I admit it. I write about many famous stories on this blog. But one of my favorite things about it is drawing attention to works of art or entertainment about which many people haven’t heard. It gives me joy to think that readers might have been inspired to seek them out thanks to me. Or, you know, it would give me joy if my blog had actual fans but let’s pretend it does for the moment.[1]For the record, I meant that to sound humorous, not bitter. I understand that this blog is unlikely to have a big fanbase because it covers such a random assortment of stuff. A reader interested in, … Continue reading For The Adaptation Station’s three-year anniversary, I thought it would be fun to make a list of my favorite books, movies and TV shows that I’ve discussed on it about which your average joe or jolene probably hasn’t heard. First, I should lay down some guidelines.
I’m not listing every obscure thing about which I’ve blogged, just the ones I consider my favorites. There are others that I also enjoy, just not as much. I wanted to keep the list reasonably short.
I don’t love every item on the list. There are plenty of books, movies, etc. about which I’ve blogged that I prefer to many of the ones I’ve listed. This is the best of the obscure, not the best period. I do consider each one to be OK at the very least though.
I’m only listing adaptations of famous works if they’re ones about which most people haven’t heard. I love the 1999 David Copperfield miniseries and the 1996 Emma movie[2]The one directed by Douglas McGrath, not Diarmuid Lawrence. more than many of the adaptations on this list. But while the average person on the street may not have seen either of them or read their source material for that matter, they have probably heard of that source material and those adaptations are likely to appear first in a Google search, partly because of the famous actors in the lead roles. My goal for this list is to give more publicity to stuff that’s more removed from the mainstream.
On the other hand, I am listing the source materials for famous movies. People who pay attention to credits probably know that Freaky Friday and One Hundred and One Dalmatians were based on books, so, strictly speaking, they have heard about them. But I’m not sure how many have actually taken the time to read them, and I’d like to see the number increase, so they’re going on the list. So really this is a list of books about which people know without having read them and movies and shows about which they haven’t heard at all.
I’m counting filmed plays as movies/television. If I didn’t, I would have to include a category with only two entries.
I’m listing these in alphabetical order. Ranking them is just too hard for me.
If a title isn’t a link, it’s because I’ve already linked to the post about it. Some of my posts are about multiple adaptations of the same source material. Also, I’ve included both lesser-known books and (my favorite) adaptations of them. If an image intrigues you but there’s no link to it, just scroll back up and you should find what you seek before too long.
I can’t guarantee you’re going to like any or all of them. My taste can be weird sometimes. Of the people who have read or watched these things, not all of them enjoyed them as much as I did. In some cases, very few did. I mean, hey, what would be the point of having my own blog if I couldn’t express an unpopular opinion on it now and then? I do recommend everything on this list in that I think they each deserve a chance, but I don’t recommend them in that I think anyone reading this list will love every item on it. But there’s probably one that you, whoever you may be, would love though. It’s your job to figure out which one it is.
With that warning out of the way…
Books
Caging Skies by Christine Leunens[3]I know many people would find this book too unpleasant to be enjoyed and I can’t blame them. It’s not a big favorite of mine. But it has such great prose and such a striking story that I … Continue reading
Coriolanus by William Shakespeare[4]I know this is technically a script for a play, not a book but I’m recommending the play itself, not any particular production of it. Like Caging Skies, this is not a pleasant work of art with … Continue reading
The Cricket on the Hearth by Charles Dickens[5]I feel weird putting this on the list but not Bleak House by the same author. Both books contain many great things, and both are also very flawed. I decided to just include this one since while you … Continue reading
Freaky Friday by Mary Rodgers
The Hundred and One Dalmatians by Dodie Smith
Lady Susan by Jane Austen
The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens
Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens
Love and Freindship (sic) by Jane Austen[6]OK, I’ve never actually blogged about any adaptations of this obscure book, just an adaptation of Lady Susan that borrows this book’s title. But it’s so hilarious that I had to … Continue reading
Mary Poppins Comes Back by P. L. Travers[7]Many people are probably inspired by the original Mary Poppins movie to check out the first book in the series, I don’t know how many of them go on to read the whole series. As you can guess … Continue reading
Movies
As You Like It (2006)
A Boy Named Charlie Brown (1969)
Fantasia 2000 (which was actually released in 1999.)[8]You’ve probably heard of the original Fantasia even though you probably haven’t seen it but not this sequel.
Freaky Friday (1976)[9]Most people know about the 2003 Freaky Friday or perhaps the 2018 one since it’s the most recent but not the first adaptation. Many probably don’t even realize the 2003 movie is a remake.
Fun and Fancy Free (1947)[10]I feel bad for including this “anim-anthology movie” and not the more consistently great The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad. But I’d feel weird including that one and not the … Continue reading
The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby (1947)
Little Women (2018)[11]I still say Sarah Davenport is the best Jo March and Allie Jennings is the best Beth.
Love and Friendship (2016)
Nicholas Nickleby (2002)
Peter Pan (1924)
Peter Pan (2000)[12]Technically, people have heard of this musical but they’re more likely to watch either the first filmed version or the most recent one. That’s too bad because this “middle … Continue reading
Race For Your Life, Charlie Brown (1977)
Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (2003)[13]If all of Dreamworks’s animated movies were trapped in a burning building, I’d actually rescue this one before trying to save any of the Shrek or How to Train Your Dragon movies. … Continue reading
Snoopy Come Home (1972)
Television Series and Specials
Charlie Brown’s All Stars (1966)
It’s Arbor Day, Charlie Brown (1976)
It’s a Mystery, Charlie Brown (1974)
The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby (1982)
The Life and Adventures of Nick Nickleby (2012)[14]Yes, I’m including each of my top four Nicholas Nickleby adaptations. What? It’s an awesome story!
