Recreation

Books into film and television

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Sabotage
From the novel The Secret agent by Joseph Conrad
Sabrina
Based on the play Sabrina fair by Samuel Taylor
The Safe house
From the 1998 novel The Safe house by Nicci French
Safe passage
From the 1988 novel Safe passage by Ellen Bache
Sahara (2005)
Clive Cussler's 1992 action thriller has his series hero Dirk Pitt racing around the Sahara and associated parts of Africa attempting to avert environmental crisis.
Read the Book ~ About the Film
The Saint
The American movie takes only the idea of the Leslie Charteris character
Saint Maybe
From the novel Saint Maybe by Anne Tyler
Salo
From the novel The 120 days of Sodom by Marquis de Sade
Salt on our skin
From the novel Salt on our skin by Benoite Groult
The Sands of time
From the novel The Sands of time by Sidney Sheldon
The Sandy Bottom orchestra
From the 1996 children's novel The Sandy Bottom orchestra by Garrison Keillor and Jenny Lind Nilsson
Saraband for dead lovers
From the 1935 novel Saraband for dead lovers by Helen Simpson
Saturday island
From the 1935 novel Saturday island by Hugh Brooke
Saturday night fever
Based loosely on the article Tribal rites of the new Saturday night by Nik Cohn which appeared in the June 1976 edition of New York Magazine
Savage Sam
From the 1962 novel Savage Sam by Fred Gipson
Sayonara (1957)
From the 1954 novel Sayonara by James A. Michener
Scandalous me
From the book Lovely me: the life of Jacqueline Susann by Barbara Seaman
A scanner darkly
Philip K. Dick's 1977 novel draws on his own experiences with drugs and is set in a future where America has lost the war on drugs. The main character is an undercover agent whose own drug use has led to him having a split personality with an alter ego who is a drug dealer. Richard Linklater directs a name cast including Keanu Reeves, Woody Harrelson, Robert Downey Jr and Winona Ryder.
Read the Book ~ About the Film ~ Wired Article about making this film
Scarlett
From the novel Scarlett by Alexandra Ripley
The Scarlet letter
From the novel The Scarlet letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Scarlet Pimpernel
From the 1905 novel The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy
Scent of a woman
A remake of the Italian film Perfume of a woman which was based on the 1969 novel Il Buio Il Miele by Giliian Arpino
Schindler's List
From the book Schindler's Ark by Thomas Keneally
School for scoundrels
From the books by Stephen Potter: Gamesmanship (1947), Lifemanship (1950), Oneupmanship (1952). The compilation volume is The Complete upmanship
The Scold's bridle
From the novel The Scold's bridle by Minette Walters
The Sculptress
From the novel The Sculptress by Minette Walters
The Sea Wolf
From the novel The Sea Wolf by Jack London
Seabiscuit
From the 2001 book Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand
The Searchers
Based on the 1954 novel The Searchers by Alan Le May
Searching for Bobby Fischer
From the 1988 book Searching for Bobby Fischer by Fred Waitzkin
A Season for miracles
From the 1997 novel A Season for miracles by Marilyn Pappano
A Season in Purgatory
From the novel A Season in Purgatory by Dominick Dunne
Second best
From the 1991 novel Second best by David Cook
The Secret
From the novel The Harrogate secret by Catherine Cookson
A Secret affair
From the novel A Secret affair by Barbara Taylor Bradford
The Secret agent
From the novel The Secret agent by Joseph Conrad
The Secret garden
From the novel The Secret garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
The Secret house of death
From the novel The Secret house of death by Ruth Rendell
The Secret lives of dentists
From the 1988 novel The Age of grief by Jane Smiley
The Secret of Roan Inish
From the 1957 novel Child of the Western Isles by Rosalie K. Fry
Secret window
From the novella Secret window, secret garden by Stephen King. This is in the 1990 collection, Four past midnight
The secrets of Vesuvius (TV-2007)
From the 2001 novel The secrets of Vesuvius by Caroline Lawrence
Secretary
From a short story by Mary Gaitskill in her collection Bad behaviour
See Arnold run (2005, TV)
From the 1995 book True myths: the life and times of Arnold Schawarzenegger by Nigel Andrews
Seeing red
