It’s a common trope for a moviegoer to quip “The book was better.” But sometimes a movie gets it right.
We got to thinking of the 10 best movies based on books – and just to make sure we were on the right track consulted with Bookbub, an expert on the subject. (See the original article at https://www.bookbub.com/blog/best-movies-based-on-books-all-time .)
Here is their list:
10. “Doctor Zhivago” (1965) – David Lean’s sweeping film is faithful to Boris Pasternak’s plot. With the Russian Revolution as the backdrop, we get a touching love story between Zhivago (Omar Sharif) and the married Lara (Julie Christie).
9. “Persepolis” (2007) – Bringing the Iranian Revolution to life, this black-and-white animation is based on Marjane Sastrapi autobiographical novel.
8. “Forrest Gump” (1994) – This picaresque saga about a simpleton (Tom Hanks) was based on the novel by Winston Grooms.
7. “Sense and Sensibility” (1995) – Directed by Ang Lee, this Jane Austen adaptation tells of two British sisters (Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet) who find themselves destitute.
6. “The Remains of the Day” (1993) – James Ivory’s direction of Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel told from the viewpoint of the English butler (Anthony Hopkins).
5. “The Wizard of Oz” (1939) – L. Frank Baum’s imaginative novel about Dorothy (Judy Garland) and her dog Toto’s adventures somewhere over the rainbow was mainly directed by Victor Fleming.
4. “The Color Purple” (1985) – Alice Walker’s novel was turned into a stellar movie by Stephen Spielberg, thanks to a wonderful ensemble black cast (Oprah Winfrey et al.).
3. “Little Women” (2019) – Greta Gerwig makes her mark with this masterful adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s coming-of-age story about the March sisters (Saoirse Ronan and other).
2. “The Godfather” (1972, 1974) – Francis Ford Coppola transformed Mario Puzo’s novel into the ultimate gangster saga (with Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, among others).
“To Kill a Mockingbird” (1962) – Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about a Southern lawyer (Gregory Peck) and his children becomes one of the best films ever made under the steady hand of Robert Mulligan.
Runners-up included “The Princess Bride” and “Hidden Figures.”
How about your list? Read any good movies lately?
