Recreation

Books into film and television

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Cover: The Da Vinci CodeThe Da Vinci code
Dan Brown's 2003 novel has been the biggest fiction seller in years. It's an action packed yarn that manages to combine conventional action thrills with material that plays into conspiracy theories with ideas about the Holy Grail and the life of Jesus Christ. The big bestselling books of recent years about code breaking and the old ideas beloved of thrillers about sinister organisations manipulating us all have given Dan Brown a good idea for a thriller that covers most bases you'd like to think of. The film version is directed by Ron Howard and has Tom Hanks as the professor on the trail of the "truth" and Amelie herself, Audrey Tautou, as the French cryptographer who helps crack the codes. Jean Reno also stars.
Read the Book ~ About the Film
Dad
From the 1981 novel Dad by William Wharton
Dalziel and Pascoe
Based on the novels by Reginald Hill
Damage
From the novel Damage by Josephine Hart
A Dance to the music of time
Based on the 12 novel sequence A Dance to the music of time by Anthony Powell
Dances with wolves
From the novel Dances with wolves by Michael Blake
Dancing at the Harvest Moon
From the 1997 novel Dancing at the Harvest Moon by K.C. McKinnon
Dancing at Lughnasa (1998)
From the play Dancing at Lughnasa, first produced 1990, by Brian Friel
Dancing in the streets
Tie-in book by Robert Palmer
Dangerous evidence
From the 1995 book Dangerous evidence by Ellis A. Cohen
Dangerous minds
Based on the book My Posse don't do homework by Louanne Johnson
Daniel Deronda (2003)
From the 1876 novel Daniel Deronda by George Eliot
Danny Champion of the World
From the novel Danny Champion of the World by Roald Dahl
A Dangerous woman
From the novel A Dangerous woman by Mary Mcgarry Morris
Dark half
From the novel Dark half by Stephen King
The Dark room
From the novel The Dark room by Minette Walters
The Dark wind
From the 1982 novel The Dark wind by Tony Hillerman
Darling buds of May
From the novels by H. E. Bates
Dating the enemy
Novelisation Dating the enemy by Megan Simpson Huberman
David
From the 1986 book David by Marie Rothenberg and David White
David Copperfield
From the novel David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
David and Lisa
A remake of the 1963 film which was based on the 1961 case history book Lisa and David by Theodore Isaac Rubin
David's mother
From the 1993 play David's mother by Bob Randall
The Dawning
From the novel The Old jest by Jennifer Johnson
The day after tomorrow (2004)
Based (loosely - more a case of inspired by) the 1999 book The coming global superstorm by Art Bell and Whitley Strieber
The Day of the Jackal
From the novel The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth
The day the earth stood still
From the short story Farewell to the master by Harry Bates
Daydream believers
From the 1996 book Hey hey we're The Monkees by Harold Bronson
Dead by sunset
Based on the book Dead by sunset by Ann Rule
Dead calm
From the 1964 novel Dead calm by Charles Williams
Dead heart
From a play Dead heart by Nick Parsons
Dead man walking
From the book Dead man walking by Helen Prejean. Also Tim Robbins's screenplay for the film
Dead man's island
From the 1993 novel Dead man's island by Carolyn G. Hart
Dead man's walk
From the novel Dead man's walk by Larry McMurtry
The Dead of Jericho
From the 1981 Inspector Morse novel The Dead of Jericho by Colin Dexter
Dead silence
From the 1995 novel A Maiden's grave by Jeff Deaver
The Dead Zone
From the novel The Dead Zone by Stephen King
Deadly family secrets
From the 1950 novel Vinegar Hill by Franklin Coen
Death in Brunswick
From the 1987 novel Death in Brunswick by Boyd Oxlade
Death in holy orders (2003)
From the 2000 novel Death in holy orders by P.D. James.
