Water cooler: Good on page, good on paper

Whether the book or the movie was better is a timeless debate. Which side do you usually fall on? Check out these book to screen adaptations to put this question to the test, all streaming for free on Kanopy if you are a local library card holder.

“Nowhere in Africa” – A German Jewish family relocates to a farm in Kenya to flee the looming danger of Hitler’s growing influence. They attempt to adjust to life in Africa as the worsening war continues to shuffle and disrupt their family life. Based on the autobiographical novel by Stefanie Zweig. Directed by Carline Link. Starring Juliane Köhler and Merab Nindze. 2001. R. 141 minutes.

“Purple Noon” – A French New Wave loose adaptation of the 1955 novel, “The Talented Mr. Ripley” by Patricia Highsmith. Tom Ripley, criminal improviser extraordinaire, plots to take another man’s life of luxury for his own. Directed by René Clément. Starring Alain Delon. 1960. PG-13. 118 minutes.

“The Virgin Suicides” – A group of teenage boys become fixated on the lives of five strictly sheltered and mysterious sisters, tucked away in the suburbs of 1970s Detroit. Based on the best selling debut novel by Jeffrey Eugenides. Directed by Sofia Coppola. Starring Kirsten Dunst and Josh Hartnett. 1999 R. 97 minutes.

“Maurice” – Based on the homosexual love story by E.M. Forster that was published posthumously in 1971. The story follows Maurice Hall, a man living in early 20th-century England who copes with accepting his sexuality after being rejected by his lover. Directed by James Ivory. Starring James Wilby, Hugh Grant and Rupert Graves. 1987. R. 140 minutes.

“Room” – A mother and son are held captive in a small enclosed space. After seven years they finally gain their freedom. Based on the novel by Irish-Canadian author Emma Donoghue. Directed by Lenny Abrahamson. Starring Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay. 2015. R. 118 minutes.

“Bitter Moon” – A British couple on a Mediterranean cruise encounter a French woman in this erotic romantic thriller. Adapted from the French novel by Pascal Bruckner, “Lunes de fiel” which is a pun of the French phrase “lune de miel” meaning “honeymoon. Directed by Roman Polanski. Starring Hugh Grant, Kristien Scott Thomas and Emmanuelle Seigner. 1992. R. 139 minutes.

“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” – The first film adaptation of the Swedish psychological thriller by Stieg Larsson, which was published posthumously and became an international bestseller. This Swedish-produced film was followed by an American adaptation by David Fincher starring Daniel Craigh and Rooney Mara two years after its release. The story follows a journalist who is aided by hacker Lisbeth Salander to search for the perpetrator of a 40-year-old murder. Directed by Niels Arden Oplev. Starring Michael Nyqvist and Noomie Rapace. 2009. R. 152 minutes.

“What’s Eating Gilbert Grape” – A 24-year-old grocery clerk who cares for his mother and mentally disabled brother in a rural Midwestern town. Peter Hedges wrote the novel as well as the screenplay. Directed by Lasse Hallstöm. Starring Johnny Depp, Leonardo DiCaprio and Juliette Lewis. 1993. PG-13. 118 minutes.