The Best 5 Movies based on a Book.

 Its a completely personal and unscientific list. Your suggestions are always welcome.

1.To Kill a Mocking Bird (1962): Its simply the best screen adaptation of a great novel ever. Peck is so overwhelmingly convincing in the role, it inspires the viewer to actually like a lawyer. The film captures all of the nuances of small town life in the South that are found in Ms. Lee’s book. There are many fine performances, including Robert Duvall’s memorable portrayal of Boo Radley.

2.The Godfather (1972): Despite loosing some of the book’s edge, Coppola socks a homerun in this story of the Corleone family. Amazing substance and texture found throughout, and one performance is better than the next. Nearly perfect casting and Nino Rota’s haunting score make this an unforgettable film experience.

3.Jaws (1975): Besides keeping a generation from going into the water, Spielberg’s film does more than justice to the book. The screenplay actually gets rid of silly plot lines (like the affair between Brody’s wife and Hooper) and focuses on the main event: man against shark. I still jump when that shark first comes out of the water and dwarfs Quint’s ship, and who doesn’t hear John Williams’s classic score every time he or she tiptoes into the surf?

4.A Christmas Carol (1951): One of Dickens’s personal favorites (said to make him laugh and cry anytime he read it), A Christmas Carol is something of a tradition at Christmastime, but certainly this story is rewarding all year round. If ever the were a perfect blend of actor and character, I’d say it is found in Alastair Sim’s portrayal of Ebenezer Scrooge. A simply brilliant performance takes him from grumpy dark lost soul to enlightened lover of life after the visitation of spirits. Excellent casting, script, and brooding music to shiver your timbers by. The scene with the Ghost of Christmas Future still scares me

5.One flew over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975): The book’s stream of consciousness format is enjoyable to read but would have been difficult to sufficiently honor on screen. Therefore, the screenwriters wisely center the story around Nicholson’s McMurphy. This performance is pure “Jack” at his very best, and that’s what makes it so compelling. The screenplay actually improves the story, and all of the main and minor characters seem perfectly cast. This story of human spirit that cannot be broken seems fresher than ever, and it was the first film in thirty or so years to take the top five Oscars. A winning film that is simply unforgettable.

The Best 5 Movies based on a Book.