There are just some works of literature that manage to stand the test of time. They speak to us across the years, revealing fundamental things about the human condition. Unsurprisingly, many of these works of classic literature have found their way to the screen, many of them accruing several adaptations.
RELATED: 10 Best On Screen Adaptations Of Classic Novels
If you dont have time to read the book, or even if you just want to see the differences between the book and its filmed versions, here are ten works of classic literature with the most adaptations.
Charles Dickenss slender novel about a grouchy miser who is visited by three spirits has proven to be one of the most enduring classic books to be translated to film, with the first live version appearing in 1901. It has subsequently been adapted over a dozen times in both live-action and animated films, including a version starring George C. Scott, the Muppets (with Michael Caine as Scrooge), and even Mickey Mouse (Scrooge McDuck, unsurprisingly, plays Scrooge).
It is something of a mystery as to why this enormous novel by the French writer Victor Hugo should prove so popular as a source for films. However, there is clearly something moving about this story. The first filmed version appeared in 1987 in a short film by the Lumire Brothers. The most famous recent version was released in 2012 and starred such luminaries as Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, and Russell Crowe.
Lewis Carrolls famously trippy novel about a young girl who falls into a strange and wonderful (and terrifying) land is a hallmark of childrens literature. It has been adapted into many different kinds of films, with two of the most iconic being the 1951 Disney film (which of all of the versions captures the surreal quality of the original book) and the 2010 Tim Burton version (which went on to earn over $1 billion at the box office).
Leo Tolstoys epic novel is one of the most intimidating works of classic literature, not just because of its enormous size, but also because of the many characters and their respective plot lines. It has also inspired several film versions. Of these, one of the best is the 1956 version. Even though it simplifies parts of the novel, it still clocks in at 208 minutes long. It starred such classic Hollywood greats as Audrey Hepburn, Mel Ferrer, and Henry Fonda.
There must be something about the novels of Charles Dickens that lend themselves to being adapted to film. Of course, this is a particularly moving tale, with its lovable main character and his struggles in Victorian London. Its narrative has proven to be quite flexible in terms of adaptation, with one of the more interesting takes being Disneys 1988 film, in which Oliver is an orphan orange kitten who falls in with a group of dogs.
The tale of the three men who fight for justice, as well as the young man who joins them, is one of the hallmarks of the swashbuckler genre. It was originally serialized, and it was very much a product of its time. It has been adapted into numerous films from the silent era to the present, in both live-action and animated versions. It even went on to become a childrens animated cartoon series.
Jane Austens story about the fraught courtship between Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy is, arguably, the most famous love story in literature. It is thus no surprise that it has been adapted to film in numerous decades and in several languages, the most well-regarded of which have been the 1940 version and the 2005 version.
RELATED: 10 Best Movie Adaptations Of 19th-Century Novels (That Aren't Jane Austen), According To Rotten Tomatoes
It has also proven to be the loose inspiration for other films, including most notably Bridget Joness Diary.
Arthur Conan Doyle created what has gone on to be one of the most famous private detectives in history in the person of Sherlock Holmes. Though the recent television series with Benedict Cumberbatch as the title character has been the most famous recent version, there have also been two film versions that have become iconic in their own way, with Basil Rathbone (who would play the role in fourteen films) and Robert Downey Jr.
What can you say about Dracula? He is the vampire par excellance, the epitome of the darkest parts of our collective human imaginary. It is thus no surprise that he has made appearances in film almost from the beginning of cinema. Arguably the two most iconic have been Bela Lugosi (who played the title character the 1931 version) and Gary Oldman (in the 1992 film by Francis Ford Coppola). Christopher Lee also played him in several Hammer films.
Mary Shelleys dark and sinister story about a scientist who creates a new being from the discarded remnants of other bodies seems to become ever more prescient the more that science advances. It has seen over two dozen film versions. The 1931 version directed by James Whale (and starring Boris Karloff in the role of the monster) has become one of the hallmarks of horror cinema, a touchstone against which all other adaptations of the story are measured.
