Great Adaptations

This interview with Susan Cooper got me thinking about books that have been adapted into films, and in general, how disappointing they are.

Neither A Series of Unfortunate Events, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe nor Stormbreaker were anywhere near as good as the books they were adapted from.

But that's not to say that there haven't been some excellent adaptations of great books - looking at our 'classics' shelf I can see The Wizard of Oz, Little Women, and The Neverending Story, terrific films all.

The Harry Potter films, too, have been fine. I particularly approve of Alfonso Cuarón's Prisoner of Azkaban, which was just beyond perfect in its details.

And I must admit, I'm very much looking forward to The Golden Compass, adapted from Phillip Pullman's first Dark Materials novel, Northern Lights (it's the American title). Although I have heard conflicting opinions on the film's treatment of religion, which is a central theme of the novels. Still, I'm keeping an open mind, as ever!