Films Based on Literature & Literary Greats
From the dark, Gothic recesses of Manderley, Northanger Abbey, and Jamaica Inn, to the swashbuckling adventures of Jim Hawkins and Edmond Dantes, to the heartbreak and romance of Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights, here is a list of film adaptations based on the work of literature's most exemplary writers.
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- DirectorCary Joji FukunagaStarsMia WasikowskaMichael FassbenderJamie BellA mousy governess who softens the heart of her employer soon discovers that he's hiding a terrible secret.A Gothic romance story that covers the topics of class, religion and feminism in Victorian England. Based on my personal favorite work by Charlotte Brontë.
- DirectorSally WainwrightStarsFinn AtkinsCharlie MurphyChloe PirrieA chronicle of the Brontë sisters' battle to overcome obstacles and publish their novels, which would become some of the greatest in the English language.The story of the three Brontë sisters, Charlotte, Emily, and Anne, and their brother Branwell, and how they braved poverty, misfortune, death, and societal pressures while still managing to take their place among the most celebrated authors in English history.
- StarsJessica Brown FindlayMatthew McNultySean HarrisA young woman moves in with her aunt and uncle and soon discovers unsavory happenings in her new home.Easily my favorite book by author Daphne du Maurier, this is a solidly Gothic tale of love and hope that takes place on the brooding and bleak Bodmin Moor amid smugglers, villains, and murderers.
- DirectorHaifaa Al-MansourStarsElle FanningBel PowleyOwen RichardsLife and facts of Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, who at 16 met 21 year old poet Percy Shelley, resulting in the writing of Frankenstein.Excellent film about the life of Mary Shelley, her marriage to poet Percy Bysshe Shelley and how she came to write her novel, Frankenstein.
- DirectorLaure de Clermont-TonnerreStarsEmma CorrinJack O'ConnellMatthew DuckettAn unhappily married aristocrat begins a torrid affair with the gamekeeper on her husband's country estate.Based on the classic novel by D.H. Lawrence, a book that was highly controversial at the time of its publication due to its frank discussion of sexual matters and the portrayal of a passionate love affair between two people of different social classes.
- DirectorJoe WrightStarsKeira KnightleyMatthew MacfadyenBrenda BlethynSparks fly when spirited Elizabeth Bennet meets single, rich, and proud Mr. Darcy. But Mr. Darcy reluctantly finds himself falling in love with a woman beneath his class. Can each overcome their own pride and prejudice?It is a truth universally acknowledged that Jane Austen created some of the most famous heroines and love stories in the history of literature.
- StarsTom HardyCharlotte RileyAndrew LincolnFoundling Heathcliff is raised by the wealthy Earnshaws in Yorkshire but in later life launches a vendetta against the family.Emily Brontë's classic story of jealousy, revenge, and a burning love as eternal as the rocks that lie under the Yorkshire Moors. "I am Heathcliff."
- DirectorBen WheatleyStarsLily JamesArmie HammerKristin Scott ThomasA young newlywed arrives at her husband's imposing family estate on a windswept English coast and finds herself battling the shadow of his first wife, Rebecca, whose legacy lives on in the house long after her death.Very well done version of Daphne du Maurier's Gothic novel.
- DirectorJane CampionStarsAbbie CornishBen WhishawPaul SchneiderThe three-year romance between 19th-century poet John Keats and Fanny Brawne near the end of his life.Great film about the tragic love affair between poet John Keats and Fanny Brawne.
- DirectorJulian JarroldStarsAnne HathawayJames McAvoyJulie WaltersA biographical portrait of a pre-fame Jane Austen and her romance with a young Irishman.Biographical film about the life of Jane Austen.
- DirectorEmily HarrisStarsHannah RaeDevrim LingnauJessica RaineAn atmospheric, coming-of-age love story steeped in eerie mystery and inspired by the gothic novel of the same name.Based on the Gothic novella by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. An isolated, lonely, and repressed young girl, struggling to find an outlet for her curiosity and burgeoning sexuality, meets an enigmatic young stranger who may or may not be a vampire.
- StarsGemma ArtertonEddie RedmayneRuth JonesThe story of Tess Durbeyfield, a low-born country girl whose family find they have noble connections.Based on the Thomas Hardy novel.
