Skip to content

Top Navigation

EW.com EW.com
    • All TV
    • TV Reviews
    • TV Reunions
    • Recaps
    • What to Watch
    • Animated
    • Comedy
    • Crime
    • Drama
    • Family
    • Horror
    • Reality
    • Sci-fi
    • Thriller
    • All Movies
    • Movie Reviews
    • Trailers
    • Film Festivals
    • Movie Reunions
    • Movie Previews
    • All Music
    • Music Reviews
    • All What to Watch
    • What to Watch Podcast Episodes
    • TV Reviews
    • Movie Reviews
    • All BINGE
    • EW's Binge Podcast Episodes
    • Recaps
    • Survivor
    • This is Us
    • RuPaul's Drag Race
    • Stranger Things
    • The Boys
    • The Blacklist
    • The Walking Dead
    • Better Call Saul
    • All The Awardist
    • The Awardist Podcast Episodes
    • Oscars
    • Emmys
    • Golden Globes
    • SAG Awards
    • Grammys
    • Tony Awards
    • All Books
    • Book Reviews
    • Author Interviews
    • All Theater
    • Theater Reviews
  • Podcasts
  • Gaming
    • All Events
    • Comic-Con
  • Celebrity
  • Streaming

Profile Menu

Your Profile

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletter
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Logout
Login
Subscribe

Explore EW.com

EW.com EW.com
  • Explore

    Explore

    • Hell-raisers: The Boys season 3 shakes up prestige TV with superhero debauchery

      Hell-raisers: The Boys season 3 shakes up prestige TV with superhero debauchery

      Just because they're Emmy nominated doesn't mean The Boys are pulling their punches. Here, the team dives into what might be "the most insane season of TV ever filmed." Read More
    • Your guide to 2022's biggest tours

      Your guide to 2022's biggest tours

      From Billie Eilish and Bad Bunny to the Red Hot Chili Peppers and the Weeknd, here are all the artists who can't wait to get on the road again. Read More
    • Ready for takeoff! We drank 3 rounds with the hotshot cast of Top Gun: Maverick

      Ready for takeoff! We drank 3 rounds with the hotshot cast of Top Gun: Maverick

      The actors playing the next generation of pilots in the action sequel felt the need for lots of cocktails. Read More
  • TV

    TV

    See All TV
    • TV Reviews
    • TV Reunions
    • Recaps
    • What to Watch
    • Animated
    • Comedy
    • Crime
    • Drama
    • Family
    • Horror
    • Reality
    • Sci-fi
    • Thriller
  • Movies

    Movies

    See All Movies
    • Movie Reviews
    • Trailers
    • Film Festivals
    • Movie Reunions
    • Movie Previews
  • Music

    Music

    See All Music
    • Music Reviews
  • What to Watch

    What to Watch

    See All What to Watch
    • What to Watch Podcast Episodes
    • TV Reviews
    • Movie Reviews
  • BINGE

    BINGE

    See All BINGE
    • EW's Binge Podcast Episodes
    • Recaps
    • Survivor
    • This is Us
    • RuPaul's Drag Race
    • Stranger Things
    • The Boys
    • The Blacklist
    • The Walking Dead
    • Better Call Saul
  • The Awardist

    The Awardist

    See All The Awardist
    • The Awardist Podcast Episodes
    • Oscars
    • Emmys
    • Golden Globes
    • SAG Awards
    • Grammys
    • Tony Awards
  • Books

    Books

    See All Books
    • Book Reviews
    • Author Interviews
  • Theater

    Theater

    See All Theater
    • Theater Reviews
  • Podcasts
  • Gaming
  • Events

    Events

    See All Events
    • Comic-Con
  • Celebrity
  • Streaming

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Profile

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletter
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Logout
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Home
  2. Gallery
  3. 30 Best Page-to-Screen Adaptations

30 Best Page-to-Screen Adaptations

Novels (and a comic) that made the jump from words to wow in movies and TV
By EW Staff Updated June 27, 2017 at 11:17 PM EDT
Skip gallery slides
FB

1 of 30

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Harry Potter series (2001-2011)

Special Award for Overall Excellence Source: Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling (1997-2007) Seven beloved books became eight blockbuster movies (the seventh book was splitÂ…
Credit: Peter Mountain; Jaap Buitendijk

Special Award for Overall Excellence

Source: Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling (1997-2007)

