3. Swann In Love
If any avid readers out there really want to challenge themselves to a novel of marathon proportions, if they haven't already they should invest the time in reading In Search of Lost Time, Marcel Proust's beautiful, elegant and marvelously eloquent exploration of love and memory amidst high society in fin-de-siècle France. While the novel cannot be recommended enough to fans of literature - there are frequent streams of lengthy prose which will have your head spinning with imagery and s- the same can't be said for Swann in Love, the movie adaptation of the the first volume of the novel, Swann's Way. It's nicely shot and Jeremy Irons's performance in the central role is above functional, but the fleeting and intangible mood which permeates much of the novel isn't captured. A far better attempt at bringing Proust to the screen can be found in Raul Ruiz's Time Regained, a considerably maturer take on the novel - this time taking its cue from the final volume - its arresting cinematography and imaginative staging make it the best on-screen version released so far.