Recreation

Books into film and television

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z
Painful secrets
From the 1997 novel The Luckiest girl in the world by Steven Levenkron
Paint your wagon
From the Lerner and Loewe musical play Paint your wagon
The painted veil
Somerset Maugham’s 1925 novel is about a doctor who goes to China with his wife after he discovers she has been having an affair with a Hong Kong colonial secretary. They move to a remote village to fight a cholera epidemic and what happens from then on becomes a journey of discovery for the wife. Originally filmed in 1934 with Herbert Marshall and Greta Garbo as husband and wife and again, dismally, in 1957 with Bill Travers and Eleanor Parker. The new version, filming in Beijing, has Edward Norton and Naomi Watts as the married couple and Liev Schrieber.
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Pandora's clock
From the novel Pandora's clock by John J. Nance
The Paper chase
From the 1971 novel The Paper chase by John Jay Osborn Jr.
The Paradine Case
From the 1933 novel The Paradine Case by Robert Hichens
The Paradine Case postponed
From the 1933 novel The Paradine Case postponed by Robert Hichens
Paradise postponed
From the novel Paradise postponed by John Mortimer
Paradise Road
Based on the book Song of survival: Women interned by Helen Colijn
The Parent trap
From the 1950 novel Lottie & Lisa by Erich Kastner
Paris blues
Based on the 1957 novel Paris blues by Harold Flender
Paris Trout
From the novel Paris Trout by Pete Dexter
Passion
From the 1982 play Percy and Rose by Rob George
Passion's way
From the 1912 novel The Reef by Edith Wharton
Patch Adams
From the 1998 book Gesundheit: bringing good health to you … by Patch Adams
The Patience of Maigret
From the novel The Patience of Maigret by Georges Simenon, translated 1966
Patriot games
From the novel Patriot games by Tom Clancy
The Patron saint of liars
From the 1992 novel The Patron saint of liars by Ann Patchett
The Pawnbroker
From the novel The Pawnbroker by Edward Lewis Wallant
Pavlova paradise revisited
Tie-in book by Austin Mitchell
Payback
From the 1962 novel The Hunter by Richard Stark
Paycheck (2003)
From a short story by Philip K. Dick. Republished in 2003 in a collection headed by this story
Pay it forward
From the novel Pay it forward by Catherine Ryan Hyde
Peaceful Warrior - coverPeaceful warrior
Dan Millman’s 1980 bestseller, The way of the peaceful warrior, has taken some time to reach the screen but in the intervening years this fictionalised autobiography has attained the same perennial status as Carlos Castenada, M. Scott Peck and others. It’s the story of an Olympic gymnast who meets a mysterious old petrol station attendant who becomes his mentor. Victor Salva, who has directed such odd films as Powder and the horror tale Jeepers creepers, is in charge of this one with Nick Nolte as the mentor, Scott Mechlowicz, Amy Smart and Agnes Bruckner. Read the Book ~ About the Film
The Peacemaker
Loosely based on the 1997 book One point safe by Andrew and Leslie Cockburn
The Pelican brief
From the novel The Pelican brief by John Grisham
Penelope
From the 1966 novel Penelope by E.V. Cunningham
Penn of Pennsylvania
Based on the 1933 book William Penn by C. E. Vulliamy
The People's century
Tie-in book by Godfrey Hodgson
The perfect catch (was Fever pitch)
Nick Hornby's 1992 book was a semi-comic account of male obsession, particularly his own onetime obsession with Arsenal Football Club. It was later turned into a play and then in 1997 to a film which elaborated on the book with a storyline about a football crazy boy who grew up into a similarly obsessed man (played by Colin Firth) and found his obsession overtook his relationship with a fellow teacher and his impending fatherhood. So much is remade these days that it seems odd to remake it only seven years later but the new version transfers the sport from soccer to baseball. It has Jimmy Fallon in the major part as a man consumed by his passion for the Boston Red Sox and Drew Barrymore as the long suffering girlfriend. The direction is by the Farrelly Brothers, best known for their string of comedies from There's something about Mary onwards.
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A Perfect murder
Remake of Hitchcock film which was based on the play Dial M for Murder by Frederick Knott. In Famous plays of today
Perfect murder, perfect town
From the book Perfect murder, perfect town by Lawrence Schiller
The Perfect storm
From the book The Perfect storm by Sebastian Junger
A Perfect stranger
From the novel A Perfect stranger by Danielle Steel
Perfume
Patrick Suskind's novel, first translated from the German in 1986, was a worldwide bestseller partly because of its originality. It is the story of a child, born in the slums of 18th century Paris, who has a remarkable sense of smell. He is apprenticed to a famous perfumer who teaches him the art of mixing herbs and spices into perfume. It turns out to be other smells which obsess him, however, and the book becomes a very dark tale of depravity and murder. Tom Tykwer, the German director best known for Run Lola run directs and the main part is played by the up and coming British stage actor Ben Whishaw with Alan Rickman and Dustin Hoffman co-starring.
