The Oscars air tomorrow night! There are nine movies up for the best picture award, three of which are based on books.
Best Picture Nominees
Amour
Argo
Beasts of The Southern Wild
Beasts of The Southern Wild
Django Unchained
Les MiserablesLife of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty
And the winners are...
Les Misérables by Victor Hugo was published in 1862. It follows the lives of several characters starting in 1815 and ending in the Parisian anti-monarchist rebellion of 1832 (June Rebellion). It's probably most famously known for it's 1980 musical adaptation which is still performed today. The 2012 movie adaptation, starring Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway, is based on the musical. The first movie adaptation of Les Miserables, made in 1935, was based on the book itself and was also nominated for best picture.
Life of Pi by Yann Martel is a fantasy adventure novel that follows the life of a character named Pi Patel as he reminisces about his childhood, contemplates his spirituality, and spends 227 shipwrecked in the Pacific Ocean with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. The 2012 film is directed by Ang Lee and stars newcomer Suraj Sharma.
Lincoln, the biopic film, directed by Steven Spielberg is partially based on the 2005 biography Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin. The book focuses on President Lincoln and several of his cabinet members, who had run against him in the 1860 election. She follows them from 1861-1865 as they deal with abolition and the civil war.
Silver Linings Playbook is based on the novel The Silver Lining Playbook (LINK+) by Matthew Quick (published in 2008). The novel follows Pat, a former history teacher and widower, after he is released from the neurology hospital where he has stayed the last several years. The 2012 film stars Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence, who has been nominated for best actress.
Argo and Zero Dark Thirty are not based on particular books, but they are based on real events/real people.
Argo is a dramatization of an event frequently called "The Canadian Caper." The Canadian government and the American CIA worked together to rescue hostages from Islamist militants in 1979. CIA Agent Tony Mendez, who is played by actor/director Ben Affleck in the film, wrote The Master of Disguise: My Life in the CIA by Antonio Mendez detailing his time in the CIA.
Zero Dark Thirty is dramatization of the American military's search for Osama Bin Laden. Like Lincoln, the movie is not based upon a particular book, but there are several recent titles which detail the topic. This includes a biography from Navy Seal Marc Owen, titled No Easy Day: The Autobiography of a Navy Seal which was reviewed for the library blog The Book Bucket List.
And the winners are...
Lincoln, the biopic film, directed by Steven Spielberg is partially based on the 2005 biography Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin. The book focuses on President Lincoln and several of his cabinet members, who had run against him in the 1860 election. She follows them from 1861-1865 as they deal with abolition and the civil war. Silver Linings Playbook is based on the novel The Silver Lining Playbook (LINK+) by Matthew Quick (published in 2008). The novel follows Pat, a former history teacher and widower, after he is released from the neurology hospital where he has stayed the last several years. The 2012 film stars Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence, who has been nominated for best actress.Argo and Zero Dark Thirty are not based on particular books, but they are based on real events/real people.
Argo is a dramatization of an event frequently called "The Canadian Caper." The Canadian government and the American CIA worked together to rescue hostages from Islamist militants in 1979. CIA Agent Tony Mendez, who is played by actor/director Ben Affleck in the film, wrote The Master of Disguise: My Life in the CIA by Antonio Mendez detailing his time in the CIA.Zero Dark Thirty is dramatization of the American military's search for Osama Bin Laden. Like Lincoln, the movie is not based upon a particular book, but there are several recent titles which detail the topic. This includes a biography from Navy Seal Marc Owen, titled No Easy Day: The Autobiography of a Navy Seal which was reviewed for the library blog The Book Bucket List. Lastly, while not a book Beasts of the Southern Wild was originally a one-act play that the playwright developed into a screenplay. The play is available in ebook format through booksellers.
