OUR May-June story, “A New Black Swan Musical Cranks Up the Tension,” explores the A.R.T.’s new musical based on the 2010 film—and the transformative power of adapting a work from one art form to another. We asked readers and Harvard experts to weigh in on their favorite art adaptations. Read a sampling of responses below:
The Lion King (Theater to Film)
James Earl Jones. And the soundtrack. And its themes regarding the rise of fascism among Scar and his sycophants (the hyenas). —AMY J.
The French Lieutenant’s Woman (Book to Film)
The novel, by John Fowles, interrupts the narrative arc of the core plot on a regular basis to offer musings about Victorian culture and, on occasion, to allow the novelist to look at his characters and wonder what they should do next. Impossible to film. Except in the able hands of Harold Pinter, who wrote a screenplay in two intersecting threads: the first, the historical story, and the second, the actors making the movie of the historical part, acting as the “meta” element and discussing all of the reflections on Victorian culture. It even enabled the famous two possible endings to both be incorporated. Brilliant! —ELIZABETH K.
The Joy Luck Club (Book to Film)
The script was true to the book for the most part. The actors were excellent. The book killed the stereotypes used to portray so many Asian cultures in film. It helped the viewers understand the history of China, the Chinese diaspora, and the challenges faced by women as they become second- and third-generation Americans. I love books that combine fiction and history in ways that are not distortions but enhancements of our ability to understand the past. —JACQUELINE G.
To Kill a Mockingbird (Book to Film)
This is the only transition from book to film that did not diminish the book, in my opinion. Maintaining the story from Scout’s perspective and filming in black and white and the excellent casting of actors brought the complexities and mysteries of the novel to the screen beautifully. The movie is still in my list of top 10 favorites. —CATHERINE B.
It was so true to the book, every single character, bad or good, was perfectly cast, and the creators stuck to the language and spirit and rhythm of the story. —HOPE C.
A deep, entertaining movie, even better than the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Harper Lee on which it is based. —BILL H.
True to plot and characters, but being visual, the film fleshed out the story. JANET R.
Memento Mori (Book to TV)
Superb and subtle acting by such stars as Michael Hordern, Renée Ashcroft, Dames Thora Hird, and Maggie Smith, and Maurice Denham captures both the flavor of 1950s London and the generation that came of age before the Great War. —ROBERT D.
Brideshead Revisited (Book to TV)
Beautiful story, beautifully done. —SHANTI F.
Bridget Jones’s Diary (Book to Film)
It takes a pithy comedy and turns it into a charming and even funnier film. It’s one of the best adaptations because it doesn’t overcomplicate the story. —JANELLE M.
M.A.S.H. (Film to TV)
Actually book to film to TV. The TV adaptation was perfect for the medium, slowly evolving from running jokes and cardboard-thin characters into a strongly scripted antiwar statement from complex people, one brief episode at a time. —P. STAHL
Hamlet (1996) (Book to Film)
Faithful, fun, no truncations, imaginative. All-star cast. —MARK S.
The Outsiders (Book to Film)
Stays true to Hinton’s story. Each of the brothers has his own song to tell his part of the story. Fight scenes with blood, the fire, cars, etc., are all included. —JOHN G.
The Wizard of Oz (Theater to Film)
It is a magnificent work of genius, immensely entertaining. —WILLIAM H.
My Jim by Nancy Rawles (Book to Book)
It is her version of Huck Finn by Mark Twain from a Black woman’s perspective. While Percival Everett also tells the story in James, I like Nancy Rawles’s version best. She tells it from the perspective of an enslaved woman in old age who loved and was loved. —LAUREN G.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Book to Theater)
It’s a glorious reimagining that captures the story and sets it in such a distinct time and place that it feels irresistible. The music is rich and heartbreaking. And it’s a storytelling show that captures it all so well! —AIDAN O.
Women in Love (Book to Film)
The book by D.H. Lawrence characterized by turgid writing and impatience-inducing plodding. The film is breathtaking from every point of view. —JAY G.
Station Eleven (Book to TV)
Emily St. John Mandel wrote Station Eleven and it was subsequently adapted as a 10-part series by HBO MAX. I had read the book and then watched the series and was completely taken in by it. I had to go back and re-read the book as I did not quite remember some things as they occurred in the original, only to discover that this book was almost completely adapted into something akin to perfection! (I actually watched it all again with my daughter who is our Shakespeare expert from her Drama Club days, and it was even better with her interpretation and guidance.) This was writing, creativity, casting, cinematography, musical selection, and acting at its finest!! —JOHN M.
