Adapting novels: the pressures on the screenwriter

The top Golden Globe winners this year were movies whose screenplays were adapted from novels (Ian McEwan's Atonement, Cormac McCarthy's No Country for Old Men and Jean-Dominique Bauby's The Diving Bell and the Butterfly) and a Broadway musical (director Tim Burton's adaptation of Sweeeney Todd). How hard is it for screenwriters to adapt books and plays to the big screen? What kind of pressures do they face? Read more about that in this article published by the Associated Press.

See also
an interview with screenwriter John Milius about his adaptation of the novel Heart of Darkness, which became the film Apocalipse Now.

Philip Pullman talks about adapting novels to film

Philip Pullman's trilogy His Dark Materials (The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass) has sold millions of copies around the world. The first volume has now been adapted to the big screen (watch the trailer), directed by Chris Weitz and starring Daniel Craig, Nicole Kidman and Sam Elliot. In this article, the writer discusses some of the problems of turning novels into films.

100 Best Adapted Screenplays of All Time

The American Screenwriters Association released last year a list of 100 Best Adapted Feature Film Screenplays of All Time - films adapted from books. Click on the link to see the list. Do you agree with their choices? Are there any movies missing? Would you remove any film from the list?