From Books to Films

Classic books are typically defined by their durability; they demand to be read and re-read, and still manage to deliver something new to the reader each time. Despite a spotty track record, adapting one of these books for the screen is an old gimmick in Hollywood. And as any book-lover knows, the movie is rarely, if ever, better than the book -- but a side-by-side comparison is not only problematic, but unfair. After all, these are vastly different media forms with equally difficult criteria. With that in mind, the following five adaptations are classic films because they did the seemingly improbable: They took highly regarded source material, stayed largely true to each novel and still delivered films that will reward the viewer each time he revisits them -- just as the books have.

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The Maltese Falcon (1941)

Dashiell Hammett’s classic detective novel meets John Huston’s dark screenplay in the movie that many consider to have founded the noir genre. Bogart is dynamite as the sardonic, hard-boiled Sam Spade facing off against Mary Astor’s brutal femme fatale in a flick loaded with ingenious twists and turns. Almost six decades after its premiere, Huston’s film remains a benchmark in book adaptations not for its strict commitment to plot or character, but for its uncanny rapport with the dark tonal corners of Hammett’s novel.

The Godfather (1972)

In The Godfather, novelist Mario Puzo and filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola collaborated on a screenplay for the ages. And take another look at that cast: Brando, Pacino, Caan, Keaton, and Duvall. This is a crack cast in the 21st century, nevermind in 1972. Understandably, in the move from print to screen, Puzo and Coppola had to lose a few rather important sub-plots, but when the end product is this ferocious and this electrifying, the ends absolutely justify the means.

Jaws (1975)

In Jaws, a young Spielberg proves himself to be a master of suspense. How? Chiefly by creating a monster, but only very slowly, letting you know it’s there through heart-racing insinuation. Considering the relative suspension of disbelief required for the shark itself, this is a brilliant decision. By the time Jaws rears his teeth, you’ve bought into him hook, line and sinker. With novelist Peter Benchley getting main screenplay credits, this is as good an adaptation of horror as you’re likely to find.