NEXT: Fans Preferred These 10 Film Adaptations To The Original Books
Next10 Obscure (But Awesome) Sci-Fi Movies You can Stream Today On Amazon Prime
Original post:
10 Classic Pieces Of Literature With The Most Cinematic Adaptations - Screen Rant
- Prolific British actor Christopher Lee dies at age 93 | AP News - May 1st, 2024
- AA Alum Christopher Lee is featured in The Business Times - Architectural Association School of Architecture - May 1st, 2024
- Christopher Lee Was Furious About This 'Lord of the Rings' Moment - Collider - April 2nd, 2024
- Airdate: The Life and Deaths of Christopher Lee - TV Tonight - April 2nd, 2024
- Christopher Lee's casual shorts and slippers outfit in Taiwan made heads turn - TODAY - March 16th, 2024
- Christopher Lee Dead: Horror Icon and Legendary Movie Villain Was 93 ... - February 19th, 2024
- "Chris wasn't hearing a bar of it": Christopher Lee Forcefully Auditioned For Another Lord of the Rings Character Before ... - FandomWire - February 11th, 2024
- 'Cancel everything': How Christopher Lee disciplines his son with this one phrase - Yahoo Singapore News - February 3rd, 2024
- Actress Fann Wong surprised by husband Christopher Lee on birthday - The Straits Times - February 3rd, 2024
- Fann Wong surprised by husband Christopher Lee on birthday - The New Paper - February 3rd, 2024
- Christopher Lee: The actor and hunter of Nazi war criminals - Far Out Magazine - January 9th, 2024
- Sir Christopher Lee's Favorite Performance is in a Film You've Never Heard Of - MovieWeb - December 12th, 2023
- Christopher Lee dies at the age of 93 - The Guardian - April 27th, 2023
- Christopher Lee - Tolkien Gateway - March 31st, 2023
- Christopher Lee filmography - Wikipedia - February 10th, 2023
- Where to Start with Christopher Lee - The Film Magazine - October 19th, 2022
- 'Were you desperate to get proposed to?' Christopher Lee crashes Rebecca Lim's new show and roasts her while dishing out relationship advice - AsiaOne - October 19th, 2022
- The Wicker Man TV Series In Development With Andy Serkis The Imaginarium And Studiocanal-Backed Urban Myth - Deadline - October 19th, 2022
- Tim Burton names his five favourite horror movies of all time - Far Out Magazine - October 19th, 2022
- Ten celebrities who served in the military, from Adam Driver to Prince Harry - The National - October 19th, 2022
- These 13 Actors Have Earned the Right to be Called Scream Kings - Dread Central - October 19th, 2022
- David W. Smith | Obituaries | thedailynewsonline.com - The Daily News Online - October 19th, 2022
- Jennifer Hudson Recounts "Fanning Out" Over Duet With Sheryl Lee Ralph: "I Wanted to Make Her Proud" - POPSUGAR - October 19th, 2022
- Tangipahoa Parish Jail - October 11th, 2022
- A monster calls: why the horror universe is an idea whose time has come - The Guardian - October 11th, 2022
- Oblong Box, The (Blu-ray Review) - The Digital Bits - October 11th, 2022
- Was that the balrog that killed Gandalf in the Rings of Power? - Polygon - October 11th, 2022
- Every James Bond movie ranked by critics, according to Rotten Tomatoes - Insider - October 11th, 2022
- Overwatch 2: All Voice Actors And Cast - eXputer - October 11th, 2022
- She got Covid-19 four times this year alone - The Star Online - October 11th, 2022
- Nursing School Collaborates with Nursing School in The Philippines - Boston College - October 2nd, 2022
- The Terrifying, Terrific Horror Movies of 1972 - Nerdist - October 2nd, 2022
- Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King: A beautiful conclusion to the iconic trilogy - The Shield - October 2nd, 2022
- Tyson Fury through the years: Photo gallery - MMA Junkie - October 2nd, 2022
- Duncan man jailed, accused of madness on meth - The Lawton Constitution - September 24th, 2022
- Conor McGregor "can't believe" he's being paid to film Hollywood movie - The Mirror - September 24th, 2022
- The Government of Malaysia Launches the National Energy Policy 2022 - 2040: What it Means for the Renewables Landscape - Lexology - September 24th, 2022
- New Brockton native Brandon Lee part of team cherishing NASCAR win at Bristol - Dothan Eagle - September 24th, 2022
- Cape Cod theater reviewers' thoughts on 2 scary plays and a comedy - Cape Cod Times - September 24th, 2022
