Movies that do justice to the books that they are based on

Most book-to-movie adaptations are unable to express the real essence of a book and you end up saying “the book was much better”. But then, sometimes you do come across certain movies that restore your faith in miracles, that make you believe that both the movie and the novel were equally brilliant, that the novel is so good that no adaptation could go wrong. Also, it does take a genius filmmaker and some great actors to turn that into reality. Here is a list of movies that truly do justice to the books they’re based on.
Photo: Paramount Pictures

This is one of the most compelling psychological thrillers where nothing is quite as it seems. Marshal Teddy Daniels and Chuck Aule visit Shutter Island, home of Ashecliffe Hospital for the Criminally Insane, to investigate the disappearance of a patient. Multiple-murderess Rachel Solando is loose somewhere on the island, despite having been kept in a locked cell under constant surveillance. The case becomes even darker with hints of radical experimentation, horrifying surgeries, and lethal countermoves made in the cause of a covert shadow war. No one is going to escape Shutter Island unscathed, because nothing at Ashecliffe Hospital is remotely what it seems on the outside. The movie adaptation has the same settings as that of the book and is a riveting watch.
Photo: Paramount Pictures

The heartbreaking and brilliant movie based on this book revolves around the life of Michael, who falls in love with an older woman named Hanna. Their relationship ends when Hanna disappears one day but the two reunite when she goes on trial for being a Nazi guard during WWII. “The Reader” by Bernhard Schlink was adapted wonderfully into a movie by Stephen Daldry.
Photo: The Weinstein Company

This cult classic tale follows a killer on the loose who feels that beauty is only skin deep, and a trainee investigator who's trying to save her own hide. The only man that can help is locked in an asylum. That man, Dr. Hannibal Lecter, is a former psychiatrist with unusual tastes and an intense curiosity about the darker corners of the mind. His intimate understanding of the killer and of Clarice, the investigator, forms the core of the novel and the movie.
Photo: Orion Pictures

Jack begins to lose his sanity when his family moves into an isolated hotel with a harsh past. His unstable mind starts affecting his family members. Stanley Kubrick made a fantastic movie from the famous book written by Stephen King.
Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures

Nicholas Sparks, one of the world’s most beloved romantic storytellers, talks about Noah and Allie, their epic tale of love, heartbreak and reunion in "The Notebook". The book shows us the importance of attachment and how it is the only feeling that really matters. The movie is a beautiful adaptation of the famed book.
Photo: New Line Cinema

Jhuma Lahiri's first novel "The Namesake" deals with the struggles and hardships of a Bengali immigrant couple who settles in the United States. The novel centres around Asima and her son Gogol and the huge cultural gap between a first generation immigrant with the second. A beautiful cinema adapted from the book directed by Mira Nair starring Kal Penn, Tabu and Irrfaan Khan touched many hearts.
Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures

Mario Puzo's "Godfather" is the classic tale of an American mafia lord. The story follows the Corleone family which was once united but are now ripped apart. This compelling tale discovers different consequences that come with power. The book was adapted into a terrific movie by Francis Ford Coppola. The movie went on to win several Academy Awards.
(Photo: Paramount Pictures)

This series consists of three adventure films directed by Peter Jackson, based on the bestselling fantasy novels by J. R. R. Tolkien. Filmed over a period of eight years, the Lord of the Rings series is considered to be one of the biggest and most ambitious film projects ever undertaken. Needless to say, the movie does justice to the novel.
Photo: New Line Cinema

April decides to move to Paris when problems arise in her marriage with Frank. The drift could probably be because April married too young or because of Frank’s dull job. Whatever the reason is, they have decided to part ways. This emotional rollercoaster of a movie directed by Sam Mendes is a brilliant adaptation of Richard Yates’ wonderful book.
Photo: Paramount Vantage

Andrea is hired as the assistant to Miranda Priestly and is given a job millions would die for. The entertaining story is about Andrea deciding if her new shiny life in fashion is worth it in the end or not. Written by Lauren Weisberger in 2003, the novel was made into a movie in 2006 by David Frankel and starred Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway.
Photo: The Devil Wears Prada

“The Great Gatsby” revolves around the life of Jay Gatsby who has not been able to complete his transformation into a member of the social elite. The story takes us through his liking for Daisy Buchanan and talks about money, beauty, youth, hard work, and the ever effusive, love. The 2013 movie of the sama name is directed by Baz Luhrmann. The Great Gatsby won two Oscars at the 86th Academy Awards.
Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures

