The book to film is usually frowned upon. With Cormac McCarthy's the Road, the idea is up in the air. Once in a while, a director meets a book which he can truly attack and visualize somehow. I feel McCarthy's book will do well as a film, both commercially and aesthetically. Here are some great film adaptations of books:
- Franz Kafka's The Trial, Metamorphosis, ect. - Here, the Czech author's entire catalogue is brilliant realized in what was Steven Soderberg's sophomore effort. Jeremy Irons and Ian Holm help us get through the dangerous art that is Soderberg's merging of Kafka's life and Kafka's imagination.
- Stephen King's The Dead Zone - Steven King's Novel, Chris Walken's Acting...excellent combination. This movie brings the anti-hero to new hieghts. My first Cronenberg on the list, but its the genius of what you cant see in this film which is so well done. For Johnny Smith is just as psychopathic as Sen. Greg Stillson.
- Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird - Certainly the most critically acclaimed one of these on the list. Gregory Peck genius is derived only part from his acting ability, the other is Harper Lee's heroic Atticus Finch. The calm, collected Peck is perfect for an all-around hero in this depression era novel. Lee and director Robert Mulligan seemingly call out for shreds of good and justice in a world without much of either.
- George Orwell's 1984 - Scary as hell, and the casting is so good it's scary. Jon Hurt does an awsome job as Winston as he realizes the lines between classes. Whatever Orwell was trying to say about rats, director Michael Radford got the damn point across.
- William S. Burroughs' Naked Lunch - While debating whether to put Kafka or Burroughs here, I decided to throw both on because they exemplify two different directors' geniuses. Cronenberg is the only one who could have done Naked Lunch. Kerouac and Ginsberg are thrown in and seem normal compared to Peter Weller's encounters with giant bugs, new drugs, and the law.
- Richard Adam's The Plague Dogs - From the man who brought you Watership Down comes Plague Dogs. Horny bunnys fighting for land is good enough, but a buddy story between two dogs turns Disney on its head. This is one of my favorite animated films, and I'm pretty sure the entire thing's on the internet somewhere.