From the book Seeing red by Coral Atkins
Seesaw
Based on the novel Seesaw by Deborah Moggach
A Selfmade Hero
From the 1989 novel Un hero tre discret: A Selfmade Hero by Jean Francois Deniau (never translated)
Selma, Lord, Selma
From the 1980 book Selma, Lord, Selma by Rachel West Nelson
Semi-tough
From the 1972 novel Semi-tough by Dan Jenkins
Send me no flowers
From a 1960 stage play Send me no flowers by Norman Barasch and Carroll Moore
Separate lies
A 1951 novel A way through the wood by Nigel Balchin may seem an odd choice for filming. This novel was filmed in Germany in 1963 but this adaptation is presumably long lost. The book is now out of print but Balchin as a writer was very enthusiastically "rediscovered" by Clive James a while ago. Julian Fellowes, best known as the writer of Gosford Park, makes his directorial debut in this story of a man (Tom Wilkinson) with a much younger wife (Emily Watson) and a friend (Rupert Everett) who comes between them. Read the Book ~ About the Film
The Separation
From the novel Separation by Dan Franck
The Servant
From the 1948 novel The Servant by Robin Maugham
Service of all the dead
From the 1979 novel Service of all the dead by Colin Dexter. In An Inspector Morse omnibus
The Set up
From a prose poem The Set up by Joseph Moncure March
The Set up
From the 1977 novel My laugh comes last by James Hadley Chase
Seven years in Tibet
From the book Seven years in Tibet by Heinrich Harrer
The Seventh cross
From the novel The Seventh cross by Anna Seghers, translated into English 1942
Sex and the city
From the book Sex and the city by Candace Bushnell
SFW
From the 1990 novel SFW by Andrew Wellman
Shadow of a doubt
From the novel Shadow of a doubt by William Coughlin
Shadowlands
Shadowlands began as a TV play by William Nicholson who then adapted it for the stage. It's also been novelised by Brian Sibley
Shaft
A remake of the 1970s movie based on the 1970 novel Shaft by Ernest Tidyman
The Shaggy dog
From the 1930 novel The Hounds of Florence by Felix Salten
Shalako
From the 1962 novel Shalako by Louis L'Amour
Shane
From the novel Shane by Jack Schaefer
The Shape of things to come
From the book The Shape of things to come by H.G. Wells
Sharman
A series based on a character, Nick Sharman, in a series of thrillers by Mark Timlin
Sharpe's battle
From the 1995 novel Sharpe's battle by Bernard Cornwell
Sharpe's gold
From the 1981 novel Sharpe's gold by Bernard Cornwell
Sharpe's regiment
From the 1986 novel Sharpe's regiment by Bernard Cornwell
Sharpe's siege
From the 1987 novel Sharpe' s siege by Bernard Cornwell
Sharpe's sword
From the 1983 novel Sharpe's sword by Bernard Cornwell
Shattered
From the 1969 novel The Plastic nightmare by Richard Neely
Shattered glass
From an article by Buzz Bissinger which appeared in the September 1998 issue of Vanity Fair
The Shawshank redemption
From the novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank redemption by Stephen King. In the collection Different seasons
The Sheltering sky
From the 1949 novel The Sheltering sky by Paul Bowles
She's out
Tie-in novel She's out by Lynda La Plante
Shiloh
From the novel Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Shine
Not based on a book but the story is told in Love you to bits by Gillian Helfgott
The Shining
From the novel The Shining by Stephen King
Shining through
From the novel Shining through by Susan Isaacs
The Ship that dies of shame
From the 1959 novel The Ship that dies of shame by Nicholas Monsarrat
The Shipping news
From the 1993 novel The Shipping news by E. Annie Proulx
Shipwreck
Tie-in book by Louise Callan
Shipwreck
Tie-in book by Paul Gittins
The Shiralee
From the 1955 novel The Shiralee by Darcy Niland
A Shock to the system
From the 1984 novel A Shock to the system by Simon Brett
The Shoes of the fisherman
From the 1963 novel The Shoes of the fisherman by Morris West
Shooter
A thriller that centres on an ace marksman (played by Mark Wahlberg) who is double-crossed and framed for a presidential assassination he was trying to prevent. He is forced to go on the run while trying to track down the real killer and find out who betrayed him. It’s based on Stephen Hunter’s 1993 novel Point of impact and the cast also includes Danny Glover, Michael Pena, Kate Mara and Eliza Bennett.
