Customer Reviews

Adaptations: From Short Story to Big Screen: 35 Great Stories That Have Inspired Great Films

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I just came across this at my local bookstore. Wow! I had no idea that so many famous movies were adapted from short stories. A Face in the Crowd is one of my favorite films, but I never knew it was a short story first. Also, I'm a fan of Harvey Pekar's, so I was particularly happy to see that his graphic story, "The Harvey Pekar Name Story" was included (the film is American Splendor). The introductions to each section are interesting and contain a lot of information I was unacquainted with. Who knew that F. Scott Fitzgerald once tried his hand at adapting his classic story "Babylon Revisited" as a vehicle for Shirley Temple? Good reading for movie fans and people who enjoy short stories.

Have you ever waited with great anticipation for the arrival of a movie where you love the book? Then you watch the movie and are disappointed because it wasn't anything like the book. Movies and Books are connected through story. The story has to be good in each form for it to achieve the desired result.

Stephanie Harrison has written a fascinating look at the connection between 35 short stories and the great films which resulted. This book includes the short stories and insight into how the story was adapted into a movie. The key message which I received is that whether it is a short story or a movie, the foundation of storytelling has to be excellent to achieve the desired result.

If you love movies and short stories or just want to learn about the skill of adaptation, I highly recommend this book.

This is a wonderul collection of stories that have been adapted for film. The book provides revealing commentary from screenwriters and directors and fascinating tidbits of unknown filmography. It is a wonderful find for screenwriters and short story writers and film lovers. Stephanie Harrison writes insightful introductions to each genre. A real treasure.

Interesting in that it allows film lovers to see what preceded the screenplay and the subsequent film.
Any film buff will enjoy this book.