Cinema is an integral part of storytelling, simultaneously allowing experimentation with narratives and visuals. Although it stands at a significant position on its own, film as a medium evolves in great proximity tofilm as a medium evolves in great proximity to literature. The stories expressed through prose eventually find a way to make it on the big screen, whether they be direct adaptations or sources of sole inspiration.
Consuming films may be a relatively more straightforward activity than reading a book. Due to a lack of time or attention span, it does not matter—it is a commonly known fact that books require more effort and time to be both acknowledged and appreciated. This is why film adaptations often capture the audience’s intrigue and steal the spotlight, but some stories still require their original prose to be subjected to genuine recognition. Their cinematic siblings are praiseworthy, of course, but here are 10 films that insistently want you to read the book first—if you want the authentic experience.
Related:The Greatest Book-To-Movie Adaptations of the 2000s
10The Lovely Bones
Alice Sebold’s drama thriller novelThe Lovely Bones,about the brutal murder of a 14-year-old girl (played by Saoirse Ronan), was adapted to film by Peter Jackson in 2009. Saoirse’s character Susie falls victim to the cruel intentions of her neighbor George Harvey in the 1970s. However, stuck in a limbo-esque state, Susie continues to observe and even lead her family throughout the investigation of her disappearance and death. Combining a coming-of-age structure with crime, the afterlife, and the pursuit of justice,The Lovely Bonesproposes a complex portrayal of death and heartbreak.
Expectantly, the story’s emotional depth is presented much more clearly in the book,emphasizing grief, loss, forgiveness, and resilience. The character developments are relatively more prosperous, and the prose also gives its readers a chance to truly form a bond with Susie and be morally and emotionally invested in her murder. By engaging with the book first, the audience can witness additional character arcs, backstories, and subplots while also understanding its true emotional complexity.
9The Girl on the Train
A psychological thriller by Paula Hawkins,The Girl on the Traintells the story about Rachel Watson, an alcoholic woman with psychological troubles that only further her entanglement with an ongoing missing person investigation. The book was adapted into film in 2016 by Tate Taylor and features Emily Blunt as Watson. Tackling deception, perception, memory, and secrets too dark to express overtly,The Girl on the Trainstudies the underlying mysteries of seemingly ordinary lives.
The psychological depth of Rachel’s addiction, guilt, and unreliable memories are traced in the book with utmost characterization. The bleak suburban landscape is described with great detail, and the tension is built through extreme immersion in the story and its setting. Also, the structure of itsnon-linear storytellingbecomes firmly established with the novel, and the film’s similar experiments of time become the cherry on top.
8Love, Rosie
A romantic comedy novel by Cecelia Ahern,Love, Rosiewas adapted to film with the same name in 2014 by Christian Ditter. Following the lives of Rosie Dunne (Lily Collins) and Alex Stewart (Sam Claflin), the story is about two childhood best friends that try to navigate through life and love with various obstacles and missed opportunities. The story looks at the emotional counterparts of long-distance relationships, separation, and the harsh discipline of timing. Since it is essentially a contemporary love story that features the love of both friendships and romantic relationships, the epistolary formatting ofLove, Rosie’s book is quite significant.
Adding depth and increasing levels of empathy, the letters written between the characters help trace the expanded span of time the story takes place in and gives a deeper characterization of the two protagonists than the film is able to. However, one massive perk of the book is the alternate endings and resolutions it proposes for the story’s ending. Allowing the audience to engage with different possible outcomes, the novel actually strengthens the emotional impact of the story and situates its reader in a more active and immersed position.
7The Remains of the Day
Written by Kazuo Ishiguro,The Remains of the Daywas adapted to film in 1993 by James Ivory. Revolving around a butler, Steven, residing in the English countryside, in a house called the Darlington Hall, the story is set inthe years leading up to World War ll. Steven’s thoughts on his career, the relationship he shares with Miss Kenton, the housekeeper, and his dedicated loyalty to his Employer, Lord Darlington comprise the general sense of the plot.
Though the film captures the book’s essence and atmosphere, there are still several reasons why the book remains relevant and significant. First and foremost, Ishiguro’s prose style is quite distinctive and evocative, and contributes characterization to the delicate subtlety of the story. His nuanced storytelling and its effect on Steven’s narrative perspective as a character and his path of self-realization and transformation are pivotal to comprehending the subtext and intricate symbolism.
6The GodFather
The highly acclaimed film of Francis Ford Coppola,The Godfather, was a crime novel of the same name written by Mario Puzo. Following the Corleone family, headed by Vito Corleone, the narrativerepresents the Italian-American mafia scene. Throughout the trilogy, the story explores themes of power, loyalty, family, and organized crime by diving into the inner family dynamics and rivalries of the Corleones.
