October 8, 2007

Burn, Baby, Burn

On this date in 1871, the Great Chicago Fire blazed through nearly four square miles in the city, leveling more than 18,000 structures and killing at least 300. You can commemorate the 186th anniversary of the disaster by checking out the dramatic, albeit mostly fictional, Hollywood account of the inferno, the 1937 film In Old Chicago, starring Tyrone Power and Don Ameche. They play the sons of Mrs. O'Leary, who has gone down in legend as the owner of the cow who purportedly started the conflagration. However, those looking for a historically accurate account of the fire might want to turn to Richard Bales' book The Great Chicago Fire and the Myth of Mrs. O'Leary's Cow, which exonerates the unfortunate bovine once and for all. Meanwhile, readers of all ages will enjoy Jim Murphy's award-winning The Great Fire, which includes historical accounts and numerous sepia-tinged photographs of the aftermath of the blaze.

Posted by hplreadingcorner at 12:00 PM

June 6, 2007

Lights, Camera, Read: Summer 2007 Edition

The summer movie season is in full swing, and in the midst of all the blockbusters, there will be a few films with literary underpinnings:

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, based on the novel by J.K. Rowling
Evening, based on the novel by Susan Minot
Jindabyne, based on the story "So Much Water So Close to Home" by Raymond Carver
Stardust, based on the novel by Neil Gaiman

So before you see the movie, check out the book!

Posted by hplreadingcorner at 4:54 PM

January 3, 2007

Lights, Camera, Read: Recent Books to Film

Early winter usually is the best time of year for fans of mature, literate movies, and many thought-provoking releases have arrived in theaters recently. Not surprisingly, several of these films have been adapted from books. Here are a few notable titles:

Notes on a Scandal, based on the novel What Was She Thinking? Notes on a Scandal by Zoe Heller.
Oscar winners Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett play schoolteachers embroiled in a nasty blackmail plot. The Atlantic Monthly called Heller's darkly comic satire "wonderfully entertaining."

The Good German, based on the novel by Joseph Kanon
Steven Soderbergh and George Clooney give an old-school Hollywood treatment to Kanon's suspensful tale of intrigue set in post-World War II Berlin.

The Children of Men, based on the novel by P.D. James
James' novel takes place in 2021, with humanity facing extinction because men have become sterile. Clive Owen and Julianne Moore star in the film.

The Painted Veil, based on the novel by W. Somerset Maugham
Edward Norton and Naomi Watts play an unhappily married British couple who help battle a cholera epidemic in 1920s China.

Posted by hplreadingcorner at 4:13 PM | Comments (268)