Seven beloved books became eight blockbuster movies (the seventh book was split into two parts), and while some changes — such as the nixing of S.P.E.W and other subplots — made devoted fans grumble, overall, the fantasy and wonder of the books remained intact despite the big-budget Hollywood involvement. Now that's magical. —Erin Strecker

1 of 30

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 30

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Life of Pi (2012)

Source: Life of Pi (2001) Many people thought that the fantasy adventure novel about a young man stranded in the middle of the ocean withÂ…
Credit: Rhythm & Hues

Source: Life of Pi (2001)

Many people thought that the fantasy adventure novel about a young man stranded in the middle of the ocean with a pet tiger could never be made into a film. But Ang Lee won his second Best Director Oscar for his 3-D adaptation of Yann Martel's novel that combined live-action and computer-animation for some of the most visually stunning sequences ever seen on film, winning Oscars for its cinematography, visual effects, and original score. —Jake Perlman

2 of 30

3 of 30

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Sherlock (2010-present)

Who: Executive producers Steven Moffat, Mark Gatiss, and producer Sue Vertue When: Thursday, July 18, at 2:15 p.m. Where: Ballroom 20 This year, the BritishÂ…
Credit: BBC

Source: Sherlock Holmes stories (1887-1927)

The creation of Doctor Who scribes Stephen Moffat and Mark Gatiss, this update on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's detective series revamp benefits from both extremely clever writing and the undeniable chemistry between Benedict Cumberbatch's laser-focused Holmes and Martin Freeman's dogged Dr. Watson. Also? Awesome coat. —Clark Collis

3 of 30

Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

4 of 30

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

The Godfather (1972)

Source: The Godfather (1969) Francis Ford Coppola took author Mario Puzo's bestselling novel about the life and crimes of Mafia boss Don Vito Corleone andÂ…

Source: The Godfather (1969)

Francis Ford Coppola took author Mario Puzo's bestselling novel about the life and crimes of Mafia boss Don Vito Corleone and his family and (collaborating on the screenplay with Puzo) treated it like Shakespeare, transforming a fairly pulpy page-turner into a Best Picture-winning cinematic epic about power, ambition, loyalty, and corruption. —Josh Rottenberg

4 of 30

Advertisement

5 of 30

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Source: The Silence of the Lambs (1988) Jonathan Demme's lean, unforgettable film brought Thomas Harris's twisty serial killer story to horrifying life, wowing both criticsÂ…
Credit: Ken Regan/Camera 5

Source: The Silence of the Lambs (1988)

Jonathan Demme's lean, unforgettable film brought Thomas Harris's twisty serial killer story to horrifying life, wowing both critics and audiences before racking up Academy Awards in five major categories: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay. Admit it: After seeing the film, it'd be impossible to read Hannibal Lecter's words without hearing Anthony Hopkins' voice in your head. —Hillary Busis

5 of 30

6 of 30

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Game of Thrones (2011-present)

Game Of Thrones
Credit: HBO

Source: A Song of Ice and Fire series (1996-present)

George R.R. Martin's Westeros fantasy — thousands of pages long in total with two more books still to come — should've proved trickier to adapt. So it's pretty impressive that with only 10 hours per season, show runners Dan Weiss and David Benioff have been able to hit all the major plot points with only minor changes and omissions. Having a home on a cable network that allowed it to delve into the gore and nudity that the show required didn't hurt things either. —Andrea Towers

6 of 30

Advertisement
Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

7 of 30

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Psycho (1960)

Director: Alfred Hitchcock What's left to say about Psycho ? This is the movie that invented the rules by breaking them. Janet Leigh's iconic showerÂ…
Credit: Everett Collection

Source: Psycho (1959)

How to bring excitement to the film take on a suspense story (originally by Robert Bloch) in which anyone could read the ending? Revolutionize the entire film industry, for starters. With a cheekily misleading promotional campaign and a refusal to seat latecomers, auteur Alfred Hitchcock made Psycho a buckle-your-seatbelts thrill ride. Even without the marketing tricks, the film made everyday things — taking a shower, a creaking chair, a hole in the wall — scary as hell. (The only thing scarier? A series of increasingly poor quality sequels and one truly misguided shot-for-shot 1998 remake by Gus Van Sant.) —Lanford Beard

7 of 30

Advertisement
Advertisement

8 of 30

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)

