Moving a book to the screen is no easy task. Should you stay as true to the literary source as possible or add your own unique flavor? Nowadays, indie filmmakers have the freedom to experiment, exploring a variety of settings, narration styles, and levels of adherence to the original text.
So, let’s dive in.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
⭐4.6/5
#Drama #Silent #Classic #English
We’re starting strong with the classics. Wikipedia lists sixteen movie adaptations of Victor Hugo’s French Gothic novel, but we bet you haven’t seen this one yet.
One of the most ambitious productions of the silent era (1923), the movie is set in 15th-century Paris. The archdeacon’s brother conspires with the gypsy king to incite an uprising among the peasants, while a deformed bell-ringer becomes enamored with a captivating gypsy dancer. Manipulated by his cruel master, Quasimodo attempts to kidnap the beautiful Esmeralda, only to be captured and publicly punished. The rest of the story leads to a well-known tragic climax.
Lon Chaney’s performance as Quasimodo is nothing short of legendary. While it takes liberties with Victor Hugo’s novel, its dramatic intensity remains powerful even a century later.
Terribly Happy
⭐4.3/5
#Crime #Drama #Thriller #Danish
Based on Erling Jepsen’s 2004 noir novel, Terribly Happy is a tense, slow-burning thriller that blends noir mystery with dark humor, wrapped in an eerie and unsettling atmosphere of a small town.
A Copenhagen police officer, Robert Hansen, is sent to a quiet rural town for what’s supposed to be a temporary assignment. He’s fresh out of therapy after a personal crisis and just wants to keep his head down until he can return to his daughter. But Skarrild isn’t as peaceful as it seems. The locals have their own way of handling justice, without the authorities.
Shesh Bikeler Meye
⭐4.7/5
#Drama #Romance #Bengali
Translated from Bengali as “The Girl of the Last Afternoon” or “The Girl of the Late Afternoon( শেষ বিকেলের মেয়ে), Shesh Bikeler Meye is a movie adaptation of the debut novel of Zahir Rayhan, a Bangladeshi filmmaking pioneer, writer, and journalist, most known for Stop Genocide (1971), a groundbreaking documentary on the brutal atrocities committed during the Bangladesh Liberation War.Torn between different women who enter his life, a middle-class young man explores relationships of love, desire, and companionship with various women. Who truly holds his heart? Who will be his Shesh Bikeler Meye (The Woman of His Last Afternoon)?
We Have Always Lived in the Castle
⭐4.2 / 5
#Horror #Mystery #Thriller #English
We Have Always Lived in the Castle (2018) is based on Shirley Jackson’s 1962 novel and centers around two sisters, Merricat and Constance, who live a secluded life in their mansion in a small Vermont town, alongside their uncle. After a devastating tragedy, the sisters are shunned by the townspeople, and Merricat’s fierce protectiveness of Constance drives much of the story’s tension. Cousin Charles disrupts their fragile balance.
The 2019 film adaptation, directed by Stacie Passon, brings the eerie world of the Blackwood sisters to life. At its core, the story explores themes of isolation, persecution, and the feeling of being “othered” by society. The film captures the unsettling tone of the book, though it received mixed reviews.
Chhutii Aar Picnic
⭐ 4.9/5
#Romance #Drama #Bengali
Inspired by Rabindranath Tagore’s beloved novella Shesher Kobita (Bengali: শেষের কবিতা), Picnic tells the story of three people from different walks of life who meet at a resort. The film focuses on two of them, as they connect, fall in love, and experience a romance that goes beyond the usual.
Tagore, now a revered figure after his Nobel Prize, critiques societal expectations and the idea of conventional love through Amit’s character, Tagore, offering a progressive view on human relationships and independence. The novel critiques established norms, especially in terms of love and marriage. Written in 1928, the novella also showcases Tagore’s frustrations with younger writers trying to move beyond his influence.
The film further explores the complexities of love: how it can be pure and untainted in its early stages, but also how everyday life and responsibilities can alter that purity.
A Burning Desire to Wreak Revenge
⭐4.7/5
#Action #Adventure #Romance #Chinese
A successful adaptation of the Chinese online novel “The Eldest Daughter” by Ping Zeke. How much can the fate of heaven and manpower be changed?
The story follows Shu Yuan, a noblewoman betrayed in her past life—stripped of her title, falsely accused of treason, and executed. But fate grants her a second chance. Reincarnated with knowledge of the future, she is determined to rewrite destiny, prevent the rise of the tyrant who doomed her, and restore her family’s honor.
If you love intricate palace intrigue, grand costumes, and sweeping historical settings with strong female leads, this C-drama will pull you in.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
⭐4.5/5
#Comedy #Fantasy #English
Finishing off with a classic love story which got another screen adaptation. In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, director Casey Wilder Mott takes Shakespeare’s comedy and gives it a fun, modern twist by setting it in Los Angeles. The classic story of love, jealousy, and mistaken identities is happening to characters within the film industry.
While the movie balances modern elements with Shakespeare’s language, it doesn’t take away from the story. Here’s what Dennis Harvey of Variety had to say: “Mott’s judiciously compacted ‘Dream’ has a lot of clever ideas nicely worked in… this is a more organic update than the flashy pop-cultural mashups that the Aussie showman has made of classic sources.”
Which is Better? Find Book-to-Screen Adaptations on UVOtv
Each adaptation on this list brings something new to its source material—whether it’s a fresh perspective, a modernized setting, or a bold reinterpretation. Which one will be your next watch?
Find and stream your favorite book-to-film adaptations on UVOtv and watch anytime, for free.