Read the Book ~ About the Film
Shopgirl
Steve Martin's short (163 pages) 2000 novel is more of a novella than a novel. It's a quiet comedy about a young woman who works in the glove department at the Neiman Marcus store in Beverly Hills and her complicated relationships with a young and struggling musician and a much older and wealthy businessman. Martin has adapted his own novel for the screen. Read the Book ~ About the Film
A Shot in the dark
From the 1961 play A Shot in the dark by Harry Kurnitz which was an adaptation of the 1960 French play L'idiote by Marcel Achard
Shot in the heart
From the 1994 book Shot in the heart by Mikal Gilmore
Show of hands (2008)
From the 2008 novel Show of hands by Anthony McCarten.
Shrek (2001)
From the 1990 children's picture book Shrek by William Steig
Shroud for a nightingale
From the novel Shroud for a nightingale by P. D. James
Sideways
From the 2004 novel Sideways by Rex Pickett.
Siege at Ruby Ridge
From the 1995 book Every knee shall bow by Jess Walter
The Silence of the lambs
From the novel The Silence of the lambs by Thomas Harris
The Silencers
Loosely based upon the Matt Helm novels by Donald Hamilton
The Silent world of Nicholas Quinn
From the 1977 novel The Silent world of Nicholas Quinn by Colin Dexter
The Silent partner
From the novel Think of a number by Anders Bodelson, translated 1969
Silk
This is the story, adapted from a novel by Italian writer Alessandro Baricco, published 1996 and translated into English 1997, of Herve Joncour, a 19th Century French silkworm merchant who travels to Japan who travels to Japan in search of uncontaminated eggs after an epidemic affects the usual supplies from Africa and the Middle East. He’s happily married but on his first trip he meets a beautiful young concubine who is the mistress of a Japanese trader. Michael Pitt plays the main character and his wife is played by Keira Knightley with Alfred Molina and Koji Yakusho supporting. Francois Girard directs this lush production, described as a dark romantic drama, filmed in Italy and Japan.
Read the Book ~ About the Film
Silk Hope
From the novel Silk Hope N.C. by Lawrence Naumoff
The Silver brumby
From the 1958 children's novel The Silver brumby by Elyne Mitchell
A Simple plan
From the 1993 novel A Simple plan by Scott Smith
A Simple twist of fate
Modernised version of the George Eliot novel Adam Bede
Simsola
From the novel Simsola by Ruth Rendell
Sin city (2005)
Based on three graphic novels by Frank Miller: Sin city (1994); The babe wore red (1994) and That yellow bastard (1994)
Single white female
From the novel SWF seeks same by John Lutz
Sins of the father (2002)
From a magazine article by Pamela Colloff in April 2000 edition of Texas Monthly
Sister my sister
From the play My sister in this house by Wendy Kesselman. In the volume Landmarks of contemporary women's drama
Sister Wendy's Odyssey
Tie-in book by Sister Wendy Beckett
The sisters
There have been numerous versions on screen and television of Chekhov's classic play The three sisters. This one is an American production that updates the period to the present with three sisters at a Manhattan college longing for the simpler life they left behind in Charleston, South Carolina.