Image
Credit: Murray Close

Source: Catching Fire (2009)

Given its bonkers arena (howler monkeys! blood rain!), colorful array of Capitol denizens, and amped-up stakes, Catching Fire presented more than a few challenges for director Francis Lawrence, who took up the reins from Hunger Games director Gary Ross at the 11th hour before production began. With a few tweaks (all approved by author Suzanne Collins) — and a healthy infusion of studio money after the first film's runaway success — Lawrence pulled it off, all while honoring (some might even say improving) his source. —Lanford Beard

8 of 30

Advertisement

9 of 30

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

John Adams (2008)

Eight hours and 56 years pass in what feels like a matter of minutes in the biographical miniseries about America's brilliant, if irritable, Founding FatherÂ…
Credit: Kent Eanes/HBO

Source: John Adams (2001)

David McCullough is known for his exhaustive, informative biographies — but they can be dense and turn off those who aren't history junkies. Enter HBO. Starring Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney, the program covered 50 years of Adams' life, engagingly highlighting his role in America's early history. The hard work by all paid off. The well-reviewed miniseries holds the record for most Emmys. —Erin Strecker

9 of 30

Advertisement
Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

10 of 30

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)

To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)

Source: To Kill A Mockingbird (1960)

Made only two years after the book's release, the film is widely considered a classic, perhaps best known for Gregory Peck's performance as Atticus Finch, which won him the Best Actor Oscar and listing as the greatest movie hero of the 20th century by AFI. —Jake Perlman

10 of 30

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

11 of 30

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)

Source: The Perks of Being a Wallflower (1999) Too often, adaptations of beloved novels try (and fail) to literally translate the book's story from pageÂ…
Credit: John Bramley

Source: The Perks of Being a Wallflower (1999)

Too often, adaptations of beloved novels try (and fail) to literally translate the book's story from page to screen. But Perks isn't a slavish transliteration of its source material, perhaps because director Stephen Chbosky adapted his own novel. It's almost as though Perks: The Book was always meant to be a rough draft for a sharper, more emotionally resonant movie. —Hillary Busis

11 of 30

Advertisement
Advertisement

12 of 30

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Roots (1977)

This sweeping look at the life and legacy, both historical and genetic, of a single slave remains one of the most-watched programs in U.S. history.Â…
Credit: ABC/Getty Images

Source: Roots: The Saga of an American Family (1976)

Who better to usher a work of such tremendous historical importance as Roots (the story of an African man sold into American slavery and his descendants) from page to screen than the author of the novel himself, the man who claimed in the story his very own roots. Alex Haley's 12-hour miniseries was never less than a labor of love. It was also a smash hit, to this day one of the most-watched programs in U.S. history. —Lanford Beard

12 of 30

Advertisement
Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

13 of 30

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, ... | Source: Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption (1982) Taking on a Stephen King novella is no small feat. But Frank Darabont — or as you mayÂ…
Credit: Everett Collection

Source: Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption (1982)

Taking on a Stephen King novella is no small feat. But Frank Darabont — or as you may now know him, the man who brought The Walking Dead to TV — showed a true connection with King's original story, and his film adaptation is widely regarded as an equal to its source material. Notably, race and physical descriptions were largely ignored in the adaptation, but the film's seven Academy Award nominations suggest it was no hindrance. Darabont went on to successfully adapt two more of King's works: The Green Mile and The Mist. —Jodi Walker

13 of 30

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

14 of 30

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Blade Runner (1982)

Image
Credit: Everett Collection

Source: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968)

Author Philip K. Dick's mind-bending sci-fi isn't easy to translate to the screen (for every Minority Report there's at least one Paycheck), but Ridley Scott's moody dystopian thriller about a cop (Harrison Ford) hunting down renegade android ''replicants'' nailed it. Though Dick died before the film's release, he did see some of Scott's work in progress and approved, saying, ''I recognized it immediately. It was my own interior world.'' —Josh Rottenberg

14 of 30

Advertisement
Advertisement

15 of 30

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Pretty Little Liars (2010-2017)

Source: Pretty Little Liars (2006) You wouldn't think a weekly TV series could possibly keep up the fast-paced twists and turns of this serialized whodunnit,Â…
Credit: Andrew Eccles/ABC Family

Source: Pretty Little Liars (2006)

