10 Films BETTER Than The Book They Were Based On

While all three books in Thomas Harris’s trilogy were adapted to film (some several times) it was the second of the trilogy, The Silence of the Lambs, which enjoyed the most success: the movie is to date only the third film in history to have won academy awards for Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Film, Best Screenplay, and Best Director.

Despite the movie’s obvious merits this is a close-run contest, and if you love either the book or film and haven’t seen or read the other, they are both highly recommended.

The film is a close adaptation of the novel and while some characters end up less complex on the screen, most of the central characters are represented brilliantly.

Hannibal Lecter (Sir Anthony Hopkins) is adapted perfectly from the book. This larger than life character is much like a modern interpretation of Count Dracula; he’s clearly villainous but also has an undeniable allure which he uses to enthral his potential victims prior to consuming them. The budding relationship between Clarice Starling and Hannibal Lecter is a central theme of both the film and book.