Stanmore College Learning Resource Centre
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic tale of romance and tragedy in the ’Jazz Age’ was given a recent revamp by Baz Luhrmann, director of Moulin Rouge and Romeo & Juliet. Luhrmann’s film divided opinion with it’s modern soundtrack curated by Jay Z and heavy use of CGI, but Di Caprio was praised for his performance as the enigmatic Gatsby.
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The Godfather film needs no introduction. Winner of three Oscars and considered by many critics to be one of the greatest film of all time, you need to see it. The poster pays homage to Puzo’s novel, and Puzo also co-wrote the screenplay with director Francis Ford Coppola, ensuring that the film faithfully reproduced his New York gangster story.
Frank Miller is one of America’s most famous comic book and graphic novel authors. His neo-noir crime series Sin City originally started in 1991, but it wasn’t until 2005 that a film version was made, co-directed by Miller and Robert Rodriguez with ‘special guest director’ Quentin Tarantino. Keep your eyes open for a sequel to be released this August.
The first rule of Fight Club is you do not talk about Fight Club. The Second rule of Fight Club is you DO NOT talk about Fight Club. So I’m afraid you’ll have to find out for yourself.
Central Africa becomes South East Asia as Francis Ford Coppola transports Conrad’s 19th century novel into the middle of the Vietnam War. An inspired choice as Conrad’s exploration of moral values, colonialism and barbarism blends perfectly with the chaos of the Vietnam conflict. Both the book and film are considered as being essential reading/viewing.
James Bond has led a charmed life on our screens, surviving 23 films. He also featured in 12 novels written by Ian Fleming between 1953 and 1966, and further novels authored by other writers. Goldfinger, widely regarded by fans as the best film, concerns Bond’s mission to foil megalomaniac gold smuggler Auric Goldfinger.
Blade Runner was an initial failure upon its cinematic release, although subsequently critics have praised its bold visuals and it is now cult viewing. Philip K. Dick’s 1968 novel is a classic of science fiction literature, from which the film takes its central character Rick Deckard and key elements of its plot, though there are big differences between the book and the film. See which you prefer.
Daphne Du Maurier’s novella takes place in Cornwall after the Second World War where flocks of seabirds are attacking the local farm workers and their families. Alfred Hitchcock transported the story to California for his horror classic and replaces farm workers with Tippi Hedren but the basic story remains the same.
Winston Smith works in the Ministry of Truth rewriting the past to suit the needs of the Party. Yet he inwardly rebels against the world he lives in which controls him through the all-seeing ‘telescreens’ and the watchful eye of Big Brother. Many adaptations of the book have been made, but this film is by far the best.
A gang war is raging through the dark underworld of Brighton where 17 year-old Pinkie has killed a man. Believing he can escape retribution, he is unprepared for the courageous Ida Arnold. Greene's gripping thriller is set in the 1930s, but the film is set thirty years later, in the midst of the ‘Mods and Rocker’ riots of 1960s Brighton.
It is little known that this Oscar-winning film was based on a book published in 1986, eight years prior to the Hollywood sensation. The author said that the film “took some of the rough edges off” of Forrest, who he had hoped would be played by John Goodman. However, the film does do a great job of recreating famous scenes in American history.
Originally titled Q & A, Vikas Swarup’s novel tells the tale of a young waiter who wins an enormous sum of money on a quiz show, only to be arrested on suspicion of cheating. Danny Boyle’s 2008 film was so successful that re-prints of the book now use the title of the film, Slumdog Millionaire.
Hunter S. Thompson is roaring down the desert highway to Las Vegas armed with a drug arsenal of stupendous proportions. The book’s surreal succession of chemically enhanced confrontations was made into a film by Terry Gilliam (of Monty Python fame) with Johnny Depp in the lead role.
Nurse Ratched rules her mental hospital with an iron fist but her regime is disrupted by the arrival of McMurphy, who resolves to oppose her rules on behalf of his fellow inmates. The book is a devastatingly honest portrayal of the boundaries between sanity and madness, and Jack Nicholson puts in a stellar performance in the film version.
Before R-Patz came Christopher Lee , before Christopher Lee came Bella Lugosi, and before Bella Lugosi came Max Schreck as Count Orlok, the definitive cinematic Vampire. Of course, all of these actors and their films would not exist without Stoker’s epistolary novel and its eponymous villain, Count Dracula. Read the book that started it all, and the film that influenced all its imitators.
This epic fantasy is one of the most successful book series of all time and Peter Jackson’s recent film franchise is equally well-regarded. Read Tolkien’s description of Frodo’s journey through Middle Earth, and then see the film’s stunning visual effects bring the story to life.
Bret Easton Ellis’ book was controversial but widely critically acclaimed upon release in 1991, depicting the life of Wall Street businessman Patrick Bateman. Rather than being filled with news of stocks and shares however the book is a tale of sex, murder and everything in between. The 2000 film is a faithful adaptation which also shocked audiences and critics upon release.
Victor Hugo’s classic historical novel on the French Revolution was published in 1862, staged on the West End in 1985, and hit the big screen in 2012, meaning it’s fair to say that it has been a popular success. Compare the lyrics to the prose and swap dancing for description with Hugo’s original.
Drive was a critical success and a big boost for Ryan Gosling’s career when released in 2011. A classic “LA heist gone wrong” story the film was dripping with neon and heavily influenced by 1980s dramas. The novel however has a much more Latin quality featuring Hispanic characters and being set in Arizona as well as Los Angeles.
The infamous shower scene in Hitchcock’s film is part of cinematic folklore. Robert Bloch’s 1959 novel is less well known but no less suspenseful. Hitchcock’s film was based not only on the novel but also on the real life story of American murderer and grave robber Ed Gein. Find out which scares you most.
Much like Forrest Gump this book to film conversion was sanitised by Hollywood. In Truman Capote’s novella Holly Golightly is a troubled young woman, though she shares the same charm and carefree spirit of Audrey Hepburn’s screen character. The film is one of Hollywood’s all time classics and the novella an under appreciated tale.
The only non-fiction book to appear in this promotion, Wiseguy is the work of crime reporter Nicholas Pileggi, who tells the story of former mobster Henry Hill. This tale was later turned into the film Goodfellas, with Pileggi co-writing the screenplay with Martin Scorcese. Goodfellas is surpassed only by The Godfather as Hollywood’s most revered gangster film.
Life is tough for Billy, a troubled teenager growing up in Barnsley. Treated as a failure at school and unhappy at home, Billy discovers a new passion in life when he finds Kes, a kestrel hawk. Billy identifies with her silent strength and she inspires in him the trust and love that nothing else can. Ken Loach’s film is ranked at number 7 in the BFI’s Top 10 British Films list.
In Steinbeck’s novel George and Lennie are scouring the California countryside for work in the 1920s. hoping one day to own their own land and live the ‘American Dream’. In Sinise’s 1992 film the characters are renamed Milton (George) and Small (Lennie), and Small’s mental handicap is more evident than in the book, but this is a great conversion from page to screen.
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