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Top 18 Films Adapted From Great American Novels

By YPB Team

Faithful adaptations line up beside the ones that rewrote the ending — including a couple the novelists disowned.

  1. The Godfather (1972) — ranked #11
    The Godfather (1972)
    Coppola's adaptation of Mario Puzo's novel about the Corleone family, routinely named the greatest American film.
    1000pts
  2. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) — ranked #22
    To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
    Robert Mulligan's film of Harper Lee's novel, with Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch in his Oscar-winning role.
    795pts
  3. Catch-22 (1970) — ranked #33
    Catch-22 (1970)
    Mike Nichols's adaptation of Joseph Heller's war satire, with Alan Arkin as Yossarian.
    530pts
  4. The Old Man and the Sea (1958) — ranked #44
    The Old Man and the Sea (1958)
    John Sturges's version of Hemingway's novella, with Spencer Tracy alone at sea and a Dimitri Tiomkin score.
    485pts
  5. Of Mice and Men (1992) — ranked #55
    Of Mice and Men (1992)
    Gary Sinise's adaptation of Steinbeck's novella, with John Malkovich as Lennie.
    434pts
  6. The Shining (1980) — ranked #66
    The Shining (1980)
    Kubrick's cold, geometric reading of Stephen King's hotel novel, which King himself disliked.
    434pts
  7. The Great Gatsby (1974) — ranked #77
    The Great Gatsby (1974)
    Jack Clayton's lavish adaptation of Fitzgerald's novel, scripted by Francis Ford Coppola with Robert Redford and Mia Farrow.
    376pts
  8. Little Women (2019) — ranked #88
    Little Women (2019)
    Greta Gerwig's restructured adaptation of Louisa May Alcott, with Saoirse Ronan as Jo March.
    376pts
  9. The Great Gatsby (2013) — ranked #99
    The Great Gatsby (2013)
    Baz Luhrmann's 3D, hip-hop-scored take on Fitzgerald, with Leonardo DiCaprio as Gatsby.
    376pts
  10. Slaughterhouse-Five (1972) — ranked #1010
    Slaughterhouse-Five (1972)
    George Roy Hill's time-skipping film of Vonnegut's Dresden novel, which the author praised.
    310pts
  11. No Country for Old Men (2007) — ranked #1111
    No Country for Old Men (2007)
    The Coen brothers' near-literal adaptation of Cormac McCarthy, and the Best Picture winner of its year.
    310pts
  12. The Age of Innocence (1993) — ranked #1212
    The Age of Innocence (1993)
    Scorsese's adaptation of Edith Wharton's Gilded Age novel, all restraint and drawing rooms.
    310pts
  13. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) — ranked #1313
    One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
    Milos Forman's adaptation of Ken Kesey's novel, with Jack Nicholson against Nurse Ratched's ward.
    310pts
  14. Fight Club (1999) — ranked #1414
    Fight Club (1999)
    David Fincher's adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk's debut novel, a flop that turned into a defining cult film.
    234pts
  15. True Grit (2010) — ranked #1515
    True Grit (2010)
    The Coens' second adaptation of Charles Portis's western novel, with Hailee Steinfeld as Mattie Ross.
    234pts
  16. The Grapes of Wrath (1940) — ranked #1616
    The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
    John Ford's Dust Bowl adaptation of Steinbeck, with Henry Fonda as Tom Joad heading west.
    234pts
  17. Gone With the Wind (1939) — ranked #1717
    Gone With the Wind (1939)
    The Technicolor epic drawn from Margaret Mitchell's Civil War novel, still one of the biggest films ever released.
    233pts
  18. The Maltese Falcon (1941) — ranked #1818
    The Maltese Falcon (1941)
    John Huston's debut from Dashiell Hammett's detective novel, with Bogart as Sam Spade.
    39pts

#movies639#directors87#usa291#books87#classics474

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