Death is now my neighbour
From the novel Death is now my neighbour by Colin Dexter
Death of an expert witness
From the novel Death of an expert witness by P.D. James. In the volume Omnibus P.D. James
Death on the Nile
From the 1937 novel Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie
Deceit
From the novel Deceit by Clare Francis
Decisive weapons
Tie-in book by Martin P. Davidson
The deep end
A remake of an old Hollywood film which was based on the 1946 novel The Blank wall by Elizabeth Sanxay Holding
Deep impact
From the 1993 novel Deep impact by Arthur C. Clarke and the 1933 novel When worlds collide by Edwin Balmer and Philip Wylie
Delia's how to cook
Tie-in books Delia's how to cook by Delia Smith
The Delinquents
From the novel The Delinquents by Criena Rohan
Derailed
James Siegel's 2003 novel was a big bestseller and featured on many a stand at airport bookshops across the world. It's a racy tale about a businessman, unhappily married and not very happy at work. He misses his train to work one morning and is forced to take a later one. By chance he meets a stunning and seductive woman and they progress from lunches to an out of control affair. This leads to his life going off the rails and a plot full of violent twists and turns. The film version has been made by Mikael Hafstrom, Swedish director on his first international movie and the major actors are Clive Owen, Jennifer Aniston, Melissa George and Vincent Cassel. Read the Book ~ About the Film
Desire under the elms
From the play Desire under the elms by Eugene O'Neill
The Desperate hours
From the novel The Desperate hours by Joseph Hayes
A Destiny of her own
Based on a book A Destiny of her own by Margaret Rosenthal
Devices and desires
From the novel Devices and desires by P.D. James
Devil in a blue dress
From the 1990 novel Devil in a blue dress by Walter Mosley
Devil in the flesh
From the novel Devil in the flesh by Raymond Radiguet
Devil's Advocate
From the novel Devil's Advocate by Andrew Neiderman
The devil wears Prada
In Lauren Weisberger’s bestselling 2003 novel, a small town girl gets a dream job working for a top fashion magazine only to discover that her boss, reputedly modelled on Vogue editor Anna Wintour, is the boss from hell. David Frankel, whose previous credits are largely television directs Anne Hathaway as the innocent abroad, Meryl Streep as her boss, Simon Baker and Emily Blunt.
Read the Book ~ About the Film
Devlin
From the 1992 novel Devlin by Roderick Thorp
Die another day
Based upon the character created by Ian Fleming. Novelized Die another day by Raymond Benson. The film and novelization contain many references to past Bond novels and films, however, and it is widely believed the character of Colonel Moon is a nod to the James Bond novel Colonel Sun by Kingsley Amis (writing as Robert Markham)
Diabolique
From the 1952 novel Celle qui n'etait plus by Boileau-Narcejac
Diamonds are forever
From the Ian Fleming novel Diamonds are forever
Diamonds on wheels
From the French novel Nightmare rally by Pierre Castex
Diana, Her true story
Based on the book Diana, Her true story by Andrew Morton
Diana: story of a princess
Tie-in book by Tim Clayton
Diary of a chambermaid
From the novel Diary of a chambermaid by Octave Mirbeau
Diary of a nobody (TV-2007)
Based on the 1892 novel Diary of a nobody by George & Weedon Grossmith.
The Diary of Evelyn Lau
From the 1989 book Diary of a street kid by Evelyn Lau
Die Hard
From the 1979 novel Nothing lasts forever by Roderick Thorp
Die Hard II
Based on the 1987 novel 58 minutes by Walter Wager
The Dinner game
From the 1993 play Le Diner des cons by Francis Veber
A Dinner of herbs
From the 1985 novel A Dinner of herbs by Catherine Cookson
Dinotopia
From the children's novel Dinotopia by James Gurney
The Dirty Dozen
From the 1965 novel The Dirty Dozen by E.M. Nathanson
Dirty tricks
From the novel Dirty tricks by Michael Dibdin
The Disappearance of Garcia Lorca
From the book The Death of Lorca by Ian Gibson and Federico Garcia Lorca: a life by Ian Gibson
Disappearing acts
From the 1989 novel Disappearing acts by Terry McMillan
Disappearing world
Tie-in book by Andre Singer
Disclosure
From the novel Disclosure by Michael Crichton
The Ditchdigger's daughters
From the 1995 book The Ditchdigger's daughters by Yvonne S. Thornton
Diva
From the novel Diva by Delacorta
The diving bell and the butterfly
The remarkable memoir by Jean-Dominique Bauby first appeared in France in 1997 (and in English translation the same year) and the author died two days after the book was published. The book is a diary of what happened in 1995 when Bauby’s brain stem was rendered inactive and he was only able to communicate by blinking his left eye. The book was painstakingly written, letter by letter, as an alphabet was repeatedly read out to him. The film was to have been a vehicle for Johnny Depp but it has ended up with a French cast led by Mathieu Amalric as Bauby, Max Von Sydow, Emmanuelle Seigner, Jean-Pierre Cassel and Emma De Caunes.
