Media Madness

“Have You Seen a ‘Good Book’ Lately?”

So, have you seen a good book lately? Many of the world’s finest films have been adapted from bestsellers. The Oscars actually award the writers of a film for its Best screenplay from a previously published work. Some films stay very true to the original mood and plot of a novel; while others change endings and generally ruin the entire point of a great book. Many films certainly magnify the locale of the original book. Who can forget the grandeur of those Austrian Alps just before Maria launches into “the hills are alive…” or the snow and ice encrusted face of Yuri Zhivago as he struggles across that endless tundra in Dr. Zhivago! But then again a film can be ruined by bad screenplays, poor casting or just bad direction – Raise the Titanic with Jason Robards and David Selby reportedly put author Clive Cussler off from selling the movie rights to his novels ever again - well at least until this past summer when Matthew McConaughey starred as Dirk Pitt in Cussler’s Sahara. We all have our opinions, but its fun to compare. Below are a few films we own in DVD or VHS which began as a novel. See if you can match the movie with the author.