Home theater: Movies that live up to the books that inspired them
At a time when many of us are trying to tame that tottering pile of novels we鈥檝e been meaning to read or reread, this might also be a good time to highlight some of the terrific films derived from great literature.
Standout examples are relatively few. Great fiction is an intimate expression of a writer鈥檚 way of seeing, and this vision is extremely difficult for a filmmaker to duplicate. When William Faulkner, for example, describes the 鈥渨an hemorrhage鈥� of a rising moon, it won鈥檛 do to show us a close-up of a moon, no matter how artfully framed.
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Why We Wrote This
When movies based on books succeed, it is often because they complement what鈥檚 on the page, rather than trying to replicate it. 鈥滸reat fiction is an intimate expression of a writer鈥檚 way of seeing, and this vision is extremely difficult for a filmmaker to duplicate,鈥� says film critic Peter Rainer. Here, he shares some of his favorite adaptations.
For the filmmaker who seeks to make a movie similar in stature to its fictional source, an even greater problem is that most first-rate literature does a deep dive into the psychology of its characters. While it鈥檚 true that movies can portray exceedingly well a great many things, the richness of interior lives, except in rare cases, is not one of them. (This is why second-rate books often make for better movies. They鈥檙e less intimidating.) A remarkable actor can sometimes compensate for the deficiency but this only takes us so far. In movie adaptations of great literature, we are most often left with its least interesting aspect 鈥� the plot.
Still, there are movie adaptations of great literature that, while wisely not pretending to measure up to their sources, are nevertheless fine achievements in their own right. They complement our experience of reading the book.聽And, if you鈥檙e like me, you鈥檒l always try to read the book first.聽
Most recently, there was Autumn de Wilde鈥檚 鈥淓mma鈥� (2020), a sparkling surprise, especially given how many Jane Austen adaptations preceded it. Greta Gerwig鈥檚 鈥淟ittle Women鈥� (2019), despite its lurching narrative structure, was another success.聽
Going back a ways, we have聽Henry James鈥� 鈥淲ashington Square,鈥� about a lovelorn spinster and the cad who romances her. It was eventually adapted for the stage and then for the screen as 鈥淭he Heiress鈥� (1949), starring Olivia de Havilland and Montgomery Clift at their peak. James鈥� haunting novella 鈥淭he Turn of the Screw鈥� became 鈥淭he Innocents鈥� (1961), a marvelously evocative chiller starring Deborah Kerr and Michael Redgrave and co-written by Truman Capote. Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa鈥檚 epic novel 鈥淭he Leopard鈥� was transferred to the screen with its glory intact by director Luchino Visconti and Burt Lancaster, in his best performance, as an aging aristocrat in 1860s Sicily.聽One of Chekhov鈥檚 finest short stories, 鈥淭he Lady with the Dog鈥� (1960), became, under the direction of Iosif Kheifits, perhaps the most perfect of all literary adaptations.聽
If you鈥檙e looking for a good place to start, I recommend the following worthies, all fine examples of the adapter鈥檚 art.
鈥淭he Namesake鈥�
Jhumpa Lahiri鈥檚 2003 novel about an intergenerational Indian family in America, adapted by director Mira Nair and screenwriter Sooni Taraporevala into 鈥淭he Namesake鈥� (2006), delicately renders the immigrant experience in its many complexities and features the finest performance of the late great Irrfan Khan as a father trying to reconcile his new life with the one he left behind. (Rated PG-13)
鈥淭he Dead鈥�
John Huston鈥檚 entrancing and deeply melancholy final film, 鈥淭he Dead鈥� (1987), stars his daughter Anjelica as a wife who pines for a lost love. Derived from the peerless James Joyce short story, it鈥檚 a movie Huston had long wanted to make and a fitting valedictory. (Rated PG)聽
鈥淭he Member of the Wedding鈥�
Carson McCullers adapted her 1946 novel for Broadway, and a version of that play was remade by Hollywood as 鈥淭he Member of the Wedding鈥� (1952), under the expert direction of Fred Zinnemann, fresh from making 鈥淗igh Noon.鈥� Repeating their legendary stage performances are Julie Harris as the ferociously lonely tomboy Frankie and Ethel Waters as Berenice, her de facto surrogate mother. Waters singing the gospel hymn 鈥淗is Eye Is on the Sparrow鈥� to her young charge is one of the most moving moments in all cinema. (Unrated)
鈥淕reat Expectations鈥�
David Lean鈥檚 鈥淕reat Expectations鈥� (1946) is not only the best of the many Dickens adaptations, it鈥檚 one of the best British movies ever made. It has visual grandeur, wit, literacy, and thrills.聽Look for the young Jean Simmons as the imperious Estella and, in his first important role, Alec Guinness as the foppish Herbert Pocket. (Unrated)
Peter Rainer is the Monitor鈥檚 film critic.聽
鈥淭he Namesake,鈥� 鈥淭he Dead,鈥� 鈥淭he Member of the Wedding,鈥�聽and 鈥淕reat Expectations鈥� are available on at least one of these platforms: Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, Google Play, iTunes.聽
