The only thing better than curling up with a good book is curling up with a movie based on a book. Today I’m sharing some of my favorite film adaptions that might be just a little bit under the radar. Those of you who love classic novels are probably already long familiar with the equally classic film adaptations: Little Women, Pride and Prejudice, To Kill a Mockingbird, and the like. But I hope I might introduce you to a new film or two that may also inspire you to pick up a new book as well.
Far From the Madding Crowd
I read Thomas Hardy’s novel last year and really enjoyed it. It was one of my top books from the entire year and I also watched the film–and might have even loved it more than the book! The movie is masterfully done. The casting is fantastic, the plot follows the book faithfully, and the cinematography captures the pastoral farm scenes. Watch the trailer here.
War and Peace
I read War and Peace ages ago and was mostly confused who was who with all the Russian nicknames. I found I liked Anna Karenina much better, but I also read it when I was older and made sure I had a good translation. I’d love to reread War and Peace, but until then, I adore this film adaptation. It manages to capture themes that Tolstoy wrote about in both novels, such as the search for meaning of life and grasping after faith. It’s a great series to settle down into during these last winter days.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
This heart-warming book manages to tackle a serious subject like World War II with a redemptive ending that celebrates the ability of humans to brave heartache and loss. The film adaptation changes some things but it still captured the heart of the book and I really liked the casting. Michiel Huisman embodied Dawsey and I liked Lily James as Juliet. Watch the trailer here.
All the Light You Cannot See
I read this novel in my book club back when it first came out and liked it very much although I did find it dense to read at times. Although there are significant changes between the novel and the Netflix adaptation, I still really liked it for its own sake and what this version brings to the story.
Surprised by Oxford
After finding out this film was coming out, I picked up the memoir that inspired it. While at times the book felt like it had clunky dialogue and the length of the book was a tad longer in length than necessary, the film version nicely picked the best parts of the book and tied them together. I also liked how it started towards the end and then flashed back.
I hope you’ve discovered at least one book to film adaptation you might have missed seeing! How about you, what’s your favorite adaptation you think is “under the radar,” so to speak? Feel free to post in the comments to bring your own recommendations.
Leave a Reply