And this time, it’s personal! Katie over at Doing Dewey is running a sequel to her Book to Movie Challenge next year and in an act of Yuletide madness has offered me the chance to co-anchor. Let’s hope she doesn’t regret it … The premise is simple – review both a book and the movie or TV adaptation made from it – there are 5 levels:
Movie Fan – review 3 books and their movies
Movie Devotee – 6 books and their movies
Movie Lover – 9 books and their movies
Movie Aficionado – 12 books and their movies
Movie Auteur – 24 books and their movies
I have selected the bonkers Movie Auteur level of course as a matter of pride but, as a pre-emptive little Christmas quiz, can you name, off the top of your head, the authors of the books on which the following movies were based?
- Sabotage (1936) directed by Alfred Hitchcock
- Spellbound (1945) starring Ingrid Bergman and Gregory Peck
Force of Evil (1949) with John Garfield- The Breaking Point (1951) co-starring John Garfield and Patricia Neal
- The House Across the Lake (1954) from Hammer Studios
- À double Tour, aka ‘Web of Passion’ with a very young Jean-Paul Belmondo
- Marlowe (1969) pairing James Garner and Bruce Lee
- The Midnight Man (1974) directed by, and starring, Burt Lancaster
- The Black Windmill (1974) starring Michael Caine
- Police Python 357 (1976) starring Yves Montand
- The Fury (1978) starring Kirk Douglas
- Le Professionnel (1981) starring Jean-Paul Belmondo
I hope to review all of these and lots more besides in 2014 – and I hope you’ll join me and sign up over at Katie’s Doing Dewey blog.
Tipping My Fedora 
Sergio – I cannot think of anyone better suited to co-anchor this challenge than you. What a great idea too to encourage people to see how different filmmakers have adapted the written for the screen. Thanks for sharing this news.
Thanks Margot, your encouragement is always a real tonic.
Looking forward to this, especially Marlowe and The Fury. I remember those books and film distinctly.
Thanks Michael.
This is great, Sergio. Katie has picked a worthy co-anchor. Twenty four books to movies! Well, if anyone can do it, it is you. I will be joining in and I hope to do more than three in 2014 but I will still aim for the lower level since I over challenged myself in 2013. Keeping it less stressful this year.
No, I am not trying your quiz. I only know one author in the bunch, but I will be eager to see who gets them all.
Thansk TracyK – should be great fun but I am quite open to the possibility that the Movie Auteur category may end up being a bespoke one just for yoyrs truly 🙂
Quite a challenge you’ve set yourself there my friend, and I wish you all the best with it. There are a handful in your initial list that you and I have chatted about before; I look forward to doing so some more and, as always, learning something new and getting some pointers.
Thanks chum – yup, there are definitely a few books there I’ve been waiting much too long to get round to – now I have to!
I’d actually love to set myself one of these challenges – the thing is I just know I’d end up failing miserably.
Hey, the lowest level is is only 3 in 12 months … you know you want to 🙂
Well, I’m certainly going to mull it over.
Good man!
It’s great that you’re willing to tackle this remarkable project. I’ve yet to see a movie I thought was better than the book. Should you come to such a conclusion, I’ll read the book and see the movie if necessary.
Thanks David – let’s hope I can come up with one! I might agree that it is harder to think of great novels like Anna Karenina or Madame Bovary or even The World According to Garp that were improved by turned into movies but for instance I would argue that more minor works, Pierre Boulle’s Monkey Planet was better when filmed as Planet of the Apes and I think Vertigo is much better than the original original novel for instance. I definitely think the movie of Double Indemnity is superior to Cain’s novel (but I plan to review those so will get back to you in 2014 on that one!)
Thanks so much for joining in Sergio! I’m excited to have you co-hosting this challenge 🙂
Thank you for the very kind offer Katie – let’s see if I can be the Ron Burgundy to your Hildy Johnson 🙂
I’m still debating whether I want to upgrade from Devotee to Lover for 2014. I’ll leave Auteur to the pros!
Thanks for joining in – I believe the Auteur level is purely aspirational … 🙂
I agree, you’d be perfect to co-anchor this mindless challenge, Sergio. Twenty-four reviews? That’s a lot of movies I usually manage to see in five years. Wish you luck!
Thansk Prashant – you could always come in at the starter level chum!
I’ll join the chorus and say that you are indeed the right man for the job, Sergio.
I am tempted to join the challenge too.
Excellent – really looking forward to that!