I don't think it will be a surprise to anyone that the following movies were books first, but I thought it was a different way to collect movies that I have already watched but not reviewed. I have some other ideas for future flashbacks, but I'm still working on those. I pretty much come down on the side that you should read the books and watch the movies (I have actually read all of the books below), it's a win-win.
The Good Earth, Best Actress, Best Cinematography 1937 I read The Good Earth by Pearl Buck in seventh grade in conjunction with a social studies section on China. It was then I began my fascination with China. I think we saw the movie then too, but I didn’t pay too much attention (shocking in 7th grade, I know), so I wasn’t sure what to think when I watched it again, if I was going to like it or what. It did take a little while to get into the movie, but after the first 45 minutes or so, I was all in, following the lives of Wang Lung and O-Lan (played by Oscar winner Luise Rainer), especially rooting for O-Lan, and being forever grateful I wasn’t a female in China. The story takes place over many years and the family experiences famine, revolution, locusts, and through it O-Lan is the rock of the family. Buck spent many years in China and I think if you are interested in pre-Revolution China, the book and the movie are a good introduction. Be patient with the movie, but I believe you’ll be rewarded in the end.
Rebecca, Best Picture, Best Cinematography, B&W 1940 I read the book by Daphne du Maurier in eighth grade and I have read it a couple of times since. The book is atmospheric and suspenseful and I think it still holds up today. The movie is just as atmospheric and was directed by the king of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock. Judith Anderson as Mrs. Danvers scared the crap out of me when I saw it for the first time. There is no blood, no dead bodies popping up, little to no profanity, just the memory of Rebecca haunting Manderley and Max De Winter (Laurence Olivier) and his new bride (Joan Fontaine). I think the movie being in black and white just adds to the feeling of dread and mystery, color film would almost make it less eerie. You can watch the movie without reading the book, but I would encourage doing both.
The Picture of Dorian Gray, Best Cinematography, B&W 1945 I love Oscar Wilde, his plays are full of acerbic, biting wit and social satire with moments that make you laugh out loud, and The Picture of Dorian Gray is not exactly like that. The book was a relatively fast read and I thought very disturbing in parts; in this case I think my imagination was creepier than the film. There is an element of evil that lurks in Dorian Gray who essentially sells his soul to stop aging. I liked the movie, but I think I would recommend the book more, let your imagination do the work.
Exodus, Best Original Score, 1960 I have read most of Leon Uris’s novels, and many of them have been turned into films. Even when he is focusing on one event, like the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948, Uris goes back many years in history, sometimes decades, sometimes a century. I like how he tells a story and creates his characters; I have finished his books and actually believed they were real. That happened to me with Exodus and Ari, Dov and Jordana. The book is so sprawling that it’s impossible to capture all of it in a movie, even when it runs over three hours. The film was directed by Otto Preminger, and has an incredible cast, including Paul Newman, Eva Marie Saint, Sal Mineo and others. It tells the story of the state of Israel from the time of the British Palatinate to statehood, and the desire and need of survivors of the Holocaust to have country of their own. It’s never a black and white issue and it still isn’t. I hate to do this, but I would recommend reading the book (and the others by Uris) and watching the movie. They are both worth it.
To Kill a Mockingbird, Best Actor, Best Art Direction, B&W, Best Adapted Screenplay, 1962 This is one of my favorite books and movies of all time, reading the book in seventh grade, I wasn’t that much older than Scout and Jem. Harper Lee gives a portrayal of life in the South during the Jim Crow period that shows the innocence of Jem and Scout, but also shows them being tainted by the reality of the racial and economic inequality of the time. They are fortunate that they have Atticus to shield them when possible and to demonstrate that it is possible to do the right thing, even when it can be dangerous and frightening. Woven into this is the story of Boo Radley, which is sad and sweet because he is misunderstood, and yet still has an innate goodness. There is a lot of bias and prejudice in the story, and that’s what Scout experiences, with Tom Robinson and Walter Cunningham. Atticus Finch, in the book and the movie, is an ideal: patient, calm, generous and righteous, and portrayed by Gregory Peck, who won for Best Actor, he sets the standard for movie and real fathers. I read the book first and then saw the movie, and both have their merits. The book leaves more to the reader’s imagination and there are always bits that don’t make it to the screen; the movie gives the characters voices and mannerisms that capture the Southern imprint that is so much a part of the story, including the Ewells and Tom Robinson and Dill, the young friend of Jem and Scout. Harper Lee never wrote another book, so you should read this one and then watch the movie.