Read the Book ~ About the Film
Sisterhood of the travelling pants (2005)
From the 2001 novel Sisterhood of the travelling pants by Ann Brashares
Six degrees of separation
From the play Six degrees of separation by John Guare
Six million dollar man
Based on the novel Cyborg by Martin Caidin
Skin and bone
From the play Foreskin's lament by Greg McGee
The Sky is falling
From the 1961 novel Il cielo cade by Lorenzo Mazzetti, not translated
Skylark
From the novel Skylark by Patricia MacLachlan
Sleep my love
From the 1946 novel Sleep my love by Leo Rosten
The Sleep room
From the 1988 book In the sleep room by Anne Collins
The Sleeper
From the 1998 novel The Sleeper by Gillian White
Sleepers
From the book Sleepers by Lorenzo Carcaterra
Sleeping dogs
From the novel Smith's dream by C. K. Stead
Sleeping with the devil
From the 1991 book Sleeping with the devil by Suzanne Finstad
Sleepy Hollow
From the short story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving which is in various collections
Sliver
From the novel Sliver by Ira Levin
Slumdog millionaire (2008)
Based on the 2005 novel Q & A by Vikas Swarup
Small soldiers
From the 1988 novel Small soldiers by William P. Kennedy
The Small voice
From the 1940 novel The Small voice by Robert Westerby
Smilla's feeling for snow
From the novel Smilla's sense of snow by Peter Hoeg
Smoky
From the 1926 novel Smoky the cowhorse by Will James
The Snapper
From the novel The Snapper by Roddy Doyle
Sole survivor
From the 1997 novel Sole survivor by Dean R. Koontz
Someone like you
From the novel Animal husbandry by Laura Zigman
Something wicked this way comes
From the novel Something wicked this way comes by Ray Bradbury
Sometimes they come back
From a short story Sometimes they come back by Stephen King. In the collection Night shift
Somewhere in time
From the 1975 novel Bid time return by Richard Matheson
Sommersby
An adaptation of the French film The Return of Martin Guerre which wasn't based on a book. The story is told in The Wife of Martin Guerre by Janet Lewis
Son of God
Tie-in book by Angela Tilby
Songs in ordinary time
From the 1995 novel Songs in ordinary time by Mary McGarry Morris
Sophie's choice
From the novel Sophie's choice by William Styron
Sophie Grigson's travels a la carte
Tie-in book by Sophie Grigson and William Black
The Sound of music
From the musical play The Sound of music by Rodgers and Hammerstein
The Sound of one hand clapping
From the novel The Sound of one hand clapping by Richard Flanagan
The sound of thunder
An adaptation of a short story by Ray Bradbury that has been adapted for T.V. already and is in most of his major collections. It's set in a future where time travel is possible and a time travel agency sends people back in time to hunt dinosaurs. Edward Burns, Catherine McCormack, Ben Kingsley and a lot of special effects.
Read the Book ~ About the Film
The Southerner
Based on the 1941 novel Hold autumn in your hands by George Sessions Perry
Space
Tie-in book is Space: our final frontier by John Gribbin
Spartacus
The 1952 novel by Howard Fast was made into a memorable film by Stanley Kubrick in 1960. It had Kirk Douglas as the slave who leads an uprising against the Roman Republic in its last days. Goran Visnjic plays Spartacus and Alan Bates plays Agrippa, the role so memorably played by Charles Laughton in the original, in a T.V. miniseries of the book.
Read the Book ~ About the Film
The Speaker of Mandarin
From the novel The Speaker of Mandarin by Ruth Rendell
Spider
From the 1990 novel Spider by Patrick McGrath
The Spiderwick chronicles
Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi’s series of four novels are coming to the screen under the direction of Mark Waters who made such children’s/YA fare as Freaky Friday and Mean girls. The story of a teenage girl and her younger twin brothers who move into the rundown Spiderwick Estate with their mother and soon find themselves in a magical world of trolls, goblins, fairies and griffins. The twin boys are both played by Freddie Highmore and their sister by Sarah Bolger with a strong adult cast led by David Strathairn, Martin Short, Mary Louise Parker and Joan Plowright.
Read the Book ~ About the Film
Sphere
From the novel Sphere by Michael Crichton
Spooked
This is credited as an adaptation of Ian Wishart's 1995 book The paradise conspiracy. The film is actually a quite loose adaptation which features some of the material from Wishart's book. Geoff Murphy (Utu, Goodbye pork pie) wrote the script and directs and the story is inspired by the mysterious death in 1991 of Aucklander Paul White, killed in a car crash after he discovered sensitive international banking records on discs he came across when he purchased a second hand computer. The film has been funded by a private company headed by local tycoon Eric Watson. There's a big cast of well known New Zealand actors including Temuera Morrison, Cliff Curtis, Mark Ferguson, Pio Terei, Alison Bruce, Kelly Johnson, Paul Barrett, Peter Elliott and Geoff Dolan.
Read the Book ~ About the Film
The Spiral staircase
From the 1934 novel The Spiral staircase by Ethel Lina White
Spring and port wine
From the 1965 play Spring and port wine by Bill Naughton
The Spy who loved me
Only the title comes from Ian Fleming's novel The Spy who loved me. The film was later novelized by Christopher Wood as James Bond, The Spy who loved me
Stagecoach
From the short story Stage to Lordsburg by Ernest Haycox. In Ten western stories and No, but I saw the movie
Stage door
Based on the 1936 play Stage door by George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber. In the collection Best plays of the modern American theatre
Stalag 17
Based on the play Stalag 17 by Donald Bevan and Edmund Trzcinski, first produced 1951
Stand by me
From the novella The Body by Stephen King. In his collection Different seasons
Stanley and Iris
Based loosely on fact, only taking one character from the novel Union Street by Pat Barker
Stardust
Neil Gaiman’s 1999 fantasy/adventure/ love story set in a sleepy English village of Wall a young man named Tristran who goes on a quest to win the heart of his beloved, Victoria. His journey in search of a falling star Yvainetakes him into a magical world where he faces the witch, Lamia and a pirate, Captain Shakespeare. A magical fantasy is a real change of pace for director Matthew Vaughn whose last film was Layer cake. Charlie Cox plays Tristran with Sienna Miller as Victoria, Claire Danes as Yvaine, Michelle Pfeiffer as Lamia and Robert De Niro as Captain Shakespeare.
Read the Book ~ About the Film
Star Wars. Episode III. Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Tie-in novel, Star Wars - Revenge of the Sith (2005) by Matthew Woodring Stoverr
Starship Troopers
From the 1959 novel Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein
CoverStarter for ten (2006)
From the 2003 novel Starter for ten by David Nicholls
The statement
The 1995 novel by the late Irish writer Brian Moore is a gripping tale of an elderly man who'd been a Nazi sympathiser in the war and was responsible for several Jewish deaths. He is living quietly in France, protected by the Catholic church, when an investigation into his whereabouts is launched. Michael Caine is in the lead with Jeremy Northam, Charlotte Rampling and Tilda Swinton.
Read the Book ~ About the Film
Stay hungry (1976)
From the 1973 novel Stay hungry by Charles A. Gaines
Steel Magnolias
From the 1987 play Steel Magnolias by Robert Harling. Abridged version in Best plays of 1987-1988
Stella
From the 1923 novel Stella Dallas by Olive Higgins Prouty
The Stepford wives
This 1972 suspense classic by Ira Levin was originally filmed in America by British director Bryan Forbes and the time may be right for another version of this story of gender programming. It's set in a perfect suburban community where all the wives are ideal housewives and subservient to their husbands. The housewives this time round include Nicole Kidman, Glenn Close, Bette Midler and Faith Hill and the devious husbands this time include Christopher Walken and Matthew Broderick. Read the Book ~ About the Film
Stephen Hawking's Universe
Tie-in book by David Filkin
Stephen King's Thinner
From the 1984 novel Thinner written under the pseudonym, Richard Bachman
Stepping out
From the 1987 play Stepping out by Richard Harris
Stir of echoes
From the 1958 novel Stir of echoes by Richard Matheson
Stoned (2005)
Based on three books: the 1994 book Paint it black: the murder of Brian Jones by Geoffrey Giuliano, the 1994 book Who killed Christopher Robin? by Terry Rawlings and the 2000 book The murder of Brian Jones by Anna Wohlin.
Storm fear
From the 1954 novel Storm fear by Clinton Seeley
Storm of the century
This is a Stephen King series that was written directly for television
Stormbreaker - coverStormbreaker
The popular children’s novel by Anthony Horowitz from 2000 led to a series and now a film based on the initial book of the series. The hero of the series, Alex Rider, is an orphaned teenager whose uncle has been training him for secret agent work. When his M16 agent guardian is killed our hero goes off on a mission for the secret service. Alex Pettyfer plays the lead and there is a large cast including Stephen Fry, Alicia Silverstone, Sophie Okonedo, Bill Nighy, Ewan McGregor, Mickey Rourke and Andy Serkis.