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Personal services
From the book An English Madam by Paul Bailey
Personal velocity
From the 2001 collection Personal velocity by Rebecca Miller
Persuasion
From the novel Persuasion by Jane Austen
Pet sematary
From the novel Pet sematary by Stephen King
Peter Pan
From the play Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
The Phantom menace
Tie-in novel by Terry Brooks
The Phantom of the Opera
From the novel The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux
The phantom of the opera
It has been about fifteen years since a film version of the hit Andrew Lloyd Webber was first announced. At that stage American director Joel Schumacher was attached to the project and is now actually directing it. It will be released in time for Christmas this year. Gerard Butler plays the phantom and newcomer Emmy Rossum is Christine with Patrick Wilson as Raoul and well known actors in the supporting cast including Minnie Driver, Miranda Richardson, Alan Cumming, Simon Callow and Ciaran Hinds.
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The Philadelphia story
Based on the play The Philadelphia story by Philip Barry. In the collection States of grace
The Phoenix and the carpet
From the novel The Phoenix and the carpet by E. Nesbit
The Pianist
From the book The Pianist by Wladyslaw Szpilman, translated into English 1999
The Piano lesson
From the 1987 play The Piano lesson by August Wilson
The Piano teacher
From the novel The Piano teacher by Elfriede Jelinek
A Place in the sun
From the novel An American tragedy by Theodore Dreiser
Placido Domingo's Tales from the Opera
Tie-in book by Daniel Snowman
The Plague
From the novel The Plague by Albert Camus
Planet of the apes
From the 1964 novel Monkey planet by Pierre Boulle
Planet Ustinov
Tie-in book by Michael Waldman
The Planets
Tie-in book by David McNab
The Player
From the 1988 novel The Player by Michael Tolkin
Pobby and Dingan released as Opal Dream
This 2000 first novel by Ben Rice is a likeable and touching tale set in a small New South Wales town known as the opal capital of Australia. It's a town filled with colourful and very eccentric characters and the title characters don't really exist. They are the imaginary friends of young Kellyanne, the daughter of a miner. The rest of the family are too busy with their own lives to take much notice when the young girl says her friends have disappeared but eventually they recognise how important it is to her and her brother organises a search party to find the imaginary pair. A story that appeals to children and adults, the producers are hoping for the same audience that made films like Whale rider so successful. English director Peter Cattaneo (The full Monty) is directing Vince Colosimo and Jacqueline McKenzie as the parents and newcomer Saphire Boyce as Kellyanne.
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The Poet
From the 1994 book Little girl fly away by Gene Stone
Point blank
From the 1962 novel The Hunter by Richard Stark
The poker club (2007)
From the 1997 novel The Poker Club by Ed Gorman
The Polar express
In this 1985 children's novel, a 1986 Caldecott Medal winner, by Chris Van Allsburg, whose Jumanji became a screen hit a few years back, a boy's faith in Santa Claus is rewarded when a steam train pulls up in front of his house on Christmas Eve and takes him with other children to the North Pole to meet Santa. The film will be a mix of real actors (Tom Hanks as the train conductor) and computer graphics.
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Polly comin' home
Musical version of the novel Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter
Poor cow
From the 1967 novel Poor cow by Nell Dunn
Poor Tom is cold (2005)
From the 2001 novel Poor Tom is cold by Maureen Jennings
Pork Chop Hill
Based on the 1953 book Pork Chop Hill by Samuel Lyman A. Marshall
Porterhouse blue
From the novel Porterhouse blue by Tom Sharpe
Portrait of a lady
From the novel Portrait of a lady by Henry James
The Poseidon Adventure
From the 1969 novel The Poseidon Adventure by Paul Gallico
Possession
From the 1990 novel Possession: a romance by A. S. Byatt
Postcards from the edge
From the novel Postcards from the edge by Carrie Fisher
Il postino
From the novel Il postino by Antonio Skarmeta
The Postman
From the novel The Postman by David Brin
The Postman always rings twice
From the novel The Postman always rings twice by James M. Cain
The Potato factory
From the 1995 novel The Potato factory by Bryce Courtenay
The Potter's field
From the novel The Potter's field by Ellis Peters
Practical magic
From the 1995 novel Practical magic by Alice Hoffman
A Prayer in the dark
From the 1975 novel Stronghold by Stanley Ellin
The Preacher's Wife
Remake of the 1940s film The Bishop's wife which was based on the short story The Bishop's wife by Robert Nathan
The Preppie Murder
Not based on a particular book. The case is outlined in Wasted: the preppie murder by Linda Wolfe
The prestige
Christopher Priest’s 1995 novel has been some time coming to the screen but it augurs well that the director is Christopher Nolan, most well known for the imaginative time twisting Memento. Jonathan Nolan, the director’s brother, has adapted the novel which is set in early 20th century London where two rival magicians fight each other for trade secrets and the rivalry leads eventually to murder. The magicians are played by Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale and the retired magician who teaches them their tricks is played by Michael Caine. David Bowie plays the notorious Serbian inventor Nicola Tesla and the female lead is Scarlett Johansson.
