8 film adaptations you need to watch (again)
Forget the knee-jerk ‘books are always better’ maxim – sometimes the film version offers a valuable new perspective on our favorite narratives. By GEORGIA SIMMONDS
As we eagerly anticipate the adaptation of Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch, Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar (Kirsten Dunst’s directorial debut) and Greta Gerwig’s reimagining of Little Women (Saoirse Ronan, Emma Stone and Timothée Chalamet are in discussions to star alongside Meryl Streep as Aunt March), we reflect on some of the very best page-to-screen reimaginings…
Bridget Jones’s Diary, 2001
Generations of women identified with author Helen Fielding’s smart, flawed and funny 30-something protagonist Bridget Jones, who seemed to embody the contradictions many women find themselves wrestling with. In Sharon Maguire’s film adaptation, Jones was charmingly brought to on-screen life by Renée Zellweger, with a performance that disarmed even the most skeptical of critics.
Crazy Rich Asians, 2018
Kevin Kwan’s bestselling satirical novel is now a game-changing film: the last time an Asian cast fronted a Hollywood movie that wasn’t a period piece was a quarter of a century ago, was 1993’s The Joy Luck Club (another novel adaptation, authored by Amy Tan). The film version of the romantic comedy, which stars Constance Wu and is set in the millionaires’ playground of Singapore, promises glitzy mansions, dazzling couture gowns and perceptive emotional reckonings.
Room, 2015
The challenge of translating Emma Donoghue’s traumatic novel about the abducted ‘Ma’ and her son (born into captivity) was one the author felt confident director Lenny Abrahamson could take on, having read a ten-page fan letter he wrote to her. Brie Larson was cast in the role, winning an Oscar for her note-perfect performance.
Ghost World, 2001
Daniel Clowes’ graphic novel Ghost World introduced us to cynical, misfit best friends Enid Coleslaw and Rebecca Doppelmeyer. In 2001, director Terry Zwigoff turned a whole new audience on to their idiosyncratic appeal with his on-screen rendering, starring American Beauty’s Thora Birch as Enid and a (then) little-known actress called Scarlett Johansson as Rebecca.
The Talented Mr. Ripley
‘How far would you go to be someone else?’ is the tantalizing tagline for the film adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s psychological thriller. Matt Damon, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Cate Blanchett and Philip Seymour Hoffman make up the stellar cast of Anthony Minghella’s cinematic interpretation, which is at once a sinister and visually stunning ode to la dolce vita.
The Color Purple, 1986
Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey both made their film debuts in Steven Spielberg’s cinematic adaptation of Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, which addresses the myriad challenges faced by African-American women living in the South of the 1930s. Goldberg’s performance is astounding and should have secured her 1986’s Academy Award for Best Actress, which she was nominated for.
Brokeback Mountain, 2005
This tender, tearjerking story of a passionate sexual and emotional relationship experienced between two men who must deny their feelings for one another is deeply affecting. Adapted from Annie Proulx’s short story, the film version by Ang Lee soars with emotion, thanks to breathtaking performances by Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal.
Silver Linings Playbook, 2012
David O. Russell’s uplifting 2012 film adaptation of Matthew Quick’s acclaimed debut novel is bursting with heart. Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper give captivating, career-defining performances (Lawrence won the Best Actress Oscar for hers) and the film handles the subject of bipolar disorder with the same sensitivity that was so illuminating in the book.
Crazy Rich Asians is released August 15 (US); November 2 (UK)