Novels Becoming A Hit In Movies..!!

From "Gone With The Wind" To "The Perks Of Being A Wallflower", Novels has been an integral part of the cinematic history.Here we look at the top 12 movies based upon the novels of same or different name.So, Here We Go:

1.Gone With The Wind

      Vivien Leigh plays the the unforgettable Scarlett O'Hara in this classic romantic movie "Gone With The Wind", based on the popular novel of the same name by Margaret Mitchell.This 1939 Civil War Drama, which won 10 Oscars features the timeless romantic love story between headstrong George Scarlett & handsome Rhett Butler as they navigate the pre & post-Civil War.It is still the Most Successful Film In History, if we adjusted for inflation.It is considered to be the All Time Classic Romantic Movie Of All Time.Directed by Victor Fleming, Fleming got the Best Director Academy Award for Gone With The Wind.

CAST-Vivian Leigh, Rhett Butler
Director- Victor fleming
Genre-Romance
Year-1939

2.Dances With The Wolves

     Based on the novel of the same name by Michael Blake, "Dances With The Wolves" follows a Civil War soldier who lives a Native American tribe in the 1800s.With Kevin Costner as The Director, the movie had high production values with the budget of 15 million US$.The movie went on to win 7 Academy awards including Academy Award For Best Picture, Kevin Costner also won the Golden Globe For Best Direction & also Best Movie Drama.The movie went on to be very successful Worldwide.It was the first Western Movie to win Best Film Academy Award after 1931's Cimarron.

CAST-Kevin Costner, Mary Mcdonell, Graham Greene, Rodney A Grant
Director- Kevin Costner
Genre- Epic/Western Movie
Year- 1990



3.Harry Potter Series (7 Books, 8 Movies)

     With 8 movies already released from this franchise.The series is based on the mega-popular book series of the same names as the moves were named.All the books were written by J.K. Rowling, who became immensely popular through this series.The movies has grossed over 6 billion US$ worldwide.The blockbuster franchise tells the story of  Harry Potter, a young orphan who finds out that he is descended from a magical underground wizarding society & must attend a magical school named "Hogwarts" & learn to defeat the Evil lord, Voldemort.The movies were directed by 4 different directors."Chris Columbus" directed 1st(The Philosopher's Stone) & 2nd(The Chamber Of Secrets)."Alfonso Cuaron" directed the 3rd(Prisoner Of Azkaban), "Mike Newell" directed the 4th movie(Goblet Of Fire), "David Yates" directed all the remaining movies i.e., 5th to 8th(Order Of The Phoenix, Half Blood Prince, Deathly Hallows Part 1 & Part 2).The last book, "Deathly Hallows" was made in 2 parts in Movies.All the movies were huge success critically & commercially.All the cast members garnered huge popularity specially the main leads, Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, Emma Watson as Hermoine Granger, Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley & Ralph Fiennes as Lord Voldemort.This movie made them a household name & made them star in Hollywood Walk Of Fame.

Cast- Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Ralph Fiennes
Genre- Fantasy
Year- 2001-2011


4.Forrest Gump

      Tom Hanks won his 2nd Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Forrestan, unusual, yet cheerful man who found himself at the center of many notable world events.Based on the novel the same name by Winston Groom.It was released in 1994, & was mominated for 13 Academy Awards & Won 6 of them, including Best Picture.This was the first major success for Paramount Pictures earning over 600+ million US$ in its theatrical run.The scene of Gump running across the country is often referred to when real-life people attempt the feat. In 2011, the Library of Congress selected Forrest Gump for preservation in the United States National Film Registry as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

Cast- Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Sally Field
Genre- Romance/Comedy/Drama
Director- Robert Zemeckis
Year- 1994

5. The Shining

       Jack Nicholson brings a madman to life in 1980's "The Shining", based on the novel of the same name written by Stephen King.The terrifying film profiles a writer who takes his wife and young son to live in a remote Colorado mountain resort in winter, where mysterious forces soon drive the family crazy.Although initial response to the film was mixed, later critical assessment was more favorable and it is now listed among the greatest horror movies, while some have even viewed it as one of the greatest films of all time. Film director Martin Scorsese, writing in The Daily Beast, ranked it as one of the 11 scariest horror movies of all time.

