Screen Spiel Podcast

London Fields is a 1989 novel by Martin Amis. It tells the story of Nicola Six a clairvoyant that foretells her impending murder... Sounds great right? This film version from 2018 has a 0% rating on rotten tomatoes and one of the worst US box office openings of all time. It stars Amber Heard and Billy Bob Thornton with an uncredited appearance from Johnny Depp.  We discuss our thoughts on this film and give a spoiler free review. (available on Netflix UK) perhaps the book belongs on the 100 greatest novels list but what went wrong with the adaptation?    

This Charles Dickens classic got it's first theatrical film adaptation for 50 years recently. This new film version stars Dev Patel as David Copperfield and gave this well known book a modern spin but still in keeping with the original novel.  We talk about the link between the story and Charles Dickens life along with our thoughts on how this book has been brought to screen.  The film is due to be released in US cinemas later this year.         

It's off to the 1920's for the next book we're watching. The Great Gatsby was written by American author F. Scott Fitzgerald. It tells the tale of decadence and love on Long Island. The book wasn't a success on publication but is now considered a classic.   The film version we watched was the Baz Luhrmann directed 2013 adaptation and starring Leonardo DiCaprio in the title role.  We discuss the story, characters we meet and how this version of the book has been brought to screen.    

A new version of Little Women directed by Greta Gerwig was released in Dec 2019 to huge critical success. Fresh from seeing the film at the cinema Mark & Sarah discuss this new version and how it compares to the 1994 film. The 90's film is highly regarded so we were intrigued to find out how this new version has adapted this classic book to the big screen.  If you haven't seen this film yet we recommend you watch it first as there are some plot spoilers mentioned in this episode.   

This episode we're looking at a more modern book than usual. Disgrace was first published in 1999 and won the booker prize.  The novel is set in set in post-apartheid South Africa and often is included in influential or must read lists of books.  We watched the 2008 film adaptation which stars John Malkovich. Not knowing anything about this book or film before we watched it we discuss the plot and the themes of this story. 

This episode we're back revisiting an old favourite of ours. In our first episode we watched the 1986 film adaptation of The Name of the Rose a 1980 book by Umberto Eco.  We were very excited when we heard that a new TV mini series would be broadcast in 2019. This is an Italian produced 8 part series starring John Turturro, Rupert Everett and Damien Hardung.  The film version left a lasting impression on us so in this episode we compare what this new version brings to the screen and discuss how this series has been adapted. You can listen to our first episode here: https://www.podbean.com/eu/pb-ysjm6-73e938 This new version of The Name of the Rose was shown in the UK on BBC2 and is currently available on iplayer if you haven't seen to yet. Its also generally now available in DVD.   

This time we're discussing the French novel by Alexandre Dumas. The Three Musketeers is such a well known story and has had many film adaptations. We chose to watch the 1973 live action film which is one of the more well known film versions.  If you're not sure what The Musketeers are all about then we go through and try to explain what happens and also how this film stands up in its own right.   

This is a quick mini episode to give you an update of what we've been up to. We'll be back very soon continuing to watch the 100 greatest books.  Look out for a big update, the podcast will be having a new name 'Books We've Watched' so look out over the next few weeks for the re-launch!   

One Thousand And One Nights is a series of folk tales complied in Arabic from as early as the 9th century. There are many versions of the book from which famous stories such as Aladdin and Ali Baba and the forty thieves originate from.  We're watching a 2000 TV mini series 'Arabian Nights' which covers some of the original book. Has this version stood the test of time as the book has? If the casting has anything to go by maybe not! Also we actually chat about a current film 'Once Upon A Time In Hollywood' and what else is coming up that we want to see. 

We're back in America for our next film 'The Grapes Of Wrath' which was a 1939 novel by John Stienbeck, well known for 'Of Mice And Men' and 'East of Eden'. Set during the great depression, the film version was released in 1940 and starred Henry Fonda in the title role of Tom Joad. The film follows a family of migrant workers travelling to California toward a better life.  Both the book and the film are considered American classics in their own right. Join Mark & Sarah as they learn what this film is about and how it stands up today. 

Herman Melville described his 1851 novel as 'A romance of adventure'  - not sure if we would agree! We chose to watch the 2011 TV mini series based on this book. The cast list looks great, William Hurt, Gillian Anderson, Ethan Hawke, Donald Sutherland. At about 3 hours this whale of a mini series tests our patience but will it be worth the time to learn more about this highly regarded novel? Also Mark runs down his top 3 Whales in film.

