Book-Based Movie Adaptations

I like to read classical books and then watch the various film adaptations that have been produced based on those works to see how they compare. This list is mainly to track what I consider to be worthwhile adaptations and perhaps a helpful guide for those looking to experience these stories without having to read the literary works upon which they are based.

I try to list only direct adaptions of the books and avoid listing sequels, re-imaginings, and parodies unless they standout in some way.

Arthurian Legend

Sword of Lancelot / Lancelot and Guinevere (1963) focuses on the main love triangle between the king, his wife, and his closest companion; leaving out the half-giant Galehaut and princess Elaine of Corbenic who constituted a love-polygon. In this adaptation the young Guinevere only marries the much older and slightly sexist King Arthur as part of an arranged marriage. Her heart though, yearns for the charismatic Frenchman, Sir Lancelot. It is vibrant with some gorgeous location shots that give it a medieval fairy-tale feeling. Some scenes can drag on for far too long, but it is one of the few film versions to take a more positive outlook on the legendary affair that toppled a kingdom.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) is a comedic parody of King Arthur's quest for the Holy Grail. It is an adventure that includes encounters with the Knights Who Say Ni!, a Bridge of Death, sassy Frenchmen, killer rabbits, and lonely lustful nuns. Despite years of repetition, re-runs, and meme's, the familiarity hasn't ruined its enjoyment. Anyone who gets to watch this for the first time is in for a treat.

Excalibur (1981) is an epic loosely based on Le Morte d'Arthur, which tells the story of King Arthur, from his birth to the founding and fall of Camelot and the Knights of the Round Table. Its dreamlike visuals manage to coexist with a narratively intriguing, dark and gritty retelling of the classic story. It features an awkward blend of seriousness and absurdity that gives it an atmosphere of something just not quite being right. It is a meditation on the enduring nature of myth and the darkness of mankind rather than a glamorous story of virtuous knights. Full of emotion, but dated by today's standards in the best and worst ways.

Quest for Camelot / The Magic Sword: Quest for Camelot (1998) is an entirely original animated film based in Arthurian lore. It follows Kayley - the daughter of Sir Lionel, a Knight of the Round Table - and her blind companion Garrett, who attempt to return the sword Excalibur to King Arthur after it was stolen by a usurper. It is a charming family friendly film with a very modern take on the setting whose stories were primarily written during an era that was not terribly kind to ladies or the physically impaired. Quest for Camelot is most notable for being one of the higher quality adaptations aimed at a young audience, and for its excellent portrayal of a disabled protagonist.

The Green Knight (2021) is a slow paced, high-art movie that retains the atmosphere and strangeness of the original work - Sir Gawain and the Green Knight- while still doing its own thing. It uses a lot of sub-context, metaphorical meaning and symbolism, such as its use of crossroads and even the color green, so having a good grasp of that kind of thing will make for a better viewing experience. Otherwise this movie will just come off as a shallow, long, pointless road trip. Very unique and definitely not for everyone.

Dracula

Dracula (1931) is the very first adaptation with sound and the one credited with establishing the character as a cultural icon. It is worth watching for its role in cinema history, but can be very slow paced and plodding. Most of the scenes are static with the occasional odd edit or cut and some of the lines of dialogue come off as stilted. A Spanish version of the movie was shot in the same year, using the same sets with different actors and is generally regarded as the better version.

Dan Curtis' Dracula / Bram Stoker's Dracula / Dracula (1974) is one of the shorter and less faithful adaptations. The biggest change was giving Dracula an ex-wife and having him go on a search for a new, similar-looking wife. Not much time is given to building suspense or developing the characters, and some plot threads, such as Mina turning into a vampire, are left unresolved. The costume designs are great and the first couple of minutes have a good degree of ambience, such as the unnatural number of dogs following Dracula's carriage.

Count Dracula (1977) is a nearly 3 hour long movie that has occasionally been broken up into 3 parts for airing on television. It is possibly the most faithful adaptation of the book that has been produced, although none are a 1-for-1 recreation. The characters Quincey Morris and Arthur Holmwood have been fused together into a single character, and Lucy and Mina are sisters in this version - all pointless changes that don't impact the narrative much, if at all.

Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) is widely considered to be the most entertaining adaptation and the only one to kill Dracula in the manner described in the book - decapitation and a knife through the heart. It remains fairly faithful to the book but tends to go off on creative tangents, such as connecting Dracula to Vlad the Impaler, adding in a romance between Dracula and Mina, a romance between Mina and Van Helsing, and having Dracula bang Lucy while in wolf-man form; there is so much weird sex stuff in this one. It's silly, theatrical, and has a very strong style all its own.

Dracula (2006) puts a unique twist on the familiar narrative by giving Arthur Holmwood syphilis. In his search for a cure he contacts an occult group that claims to know a guy (Dracula). The group sacrifices Jonathan Harker to Count Dracula under the guise of selling him property on Arthur's behalf and the story more or less plays out the same from there. There are additional changes, such as Van Helsing being kept captive by the cult and Dracula surviving the final assault on his life, but it offers a fresh take on a well trodden narrative. I also really like that they portray Dracula as a psychopath rather than an animalistic monster or a misunderstood man.

From the Earth to the Moon

A Trip to the Moon (1902) is a silent film/short inspired by the book that has at least one hand-colored print known to exist. It has a lot of charm from the early days of cinema with beautiful cardboard backgrounds, lots of whimsy, and a sense of discovery. The capsule landing in the moon's eye has gone on to become an iconic image from cinema history and is worth watching for that alone.

