This is a twist on back-to-back film viewing. Why not turn that double feature into reading a book and following it up with a film based on the novel? We all love to watch our favorite novels turned into movies. Every once in a while, there are films you may not have known were novels first. Sometimes it is because the novel is obscure, but the movie stars famous actors. Other times, it is because the book and movie are separated by generations. Often it is simply because someone changed the name of the movie from the book. My favorite is when the book is adored by a niche group of the population, but the movie is marketed to everyone.
Here is a list of five books-to-movies that you may or may not have been aware of...if you can think of any more, please feel free to add the pairings to the comment section for other readers.
Nothing Last Forever by Roderick Thorp was first published in 1979. It is the sequel to his 1966 novel The Detective. The film adaption Die Hard was released in 1988 and has now become a Christmas action classic.
Madame Doubtfire, written by Anne Fine, was published in 1987. Anne Fine's novel was nominated for the following; Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, Observer Teenage Fiction Prize, and Whitbread Children's Book Award. The film adaption Mrs. Doubtfire was released in 1993 and starred the late great Robin Williams.
The novel Shoeless Joe by W.P. Kinsella was published in 1982. The film adaption Field of Dreams was released in 1989. The film went on to be nominated for 3 Academy Awards and is considered one of the greatest baseball movies.
Henry Farrell's psychological thriller, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane, was published in 1960. The film adaptation starring the Hollywood legends Bette Davis and Joan Crawford was released in 1962.
Gustav Hasford's semi-autobiographical novel was published in 1979. The film adaptation, directed by Stanley Kubrick, was released in 1987. This book is out of print, but many libraries still have it in their collections.
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