A few of the books on our list don't have film or tv adaptations. We look at one of these books, Catcher In The Rye by american author J.D. Salinger published in 1951.  It's a hugely successful book and well known as a coming of age story. Why has this book never been adapted into a film? Our challenge is to watch the 100 greatest films, so for any books that don't have an adaptation we'll be swapping it with another from a different list. Sarah chooses our next replacement.....  

Episode 30 and we're back with some period drama. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott was not originally on our top 100 but was chosen by Sarah as a substitute for a novel on our list without a film adaptation.  We're talking about the 1994 film which stars Winona Ryder and Christian Bale. Will this american classic leave an impression on us? With the new film adaptation coming out at the end of 2019 this is a good time to take a look and learn what this well known story is all about.  We also talk about the novel we swapped it for on our list 'Life: A Users Manual' and Sarah has discovered another book by the same author that sounds very interesting!      

After a couple of weeks away we're back with an extra long episode. Our next novel on screen is 'The Tin Drum' a controversial German film from 1979.  Critically acclaimed but also highly divisive the film was banned in some parts of the world for is obscenity and portraying underage sexuality.  Mark & Sarah discuss the plot of the film - trying to make sense of it - this could be another high rating in our Mary Whitehouse scale of morals! Where will this rank our list overall? Does anything shock us any more? Also a few news updates - why has the BBC War of The Worlds still not been shown yet?      

Hear all about it! Scoop was a 1938 novel by Evelyn Waugh. It's a parody of the writers time as a war correspondent for the Daily Mail. We watch the 1987 ITV drama adaptation starring Michael Maloney in the starring role of William Boot. Garanteed no one else has ever produced a podcast about this obscure piece of TV, Mark & Sarah discuss the story and how this book has been brought to the small screen. 

Blessed be the fruit! We've reached episode 27 on our book adaptations list. Margaret Atwood's dystopian novel from 1985 was adapted as a TV series on Hulu in 2017. The series has been hugely popular and is due to start it's third series next month. We watch and discuss the whole of series 1, looking at the world in which this series takes place and the main characters we follow.  Sarah has read the book and tells us what is and isn't the same in this adaptation.  Warning! This episode contains spoilers for the whole of the first series! If you've not seen it yet, catch up and come back or listen to this as a beginners guide to the book and TV show. Sarah also eats crisps during some of the chat which you may be able to hear.

Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie won the booker prize in 1981 and is considered an all time great novel.  We're watching the 2012 film adaptation and discuss it's mix of realism, magic and how the book has been translated to the screen.  Also a few news updates and our usual ratings!   

Lucky Jim is a 1957 film starring Ian Carmichael and based on the 1954 novel by Kingsley Amis. Mark and Sarah give their verdict on this film and if this book  deserves it's place on the list of 100 greatest novels. We also discuss whether comedy can go out of date.   

France during World War II is the setting for our latest novel adaptation. Suite Française is a 2015 film starring Michelle Williams. The book itself has an interesting history, being written during the war but only published in 2004.  Neither of us had heard of this one until we watched it. How will it score?

A few of the books on our list don't have film or tv adaptations! We look at one of these books, Life: A User's Manual by Georges Perec.  Our challenge is to watch the 100 greatest films, so for any books that don't have an adaptation we'll be swapping it with another from a different list. Sarah chooses our first replacement..... If you have any ideas for filmss we should watch email us at ScreenSpielPod@gmail.com    

We're off to the green hills of Ireland for this episode on the 16 June 1904 to be exact. James Joyce's modernist novel Ulysses depicts an ordinary day in the life of Leopold Bloom as he goes about his day in Dublin. The novel has been described as one of the most important works of modernist literature.  Will this make a good film adaptation? Mark and Sarah watch the 2003 Irish made film version of the book 'Bloom' and discuss how this work translates to the screen. This could be a tough one to score and not just because Mark has a swollen eye!

We're getting on our raft and heading down the Mississippi river for our latest episode! The next novel on the list is 'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn' written by Mark Twain and first published in 1885. This is a very well known american classic and there are lots of film adaptations. The film we're discussing is the 1993 Disney produced version 'The Adventures of Huck Finn'. The film stars a young Elijah Wood in the title role.   

It's alive! Episode 21 is alive! It's Mary Shelley's 1818 novel of science gone wrong 'Frankenstein' this time and we're watching the 1931 Hollywood take on the story which starred Boris Karloff as the famous monster.  Mark and Sarah discuss the film version and compare it to Mary Shelley's original novel as there are quite a few differences! Which version do you know best?        

