Historical Precedents of Literature-to-Film Transitions

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    The literature into film adaptations in the early days of film industry, as a legitimate practice of translative rich narratives resources found within the pages into establishing cinema as a legitimate form of art. Specifically early adaptations of book to film have a long and storied history. The foundation was made in early days bridging the gap between literature and the moving image which reflects not only the text into screen but also the words into emotions, societal narratives into evoked feelings, static cultural dynamics in the pages into liveliness of those practices. The foundations of early days examples of adaptations frame the stage for a rich resource such as storytelling tradition rules cinema today.



Early Examples of Book-to-Film Adaptations

    Book-to-Film adaptations mainly have a long history, dating back to the early days of the cinema industry. Here are some of the early examples of noteworthy adaptations.

  1. Frankenstein (1910)

  • Adapted from: Mary Shelley’s classic novel Frankenstein (1881)

  • This film was released in 1910, written and directed by J.Searle Dawley. It is an American silent horror film produced by Edison Studies.  The film is about only 15 minutes long.


  1. The Ten Commandments (1923)

  • Based on: The Biblical story of Moses. 

  • This film was released in 1923, produced and directed by Cecil B. DeMile. It was written by Jeanie MacPherson. It is an American silent religious epic film. The film was praised for its use of Technicolor process. Many people rank the movie's "parting of the Red Sea" sequence as one of the all-time great special effects.


  1. Romeo and Juliet (1900)

  • Adapted from: Shakespeare’s play “Romeo and Juliet”

  • This film was released in 1900, directed by Clément Maurice. This is believed to be the first film adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”. One remarkable aspect of the movie is the usage of synchronized sound. Because it was recorded onto a cellophane cylinder and played back for the performers to lip-sync to for the first time in this film.


  1. The Phantom of Opera (1925)

  • Adapted from : Gaston Leroux’s novel The Phantom of Opera (1910).

  • This film was released in 1925, directed by Rupert Julian. It is an American silent horror film. One intriguing aspect of the movie is that, according to some, viewers passed out when they first saw him because of the horrifying makeup.


  1. A Farewell to Arms (1932)

  • Adapted from: Ernest Hemingway’s autobiographical novel A Farewell to Arms.

  • This film was released in 1932, directed by Franz Borzage. It is an American pre-code romance drama film. This is about love and loss during World War I featuring Helen Hayes and Gary Cooper, marking the story’s first transition to the big screen. 


  1. The 39 Steps (1935)

  • Adapted from: John Buchan’s 1915 novel The Thirty-Nine Steps.  

  • This film was released in 1935, directed by Alfred Hitchcock. It is a British thriller film. It is considered one of Hitchcock’s early masterpieces and significantly differs from the source material.


  1. David Copperfield (1935)

  • Adapted from: Charles Dickens’ 1850 novel David Copperfield. 

  • This was released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1935. This is one of the first major sound films to utilize the technique of summarizing a lengthy narrative by portraying key scenes and characters. 


  1. The Maltese Falcon (1931 & 1941)

  • Adapted from: Dashiell Hammett’s novel The Maltese Falcon.

  • This was released at first in 1931 and then successfully remade in 1941. It is a hard-boiled detective novel. The 1941 version is particularly notable for establishing many tropes of film noir and demonstrating a successful approach to adapting a complex narrative. 


  1. Gatsby (1949)

  • Adapted from:F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby (1925)

  • This was released in 1949, directed by Elliott Nugent. It is an American historical romance drama film.


  1. East of Eden (1955)

  • Adapted from: John Steinbeck’s novel

  • This was released in 1955, directed by Elia Kazan and written by Paul Osburn. It is an American epic period drama film. This is a modern retelling of the biblical story of Cain and Abel.


    In experiencing early adaptations, as an audience we gain insight about the foundation, evolution, extension, of the cinematic language and knowledge. This early phase of literature into film adaptations laid the strong groundwork for the techniques and style of transmitting the method from story writing into storytelling we explore today.


Numinous Learning!

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