According to a new poll, reading is at a major low-mark in modern America.

Yes, even lower than it has traditionally been for the last fifty years.

As a movie/entertainment-based website, which regularly promotes other media, I feel like we at Melted Reel should address this sad state of affairs.

So, without further ado, here is my commentary, in true Hollywood fashion. Which means, with as little effort put in by me, and as little work required by you: a list!

Ten Great Movies Based On Books:

(In no particular order)

1.) Gone With the Wind

This is a film which details the most significant landmark event in American history, the Civil War, and it is equally bold for the point of view we see it through—a privileged young Southern girl, trying desperately to stay atop a wave of unearned success, even as the world crumbles beneath her. We see it all in this film: both the proud and beautiful–but exploitative–Southern culture, as well as its naive innocence on an individual level. We see both the mission of the North to correct social ills, as well as the personal fear and weary, brutal battles which ensue. And showing all of this through the eyes of the young and unlikable Scarlett O’Hara, clawing against the wrong side of history, is a choice not many Hollywood producers would accept without first seeing it in action. But it was genius. As a nation, we flee as Scarlett flees, and we despair as Scarlett despairs. We fall with Scarlett, and with Scarlett we rise up, proud—finally with reason.

2.) The Shining

Like Steven Spielberg, an entirely separate list could be compiled of great movies based upon Stephen King’s stories—but this one is the granddaddy of them all. Stanley Kubrick helmed the film adaptation, and his directorial style may never have worked so well as it did with King’s subject matter. Kubrick’s slow, inherently creepy, methodical style helped to make this understated psychological horror story one of the scariest films of all time. Generous portions of King’s original storyline were altered for the film version, but we retained the sprawling, isolated hotel—and that was his gift to us.

3.) The Godfather

This film — which many argue is the greatest film to have ever been shot — would never exist without Mario Puzzo’s enormous tome predicating it, let alone its sequels. Puzzo also co-wrote the script with director Francis Ford Coppola. There’s an argument to be made about whether or not a “gangster” film with such emotional resonance could ever exist without first existing as a novel. Sadly, it is now common practice to keep “book writers” distant from the process of adapting their work for the screen, likely due to too many volatile creative conflicts. Modern film may never recover.

4.) Adaptation

The screenplay for this film, based on The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean, was written by the always bold Charlie Kaufman. He was nominated for an Academy Award, and with good reason. Perhaps no film better indicates, or pays homage to, the relationship between book and movie. Kaufman wrote himself into the film, and detailed his grueling, neurotic process for adapting it. “It’s narcissistic, it’s solipsistic… it’s pathetic,” his fatigued character bemoans from the screen. We see the story as he writes it, and we see the pressure from his superiors to make it bold, make it entertaining, and make it quick. He laments the process, and eventually the book itself, even though we see its beauty growing as it destroys his life.

5.) Jurassic Park

Steven Spielberg and author Michael Crichton teamed up to prove that all film adaptations are not created equal with this film. A two-inch-thick novel turned into a summer popcorn movie? There was only one choice for the job. Spielberg’s Jaws was also based on a novel (by Peter Benchley), and both films serve as testaments to his skill as a filmmaker. No one expected so much scientific information, nor so many clever characters (who would’ve thought–a role that’s actually perfect for Jeff Goldblum), to transfer as successfully to the film version of the story as they did. Spielberg has shown Hollywood time and again that movies can be both exciting and profound, both funny and deep. But they never seem to learn.

6.) Dracula (Any Version)

This tale of death and seduction has captivated and horrified audiences for over a century, and single-handedly spawned a science fiction mythology which will surely last for centuries more. Cinematic juggernauts such as Bela Lugosi and Francis Ford Coppola are just a few of the people who have taken a healthy bite of success from Bram Stoker’s masterful—and still remarkably original—fictionalized account of the notorious Vlad the Impaler.

7.) Schindler’s List

What’s this, a film about the Holocaust from a German’s point of view? And directed by a Jew? How did this train wreck make its way onto the list? Oh, that’s right, it’s fantastic. Directed again by Steven Spielberg, this account of Nazi Germany’s frail socio-political balance does what few works of art can ever do: it reminds us that we’re all in this together, good and bad, no matter how much we want to go it alone. We all know that our enemies are evil, our soldiers heroic, and the victims unspeakably tragic—but it takes something special and delicate to explain, in a hushed voice, that governments and armies are not individuals, and no one is 100% anything.

8.) The Lord of the Rings

Would such a beautiful and profound film about Hobbits and Wizards, Elves and magic, have ever been made without first being conceived and hugely successful in another medium? I argue that it would not. JRR Tolkien crafted for us a boundless world of magic which has been endlessly copied, but never duplicated, and the film is proving to be no different. The story is truly epic, its characters massive—but the message is simple: trust yourself, and love your allies. And, we can always appreciate a film which reminds us that there is a country called New Zealand, and it has funny-talking people.

9.) The Shawshank Redemption

Another nostalgic and powerful film originating in the creative mind of Stephen King. Never have the triumphs of humanity been so tangible as they are in and around the stone walls of Shawshank. The tale of then-beginning writer/director Frank Darabont’s budding relationship with the all-powerful Stephen King closely mirrors (metaphorically, of course), the tale of the film’s protagonist. A hero silent and meek, fighting oppressive injustices on all sides, consistently succeeds in freeing himself where others have failed, and for others who had never tried.

10.) Jaws

Another film by Steven Spielberg? You’re probably saying to yourself that I’m biased. And you’d be right. I’m biased in favor of film adaptations which prove they can be simultaneously subtle and entertaining. Don’t blame me—blame everyone who isn’t Stephen Spielberg. This film’s reputation has been somewhat tarnished, however, because it helped spawn an entire culture of movie companies looking to produce mindless summer blockbusters each and every year. Of course, it’s on the list because it isn’t mindless, not to mention that they wrote the book (literally) on how to make a perfect thriller: Don’t show (much of) the bad guy until the end, make our hero’s path long and hard to get there, and end the story right after he is defeated. Also, it never hurts to have your characters love each other, not just stand next to each other. It’s hard to believe that once Steven Spielberg is gone, the torch will be passed on to the likes of Michael Bay. Literally, by Spielberg himself (see: Transformers.)

So that’s the list. As with most movie lists, Spielberg is omnipresent and King remains King, but there are plenty more out there than just these classics. Hundreds of written works are optioned each year to become potential movies, and many of those released end up as some of the best stories ever put to film. So appreciate it!

This poll may encourage us to mourn the death of the reader in this country, but the important thing is that the novelist is very much alive, though his role may have changed. Great books get made into great movies, and the writer still gets his due and his much-deserved pay. Is this as fair to literature as it once was?

For me, it’s a toss-up. There’s nothing like a good book… but there’s also nothing like a great movie.

Related posts:

• Great Books, Shitty Movies
• I Hope Books Still Exist