To celebrate getting up to 20 in our 100 greatest novels list Mark and Sarah are quizzed on the titles they have discussed so far.  Our quizmaster is special guest Phil from the Organised Fun podcast. Has any knowledge from these great novel adaptations sunk in?  20 down 80 to go......

We made it to 20 episodes! Our 20th novel on our list is a well known classic science fiction. H.G Wells The War Of The Worlds which was first published in 1898. Mark and Sarah are watching the 2005 film version that stars Tom Cruise and directed by Steven Spielberg. Does that make it a good blockbuster? Mark also talks about the musical version from the 1970's and we discuss the forthcoming BBC adaptation due for release later in the year. You can get in touch with us at ScreenSpielPod@gmail.com. Find us ScreenSpielPod on Facebook and Twitter for more info and to have a look at the list of 100 novels that we're 'watching'.  

I dreamed a dream of a new podcast episode! We watch our first musical in the list so far and it's the 2012 film version of Victor Hugo's 1862 novel Les Miserables. We discuss the stage version and also the recent 2019 BBC TV adaptation.  Does this book deserve it's place in the 100 greatest novels and what do Mark and Sarah think of this film version?  

Mark & Sarah continue their quest to watch the 100 greatest novels. In this episode we take a look at 'The Code Of The Woosters' a 1938 novel by P.G Wodehouse. We watch the 1990's TV series 'Jeeves and Wooster' two episodes of which are adapted from the novel. The series stars Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry.  Also we have some Name Of The Rose news! Sarah talks a bit about Hugh Laurie's US TV series 'House' and speaking of houses Mark is very excited by the location used for the episodes that we watched.    

Next in our list of the 100 greatest novels is a very controversial book and film. 'Crash' by J.G Ballard was first published in 1973 and is about car crash as a fetish.  The film version we're discussing is the 1996 adaptation directed by David Cronenberg. It's highly regarded as a shocking film but is it actually a film worth watching for enjoyment?  It's a bit of a change after the costume dramas we've been watching so far. After watching this one nothing will shock Mark and Sarah anymore!

The challenge continues to watch the 100 greatest novels. Mark and Sarah return to director Joe Wright for his third adaptation after 'Atonement' and 'Pride and Prejudice' Anna Karenina is a Russian novel by Leo Tolstoy written in 1877.  This film stars Keira Knightley, Jude Law and Aaron Taylor-Johnson. Will this be another successful adaption for Joe Wright?  

We're back and it's Christmas!  This episode we take a break from our usual novels on screen challenge and watch a Christmas film. Elf is a film from 2003 starring Will Ferrell. We also talk Christmas films in general and take a look at the Time Out top 10 Christmas films.    

We're of to the english countryside in Sussex for our next novel. 'Cold Comfort Farm' by Stella Gibbons was first published in 1932.  This light hearted novel was adapted as a TV movie in 1995 starring Kate Beckinsale in one of her first major roles.  This certainly looks to be one of our favourites so far!

Mark & Sarah face their biggest challenge yet with an 11th century Japanese piece of literature which is said to be the first ever novel. The Tale of Genji is difficult to follow even in the origianl Japanese so the film chosen is 'Genji monogatari: Sennen no nazo' from 2011. A Japanese adaptation of the book which also adds in elements about the writing of the original novel.  All hope of pronouncing names correctly go out of the window and Sarah also gets some exciting news about her favourite film 'The Name of The Rose' The Genji in the film we watched was played by Tôma Ikuta The female Genji in a different film from 2001 was played by Yûki Amami   

Thirteenth in our quest is a series of novels known as The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman (or Tristram Shandy) by Laurence Sterne. The film adapation is the 2005 british comedy film starring Steve Coogan titled A Cock And Bull Story. Mark & Sarah struggle to find anything to say about this one as it dosen't follow the novel very closely but is it a good film in it's own right?

Mark & Sarah take a look at an adaptation of this novel by Henry Fielding from 1749. They watch the 1997 BBC TV series starring Max Beesley in the title role.  It taken a long time for us to watch this one! We breakdown the main points in the plot and discuss the unusual style this peroid drama has.  Where will it rate in our quest so far? What rating on the Mary Whitehouse scale will we give it? Email us at ScreenSpielPod@gmail.com with your thoughts and visit our Twitter @ScreenSpielPod to view our list of 100 greatest novels we;re watching our way through!