Cast- Jack Nicholson, Shelly Duvall
Director- Stanley Kubrick
Genre- Psychological/Horror
Year- 1980


6. The Hunger Games

        The Hunger Games is a 2012 American science fiction adventure film directed by Gary Ross and based on the novel of the same name by Suzanne Collins. The picture is the first installment in The Hunger Games film series & is directed by Gary Ross.The story takes place in a dystopian post-apocalyptic future in the nation of Panem, where certain boys and girls between the ages of 12 and 18 must take part in the Hunger Games, a televised annual event in which the "tributes" are required to fight to the death until there is one remaining victor. Katniss Everdeen (Lawrence) volunteers to take her younger sister's place in the games. Joined by her district's male tribute Peeta Mellark (Hutcherson), Katniss travels to the Capitol to train for the Hunger Games under the guidance of former victor Haymitch Abernathy (Harrelson).The Hunger Games received universal acclaim from critics.The Hunger Games received positive reviews, with praise for its themes and messages, as well as Jennifer Lawrence's portrayal of Katniss.For her performance, Lawrence won the Saturn Award for Best Actress, the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress in an Action Movie, the Empire Award for Best Actress and was also nominated for the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress.

Cast- Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson
Director- Gary Ross
Genre- Science/Fiction
Year-2012

7. The Perks Of Being A WallFlower

        The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a 2012 American comedy-drama and is a film adaptation of the 1999 novel of the same name. The film stars Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, and Ezra Miller, and was directed by the novel's author, Stephen Chbosky.The film was released on September 21, 2012 to positive critical response and commercial success, going on to earn $33 million worldwide.The film received mainly positive reviews.The main lead cast received praises for their performances.This is one of the three films from Halfon, Malkovich, and Smith's Mr. Mudd Productions that feature teen characters, the other two being Ghost World and Juno.

Cast- Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Ezra Miller
Genre- Comedy/Drama
Director- Stephen Chbosky
Year- 2012


8. Lord Of the Rings Trilogy

        The Lord of the Rings is a film series consisting of three epic fantasy adventure films adapted and directed by Peter Jackson and based on English author J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. The films are, by subtitle, The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Two Towers (2002) and The Return of the King (2003).Considered to be one of the biggest and most ambitious film projects ever undertaken, with an overall budget of $281 million, the entire project took eight years, with the filming for all three films done simultaneously and entirely in New Zealand, Jackson's native country.The series was a major financial success, with the films collectively being among the highest-grossing film series of all time. The films were critically acclaimed and heavily awarded, winning 17 out of 30 total Academy Award nominations. The final film in the series, The Return of the King, won all of its 11 Academy Awards nominations, tying it with Ben-Hur and Titanic for most Academy Awards received for a film. The series received wide praise for its innovative special and visual effects.

Cast- Elijah Wood, Ian Mckellen, Liv Tyler, Orlando Bloom, Cate Blanchett, Christopher Lee
Genre- Epic/Fantasy/Adventure
Director- Peter Jackson
Year- 2001-2003


      
9. Jurassic Park
         Dinosaurs come to life in “Jurassic Park” based on the novel of the same name written by Michael Crichton.Directed by Steven Spielberg, he took the rights of this novel ever before it was published.In this 1993 blockbuster which tells a corporation that brings Dinosaurs back to life for a theme park in Central American Island.When the dinosaurs take over, chaos reigns for those who get trapped on the island. Filming took place in California and Hawaii. The dinosaurs were created through groundbreaking computer generated imagery by Industrial Light & Magic in conjuction to life-sized animatronic dinos built by Stan Winston 's team. Following a 3D re-release to celebrate the film's 20th anniversary on April 5, 2013, Jurassic Park has grossed over $1 billion at the box office making it the 17th film to gross over $1 billion and currently ranks as the seventeenth highest grossing film worldwide, and 16th-highest-grossing film in North America, unadjusted for inflation. It is the highest-grossing film released by Universal and directed by Spielberg. The film was also well-received by critics, with praise to the effects and Spielberg's direction, but criticism on the writing, and won many awards, mostly for its visual effects. It is considered by many as being one of the greatest science fiction films ever made, as well as a landmark in the use of computer-generated imagery. The film was followed by two sequels, The Lost World: Jurassic Park and Jurassic Park III which both became box office successes, but received mixed critical acclaim. A fourth film is scheduled for release in 2015.

