183. Room
In adapting Emma Donoghue’s award-winning novel, Lenny Abrahamson extends a cinematic tradition established by French master, Robert Bresson.
Tag Archives: adaptation
182. Gaslight
Made in 1944, Gaslight is an Oscar-winning melodrama concerning madness and murder. The film itself is guilty of attempted homicide.
180. The Elephant Man
To call David Lynch a surrealist is to misses the point. This masterpiece proved he is one of cinema’s great humanists.
178. Brief Encounter
Once dismissed as parochial and passé, the influence of David Lean’s classic can be seen in such unlikely places as The Third Man, The Godfather and Carol.
173. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
How do you make a film about a character who can neither move nor speak, but can only blink his left eye?
171. Three Days of the Condor
Adapting James Grady’s straight forward thriller, Sydney Pollack delivered a commentary on dehumanising institutions.
168. Rear Window
He was called The Master of Suspense (a title he coined himself), but for all the thrills did Alfred Hitchcock not make rom-coms wrapped inside mysteries?
164. The Parallax View
Adapted from Loren Singer’s poorly reviewed best seller, Alan J. Pakula’s conspiracy thriller is a classic of assured pacing and paranoia.
161. Dr. Strangelove
Until 1964, Stanley Kubrick had suffered years of set-backs, disappointments and frustration. But he made his reputation with this satire on nuclear war.
158. The Big Sleep
How can Howard Hawks’ adaptation of Raymond Chandler’s labyrinthine detective novel be heralded as a classic when it is impossible to follow?
154. The Verdict
Sidney Lumet hadn’t read Barry Reed’s novel when he brought it to the screen. Instead, he let David Mamet’s masterful screenplay be his guide.
153. Memento
Christopher Nolan’s time-warping mind-bending classic left many audiences very confused. But the director left more than enough clues to make sense of it.
151. Drive
Nicolas Winding Refn’s film focuses on Ryan Gosling’s nameless getaway driver. But its best scene involves a vehicle of an entirely different kind.
147. The Case for the Courtroom Drama
Of all the genres, the courtroom is perhaps the one most beset by clichés. So is there any evidence for a few masterpieces?
146. Invasion of the Body Snatchers
There have been four adaptations of Jack Finney’s novel. But what new angle could you bring to the classic sci-fi allegory?
144. The Searchers
The Searchers is both a cinematic monument and an extremely unsettling depiction of the racism that lies at the heart of America’s own mythology.
140. Kiss of the Spider Woman
How do you make a film about Marxism, sexual oppression and Nazis? Set the whole thing in an Argentinean prison.
132. Mildred Pierce
Joan Crawford’s portrayal of martyred mother Mildred Pierce is the stuff of legend. It not only won her an Oscar but provided her with a career defining role.
130. House of Cards
If you want to change television, stop people watching it. That is just one of the many tricks behind this great adaptation of Michael Dobbs’s best-selling novels.
127. Mike Nichols
Without question, Mike Nichols was one of America’s most feted entertainers. But how did he manage to break new ground and tell such compelling stories?
125. Out of Sight
Out of Sight is about second chances and it helped the three main players; Steven Soderbergh, George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez to relaunch their careers.
124. Frozen
Just how do Disney keep making such enormous hits? The elements of Frozen give away a very big clue: films for women about women supporting women.
121. Gone Girl
Adapted from Gillian Flynn’s best-selling thriller, David Fincher’s film keeps its most surprising twist until the final shot. And it’s not what you think.
120. The Fabulous Baker Boys
It’s called The Fabulous Baker Boys, but it was Michelle Pfeiffer’s Oscar nominated performance that earned the film its adjective.
