of Contents
1. Room
Irish-Canadian author Emma Donoghue’s thriller Room was released in 2010. The novel is written from the perspective of a five-year-old boy, Jack. Jack was being held captive in a small room and his mother, Joy, for a very long time. Anyone who has finished reading the book would admit that the author kept them second-guessing everything till the end. The Room is a treat to your reading taste.
On the other hand, Room, the movie, was released around 2015, and it did not disappoint the audiences. The film and the book pulled the audiences inside Room’s dark, unsettling, and suffocating space. The viewers and readers experience the dark, disturbing story that keeps them excited and afraid. Room is available on many online platforms. If you are willing to download the movie and watch it offline, click here.
1. The Princess Diaries
Meg Cabot’s best-selling novel, The Princess Diaries, revolves around Mia Thermopolis of Genovia. She is a sixteen-year-old teenage girl whose life gets upside down after discovering that she is a princess. The first part of the movie was released in 2001 with the same title as the book.
The film starring Anne Hathaway as the protagonist is a romantic comedy that keeps us laughing till the end. It captures the unique struggle of a commoner-turned-princess as well as the upheavals faced by every teenage girl in her daily life.
Little Women
Little Woman is a coming-of-age novel written by American novelist Louisa May Alcott. The novel had multiple adaptations on the big screen, but we rarely see something like the Little Women movie, released in 2019.
The film lacks many iconic details, but it captures the essence. The purpose of the book is still relevant today as it talks about women, their conflicts, and their struggle. This Little Women movie is a modern take of the novel that displays immense female strength.
Perks of Being a Wallflower
The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a coming of age, epistolary novel published in 1999. The American writer Stephen Chbosky, the book’s writer, explores the complexity of some powerful bonds in friendships, love, and trust. This novel was adapted on screen and released in 2012. Interestingly, the author of the book, Stephen Chbosky, also directed the movie. Being so connected with the book, Chbosky could portray and show the audience such complex emotions on screen without overdoing it. The smooth pacing of the film brings extreme delight to the audience.
The Shawshank Redemption
Rita Hayward and Shawshank Redemption is a novella by Stephen King. The book was published in 1982 and revolved around the life of Andy Dufresne. The story begins with the protagonist (Tim Robbins), sentenced to serve two consecutive years. He was falsely held accountable for the murder of his wife and her lover. He formed a strong bond with Red (Played by Morgan Freeman) in prison.
Perks of being a wallflower is a story of survival, bonds, and, most importantly, hope. The hope for a better life is what drives Andy Dufresne to continue living. The movie of this novella is one of the best among others. When released around 1994, The Shawshank Redemption was a bit of a slow burner. The film received mixed responses at the box office, but later it received many critically acclaimed awards and nominations.
CONCLUSION
A few handfuls of movies are considered at par with their books. Nothing can beat a good old book with a strong storyline. The onscreen adaptation of the books has become increasingly popular now. Other movies like Gone Girl, Pride and Prejudice, and series like Lord of The Rings, Game of Thrones are also good examples of books to screen adaptations. Hollywood has started appreciating a good read, and there is no harm in merging literature with media. After all, both of them are art forms.