From the Earth to the Moon (1958) is the only direct adaptation that has been made. It can be very slow moving and makes a number of alterations, such as changing Impey's name to "Victor", the type of craft built, the fate of said craft, what characters end up in the craft and the reasons behind their decision to board a craft never intended for living passengers. The book's plot is completely abandoned about halfway in; likley the result of bankruptcy rather than part of some artistic vision.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939) has really great cosmetics and set dressing for the era. Quasimodo's character is a standout in no small part because of Charles Laughton's stellar performance. He comes off as so much more likeable and sympathetic than the one in the book. He barely utters a word, but his body language speaks volumes. The main differences in this story over the book is that Phoebus does not survive the attempt on his life and Esmeralda is pardoned from hanging. She goes on to marry Gringoire while Quasimodo, successful in saving her life, watches silently amongst the cathedral's gargoyles. The ending is poetically tragic, to the point that I vastly prefer it to the one in the book.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1956) features a normal-looking Quasimodo who is not a hunchback and only slightly misshapen of face. He takes a back seat to Esmeralda who is the star of this production. It is one of the less remarkable adaptations that is notable for being the first in color and for staying very faithful to the source material, including being one of the few to use the book's original ending in which everyone dies. 

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) is an animated film by Disney that stays relatively true to the original story, including its darker tones, among which are infanticide, lust, and antiziganism. Some changes were made to keep it 'kid friendly', such as giving it a happy ending, making Phoebus more of a heroic figure, and changing Claude Frollo into a judge to avoid upsetting religious sensibilities. It is visually and musically the most stunning of the adaptations; see "Hellfire" as an example. Despite being a kids film it seems to be more popular with adults, as many who saw it as children say they struggled to fully grasp its themes and only really came to appreciate it with age.

Ivanhoe

Ivanhoe (1982) replicates the book almost exactly, sometimes even line for line. It is a colorful, lively rendition with impressive location shots, jousts, battles, and acting. The darker political conflicts and prejudices from the book also remain intact. It is a very entertaining watch that airs on TV every Christmas and New Years in some countries.

 

Journey to the Center of the Earth

Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959) takes liberties with the story, such as adding in an unnecessary villain and a pet duck named Gertrude, but still manages to be entertaining. It's silly and imaginative but palatable enough for adults and retains the sense of exploration and discovery that made the book so endearing. Real lizards with prosthetics were used to represent the prehistoric creatures, which may have been harmed during filming as this was shot during an era when animal welfare wasn't taken into account.

(The Fabulous) Journey to the Center of the Earth / Where Time Began (1977) is a charming, colorful adaptation that I find rather soothing to watch. The acting is decent enough, but unintentionally humorous at times. They also make a number of changes to the narrative, such as adding in an annoying love interest and an encounter with a giant ape. There is a lot of low-budget charm to this one, especially in the costumes and props used for the ancient wildlife.

Journey to the Center of the Earth / Journey 3D (2008) is a re-imagining of the book set in modern times. As a family-oriented flick, it contains some light humor and really tries to capture the whimsy and wonder of discovering the impossible. There are fictional animals such as Cyanis Rosopteryx and the more fantastical elements from the book are emphasized.This version also focuses heavily on human connection and family bonding, which gives it a different feel and identity compared to the other adaptations.

Moby Dick; or, The Whale

Moby Dick (1956) is the closest to a definitive adaptation that exists, although none come close to capturing the biblical allusions and deeper philosophical themes of the book's plot. This version is very Ahab-centric, leaving out the character Fedallah, who specifically reflects on Ahab's fate and sanity, and downplays the cabin-boy Pip who "sees the world as it is" and plays an important role in the racial divisions on the ship. The props and set dressing are also very good for the era; not always the most convincing, but I have seen worse from more modern releases. A small amount of real whaling footage was used.

Moby Dick (1998) is a mini-series consisting of 2 episodes with a combined runtime of 3 hours. It has the scale and grandeur of an epic made on a for-TV budget. It falls into the common pitfall of leaving out the philosophical bits from the novel, so that only the shallowest reading of the story is adapted to the screen - that of an angry man seeking vengeance on an animal. It is competently made and there are moments where it shines, but the acting can be a bit muted at times. This is the only version where Queequeg is explicitly Maori.

Moby Dick (1999) is a paint-on-glass animated short that covers the gist of the main plot and includes most of the major characters. It is notable for being a very rare form of animation with a gorgeous, dark and uncanny feel to its art style, and for being one of the few adaptations to portray the white leviathan as it was in the book - as a symbol of God, nihilism, and an uncaring force of nature that both literally and metaphorically drags Ahab down into a dark abyss. My personal favorite of the adaptations - give it a watch.

The Old Man and the Sea

The Old Man and the Sea (1999) is a masterful paint-on-glass animated short created for IMAX. It is a very rare form of animation that everyone should watch at least once, even if they don't care for the story, which is that of an elderly fisherman trying to catch a marlin. Each frame of this animated piece was painstakingly hand-painted by one man and his son over two and a half years. Any one of the single frames would look lovely on their own; worthy to hang in a museum. Pure artistry.

Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931) is perverse with a shocking amount of abuse (physical and psychological), rape, and murder. These are used in service to the book's themes, which include substance abuse, outwardly good people being evil at heart, and the social hypocrisy of the Victorian era. Like many from that time, Jekyll presents himself as a respectable gentleman, but it doesn't take much for Hyde to come out. The film portrays Hyde as a hairy, fanged man to visually communicate his bestial nature - one that targets vulnerable women like Ivy. Upon swapping back to Jekyll his first instinct is to pay Ivy off. Class resentment and division also plays a major role, such as with Ivy who wants protection - not money, but doesn't go to the authorities for help because she knows they see her as lowly and beneath their help.