You wouldn't think a weekly TV series could possibly keep up the fast-paced twists and turns of this serialized whodunnit, but PLL has succeeded — addictively so. The television show followed stories from the ongoing book series, but managed to establish its own storyline within the Pretty Little Liars realm. One major difference in the adaptation is the character of Toby Cavanaugh, who committed suicide in the books but had blessedly been kept on board to deliver a weekly dose of abs, stabs (in the back), even do-rags! —Samantha Highfill

15 of 30

Advertisement
Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

16 of 30

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

Source: The Return of the King (1955) The fantasy series was already well-adapted in the television and film world by the time Peter Jackson tookÂ…
Credit: Pierre Vinet

Source: The Return of the King (1955)

The fantasy series was already well-adapted in the television and film world by the time Peter Jackson took the reins, but what the director did for the tale was unparalleled: he used New Zealand and a lot of impressive technology to transform J.R.R. Tolkien's work into a sweeping epic, complete with breathtaking battles and intense action. His passionate filmmaking paid off — the movie was honored with 11 Oscars, including the 2004 Best Picture statuette. —Andrea Towers

16 of 30

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

17 of 30

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)

Source: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1962) While Chief is the narrator of Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest , the filmÂ…
Credit: Everett Collection

Source: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1962)

While Chief is the narrator of Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, the film version of the novel focuses on Jack Nicholson's R.P. McMurphy, a character known as a boisterous rebel as opposed to the quiet and observant Chief. Kesey wasn't happy with the adaptation, he was virtually alone on that — the film went on to win five Academy Awards, including Best Picture. —Ariana Bacle

17 of 30

Advertisement
Advertisement

18 of 30

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

The Walking Dead (2010-present)

Source: The Walking Dead (2003-Present) With the guidance of Dead creator Robert Kirkman, AMC transformed the writer's long-running comic book series into a pop phenomenon,Â…
Credit: Gene Page/AMC

Source: The Walking Dead (2003-Present)

With the guidance of Dead creator Robert Kirkman, AMC transformed the writer's long-running comic book series into a pop phenomenon, although diehard fans still debate some of the show's radical alterations. Relatively minor character Shane lived much longer (probably too long) on TV than in the comics. Leads like Andrea and the Governor differed wildly from their comic-book incarnations. On the other hand, the show created fan-favorite Daryl Dixon and his stab-handed brother Merle. Dead still follows the rough outline of the comic book, less a direct adaptation than a particularly wild remix. —Darren Franich

18 of 30

Advertisement
Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

19 of 30

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)

Source: Breakfast at Tiffany's (1958) Audrey Hepburn's Holly Golightly quickly became a female icon for the ages, and photos of her with her trademark miles-longÂ…
Credit: Everett Collection

Source: Breakfast at Tiffany's (1958)

Audrey Hepburn's Holly Golightly quickly became a female icon for the ages, and photos of her with her trademark miles-long cigarette holder now adorn teenage girls' bedroom walls everywhere. Truman Capote, writer of Breakfast at Tiffany's, wanted Marilyn Monroe to play the role of the Golightly, but Hepburn ended up shining as what Capote called an ''American geisha.'' The film went with a very different ending than the novel and even set the story in a different decade, going with the 1960s instead of the 1940s. The changes seem to have paid off: Tiffany's was nominated for five Oscars and won two. —Ariana Bacle

19 of 30

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

20 of 30

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Gone With the Wind (1939)

Despite a rotating set of directors and controversy over the decision to cast English actress Vivien Leigh to play feisty, fussy Southern belle Scarlett O'Hara,Â…
Credit: Everett Collection

Source: Gone With the Wind (1936)

An epic bestseller like Margaret Mitchell's required an equally epic film adaptation — and David O. Selznick's Wind delivers in spades, offering up lavish visuals, a sweeping score, an eminently quotable script, and instantly iconic performances from actors including Vivien Leigh, Clark Gable, Olivia de Havilland, and Hattie McDaniel. (Leslie Howard is?fine.) Critics, audiences, and the Academy all agreed: Wind scored a then-record 13 Oscar nominations, winning eight, and is to this day America's highest-grossing movie when its take is adjusted for inflation. —Hillary Busis

20 of 30

Advertisement
Advertisement

21 of 30

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

M*A*S*H (1972-83)

Source: MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors (1968) Following in the footsteps of Robert Altman's 1970 iteration of MASH , which was nominated forÂ…
Credit: Everett Collection

Source: MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors (1968)

Following in the footsteps of Robert Altman's 1970 iteration of MASH, which was nominated for five Academy Awards and won the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar, the TV series had big combat boots to fill. Based on the novel by Richard Hooker (a.k.a. Dr. H. Richard Hornberger and writer W. C. Heinz), the series had a rocky start before striking a skillful balance between humor and poignance. Thanks to the all-around solid ensemble, it flourished over 11 seasons, and the series finale lured in a record 125 million viewers (and we're talking a 1983 number here, people). Apologies in advance if you're humming its classic theme song for the rest of the day. —Lanford Beard

21 of 30

Advertisement
Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

22 of 30

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

The Devil Wears Prada (2006)

Source: The Devil Wears Prada (2003) Two words: Meryl Streep. No disrespect to Anne Hathaway, who was fetching as the harried and all-too-easily made-over fashionÂ…
Credit: Everett Collection

Source: The Devil Wears Prada (2003)

Two words: Meryl Streep. No disrespect to Anne Hathaway, who was fetching as the harried and all-too-easily made-over fashion magazine assistant, but it was Streep's Oscar-nominated nuanced turn as the prickly, demanding editrix that gave unforeseen depths to Lauren Weisberger's beach readable novel. What could have been a forgettably rote take on a chick-lit smash (see: The Nanny Diaries) became a new cult fave. —Lanford Beard

22 of 30

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

23 of 30

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Out of Africa (1985)

Meryl Streep, Robert Redford, ... | Source: Out of Africa (1937) The film was based loosely on Isak Dinesen's memoir, maintaining the book's overall story arc but taking a few liberties.Â…
Credit: Everett Collection

Source: Out of Africa (1937)

The film was based loosely on Isak Dinesen's memoir, maintaining the book's overall story arc but taking a few liberties. For example, the film is perhaps best known for its bathing scene featuring Robert Redford and Meryl Streep. It took home Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director for Sydney Pollack. —Samantha Highfill

23 of 30

Advertisement
Advertisement

24 of 30

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Pride & Prejudice (1995)

Source: Pride & Prejudice (1813) Jane Austen's classic novel has been adapted many times — and many times very well (most recently with Joe Wright'sÂ…
Credit: Everett Collection

Source: Pride & Prejudice (1813)

Jane Austen's classic novel has been adapted many times — and many times very well (most recently with Joe Wright's sumptuous take starring Keira Knightley). Still, the BBC's six-hour miniseries stands as the most enveloping of the bunch, really diving into the elaborate world that has made Austen readers into lifetime fans for centuries. And did we mention Colin Firth's wet T-shirt scene? (Did we even have to?) —Lanford Beard

24 of 30

Advertisement
Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

25 of 30

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Schindler's List (1993)

Source: Schindler's Ark (1982) Though Steven Spielberg received some criticism on the historical accuracy of his film, in the book from which it was adapted,Â…
Credit: Everett Collection

Source: Schindler's Ark (1982)

Though Steven Spielberg received some criticism on the historical accuracy of his film, in the book from which it was adapted, Australian author Thomas Keneally clearly defined his work (titled Schindler's Ark in its first edition) as a ''documentary novel.'' Spielberg and screenwriter Steven Zaillian approached the film in a similar based-on-a-true-story-heavy-on-the-based way, earning the praise of critics and emotionally moved audiences, not to mention 12 Oscar nominations and seven wins. —Jodi Walker

25 of 30

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

26 of 30

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Goodfellas (1990)

Source: Wiseguy (1985) Nicholas Pileggi's account of mob rat Henry Hill found its perfect steward in director Martin Scorsese. With a stellar cast and someÂ…
Credit: Everett Collection

Source: Wiseguy (1985)

Nicholas Pileggi's account of mob rat Henry Hill found its perfect steward in director Martin Scorsese. With a stellar cast and some truly stupendous F-bombs, Goodfellas elevated a true-crime report to a work of art — to the tune of five Oscar nods, with a win for Best Supporting Actor Joe Pesci, who was so good it's not even funny. —Lanford Beard

26 of 30

Advertisement
Advertisement

27 of 30

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

The Thorn Birds (1983)

Source: The Thorn Birds (1977) When you score a Sopranos reference more than two decades later, you know you did something right. Roots producer DavidÂ…
Credit: Everett Collection