The Moonstone written by Wilkie Collins in 1868 has been described as the worlds first detective novel. Mark & Sarah investiagte the 2016 BBC TV adaptation of this novel and find it's difficult to discuss without giving spoliers away. Also this episode we discover what happend when Mark went detective to find a missing blanket. Sarah reccomnends some other daytime detective programmes.  The all new Mary Whitehouse scale is used.  What do you think of this novel? Have you seen the BBC verison? Email us at ScreenSpielPod@gmail.com

How did they ever make a podcast about Lolita? We we did and it's a controversial book and film for our 10th episode. We watch the 1962 film adaptation (not the 1997 version) of Vladimir Nabokov's 1955 novel 'Lolita' which starred James Mason and Peter Sellers and was dircetd by Stanley Kubrick.  Also in this episode we finally decide on how the sex scene ratings should work! Get your lipstick/roller deorants ready!

We enter the genre of sci-fi comedy for our next novel adaptation. The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy was written by Douglas Adams in 1979 after being a successful radio series. The big screen version was released in 2005.  Mark & Sarah discuss this version of the story and if a big screen version works, especially if made toward an american audience. Also in this podcast: - News and Emails - Martin Freeman's career - Sarah discusses the difficulty of getting through these 100 novels! - Flying Saucer Sweets - Christian Slater!  - The Sex Scene Explicity rating comes back

Jane is here! The novel was originally written by Charlotte Bronte in 1847. We watch the 2011 film adaptation starring Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender. The film was directed by Cary Fukunaga. Mark and Sarah continue to mis remember and mis pronounce names. Apoloiges to those involved. Classic novel to classic film? As usual we review and rate the film in it's own right and as an adaptation from a novel.

Alice thought to herself. Now you will hear a Podcast. Alice In Wonderland is 7th in our Novels On Screen marathon. Mark & Sarah ditch the Disney adaptations in favour of 'Alice' a 1988 adaptation by surrealist film maker Jan Švankmajer. Does Lewis Carroll's very well known novel make a good film? This is one of Mark's favourite films - what does Sarah think? Does this film deserve its place the top 100 novels everyone should read? This podcast also contains many tangents. Roald Dahl is discussed and did we mention we really like 4DX? Which Alice In Wonderland adapation do you like best? Email us at ScreenSpielPod@gmail.com

The Trial by Franz Kafka was published in 1925. Mark and Sarah look at the 1993 film version of the book adapted by Harold Pinter. Starring Kyle Maclachlan and Antony Hopkins (kind of) Is it a Trial in itself? Mark recounts a trial he had himself in drama class. Has Sarah got webbed feet? Find out here. Screen Spiel Podcast follows Mark and Sarah as they watch screen adaptations of the 100 greatest novels.

This episode Mark and Sarah tackle one of the most well known novels on their list. Jane Austen's 1813 novel has been adapted many times. We're looking at the 2005 version directed by Joe Wright. Can this version be listed as the definitive film version? Where did Jane Austen live? Can Mark distinguish which character is which? Sarah gives the lowdown on the plot. 

Mark & Sarah continue to watch the 100 greatest novels everyone should read by watching TV and Film adaptations instead. This episode they are looking at the British gangster film Brighton Rock (2010) based on the 1938 novel by Graham Greene.    

Continuing the 100 greatest novels everyone should read - by watching the film adaptations. Ian McEwan's 2001 novel was brought to screen in 2007 by director Joe Wright. Mark and Sarah discuss the story and how well it works as a film.  You can get in touch with us on Twitter @ScreenSpielPod or email us ScreenSpielPod@gmail.com

Mark & Sarah continue thier quest to watch the 100 greatest novels everyone should read by watching TV and Film adaptations of these great works. In this episode Mark & Sarah discuss the Ralph Finnes and Liv Tyler film 'Onegin' from 1999. Despite not being able to pronounce the actors or characters names they look at this very famous story originally written in the form of poetry by Alexander Pushkin in the early 1800's. The story is well known as an Opera but does it make a good film?  

Mark & Sarah start a quest to watch the 100 greatest novels everyone should read by watching TV and Film adaptations of these great works. Do these great books also make good TV and Film versions?  Umberto Eco's bestseller in 1980 was given the screen treatment in 1986 starring Sean Connery and Christian Slater.  A detective novel set in a 13th century monastery. Sounds like it will be a good watch but what shocks Sarah so much? Does the film live up to the books reputation and does it deserve a place in the 100 greatest novels everyone should read (or watch).