Read the Book ~ About the Film
Doc Hollywood
From the 1979 novel What … .Dead Again by Neil B. Schulman
The Doctor
Based on the 1988 book A Taste of my own medicine by Edward Rosenbaum
Doctor Doolittle
From the novels by Hugh Lofting
Doctor No
From Ian Fleming's novel Doctor No
Doctor Zhivago
From the novel Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak
Dodson's journey
From the 1998 book Faithful travelers by James Dodson
Doing it
The 2003 novel by Melvin Burgess was a determinedly pushing the envelope tale of the sexual adventures of three teenage boys. A pilot for a television series has been made in the U.S. and the television channel has been describing it as a cross between My so-called life and American pie. The three boys are played by Sean Faris, Jon Foster and Chris Lowell but most of the early publicity has centred on the girlfriend of one of them being played by Kelly Osbourne.
Read the Book ~ About the Film
The Dollmaker
From the 1954 novel The Dollmaker by Harriette Arnow
Dolores Claiborne
From the novel Dolores Claiborne by Stephen King
Domenica
From the 1984 novel La ronda di guinardo by Juan Marse
Don King: only in America
Based on the book The Life and crimes of Don King by Jack Newfield
Donnie Brasco
Based on the book Donnie Brasco: My Undercover life In The Mafia by Joseph D. Pistone
The door in the floor
This is an adaptation of John Irving's 1998 novel A widow for one year, the story of a children's book author and his wife whose once happy marriage starts to fall apart. The couple are played in the movie by Jeff Bridges and Kim Basinger.
About the Film
Double Indemnity
From the 1944 novel Double Indemnity by James M. Cain. The screenplay by Raymond Chandler is in Chandler's Later novels and other writings
The Dove
From the 1972 book The Dove by Robin Lee Graham
Down to earth
From the books by Faith Addis
Down will come baby
From the 1991 novel Down will come baby by Gloria Murphy
Downfall (2005)
Based on two books: Inside Hitler's bunker: the last days of the Third Reich translated 2004, by Joachim Fest, and Until the final hour: Hitler's last secretary translated 2003, by Traudl Junge
Dracula
From the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker
Dracula
There have been huge numbers of adaptations of the Bram Stoker classic over the years even if most people still associate it with Bela Lugosi and Christopher Lee. As it has immediate audience recognition (possibly, brand recognition!) and it is out of copyright, it is a safe bet for the BBC to add to their schedule. This time around Marc Warren, best known for the T.V. series Hustle, will be playing the evil Count in a version enthusiastically described as “sexy, with added bite.” Van Helsing, the vampire hunter, is played by David Suchet with Sophia Myles as Lucy, Rafe Spall as the solicitor Jonathan Harker and Stephanie Leonidas as Harker’s fiancée Mina. The location chosen for the Transylvanian goings on has been the National Trust property of Tyntesfield in Somerset.
Read the Book ~ About the Film
Dragon - The Bruce Lee Story
From the 1975 book Bruce Lee: The Man only I knew by Linda Lee Caldwell
A Dream is a wish your heart makes
From the book A Dream is a wish your heart makes by Annette Funicello
Dreamcatcher
From the 2001 novel Dreamcatcher by Stephen King
The dreamers
From the 2004 novel The dreamers by Gilbert Adair. This is a new edition of his 1988 novel The holy innocents
The Dressmaker
From the novel The Dressmaker by Beryl Bainbridge
Driving Miss Daisy
From the play Driving Miss Daisy by Alfred Uhry
A Dry white season
From the novel A Dry white season by Andre Brink
The Duchess
Amanda Foreman’s book, Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire was a bestseller back in 1998 and won the Biography section of the Whitbread Prize. The title character was a celebrity of her day, a glamorous figure whose scandalous life involved various love affairs, a gambling addiction, drink, all amid the racy world of the powerful and famous of the late 18th century. Saul Dibb, who did the recent television adaptation of the Booker Prize novel The line of beauty, is directing and the Duchess is played by Keira Knightley who seems to be first choice for anything these days. Ralph Fiennes plays the Duke and a large British cast includes Simon McBurney, Dominic Cooper, Charlotte Rampling, Hayley Attwell, Aidan McCardle (as the playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan) and Richard McCabe.
Read the Book ~ About the Film
Duel
From the short story Duel by Richard Matheson. In the collection Foundations of fear
Dulcima
From the 1953 novel Dulcima by H.E. Bates. In The Nature of love: three short novels by Bates
The Dwelling place
From the 1978 novel The Dwelling place by Catherine Cookson