If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, SheKnows may receive an affiliate commission.
We’re just weeks away from the biggest night in Hollywood: The Academy Awards. This past year of films offered several original and timeless stories in equal measure that were brought to the screen, but there was one pattern we couldn’t help but notice: many of the films we loved most are based on books. As we head toward the gilded, glittering lights of Hollywood for the March 27th telecast of the 94th Oscars, we thought it’d be a perfect opportunity to round up which books became this year’s Oscar-nominated films.
Let’s start with two of the most talked-about movies of 2021. Maggie Gyllenhaal’s directorial debut, The Lost Daughter, became a critical darling upon its debut. The story highlights the isolating, grating side of motherhood, and Gyllenhaal adapted the book of the same name by Elena Ferrante for her first feature as a filmmaker. Gyllenhaal earned an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay, so she wholly captured something special at the heart of Ferrante’s book.
Then there’s Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog. This year’s most-nominated film, The Power of theDog, starring real-life partners Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons, earned 12 nods from the Academy. But would this film even exist were it not for Thomas Savage’s bristling novel? Campion, revered in her own right, adapted the novel to the screen, and showcased the sprawling West and the guarded, hostile inner worlds of the people who live there.
Of course, there are so many more books that got the movie adaptation treatment this year. Take a look at our round-up for more books that became this year’s Oscar-nominated films!
‘Dune’ by Frank Herbert
Denis Villeneuve took on a tall task when he made the decision to adapt Dune. The otherworldly epic takes audiences to different worlds, as the son of a noble family comes into his own and realizes his destiny between warring houses. The film earned 10 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture.
‘The House of Gucci’ by Sara Gay Forden
Everyone knows Ridley Scott’s House of Gucci is based on one of the most sensational stories in recent memory. The heir to the Gucci dynasty is murdered by his own ex-wife — this story just can’t be made up. And yet, Sara Gay Forden’s book chronicling the entire story captures all the details we didn’t see in the film. House of Gucci earned an Oscar nomination for Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling.
‘Men Without Women’ by Haruki Murakami
Among the short stories of Haruki Murakami’s Men Without Women, the inspiration behind Drive My Car was found. The book is full of fascinating observations about people in our lives, and Drive My Car draws its story from the author’s own words in this book. The story follows a widower, who tries to put the pieces of a mystery together after his wife passes away. Drive My Car is nominated for four Oscars, including Best Picture.
‘Cyrano de Bergerac’ by Edmond Rostand
Much like a few of the entries on this list (more than a few, honestly), Cyrano de Bergerac is a classic. It’s a tale about a love-lorn man who falls for a woman named Roxane. Convinced she won’t return his love due to how he looks, Cyrano writes poetry to her under the guise that it’s coming from a man named Christian — who’s also in love with Roxane. In Joe Wright’s iteration of the story, Emmy-winner Peter Dinklage plays Cyrano in a musical spectacle that’s as dreamy as you’d imagine. The film earned an Oscar nomination for Best Achievement in Costume Design.
‘The Lost Daughter’ by Elena Ferrante
The Lost Daughter by Elena Ferrante was adapted to the screen in 2021 by Maggie Gyllenhaal. The film stars Olivia Colman, Dakota Johnson, and Jessie Buckley in this tale of “unnatural” motherhood. The Lost Daughter earned three Oscar nominations — two acting nods for Colman and Buckley and Best Adapted Screenplay for Gyllenhaal.
‘The Power of the Dog’ by Thomas Savage
Revered filmmaker Jane Campion took a distinct look at the West in her adaptation of Thomas Savage’s The Power of the Dog. The story deconstructs the cowboy archetype, as Phil Burbank torments his new sister-in-law, and takes an interest in her son, Peter. Campion’s film earned a whopping 12 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture.
‘Nightmare Alley’ by William Lindsay Gresham
Guillermo del Toro brings his own take to William Lindsay Gresham’s novel Nightmare Alley. The director assembled a star-studded cast for his 2021 adaptation of the 1946 novel, and imbues the film with the same bleakness as Gresham’s novel. The movie earned four Oscar nominations, including Best Picture.
‘Macbeth’ by William Shakespeare
This selection needs little introduction — William Shakespeare’s Macbeth has been adapted countless times. But the 2021 adaptation, The Tragedy of Macbeth, somehow brings something new to the classic tale. Denzel Washington plays the titular role in Joel Coen’s interpretation. Taking cues from German expressionist films of yore, Coen somehow makes the tragic story even more dark and bleak. The movie earned three Oscar nominations, including a nod for Washington for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role.
‘Romeo and Juliet’ by William Shakespeare
At a first glance of the Oscar-nominated films, you might say to yourself, “Hang on, Romeo and Juliet isn’t nominated for anything.” Well, think again. The classic Shakespeare tragedy is one of the main inspirations for West Side Story — so, we’re going to count it here. The tale of star-crossed lovers is as timeless as ever, as evidenced by Steven Spielberg’s interpretation of the 1957 musical that put a contemporary spin on the story. West Side Story is nominated for seven Oscars, including Best Picture.
Leave a Comment