Novels Into Film: Adaptations & Interpretations Review
“Many of the works in this compilation of book-to-film adaptations are well known, but readers will find a few surprises (It’s a Wonderful Life was adapted from a short story; Herman Hesse’s Siddhartha was a 1972 film). The list includes both faithful adaptations and those only loosely based on the book (such as Apocalypse Now, from Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness). Entries are alphabetized by movie title, with brief facts about the adapted works (title, if different; author; year first published), followed by information on the films (year released, director, screenwriter, and stars), the production process, and the movies’ impact. Also included are indexes of print works by title, author, and publication date, and films by screenwriter, director, and release date… those interested in how a narrative is crafted for film will be fascinated at the accessible, thoughtful treatment. ¬VERDICT Recommended for those curious about how stories transition from the printed page to the big screen.”
Library Journal, 2019
"This book is a first edition, modeled after previous works about adaptations of literary works into film. The edition covers 100 novels, arranged alphabetically into individual entries by their corresponding film titles. Each “essay,” as the entries are described, details how an adaptation came to be (“Context”); provides an in-depth analysis of a film (“Film Analysis”); and briefly notes a film’s importance (“Significance”). Also included with each essay are suggestions for additional reading and short bibliographies. Meanwhile, front matter consists of a “Publisher’s Note,” which outlines the book content and organization, and an introduction, which describes general principles for adapting novels into film against a backdrop of an historical analysis of the process of adaptation. Finally, back matter contains six indexes, three of which provide listings of literary works by title, author, and date of publication, with the remaining three indexes similarly listing films by screenwriter, director, and release date.
Undoubtedly, the book is unique in its subject matter, and thus it likely fills a distinct gap for those who study novel-to-film adaptation. Perhaps the most notable feature of the edition are the in-depth analyses enclosed with each of the essays, which provide the context of a literary work, and describe the extent to which a film adaptation holds true to that work. As such, the analyses provide an insightful historical context to film adaptation, adding depth to the topic and thus moving beyond mere categorization. Lending credibility to the analyses are the aforementioned sections of suggested further reading and bibliographies, largely consisting of books, book chapters, and popular articles. In sum, readers can expect a diverse collection of titles ranging from the 8th century to 2016, with well-researched histories and analyses and a user-friendly arrangement."
ARBA, 2019