- 'His presence is going to be there': Lee Roy Selmon will attend in spirit as trio of OU brothers honored with statue - The Oklahoma Daily - September 24th, 2022
- Nicolas Cage inspired by Christopher Lee for vampire movie Renfield - The Digital Fix - September 16th, 2022
- Reece Shearsmith Tells Richard Herring About Christopher Lee - Beyond The Joke - September 16th, 2022
- 8 Horror Movies So Awful They Were Pulled From The Cinema - WhatCulture - September 16th, 2022
- Man-Thing Makes his MCU Debut in Werewolf by Night - Here's what we know about Man-Thing - Attack of the Fanboy - September 16th, 2022
- Summer of Blood (Blu-ray Review) - The Digital Bits - September 16th, 2022
- Get it over with: Suspect in Kokomo child exploitation case tells police to arrest him on the spot - FOX 59 Indianapolis - September 16th, 2022
- Alabama says it won't be ready to use nitrogen hypoxia method at Sept. 22 execution - USA TODAY - September 16th, 2022
- Christopher Lee, The Real-Life "Most Interesting Man In The World" - August 31st, 2022
- Inside The Fact And Fiction Of Christopher Lee's World War II Service - August 31st, 2022
- How to watch The Lord of the Rings movies and the series in chronological order - Lifestyle Asia India - August 31st, 2022
- Court and arrest reports for Martinsville and Henry County - Martinsville Bulletin - August 31st, 2022
- Every Tim Burton Movie Ranked from Worst to Best - Consequence - August 31st, 2022
- Court lists defendants to appear in Criminal Division on Thursday - Magnoliareporter - August 31st, 2022
- Lee County School Board makes minor revision to Parents' Bill of Rights - Wink News - August 31st, 2022
- A Cardiologist Breaks Down the AHA's New Report on the Most Common Heart Disease Symptoms Best Life - Best Life - August 31st, 2022
- Exclusive Interview: Director Philippe Mora On His Films With Christopher Lee - FANGORIA - August 14th, 2022
- 10 films turning 10 in 2022 - NewsNation Now - August 14th, 2022
- Persephone and the Poultry of the Night | Thumper Forge - Patheos - August 14th, 2022
- Unexpected Demands Made By Lord Of The Rings Actors - Looper - August 14th, 2022
- Rings of Power: Everything you need to know about Amazon's 1bn Lord of the Rings prequel - The Mirror - August 14th, 2022
- Slash Tells Us Why There Will Never Be a Guns N Roses Movie - MovieMaker Magazine - August 6th, 2022
- On the record for Aug. 4 - Seymour Tribune - August 6th, 2022
- Judge Talley will hear criminal docket on Thursday - Magnoliareporter - August 6th, 2022
- Dr. Christopher Reber Receives ACCT 2022 Northeast Regional Chief Executive Officer Award - The Hudson Reporter - August 6th, 2022
- Theatre Review: This 101 Dalmatians is barking up the wrong tree - The New European - August 6th, 2022
- Christopher Lee Euro Films, Dennis Hopper's 'Out of the Blue' Among Titles Due on Disc From Severin and MVD July 26 Media Play News - Media Play News - July 28th, 2022
- 25 Scariest Movies of All Time (2022 Edition) - Cultured Vultures - July 28th, 2022
- Fans Wonder Why a Fantasy Epic Too Big to Fail Did Just That - We Got This Covered - July 28th, 2022
- The Best Witch Movies of all Time, Ranked - The Mary Sue - July 28th, 2022
- NASCAR Driver Christopher Bell and CRAFTSMAN Raise Awareness for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals; No. 20 Special Edition Paint Scheme to be... - July 28th, 2022
- Singer Stefanie Sun turns 44 with cakes and loved ones - The Straits Times - July 28th, 2022
- Tony Dow dead: Wally Cleaver 'Leave It to Beaver' actor was 77 - USA TODAY - July 28th, 2022
- Roane Co. authorities looking for man convicted of neglecting and murdering an elderly relative - WBIR.com - July 20th, 2022
- 22 Incredible Facts About The Life and Career Of Sir Christopher Lee - July 20th, 2022
- Police and Fire Report - Winchester Sun - Winchester Sun - July 20th, 2022
- What We Do in the Shadows cast shares their favorite vampire movies, books, and more - Polygon - July 20th, 2022
- Courteney Cox Set To Make Horror Movie History With 'Scream 6' - We Got This Covered - July 20th, 2022
- Every James Bond Movie, Ranked: The Best of Bond - CNET - July 20th, 2022
- Grandparents of Dean Kerrie say he was just defending his mother and should not be jailed - Sunday World - July 20th, 2022
- Ray Wise Has Always Been More Than "That Guy" - Defector - July 20th, 2022
Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero