Classic Literary Adaptations
Some stories are just more cinematic than others, including many written long before cinema even existed. This week, we’ve compiled a list of some of our favorite classic literary adaptations — several of which have been brought to the big screen more than twice.
16 Titles
Date Created: April 1, 2025
Emma.
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Emma.
Autumn de Wilde
·
2020
·
United Kingdom
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Emma.
A young woman heedlessly meddles in people’s romantic affairs as she tries to play matchmaker.
Critics:
★
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Users:
★
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- United Kingdom · 2020
- Director: Autumn de Wilde
- Cast: Anya Taylor-Joy, Johnny Flynn, Josh O'Connor, Callum Turner, Mia Goth, Miranda Hart
- Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
- Available on: YouTube TV, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Peacock Premium, Google Play Movies, Apple TV, Peacock Premium Plus
War and Peace
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War and Peace
2016
·
United Kingdom
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War and Peace
Users:
★
★
★
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★
- United Kingdom · 2016
- Cast: Lily James, James Norton, Paul Dano, Gillian Anderson
- Genre: Drama, History, Romance
- Available on: Peacock Premium, The Roku Channel, Amazon Prime Video Free with Ads, Peacock Premium Plus, Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Google Play Movies, Apple TV, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video
Pride & Prejudice
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Pride & Prejudice
Joe Wright
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2005
·
France, United Kingdom, United States
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Pride & Prejudice
Elizabeth Bennet will marry for love, no matter what the consequences.
Critics:
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Users:
★
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- France, United Kingdom, United States · 2005
- Director: Joe Wright
- Cast: Keira Knightley, Matthew Macfadyen, Rosamund Pike, Simon Woods, Donald Sutherland, Brenda Blethyn
- Genre: Drama, Romance
- Available on: Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, YouTube
Hamlet
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Hamlet
Gregory Doran
·
2009
·
United Kingdom, Japan, United States
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Hamlet
David Tennant stars in a film of the Royal Shakespeare Company's award-winning production of Shakespeare's great play.
Users:
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- United Kingdom, Japan, United States · 2009
- Director: Gregory Doran
- Cast: David Tennant, Patrick Stewart, Penny Downie, Oliver Ford Davies, Mariah Gale, Edward Bennett
- Genre: Drama
- Available on: Fandango At Home, Amazon Video
Anna Karenina
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Anna Karenina
Joe Wright
·
2012
·
United Kingdom
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Anna Karenina
In St. Petersburg, members of aristocratic society pine after objects of their affection who are seldom their own spouses.
Critics:
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Users:
★
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- United Kingdom · 2012
- Director: Joe Wright
- Cast: Keira Knightley, Jude Law, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Kelly Macdonald, Matthew Macfadyen, Domhnall Gleeson
- Genre: Drama, Romance
- Available on: YouTube, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Apple TV, Amazon Video
Peter Pan
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Peter Pan
P.J. Hogan
·
2003
·
United Kingdom, Australia, United States
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Peter Pan
Peter Pan leads Wendy Darling and her brothers over moonlit rooftops through a galaxy of stars and to the lush jungles of Neverland.
Critics:
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Users:
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- United Kingdom, Australia, United States · 2003
- Director: P.J. Hogan
- Cast: Jeremy Sumpter, Jason Isaacs, Rachel Hurd-Wood, Lynn Redgrave, Richard Briers, Olivia Williams
- Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Family
- Available on: Apple TV, Amazon Video, Fandango At Home, YouTube, Google Play Movies
Alice
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Alice
Jan Švankmajer
·
1988
·
Czechoslovakia, Switzerland, United Kingdom
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Alice (Něco z Alenky)
A memorably bizarre screen version of Lewis Carroll’s novel ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’.
Users:
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- Czechoslovakia, Switzerland, United Kingdom, West Germany · 1988
- Director: Jan Švankmajer
- Cast: Kristýna Kohoutová
- Genre: Animation, Comedy, Fantasy
- Available on: Hoopla, OVID, Kanopy
Ran
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Ran
Akira Kurosawa
·
1985
·
Japan, France
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Ran (乱)
The Greatest Shakespeare Film
Critics:
★
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Users:
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- Japan, France · 1985
- Director: Akira Kurosawa
- Cast: Tatsuya Nakadai, Akira Terao, Jinpachi Nezu, Daisuke Ryû, Mieko Harada, Yoshiko Miyazaki
- Genre: Action, Drama, History
- Available on: Plex Channel, BFI Player Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, Plex, Tubi TV, Kanopy
Great Expectations
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Great Expectations
David Lean
·
1946
·
United Kingdom
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Great Expectations
We follow Pip, and orphan in Victorian England, as he learns the ways of high society.
Critics:
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Users:
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- United Kingdom · 1946
- Director: David Lean
- Cast: John Mills, Tony Wager, Valerie Hobson, Jean Simmons, Bernard Miles, Francis L. Sullivan
- Genre: Drama, Romance
- Available on: Plex Channel, Artiflix, Amazon Video, Mometu, Fawesome, fuboTV, Criterion Channel, Apple TV, FlixFling, HBO Max, The Roku Channel, Pluto TV, Plex, HBO Max Amazon Channel, Tubi TV, Shout! Factory TV
All Quiet on the Western Front
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All Quiet on the Western Front
Edward Berger
·
2022
·
Germany, United States, United Kingdom
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All Quiet on the Western Front (Im Westen nichts Neues)
A German film adaptation of the epic 1929 anti-war novel by Erich Maria Remarque.
Critics:
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Users:
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- Germany, United States, United Kingdom · 2022
- Director: Edward Berger
- Cast: Felix Kammerer, Albrecht Schuch, Aaron Hilmer, Edin Hasanović, Devid Striesow, Daniel Brühl
- Genre: Action, Drama, War
- Available on: Netflix Standard with Ads, Netflix
The Leopard
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The Leopard
Luchino Visconti
·
1963
·
Italy, France
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The Leopard (Il gattopardo)
Luchino Visconti's enduring romantic adventure, set amidst the social changes of Italian unification.
Critics:
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Users:
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- Italy, France · 1963
- Director: Luchino Visconti
- Cast: Burt Lancaster, Alain Delon, Claudia Cardinale, Paolo Stoppa, Terence Hill, Pierre Clémenti
- Genre: Drama
- Available on: YouTube, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video
Barry Lyndon
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Barry Lyndon
Stanley Kubrick
·
1975
·
United Kingdom, United States
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Barry Lyndon
Redmon Barry is a young farm boy who challenges a British Captain to a duel over the woman he loves.
Critics:
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Users:
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- United Kingdom, United States · 1975
- Director: Stanley Kubrick
- Cast: Ryan O'Neal, Marisa Berenson, Patrick Magee, Hardy Krüger, Diana Körner, Gay Hamilton
- Genre: Drama, Romance, War
- Available on: Fandango At Home, Apple TV, Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube
Beau Travail
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Beau Travail
Claire Denis
·
2000
·
France
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Beau Travail (Beau travail)
Maybe freedom begins with remorse.
Critics:
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Users:
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- France · 2000
- Director: Claire Denis
- Cast: Denis Lavant, Michel Subor, Grégoire Colin, Nicolas Duvauchelle, Richard Courcet, Adiatou Massudi
- Genre: Drama
- Available on: YouTube, Google Play Movies, Criterion Channel, Apple TV, Fandango At Home, HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max, Amazon Video
Throne of Blood
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Throne of Blood
Akira Kurosawa
·
1957
·
Japan
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Throne of Blood (蜘蛛巣城)
Akira Kurosawa's resetting of William Shakespeare's "Macbeth" in feudal Japan ranks among his most acclaimed films.
Users:
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- Japan · 1957
- Director: Akira Kurosawa
- Cast: Toshirō Mifune, Isuzu Yamada, Akira Kubo, Takashi Shimura, Minoru Chiaki, Hiroshi Tachikawa
- Genre: Drama, History
- Available on: Apple TV, Fandango At Home, HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, HBO Max, Amazon Video
Solaris
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Solaris
Andrei Tarkovsky
·
1972
·
Soviet Union
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Solaris (Солярис)
A psychologist must keep his mind intact as he navigates a space station full of strange visions.
Critics:
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Users:
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- Soviet Union · 1972
- Director: Andrei Tarkovsky
- Cast: Donatas Banionis, Natalya Bondarchuk, Jüri Järvet, Anatoliy Solonitsyn, Nikolay Grinko, Vladislav Dvorzhetsky
- Genre: Adventure, Drama, Mystery, Science Fiction
- Available on: Amazon Video, Tubi TV, Kanopy, Shout! Factory TV, Fandango At Home, Plex, YouTube, Google Play Movies, HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max, Apple TV, Plex Channel, Criterion Channel
The Tin Drum
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The Tin Drum
Volker Schlöndorff
·
1979
·
West Germany, France, Poland
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The Tin Drum (Die Blechtrommel)
A savage, sweeping epic of a German society in chaos.
Critics:
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Users:
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- West Germany, France, Poland, Yugoslavia · 1979
- Director: Volker Schlöndorff
- Cast: Mario Adorf, Angela Winkler, David Bennent, Katharina Thalbach, Daniel Olbrychski, Tina Engel
- Genre: Drama, History, War
- Available on: Criterion Channel, Fandango At Home, Apple TV, HBO Max