Read the Book ~ About the Film
The story of an African farm
Olive Schreiner's classic novel, originally published in 1884, is about three children living on a South African farm with their mother and the compulsive liar and con man from England who turns their lives around. Richard E. Grant plays the major role in a movie made outside Cape Town.
Read the Book ~ About the Film
A Stranger in the kingdom
From the 1989 novel A Stranger in the kingdom by Howard Frank Mosher
Strawberry and chocolate
From the novel Strawberry and chocolate by Senel Paz
A Streetcar named desire
From the play A Streetcar named desire by Tennessee Williams
Striptease
From the novel Striptease by Carl Hiaasen
Stuart Little
From the novel Stuart Little by E. B. White
Studs Lonigan
From the novel Studs Lonigan by James T. Farrell
The Subject was roses (1968)
From the play The Subject was roses, first produced 1964, by Frank D. Gilroy
The Substance of fire
From the 1990 play The Substance of fire by Jon Robin Baitz. We have an excerpted version of it in Applause / Best plays theatre yearbook of 1990/91
Suburbia
From the play Suburbia by Eric Bogosian
Sudden fury
Based on the 1989 book Sudden fury by Leslie Walker
Sugartime
From the 1989 book Roemer: Man against the Mob by William F. Roemer
The Sum of all fears
From the novel The Sum of all fears by Tom Clancy
The Sum of us
From the 1987 play The Sum of us by David Stevens. Selections in The Applause/best plays theater yearbook of 1990/91
Summer dreams - The Story of the Beach Boys
From the book Heroes and villains: The True story of the Beach Boys by Steven Gaines
The Summer house
From the novel The Clothes in the wardrobe by Alice Thomas Ellis
Summer of 42
From the novel Summer of 42 by Herman Raucher
The Summer of the monkeys
From the 1976 children's novel The Summer of the monkeys by Wilson Rawls
Summer's lease
From the novel Summer's lease by John Mortimer
Sunshine boys
From the play Sunshine boys by Neil Simon
Superhuman
Tie-in book by Robert Winston
Surrender Dorothy (TV-2006)
From the 1999 novel Surrender Dorothy by Meg Wolitzer
Survive the savage sea
Based on the book Survive the savage sea by Dougal Robertson
Surviving Picasso
From the book Picasso: Creator and destroyer by Arianna Stassinopoulos Huffington
Suspicion
From the 1932 novel Before the fact by Francis Iles
Suzanne's diary for Nicholas (2005, TV)
From the 2001 novel Suzanne's diary for Nicholas by James Patterson
Sweeney Todd
The Stephen Sondheim musical first hit the stage in 1979 and has been on the cards for a film version for some years. Tim Burton would seem a good choice for this dark musical melodrama about the infamous barber of Fleet Street who slaughters his enemies and works in collaboration with Mrs Lovett, who runs a pie shop below his barbershop. Johnny Depp plays Sweeney Todd with Helena Bonham Carter as Mrs Lovett. Alan Rickman is the villainous Judge Turpin, Jayne Wisener is Sweeney’s daughter Johanna and there’s an interesting supporting cast that includes Sacha Baron Cohen, Timothy Spall and Peter Bowles.
Read the Book ~ About the Film
Sweet bird of youth
From the play Sweet bird of youth by Tennessee Williams
The Sweet Hereafter
From the novel The Sweet Hereafter by Russell Banks
Swept from the sea
Based on the short story Amy Foster by Joseph Conrad
Swimming upstream
Based on a book Swimming upstream by Anthony Fingleton but the book was not published until after the film was made in 2002
Swiss Family Robinson
From the novel Swiss Family Robinson by Johann Wyss
Sylvia Scarlett
From the 1918 novel The Early life and adventures of Sylvia Scarlett by Compton Mackenzie
Syriana
Robert Baer's 2002 book See no evil was subtitled "the true story of a ground soldier in the CIA's war on terrorism" and is about CIA machinations in the Middle East. George Clooney plays CIA agent Baer in the film with Matt Damon as an oil executive who's involved with a big deal with an oil sheik when a family tragedy intervened. Read the Book ~ About the Film