Tristan and Isolde |

There is always so much talk about book to movies adaptations, the book is always better than the film is normally the first thing that comes up in conversation. So in an attempt to break from convention I am going to talk about Myths, Legends and Fairy tales the ultimate text for an adaptation (the Grimm Brothers didn’t right them first you know!) They just…adapted them and so the stories moved on, evolved and this happens again and again and with these kind of tales we can never really know there true origin, there is no real author of Cinderella she just began some where long ago and has just continued to be and hopefully that is the way it will remain- immortal tales that tell us immortal truths.

As Albert Einstien said – “If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.”

So in homage, I suppose for my love of all things mythical I am going to talk about my five favorite adaptations and why I love them so much.

1. I’m going to kick things off with Tristan and Isolde (2006) starring James Franco and Sophia Miles. Now I read somewhere that James Franco regretted doing this movie, I don’t know why probably wasn’t pretentious enough for him but to be honest I don’t care. I enjoy the exploration of the character’s Tristan and Isolde, the difficulties human beings can feel during betrayal and ultimately that love sometimes in not enough.

Isolde and Tristan

2. Something I am LOVING at the moment is Once Upon A Time, it is probably my favorite television programme of the moment. Season 4 is due to start in March but the general premise is that every story book/fairy tale character that you can ever imagine is trapped somewhere where their happy endings have been stolen from them…our world.

Emma Swan

3. Well, I couldn’t possibly do this list with out including a Disney film. The Little Mermaid (1989) is one of my favourite Disney films and certainly my favourite fairy-tale- Thank you Hans Christian Anderson- Although his version is slightly more depressing/bleak and missing the catchy musical numbers.

Ariel

4. Okay so Cinderella- she’s a Classic and probably the most adapted fairy tale on the big and little screen. The likes of Hilary Duff (2004) and Disney have all had a crack at portraying the famous orphan. And although Disney’s version is the one which I watched over and over as child I think Drew Barrymore in Ever After (1998)is my favourite Cinders.

Henry and Danielle

5. Last but not least I would have to pick the BBC adaptation of the King Arthur Legend. Merlin ran for five years and told the story of Arthur, Guinevere, Morgana and Merlin as young contemporaries in Camelot in the years leading towards his fore seen death and Merlin’s attempts to change his fate…

King Arthur and Merlin

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Book to Movie Adaptations – Myths, Legends and Fairy Tales