Little Dorrit (2008)
Play It Again, Charlie Brown (1971)
Jim Henson’s The Storyteller (1987-1989)[15]Part of me feels bad for not also putting Shelley Duvall’s Faerie Tale Theatre on this list. But people are less likely to have heard of The Storyteller. And it is much more consistently great.
There’s No Time for Love, Charlie Brown (1973)
You’re Not Elected, Charlie Brown (1972)[16]Yes, I’m also including every underrated Peanuts special. Just be glad I’m only doing the ones I described in some detail and not ones that got throwaway mentions.
Well, I think that’s a good list even if Nicholas Nickleby and Charlie Brown did take up large portions of it. As a reward for those who made it all the way to the end, I’d like to take this opportunity to recommend something I haven’t on this blog before. Well, technically speaking. If you’ll scroll up a little bit, you’ll see a link to an early post of mine about the old TV series The Storyteller, which adapted several European folktales in a way that felt both classic and unique. I didn’t mention that the show’s acclaimed screenwriter, Anthony Minghella, also wrote a tie-in book version of it, retelling each of the short-lived show’s nine episodes. It’s just as beautifully written as the show and since I’m more of a book guy than a television guy, I’d probably say I enjoy it even more.[17]Though it is true that the book doesn’t have the delightful comedy of the Storyteller’s dog. Give it a read if you can.
So… had you heard of anything on this list? Did anything pique your interest? It’d make me glad to know on my blog’s anniversary that it was responsible for directing anyone to a hidden gem.
References
| ↑1 | For the record, I meant that to sound humorous, not bitter. I understand that this blog is unlikely to have a big fanbase because it covers such a random assortment of stuff. A reader interested in, say, my posts about adaptations of Les Misérables isn’t necessarily going to be interested in reading about Freaky Friday adaptations too. It’s a price I willingly pay to get to write about stuff that interests me rather than worrying about a target audience. |
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| ↑2 | The one directed by Douglas McGrath, not Diarmuid Lawrence. |
| ↑3 | I know many people would find this book too unpleasant to be enjoyed and I can’t blame them. It’s not a big favorite of mine. But it has such great prose and such a striking story that I felt compelled to include it. |
| ↑4 | I know this is technically a script for a play, not a book but I’m recommending the play itself, not any particular production of it. Like Caging Skies, this is not a pleasant work of art with its rather unlikeable protagonist. But he’s an unlikeable protagonist to whom I personally relate, something I can’t say of every Shakespearean tragic lead. (To my way of thinking, Lear was an old idiot, Romeo and Juliet young idiots, Cleopatra a treacherous diva and Hamlet a self-righteous, self-absorbed, navel gazer.) And the play’s climax is one of the most powerful in all of Shakespeare’s oeuvre. |
| ↑5 | I feel weird putting this on the list but not Bleak House by the same author. Both books contain many great things, and both are also very flawed. I decided to just include this one since while you likely haven’t read either, you’re more likely to have heard of Bleak House. And Cricket on the Hearth does have the virtue of brevity. |
| ↑6 | OK, I’ve never actually blogged about any adaptations of this obscure book, just an adaptation of Lady Susan that borrows this book’s title. But it’s so hilarious that I had to include it here, especially since many of the tropes it satirizes, mainly that forbidden love is inherently nobler than unforbidden love, are still familiar to us today. |
| ↑7 | Many people are probably inspired by the original Mary Poppins movie to check out the first book in the series, I don’t know how many of them go on to read the whole series. As you can guess from the title, this book was the main source for Mary Poppins Returns. |
| ↑8 | You’ve probably heard of the original Fantasia even though you probably haven’t seen it but not this sequel. |
| ↑9 | Most people know about the 2003 Freaky Friday or perhaps the 2018 one since it’s the most recent but not the first adaptation. Many probably don’t even realize the 2003 movie is a remake. |
| ↑10 | I feel bad for including this “anim-anthology movie” and not the more consistently great The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad. But I’d feel weird including that one and not the 1995 animated Wind in the Willows which is a more accurate adaptation and that one sadly hasn’t endeared itself enough to me to make this list. |
| ↑11 | I still say Sarah Davenport is the best Jo March and Allie Jennings is the best Beth. |
| ↑12 | Technically, people have heard of this musical but they’re more likely to watch either the first filmed version or the most recent one. That’s too bad because this “middle child” is easily the best of the three and one of the most sheer fun Peter Pan adaptations I’ve seen. |
| ↑13 | If all of Dreamworks’s animated movies were trapped in a burning building, I’d actually rescue this one before trying to save any of the Shrek or How to Train Your Dragon movies. That’s not to say I dislike those. I just prefer this movie. |
| ↑14 | Yes, I’m including each of my top four Nicholas Nickleby adaptations. What? It’s an awesome story! |
| ↑15 | Part of me feels bad for not also putting Shelley Duvall’s Faerie Tale Theatre on this list. But people are less likely to have heard of The Storyteller. And it is much more consistently great. |
| ↑16 | Yes, I’m also including every underrated Peanuts special. Just be glad I’m only doing the ones I described in some detail and not ones that got throwaway mentions. |
| ↑17 | Though it is true that the book doesn’t have the delightful comedy of the Storyteller’s dog. |