Source: The Thorn Birds (1977)

When you score a Sopranos reference more than two decades later, you know you did something right. Roots producer David L. Wolper brought his golden touch to Colleen McCullough's Australian Outback-set forbidden love story. The miniseries event spanned three nights and more than half a century — and it pulled in huge numbers (second only to Roots, of course). —Lanford Beard

27 of 30

Advertisement
Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

28 of 30

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Trainspotting (1996)

Source: Trainspotting (1993) A shot of frenzy straight from the eyes through to the veins, Danny Boyle's jumpy, jagged style brilliantly articulated Irvine Welsh's jitteryÂ…
Credit: Everett Collection

Source: Trainspotting (1993)

A shot of frenzy straight from the eyes through to the veins, Danny Boyle's jumpy, jagged style brilliantly articulated Irvine Welsh's jittery story of heroin addicts. And who can forget that toilet sequence? (Seriously, can you? If so, tell me how.) —Lanford Beard

28 of 30

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

29 of 30

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

The Maltese Falcon (1941)

Source: The Maltese Falcon (1930) The movie that ignited the film noir genre, defined the career of Humphrey Bogart, and introduced the world to stageÂ…
Credit: Everett Collection

Source: The Maltese Falcon (1930)

The movie that ignited the film noir genre, defined the career of Humphrey Bogart, and introduced the world to stage actor Sydney Greenstreet (the /ew/gallery/0,,20311937_20776630_30085226,00.html who refused to grace the big screen until he was 62 years old). Building on Dashiell Hammett's hard-boiled prose, John Huston made an unforgettable directorial debut, translating an iconic antihero to the screen and changing American protagonists irrevocably. —Lanford Beard

29 of 30

Advertisement
Advertisement

30 of 30

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Little House on the Prairie (1974-1983)

Source: Little House series (1932-43, 1968) In hindsight, Laura Ingalls Wilder's folksy novel series was tailor-made for serialized television, and the Ingalls family became America'sÂ…
Credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Source: Little House series (1932-43, 1968)

In hindsight, Laura Ingalls Wilder's folksy novel series was tailor-made for serialized television, and the Ingalls family became America's family over the course of nine seasons. Sure, the plots did get a little bizarre as time went on, but we always learned something from this heartwarmer. —Lanford Beard

30 of 30

Advertisement
Advertisement
Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By EW Staff

    Share the Gallery

    Pinterest Facebook
    Trending Videos
    Advertisement
    Skip slide summaries

    Everything in This Slideshow

    Advertisement

    View All

    1 of 30 Harry Potter series (2001-2011)
    2 of 30 Life of Pi (2012)
    3 of 30 Sherlock (2010-present)
    4 of 30 The Godfather (1972)
    5 of 30 The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
    6 of 30 Game of Thrones (2011-present)
    7 of 30 Psycho (1960)
    8 of 30 The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)
    9 of 30 John Adams (2008)
    10 of 30 To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
    11 of 30 The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)
    12 of 30 Roots (1977)
    13 of 30 The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
    14 of 30 Blade Runner (1982)
    15 of 30 Pretty Little Liars (2010-2017)
    16 of 30 Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
    17 of 30 One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
    18 of 30 The Walking Dead (2010-present)
    19 of 30 Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
    20 of 30 Gone With the Wind (1939)
    21 of 30 M*A*S*H (1972-83)
    22 of 30 The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
    23 of 30 Out of Africa (1985)
    24 of 30 Pride & Prejudice (1995)
    25 of 30 Schindler's List (1993)
    26 of 30 Goodfellas (1990)
    27 of 30 The Thorn Birds (1983)
    28 of 30 Trainspotting (1996)
    29 of 30 The Maltese Falcon (1941)
    30 of 30 Little House on the Prairie (1974-1983)

    Share & More

    Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message
    EW.com

    Magazines & More

    Learn More

    • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
    • Advertise this link opens in a new tab
    • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
    • Accolades this link opens in a new tab

    Connect

    Subscribe to Our Newsletter
    Meredith© Copyright 2022 Meredith Corporation. Entertainment Weekly is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation All Rights Reserved. Entertainment Weekly may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
    © Copyright EW.com. All rights reserved. Printed from https://ew.com

    View image

    30 Best Page-to-Screen Adaptations
    this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.