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Hollywood's Literary Fascination

© Kathy Kehrli

It used to be, on the rare occasion that Hollywood beat me to a book, I would just rush out to buy it before seeing the film. Nowadays, I can’t keep up. It seems the filmmakers have gone literary crazy. It’s not just my imagination either. To prove my point, I scanned the reviews of movies currently playing at my local theaters. Of the seventeen films mentioned, eight of them were based on novels. That’s almost fifty percent! It seems that the film industry has finally caught on to a secret us book lovers have known all along. There’s no better entertainment than an expertly written story. Here’s just a sampling of what I found:

1. Angela’s Ashes - an adaptation of Frank McCourt’s popular memoir of death and growing up in poverty in Ireland. This book won the 1997 Pulitzer Prize, but I’ve seen mixed reviews of the film version.

2. The Cider House Rules – based on the John Irving novel. It tells the story of Homer Wells, a parentless child who is taken under the wings of the orphanage’s doctor.

3. Girl, Interrupted - based on Susanna Kaysen’s memoir about the two years she spent in a mental institution during the 1960’s. Stars Winona Ryder.

4. The Green Mile - by Stephen King. In the tradition of the Oscar nominated Shawshank Redemption, this film stars Tom Hanks as a death row prison guard. The movie has been receiving rave reviews.

5. Snow Falling on Cedars - from the bestseller by David Guterson. Another case where the book’s popularity far exceeds its cinematic reviews.

6. Stuart Little - who could ever forget the touching children’s classic, Charlotte’s Web? E.B. White is back in this adaptation of a live action mouse. A film your kids (and the kid in you) are sure to love.

I haven’t seen any of these films. Why? Because I haven’t gotten around to reading the books yet. That’s a must for me. Book first, then the movie. So, if you’re like me and there’s a novel you’re dying to read, don’t waste too much time. Hollywood just might beat you to it.

If you’ve seen any of these movies, read any of these books, or better yet, done both, I’d love to hear your comments. I’ll be running several discussion threads on this article, so be sure and stop by with your opinions.

Coming March 1: Gone with the Wind in conjunction with Suite 101’s “Women’s History” and “Romance Through the Ages” sites.

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