Cast- Sam O’Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Samuel L Jackson
Genre- Science/Fiction/Adventure
Director-Steven Spielberg
Year- 1993


10. GoodFellas

     Goodfellas  is a 1990 American crime film directed by Martin Scorsese. It is a film adaptation of the 1986 non-fiction book Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi, who co-wrote the screenplay with Scorsese. The film follows the rise and fall of Lucchese crime family associate Henry Hill and his friends over a period from 1955 to 1980. Goodfellas performed well at the box office, grossing $46.8 million domestically, well above its $25 million budget. It also received overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics. The film was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, and won one for Pesci in the Best Actor in a Supporting Role category. Scorsese's film won five awards from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, including Best Film, and Best Director. The film was named Best Film of the year by various film critics groups. Goodfellas is often considered one of the greatest films ever, both in the crime genre and in general, and was deemed "culturally significant" and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the United States Library of Congress. Scorsese followed this film up with two more films about organized crime: 1995's Casino and 2006's The Departed.

Cast- Ray Liotta, Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesci
Genre- Crime/Drama
Director- Martin Scorsese
Year- 1990

11. The Exorcist
      The Exorcist  is a 1973 American horror film directed by William Friedkin, adapted by William Peter Blatty from his 1971 novel of the same name. The book, inspired by the 1949 exorcism case of Roland Doe, deals with the demonic possession of a 12-year-old girl and her mother's desperate attempts to win back her child through an exorcism conducted by two priests. The Exorcist was released theatrically in the United States by Warner Bros. on December 26, 1973. The film earned 10 Academy Award nominations, winning two (Best Sound Mixing and Best Adapted Screenplay), and losing Best Picture to The Sting. It became one of the highest-grossing films of all time, grossing over $441 million worldwide. It is also the first horror film to be nominated for Best Picture. The film has had a significant influence on popular culture.It was named the scariest film of all time by Entertainment Weekly and Movies.com and by viewers of AMC in 2006, and was No. 3 on Bravo's The 100 Scariest Movie Moments. In 2010, the Library of Congress selected the film to be preserved as part of its National Film Registry. In 2003, it was placed at No. 2 in Channel 4's The 100 Greatest Scary Moments in the United Kingdom.

Cast- Ellen Burstyn, Max Von Sydow, Lee J Cobb
Genre- Horror
Director- William Friedkin
Year- 1973

12. The Godfather
     Based on Mario Puzo’s novel of the same name  The Godfather, is known to be one of the greatest movies in world cinema & is 2^nd in the greatest movies ever made in American cinema behind Citizen Kane.The movie was highest grossing movie for a very long time.The film cast had names like Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton etc.Marlon Brando played the role of Vito Corleone, the don, the boss of the Corleone family. Al Pacino as Micheal Corleone, the youngest son of Vito Corleone.The Godfather was a blockbuster, it became the highest grossing movie till “Jaws” came in 1975.Marlon Brando, delieved a masterpiece performance as is considered to be one of the greatest actors in cinema history.His role, Vito Corleone garnered him praises from every corner of the world, which made him won the Academy award for Best Actor & the movie also won the Academy Award for Best Film.The movie is considered to be a benchmark in the Mafia genre of the movies.According to critics & audiences, The Godfather is unquestionably the best Mafia movie ever to be made & no movie after that has come to come near to this movie.

These are my recommendations for movies which are based on Novels. I would love to hear from you all, what you think of this list & which are your favourite movies based on a novel.

Till Then Adios Amigos & Keep coming for all goin in the Movie industry..!!