The filmic trilogy is a renowned masterpiece at this point, but the impression created by the books is crucial for one to grasp the reality of its story. Puzo’s writing style directly reflects the gritty and compelling nature of the mafia world. Aided by characteristic narrative style, the story in the book thus offers broader perspectives on the relationships and criminal network operations of the Corleone family. Themes of morality, honor, loyalty, and blurring of the difference between good and evil are collectively embedded into the narration structure and tone of the book. While the films’ success and quality are immeasurable, the book’s code of loyalty and display of power dynamics are expressed in greater detail.
Related:Recently Banned Books That Deserve a Film Adaptation
5Trainspotting
Irvine Welsh’s 1993 black comedy-drama novelTrainspottingwas adapted into a film by Danny Boyle in 1996. A group of heroin addicts in 1980s Edinburgh struggle with the challenges of drug addiction and attempt to break free from its viciously destructive cycle. The friend group is not only entrenched in the Edinburgh drug scene but also engages in various other illegal activities that support their habits. Explicating each character’s physical, emotional, and psychological process of heroin addiction and its devastating effects is an intricate task in the films.
The book, however, delves into the recovery attempts, relapses, themes of identity, and escape in a manner that immerses its reader through the Scottish dialect and linguistic style, the inner monologue of the characters expanded subplots, and the raw and gritty realism of desperation. It is additionally a study of the relevant sociocultural status of the characters. It discusses the socioeconomic factors, the Thatcher-era policies and their impacts, and, evidently, the drug culture prevalent in Edinburgh.
4The Great Gatsby
Yet another story adapted to multiple screen iterations is F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novelThe Greatest Gatsbywith the 1974 version by Jack Clayton and the 2013 release directed by Baz Luhrmann. Narrated by Nick Carraway, a young man who settles into the fictitious town of West Egg, New York, the story follows the mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby. Gatsby is infatuated with the married Daisy Buchanan because of their romantic relationship years ago and is insistent on impressing Daisy and making her leave her husband, Tom.
The lavish scenery present in the films satisfies the audience’s visions, but the prose is what really studies the historical and societal value of the narrative.Set in the 1920s,The Great Gatsbyrequires cultural context to understand the characters and its setting accurately, and the narrative perspective of Nick Carraway is a primary source of that. Capturing the nuances and Nick’s moral dilemmas, the book functions as the core text to grasp what the story traces as the ‘American Dream.’
The highly controversialLolitanovel of Vladimir Nabokov has two notable film adaptations: one directed by Stanley Kubrick in 1962, and Adrian Lyne’s version released in 1997. Narrated by the character Humbert Humbert,Lolitais a story about a brilliant and articulate scholar’sinfatuation and sexual obsessionwith Dolores Haze, a 17-year-old young girl he nicknames Lolita. It intensely portrays desire, morality, forbidden relationships, and age-centric manipulation.
Because of its radical nature and controversial topic, the story is one that requires utmost concentration and immersion to be able to construe and interpret it in the way it is intended. Nabokov’s linguistic intricacies, wordplays, and complex descriptions play crucial roles in depicting the plot’s moral ambiguity and psychological layers. To engage in broader discussions and relevant debates about the book’s subject matter, one must first be introduced to it through its original prose.
22001: A Space Odyssey
The Stanley Kubrick-directed classic2001: A Space Odysseyis an adaptation of Arthur C. Clarke’s 1968 novel of the same title. A science fiction story about humanity’s evolution, nature of consciousness, and the existence of advanced extraterrestrial life, it unfolds in four parts:The Dawn of Man,Discovery of the Moon,Journey to Jupiter, andThe Infinite and Beyond.
Initially written based on Clarke’s short story called “The Sentinel,” the screenplay and the novel’s plot were developed simultaneously by both Clarke and Kubrick. Because of the exchange of ideas and concepts between the two creators, the book possesses immense value in truly understanding the impact and grandeur of the film. Delving deeper into the expanded universe, fleshing out the themes and symbolisms in greater detail, and offering a more extensive character development than its screen counterpart, the book comprises practically the core of2001: A Space Odyssey, and even though the film is considered a masterpiece and admirable adaptation on its own accord, the value of the book is still impossible to gloss over.
1Pride and Prejudice
Subjected to several film adaptations over the years, Jane Austen’s timeless classicPride and Prejudicetakes place in early 19th-century England. Following the lives of the Bennet family, the story focuses mainly on Elizabeth Bennet, the second-eldest daughter of the house. As Elizabeth navigates her town’s social interactions and courtships, she becomesacquainted with Mr. Darcy, the close friend of the wealthy and amiable Mr. Bingley. The story titularly explores the themes of pride, prejudice, self-reflection, and personal growth that transcends surface-level judgments. It also depicts societal norms and expectations of marriage in 19th-century England, featuring class differences, pressure on women, and the pursuit of advantageous matches.
The screen adaptations capture the visionary and atmospheric feel of the old English countryside, but Austen’s wit and language are incomparable. Not only does the novel give a more well-rounded and complex character portrayal, but it is also filled with social commentary, observations, and critique that can easily get overshadowed in the films.