- DirectorBrian GilbertStarsStephen FryJude LawVanessa RedgraveThe turmoil in poet/playwright Oscar Wilde's life after he discovers his homosexuality.English author known for his brilliant wit, flamboyant style, and infamous imprisonment for homosexuality.
- DirectorKenneth BranaghStarsRobert De NiroKenneth BranaghHelena Bonham CarterWhen the brilliant but unorthodox scientist Dr. Victor Frankenstein rejects the artificial man that he has created, the Creature escapes and later swears revenge.Though many films have attempted to recreate this classic written by Mary Shelley, most have failed. This version comes the closest yet to telling the story as Ms. Shelley did.
- DirectorKevin ReynoldsStarsJim CaviezelGuy PearceChristopher AdamsonA young man, falsely imprisoned by his jealous "friend", escapes and uses a hidden treasure to exact his revenge.One of the most amazing adventure tales ever written about friendship, love, betrayal, revenge, and ultimate redemption.
- DirectorFrances O'ConnorStarsEmma MackeyOliver Jackson-CohenFionn Whitehead"Emily" imagines the transformative, exhilarating, and uplifting journey to womanhood of a rebel and a misfit, one of the world's most famous, enigmatic, and provocative writers, who died, too soon, at age 30.Speculative film about the alleged secret life of Emily Brontë, whose solitary and reclusive nature has caused biographers to paint her as a rather mysterious, and even odd figure. (Even if true, I think that would only add to her many charms and genius).
- DirectorDavid SkynnerStarsRobert CavanahPeter DavisonOrla BradyMistreated foundling Heathcliff and his stepsister Catherine fall in love, but when she marries a wealthy man, he becomes obsessed with getting revenge, even well into the next generation.Another version of the Emily Brontë story, and one that more closely follows the book.
- DirectorJames McTeigueStarsJohn CusackAlice EveLuke EvansWhen a madman begins committing horrific murders inspired by Edgar Allan Poe's works, a young Baltimore detective joins forces with Poe to stop him from making his stories a reality.Slightly over-the-top tale featuring many of the best works of Edgar Alan Poe, only with a decided twist that entertains from beginning to end. (Just don't mention the name "Longfellow" around Mr. Poe).
- DirectorAng LeeStarsEmma ThompsonKate WinsletJames FleetRich Mr. Dashwood dies, leaving his second wife and her three daughters poor by the rules of inheritance. The two eldest daughters are the title opposites.Based on the novel written by Jane Austen.
- StarsDominic CooperCharity WakefieldHattie MorahanThe sisters Eleanor and Marianne Dashwood try to find love and security in the 1800's. These two sisters coudn't be more different. Where Eleanor is calm and always acts proper Marianne is passionate and usally forgets herself.Based on the novel written by Jane Austen.
- DirectorGary SiniseStarsJohn MalkovichGary SiniseRay WalstonA nomadic farm worker looks after his dimwitted, gentle-giant friend during the Great Depression.Seriously good adaptation of the John Steinbeck novel.
- DirectorAutumn de WildeStarsAnya Taylor-JoyJohnny FlynnMia GothIn 1800s England, a well meaning but selfish young woman meddles in the love lives of her friends.Based on the novel written by Jane Austen.
- DirectorPatricia RozemaStarsFrances O'ConnorJonny Lee MillerAlessandro NivolaFanny, born into a poor family, is sent away to live with wealthy uncle Sir Thomas, his wife and their four children, where she'll be brought up for a proper introduction to society.Based on the novel written by Jane Austen.
- DirectorRoman PolanskiStarsBarney ClarkBen KingsleyJeremy SwiftAn adaptation of the classic Dickens tale, where an orphan meets a pickpocket on the streets of London. From there, he joins a household of boys who are trained to steal for their master.Based on the novel by Charles Dickens.
- DirectorOliver ParkerStarsBen BarnesColin FirthRebecca HallA corrupt young man somehow keeps his youthful beauty eternally, but a special painting gradually reveals his inner ugliness to all.Based on the novel by Oscar Wilde, "The Picture of Dorian Gray."