This week’s Top 10 Tuesday is a Page to Screen freebie. I was surprised I could actually come up with a halfway decent post since I am notoriously against watching movies that have been made from books. They are almost always disappointing. I really didn’t want my whole post to be negative, but I was surprised that I could come up with more movies that got it right than those that got it wrong. This is probably due to my motto — don’t watch movies that have been adapted from beloved books. Anyway, I hope you find a movie to watch or a book to read from my list.

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From Page To Screen

Movies that got it right!

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. I like Samantha Morton almost as much as Ciaran Hinds (see Persuasion below), and her portrayal of Jane is spot-on. For some brooding Bronte, this movie is a great start.

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I recently went to a flashback cinema screening of the iconic Gregory Peck movie. I noticed a few things that were different from the novel, but not enough to make a real impression or to throw me off. Both book and movie are classics.

Pride And Prejudice by Jane Austen. Widely known as the Colin Firth adaptation, the BBC 6-episode mini-series got everything right. But if all books were treated to 6+ hours of screen time, they might all be winners. Anyway, I love this movie and the book.

Persuasion by Jane Austen. While only the standard 2-ish hours long, the movie with Ciaran Hinds is very faithful to the novel. This is my favorite Austen book and my favorite Austen movie.

Movies that got it mostly right.

The Guernsey Literary And Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. My book club screened this movie when it finally released on Netflix last summer. There were some things we hated that they changed, but I think they got the spirit of the movie mostly right. And book Dawsy and movie Dawsy are both wonderful!

Bride And Prejudice loosely adapted from Jane Austen. I admit this movie is not faithful to the book, but OMG is it fun! The over-the-top Bollywood look at Austen’s classic will have even the purest of purists tapping their toes and humming along. If you haven’t seen this movie, you need to. 😉

Movies that got it oh-so wrong!

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. I was so excited to watch my very favorite book in all the world as a movie. It started out really well and I was singing its praises . . .  until the end. They changed the end!! Don’t watch the movie. Read. The. Book!

“A piece of perfect storytelling.” — Robert Louis Stevenson. First published in 1844, The Count of Monte Cristo remains one of literature’s greatest adventures. Based on actual events, this sweeping historical romance, considered to be Dumas’ finest work, recounts the story of Edmond Dantès, a gallant young sailor whose life takes a bitter turn when, during the final days of Napoleon’s reign, he is falsely accused of treason and condemned to lifelong imprisonment. After languishing for many years in a fetid dungeon, he makes his dramatic escape. In a labyrinthine tale plump with themes of justice, vengeance, lost love, and mercy and forgiveness, Dantès is now free to play out his elaborate plans of revenge on those who betrayed him.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Because its my list, and so many movies have been made from this book, I can include it in all 3 categories. If you only have one choice: watch the movie with Greer Garson and Sir Laurance Olivier or read the book —  Read. The. Book! This movie got everything wrong. From the costumes to the portrayal of Lady Catherine De Bourgh — wrong, wrong, wrong!

Pride and Prejudice is a novel of manners by Jane Austen, first published in 1813. The story follows the main character, Elizabeth Bennet, as she deals with issues of manners, upbringing, morality, education, and marriage in the society of the landed gentry of the British Regency. Elizabeth is the second of five daughters of a country gentleman living near the fictional town of Meryton in Hertfordshire, near London. Though Austen set the story at the turn of the 19th century, it retains a fascination for modern readers, continuing near the top of lists of “most loved books.”

The Mountain Between Us by Charles Martin. I have to confess that I did not watch this movie. I was waiting for friends to see it and tell me if it would rival the greatness of the book. No such luck. One of my friends said the only things similar were the title and the place crash. Such a shame, because the book is a must-read.

On a stormy winter night, two strangers wait for a flight at the Salt Lake City airport.  Ashley Knox is an attractive, successful writer, who is flying East for her much anticipated wedding.  Dr. Ben Payne has just wrapped up a medical conference and is also eager to get back East for a slate of surgeries he has scheduled for the following day.   When the last outgoing flight is cancelled due to a broken de-icer and a forthcoming storm, Ben finds a charter plane that can take him around the storm and drop him in Denver to catch a connection.   And when the pilot says the single engine prop plane can fit one more, if barely, Ben offers the seat to Ashley knowing that she needs to get back just as urgently.   And then the unthinkable happens.  The pilot has a heart attack mid-flight and the plane crashes into the High Uintas Wilderness– one of the largest stretches of harsh and remote land in the United States.

Ben, who has broken ribs and Ashley, who suffers a terrible leg fracture, along with the pilot’s dog, are faced with an incredibly harrowing battle to survive.   Fortunately, Ben is a medical professional and avid climber (and in a lucky break, has his gear from a climb earlier in the week).  With little hope for rescue, he must nurse Ashley back to health and figure out how they are going to get off the mountain, where the temperature hovers in the teens.   Meanwhile, Ashley soon realizes that the very private Ben has some serious emotional wounds to heal as well.  He explains to Ashley that he is separated from his beloved wife, but in a long standing tradition, he faithfully records messages for her on his voice recorder reflecting on their love affair.  As Ashley eavesdrops on Ben’s tender words to his estranged wife she comes to fear that when it comes to her own love story, she’s just settling.  And what’s more: she begins to realize that the man she is really attracted to, the man she may love, is Ben.

As the days on the mountains become weeks, their survival become increasingly perilous.  How will they make it out of the wilderness and if they do, how will this experience change them forever?

Both a tender and page-turning read, The Mountain Between Us will reaffirm your belief in the power of love to sustain us.

Which movie adaptation did you love (or love to hate)?

Tags: Alexandre Dumas, Annie Barrows, Charles Martin, Charlotte Bronte, Jane Austen, Mary Ann Shaffer