This story is about the life of Forrest Gump, star of University of Alabama's football team, a hero in the Vietnam War, an amazing wrestler and a successful businessman, who faces several ups and downs, but through it all he remains true to his only love - Jenny. The movie is a wonderful adaptation of Winston Groom’s book.
Photo: Paramount Pictures

Desperate to find meaning beyond cubicle walls, young urban professionals, discontented with their lifestyle, form an underground fight club. The movie “Fight Club” is a 1999 film based on the novel of the same name by Chuck Palahniuk.
Photo: 20th Century Fox

The novel was adapted into the film under the same title by Columbia Pictures. Elizabeth, the protagonist, despite having a successful career is unhappy with her marriage and files for divorce. In the meantime, she falls in love with someone but it does not work out which leaves her devastated. After her divorce, she sets out on a vacation for a year and travels to a few places. The essence of the book lies in the places she travelled and her discovery. “Eat, Pray, Love” by Elizabeth Gilbert is based on the author's personal experience.
Photo: Columbia Pictures

A poet, philosopher, and a physician, Dr. Zhivago’s life is disrupted by the War and by his love for Lara, the wife of a revolutionary. With some of the most startling poems, this book by ‎Boris Pasternak is a must read that talks about love, humility and happiness. Published in 1957, “Doctor Zhivago” was made into a brilliant movie by David Lean in 1965.
Photo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

This 1950 psychological thriller novel by Patricia Highsmith revolves around Guy Haines and Charles Anthony Bruno, two strangers who meet in a train. Guy is an architect in the middle of a divorce whereas Bruno is a sadistic psychopath who convinces Guy to murder someone. This twist traps Guy in a perilous world where anyone can be a murderer. The novel was made into a fantastic movie of the same name by Alfred Hitchcock.
Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures

“No Country for Old Men” is an achingly wonderful book written by Cormac McCarthy. In this book, when a hunter discovers 2 million dollars, his life changes entirely. He is followed by a psychopath killer who wants the money. The brilliant movie adaptation is directed by Ethan Coen and Joel Coen who won the Academy Award for Best Picture.
Photo: Paramount Vantage

This interesting story revolves around a rich and beautiful woman Susanna in search of true love but every man she dates, is actually eyeing her wealth. Years after her death, people believed that her ghost still wanders in the villa and snakes protect her jewels. This famous story by Ruskin Bond is a must read for every newbie reader! A brilliant movie adaptation titled "7 Khoon Maaf", starring Priyanka Chopra, will keep one at the edge of their seats.
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Written by Kunal Basu, the story revolves around a man who writes a letter to a Japanese woman and strikes an unlikely bond with her, to the extent that they even exchange wedding vows over the letters. During the passage of time, a widow along with her 8-year-old son comes to stay with him. How the arrival of this new lady will create trouble in their paradise forms the core of the novel. The story was adapted into a movie under the same title and was awarded with several international recognitions.
Photo: Saregama Films

This delightful and heartbreaking tale of a Brahmin household in rural Bengal is lived through the eyes of a young boy andhis innocent outlook of life. The movie, adapted by Satyajit Ray, has won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film, and Ray won several international accolades for the movie.
Photo: Sony Pictures Classics

'This 1997 novel by Arthur Golden takes us into the life of Japan’s most celebrated geisha, into her world of confessions, where women are auctioned to the highest bidder. It is a hauntingly beautiful tale that was adapted into a movie of the same name in 2005 by Rob Marshall.
Photo: Columbia Pictures

“Ghare-Baire”, translated to "Home and the World" is a 1916 novel by Rabindranath Tagore, which was originally written in Bengali. In the story, Bimala is torn between balancing her home and her revolutionary life. Her attempts to resolve the pressure throw light on the conflict of India itself - the partition, the aftermath and the unrest. The book was adapted on-screen into a brilliant Bengali romantic-drama titled “Ghare-Baire” by Satyajit Ray in 1984.
Photo: NFDC

Sehmat is an Indian spy who goes beyond all boundaries, in the most literal sense, to protect her motherland. She marries a man from Pakistan to get closer to the top brass in Pakistan. The story talks about the bravehearts from Kashmir who were willing to sacrifice their lives for the nation. “Calling Sehmat” is written by Harinder S. Sikka and is adapted into a blockbuster Bollywood movie “Raazi”, directed by Meghna Gulzar.
Photo: Dharma Productions

“Schindler’s List” follows Oskar Schindler, who risked his life to protect Jews in Nazi Germany and who became an angel of mercy for them. The book was adapted into a breathtaking movie by director Steven Spielberg and it won the Academy Award for Best Picture the year it was released.
Photo: Universal Pictures