VOX Cultural Digest, Issue N.1
What is the best way to unwind and learn about a new culture and practice a foreign language? Our chips are on movies and books or a combination of both: a movie based on a book!
Here is our list of top picks for movies based on books in German, English, Swiss-German, Italian Russian, and French, which have been carefully selected by the VOX team!
In German:
- Buddenbrooks is a 2008 German drama film directed by Heinrich Breloer, adapted from the 1901 novel of the same name by Thomas Mann.
In Swiss German:
- F. est un salaud (English title F. Is a Bastard or Fögi Is a Bastard, released in German as De Fögi isch en Souhund) is a 1998 French/Swiss film based upon the novel ter fögi isch e souhung by Martin Frank. It was filmed in Zürich, Switzerland.
- Mein Name ist Eugen (Rascals on the Road) is a 2005 Swiss adventure film directed by Michael Steiner. With 580,000 admissions in Switzerland, it is the third most successful Swiss film of all time.
- Der Goalie bin ig, 2016. It is based on a book by Pedro Lenz.
- Schellen-Ursli (2015) or Varios Heidi movies are children’s movies that are pretty suitable for grown-ups as well.
In English:
- Little Women is a 2019 American coming-of-age period drama film written and directed by Greta Gerwig. It is the seventh film adaptation of the 1868 novel of the same name by Louisa May Alcott.
- The Importance of Being Earnest is a 1952 British comedy-drama film adaptation of the 1895 play by Oscar Wilde.
In Italian:
- La leggenda del pianista sull’oceano is a 1998 Italian drama film directed by Giuseppe Tornatore, inspired by Novecento, a monologue by Alessandro Baricco. The film was nominated for a variety of awards worldwide, winning several for its soundtrack.
In Russian:
- Гадкие лебеди (The Ugly Swans) is a 2006 Russian science fiction film directed by Konstantin Lopushansky, based on the 1967 novel of the same name by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky.
- Сталкер (Stalker) is a 1979 Soviet science fiction art drama film directed by Andrei Tarkovsky with a screenplay written by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, loosely based on their 1972 novel Roadside Picnic.
In French:
- Ensemble, c’est tout (Hunting and Gathering) is a 2007 French romantic film based on the writer Anna Gavalda’s 2004 novel Hunting and Gathering (French: Ensemble, c’est tout). It was directed by Claude Berri, who also wrote the screenplay.
Enjoy reading books, watching movies, and practicing your favorite foreign languages, and stay tuned for more unique and exciting facts related to culture and languages!
What do you prefer: to first read the book and then watch the movie or are you normally inspired to read the book after watching the movie? Let us know in the comments!
