THE ENGLISH PATIENT - ENGLISH PATIENT AND CLOCKWORK ORANGE AMONG TOP ADAPTATIONS

Desert romance THE ENGLISH PATIENT, A CLOCKWORK ORANGE and gay cowboy epic BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN have been included in a shortlist of the best 50 books to make it to the big screen. The list, compiled by Britain's Book Marketing Society, honours literary classics turned into movie masterpieces and will be voted on by readers online and at UK bookshops. Among the works cited, director STEVEN SPIELBERG is responsible for three: JG BALLARD's EMPIRE OF THE SUN, THOMAS KENEALLY's Holocaust drama SCHINDLER'S ARK (filmed as SCHINDLER'S LIST), and JAWS, written by PETER BENCHLEY. Meanwhile, movie re-workings of MICHAEL ONDAATJE's The English Patient, ANTHONY BURGESS' A Clockwork Orange, and KEN KESEY's ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST have garnered 14 Oscars and another 11 Academy Award nominations. GOODFELLAS, PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, GET SHORTY, DOCTOR ZHIVAGO and FIGHT CLUB also make the shortlist.