The following sources are helpful in identifying films based on literary works.
Enser's Filmed Books and Plays: A List of Books and Plays from Which Films Have Been Made, 1928-1991
Main Library Reference PN 1997.85 .B385
A standard source, indexed by film title, author, and change of original title. Also has indexes for musical, made-for-television, and animated films based on literary works, and a list of production studios and distribution companies.
Encyclopedia of Novels Into Film
Main Library Reference PN 1997.85 .T54 1998
Includes over 300 entries, each of which provides a profile of the source novel, plot summary, major characters, and literary significance. Includes a helpful examination of how the film changed or preserved elements of the book and why the changes occurred.
Short Stories on Film and Video
Main Library Reference PN 1997.85 .E45 1985
Identifies over 1,300 motion picture and television adaptations, produced between 1920 and 1984, of stories by American authors or authors well-known in America.
Theatre: Stage to Screen to Television
Main Library Reference PN 2189 .L44
Lists 327 plays which, following production on British or American satges, have been adapted for film and television. Shakespeare, Gilbert and Sullivan, and the Greek classics are excluded.
Women Writers, From Page to Screen
Main Library Reference PN 1997.85 .W58
Identifies 2,200 English-language feature films and television movies released between 1913 and 1988 that were inspired by women's writings. Listed by author, with indexes of film titles and literary sources.