Best movies that came from books

[Old School]

[url]http://thestacker.com/stories/678/top-100-movies-came-books#1[/URL]


It might seem like we live in an age where every movie is based on an already existing piece of work, but the truth is Hollywood has been adapting prose and other pre-existing material for more than a century. There are only so many original screenplay ideas out there, no small percentage of which are based on previous ideas and formulas. ?Art is theft,? as Picasso reportedly said, but at least Hollywood dispenses credit every now and then.
Without exceptional books there would be far fewer impressive films. Just ask directors such as Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick, and Francis Ford Coppola, all of whom based some of their finest films on novels. Every talented director delivers their own take on the work, often to the author?s chagrin. Look no further than Stephen King?s openly critical stance on Kubrick?s adaptation of ?The Shining.?


Putting the printed page up on the big screen is a tradition as old as cinema itself. Today, Stacker is honoring that tradition by listing the top 100 movies based on books. We looked to IMDb user ratings to drive our list, focusing on films released in the U.S. with more than 50,000 user votes. Check out the films and then read the books, or vice versa, after which you can decide for yourself whether the book is always better.

 

[Old School]

[h=4]#10. Goodfellas[/h]
Year: 1990
IMDb rating: 8.7
Before working on ?Casino,? director Martin Scorsese and writer Nicholas Pileggi teamed up for ?Goodfellas,? one of the most compulsively watchable films ever made. Adapted from Pileggi?s book, ?Wiseguy,? the film tells the story of Henry Hill, a mid-level mobster who turned on all of his associates before going into hiding. Pileggi and Hill were in constant communication during production, and much of the voiceover dialogue in the film came straight out of Hill?s mouth.

 

[The Joker]

Thanks, Stacker. A trusted and revered publication. :0003

 

[Snafu]

if any "best off" list has Shawshank Redemption as #1, list is bullshit and waste of time.

:0008

 

[JT]

My favorite Stephen King adaption is actually 'Dead Zone.' Hopefully one day someone will take on 'Dune' and succeed.