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Presumed innocent
From the novel Presumed innocent by Scott Turow
Pretty poison
From the 1966 novel She let him continue by Stephen Geller
The Price of passion
Based on the novel The Good mother by Sue Miller
Pride and prejudice
The recent BBC version was phenomenally popular around the world and a new British made Bollywood version is coming up so it would seem a little odd to have another version on the way. English novelist Deborah Moggach along with Lee Hall, who is most well known for writing Billy Elliot, has adapted this one. The hottest young British actress of the moment, Keira Knightley, is playing Elizabeth Bennett with Matthew MacFadyen, star of the recent N.Z. film In my father's den, as Mr Darcy. Brenda Blethyn is Mrs Bennett, Rosamond Pike is Jane Bennett, American actress Jena Malone is Lydia, Donald Sutherland is Mr Bennett and Tom Hollander is clergyman Mr Collins. Penelope Wilton is also in the cast as well as Judi Dench who must have a contractual agreement to appear in every period piece.
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Primal fear
From the novel Primal fear by William Diehl
Primary colours
From the novel Primary colours by Anonymous (Joe Klein)
The Princess diaries
From the 2000 novel The Princess diaries by Meg Cabot
Prisoner of the mountains
From the short story Prisoner in the Caucasus by Leo Tolstoy
Private investigators
A sort of tie-in is the book Julia Moore P. I. by Julia Moore
The Private life of plants
Tie-in book by David Attenborough
Private's progress
From the 1954 novel Private's progress by Alan Hackney
The Prize
Based on the book The Prize by Daniel Yergin
The prize winner of Defiance Ohio
Terry Ryan's 2001 book is her affectionate memoir of her mother. The time is the 1950s and mother had a pretty bad time bringing up ten children and coping with little money and a boozing husband. Her enterprise in entering and winning contests, very popular at the time, where you had to describe a product in 25 words or less. The book was a big bestseller in the U.S. where tales of lifting yourself out of poverty by your own hard work are always popular. Julianne Moore is the Midwestern housewife heroine with Woody Harrelson as her feckless husband.
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The producers (2005)
From the musical play The producers, first produced 2001, by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan
Promise the moon
From the 1991 novel The Four arrows fe-as-ko by Randall Beth Platt
Proof
David Auburn's play won the Pulitzer Prize for this play about a father and daughter, both of whose lives have been marred by mental instability and both of whom have been considered leaders in the field of mathematics. The play was a success in New York and London and was performed here at Court. Read the Book ~ About the Film
Proof of life
Based partly on the article Adventures in the ransom trade by William Prochnau which was published in the May 1998 issue of Vanity Fair and very loosely based on the 1995 book Long march to freedom by Thomas Hargrove
Provoked (2007)
Based on the 1997 book, Circle of light, by Kiranjit Ahluwalia and Rahila Gupta
P.S. I love you
Cecelia Ahern’s bestselling 2004 tearjerker is about a happily married couple who - as a joke - come up with the idea of making a list of things for the wife to do to help her make it through the day if something were to ever happen to her husband. What began as a joke turns into reality when the husband dies, leaving a real list for the wife to complete. The wife is played by Hilary Swank with Gerard Butler, Lisa Kudrow, Kathy Bates, Gina Gershon and James Marsters co-starring. Richard LaGravenese directs and adapts, having previously adapted such bestsellers as The horse whisperer, The bridges of Madison County and Beloved.
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Psycho
From the novel Psycho by Robert Bloch
The punisher (2004)
Based on the graphic novel series The punisher by Garth Ennis
The Punk
From the 1987 novel The Punk by Gideon Sams
The Puppet masters
From the 1951 novel The Puppet masters by Robert Heinlein
Purely belter
From the 2000 novel The Season ticket by Jonathan Tulloch
The pursuit of happyness
There’s nothing like a triumphing over disaster story and Gardner’s true life story had more disaster to triumph over than most: abandoned by his father, left to the mercy of an abusive stepfather, sexual abuse, supporting girlfriend and baby, girlfriend takes the baby, gives baby back and leaves, trying to survive with child leading to homelessness… will to succeed instilled in him way back by mother and a move back up the ladder to become hugely successful stockbroker. All this is in his 200g autobiography which galloped up the American bestseller list and attracted the interest of Oprah. And now the film. And with Will Smith in the lead so how can it fail. Italian director Gabriele Muccino (The last kiss) is at the helm and Jaden Smith, son of.., plays the boy with Thandie Newton also starring.
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