Stills from ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ (top), Gone with the Wind’ (left) and ‘The Godfather’. / WMagazín
The great romance between cinema and literature in WMagazín’s first 9 years
A journey through this dialogue that has accompanied WMagazín since its inception, through adaptations and anniversaries celebrating the transition from books to screen. From ‘Gone with the Wind’ and ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ to ‘The Godfather’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings’
Few cultural relationships are as fruitful as that between film and literature. From this dialogue, stories are born that transform without losing their essence. At WMagazín, we have accompanied this encounter from the very beginning. Every summer, we select the most important films adapted from literary works that celebrate a significant anniversary and publish a special feature.
With this exploration of the romance between film and literature, we celebrate our first nine years. This dialogue has been present since our trial issues on Wednesday, April 19, 2017, and continued on Monday the 24th, when we officially launched the magazine with the feature: «What is a Book in the 21st Century?» A dictionary compiled by writers and experts from around the world, which we presented on Friday, April 28, at the Bogotá International Book Fair (FILBo).
Thank you for joining us on this adventure and helping us grow. Thank you for joining us on this journey with your reading, for sharing our articles with your friends and on social media, for the suggestions you send us, and for participating in so many ways in our literary project to promote the value of books and the infinite richness and pleasure of reading (This is WMagazín from the inside).
Thanks to our readers for being such a diverse and young audience: 31% are under 25 years old and 26% are between 25 and 34. This data demonstrates that young people do read and are interested in the topics within the book ecosystem that we cover: literary creation (writers), the publishing industry, and the promotion and dissemination of books and reading (fairs, festivals, and events we attend in different countries).
Thanks to our readers around the world who have made WMagazín a truly global magazine, with an emphasis on our language: 24% of our readers are from Spain, 19% from Mexico, 15% from Colombia, 10% from Argentina, 12% from the rest of Latin America, 5% from the United States, and 15% from the rest of the world. (You can support WMagazín at this link).
The following is an anthology of articles on the mutual dialogue between literature and the world:
From 'Gone with the Wind' to 'The Godfather'
Francis Ford Coppola and ‘The Godfather’: How He Transformed an Ordinary Novel into a Cinematic Masterpiece
By Winston Manrique Sabogal
On the fiftieth anniversary of one of the greatest films in history (released on March, 1972) and one of the most sublime literary adaptations, we review the keys to its success.
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Alfred Hitchcock and ‘Rear Window’: A Cinematic Masterpiece Based on a Simple Story
By Luis Manrique Rivas
We commemorate the seventieth anniversary of a classic based on the story It Had to Be Murder by Cornell Woolrich. We analyze how Hitchcock adapted the book and replay its opening.
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Stanley Kubrick, 90 years of the filmmaker who created his universe from literature
By Santiago Vargas
The American filmmaker, long based in Britain would have turned 90 this July 26. WMagazín pays tribute to him with five films based on literary works, which we present in this video narrative: Lolita, 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, The Shining, and Eyes Wide Shut.
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Martin Scorsese, ‘The Irishman,’ and His Films Based on Books That Address Violence and Time
By Santiago Vargas
The acclaimed film by the New York director confirms his enduring love affair with literature, being based on I Heard You Paint Houses. It is the 15th of his 25 films adapted from books. We recall other emblematic Scorsese titles that originated in literature: Raging Bull, Goodfellas, The Age of Innocence,…
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‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’: 60 Years of a Great Love Affair with Audiences
By Luis Manrique Rivas
With Blake Edwards’ classic, starring Audrey Hepburn, based on Truman Capote’s 1958 novel, we continue our summer series of excellent films celebrating important anniversaries and originating from books.
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‘Casablanca’: 80 Years of the Classic of Love and the Protest Against World War II
By Luis Manrique Rivas
The film starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, directed by Michael Curtiz, originated as an unperformed play. We remember one of the most beloved films by audiences and critics alike, with quotes repeated throughout the world.
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‘Gone with the Wind’ by Margaret Mitchell, the first great bestseller turned into a cinematic classic
By Maribel Lienhard
We celebrate the 85th anniversary of the film adaptation of this Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, directed by Victor Fleming and starring Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable. One of the icons of popular culture.
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‘Jaws’: When Spielberg Changed the Rules of Commercial Cinema Thanks to Peter Benchley’s Bestselling Book
By Luis Manrique Rivas
We celebrate the 50th anniversary of a cinematic classic that ushered in the era of blockbusters based on literary works. We review the film and the book and publish one of its excerpts.
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‘Lawrence of Arabia’: 60 Years of an Epic Film About Anti-Colonial Battles and One Man’s Existential Journey
By Luis Manrique Rivas
David Lean filmed a magnificent work based on T. E. Lawrence’s memoirs, Seven Pillars of Wisdom. Both the book and the film recount the British lieutenant’s mission, on the eve of World War I, to unite the Arab tribes against the Turks and quell an anti-colonial rebellion.
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‘The Exorcist’: The Horror Film That Changed the Genre, Based on Blatty’s Novel
By Luis Manrique Rivas
We celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of William Friedkin’s film adaptation of the best-selling novel about a demonic possession. With the young girl Regan and the exorcist priests Merrin and Karras, fear reached a whole new level.
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‘The Holy Innocents’, Miguel Delibes’s great novel turned into a classic of Spanish cinema, by Mario Camus
By Luis Manrique Rivas
In 1984, one of the best Spanish film adaptations premiered, featuring actors at the height of their powers. A work that denounces injustice, abuse, and classism in a rural world of masters and servants. We review both the film and the book and reproduce one of its best excerpts.
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‘The Leopard’, a masterpiece of literature and cinema thanks to Lampedusa and Visconti
By Luis Manrique Rivas
We celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of the film adaptation of the novel that narrates the changes Italy underwent during the Risorgimento in the 19th century, and which symbolizes the changes and upheavals of bidding farewell to one world and welcoming another.
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‘The Lord of the Rings’: 20 Years of a Great Epic Fantasy Adventure Film
By Luis Manrique Rivas
Tolkien’s novel followed in the footsteps of a classic in its film trilogy directed by Peter Jackson. A display of imagination in an extraordinary metaphor for humanity, its struggles, and a call for coexistence with all creatures of the planet.
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‘To Kill a Mockingbird’: 60 Years of a Great Film Against Racism and a Lesson in Life, Based on Harper Lee’s Book
By Luis Manrique Rivas
The American writer’s novel, winner of the 1961 Pulitzer Prize, was excellently adapted into a film directed by Robert Mulligan (1962). Gregory Peck gave a memorable performance in one of the most profound and simple stories about civil rights, equality, friendship, and empathy.
- With translation assistance from Robert Lienhard.
All articles from our English edition are available HERE
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WMagazín es dirigida por Winston Manrique Sabogal, su fundador en abril de 2017. Es uno de los periodistas y prescriptores literarios más reconocidos del mundo hispanohablante. Según Publishers Weekly, es uno de los “gurús” del periodismo literario. Es un periodista colombo-español que colabora con el diario español El País donde trabajó 19 años como redactor y coordinador de libros y literatura del suplemento Babelia, principal dinamizador del blog Papeles perdidos con el cual modernizó y proyectó la presencia de Babelia en el ciberespacio y responsable de libros de la sección de Cultura y coeditor de su edición digital.
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