Top 5 Books That Have Been Adapted to Popular Movies
Books are often the source of inspiration for filmmakers. Most examples come from Hollywood, be it the Harry Potter series, The Wizard of Oz, Pride & Prejudice or P.S. I Love you, there are some great examples of book-to-movie adaptations. For many, the big question is: What would they choose? Books or movies? This question often opens up a debate among readers. We respect everyone’s interpretation and leave it to the discretion of the reader to decide.
For now, presenting our top 5 picks of book-to-movie adaptations
Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King
Stephen King is a renowned storyteller, whose novels are quite loved and adapted by many well-known and creative filmmakers. However, this by far has been his best novel that got adapted to a greatly popular movie “The Shawshank Redemption”. The movie has been written and directed by Frank Darabont and was released in 1994. The plot of the book revolves around an unfairly imprisoned convict ‘Andy Dufresne’ who got sent to serve a double life sentence, where he meets ‘Red’ another prisoner who smuggles things from outside the prison. The characters in the book have been woven together so well, that they are compelled to tell stories that carry nuances and keep you on the edge. The movie did great and was nominated under many categories at the Academy Awards in 1994
The Godfather by Mario Puzo
The Godfather is a crime novel by Mario Puzo which was published in the year 1969. The story depicts an intense portrayal of the mafia world in New York City and revolves around the ‘Corleones’, one of the well-known mafia families in New York. The book was on the New York Times Best Seller list for more than a year. There was a very popular movie adaptation made in the year 1972 with the same title, “The Godfather” directed by Francis Ford Coppola, Mario Puzo co-wrote the screenplay for the director and the rest is history. Godfather is regarded as one of the most influential films ever made. It is a classic and has won many awards at the 45th Academy Awards.
The Lord of the Rings: Series by J. R. R. Tolkien
The Lord of the Rings is one of the finest fantasy novels ever written. It is also one of the greatest best-selling books with 150 million copies sold. This is a trilogy made into six parts where the story revolves around ‘a ring’ created by Sauron, who is a dark lord and wants to rule the middle-earth. The adapted movie is also made into a trilogy that goes with the same titles as the book and is directed by Peter Jackson. It is regarded as one of the most influential film series with the best CG and cinematography of its time. Moreover, it is among the highest-grossing film series of all time winning 17 out of its 30 Academy Award nominations.
Forrest Gump by Winston Groom
This book was released in the year 1986. Forrest Gump, the title character is named after the grand wizard Nathan Bedford Forrest and is the narration of Gump’s life adventures taking us through his football dynasties to Vietnam, and from encounters with Presidents Johnson to pow-wows with Chairman Mao. From Harvard University to a Hollywood set, to a NASA mission, this book depicts honesty, warmth, and satire. The novel got adapted into a movie in the year 1994, directed by Robert Zemeckis, written by Eric Roth, and starring Tom Hanks. The film received various nominations and won under various categories at the Academy Awards and Golden Globe.
Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly
This non-fiction book was released in the year 2016 and is a story of three African -American mathematicians, who played a significant role in America’s space programme as literally ‘Computers’, enabling a historic achievement. While the story’s plot takes place between the 1930s to 1960s, when women were considered not equal to men, these women fought for equality and non-discrimination at their workplace that segregated them from their white counterparts. The book was #1 New York Times Bestseller and soon got adapted to a film by the same name and released in 2016, the film was nominated for the Oscars and received several other awards.
Vishwakarma Publications and its authors have worked on numerous subjects and plots that have been picked for short films and plays on national as well as international platforms in the past. To stay updated on our latest books and authors, log on to www.vishwakarmapublications.com
