Books don’t always stay on the page. Some stories find new life on screen, inviting us to experience familiar characters, settings, and themes in a different way. Film adaptations can deepen our appreciation of a literary work, spark conversation about interpretation and creative choices, and introduce classic and contemporary stories to new audiences.

This selected list highlights just a few literary adaptations available through the library, with options that range from eerie and atmospheric to thoughtful, adventurous, and emotionally resonant. Whether you are interested in revisiting a familiar story or exploring a new interpretation, these films offer a compelling way to engage with literature beyond the printed page.

And this is only a starting point. In addition to the films featured here, the library provides access to many more adaptations through our streaming video databases. Be sure to explore those resources for even more titles inspired by books, plays, and classic stories.

Gothic, Fantasy, and the Supernatural

• Dracula [DVD]- This 1992 film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, follows the centuries-old vampire Count Dracula as he travels to Victorian England in pursuit of Mina Murray, whom he believes is the reincarnation of his lost love, sparking a tragic tale of obsession, romance, and horror.
• Frankenstein
  • Frankenstein (1931) follows the ambitious scientist Henry Frankenstein as he creates a living being from assembled body parts, only to unleash tragic consequences when his misunderstood creature enters the world.
  • Young Frankenstein (1974) follows the grandson of Victor Frankenstein as he reluctantly embraces his family legacy and creates a monster of his own, leading to a series of comedic misadventures.
  • Victor Frankenstein (2015) follows the origins of the famous scientist through the eyes of his assistant Igor as they push the boundaries of science and face the consequences of creating life.
• Something Wicked This Way Comes [DVD] (1983) follows two young boys who become entangled with a mysterious traveling carnival whose sinister leader grants dark wishes at a terrible cost.
• Interview with the Vampire [DVD] (1994) follows the vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac as he recounts his centuries-long life, his turbulent relationship with the charismatic vampire Lestat de Lioncourt, and the burdens of immortality.
• We Have Always Lived in the Castle (2018) follows the reclusive Blackwood sisters as their isolated existence is disrupted by the arrival of a distant cousin, threatening dark family secrets.
  • Users must create a Hoopla account to view this film or access other streaming videos & audiobooks.
• The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945) follows Dorian Gray, a handsome young man whose portrait mysteriously ages and reflects his moral corruption while he remains forever youthful.
• Sleepy Hollow [DVD] (1999) follows skeptical constable Ichabod Crane as he travels to the village of Sleepy Hollow to investigate a series of grisly murders attributed to the legendary Headless Horseman.

Classics and Historical Fiction

• Little Women
  • Little Women (1994), directed by Gillian Armstrong, follows the four March sisters as they navigate love, loss, ambition, and adulthood during and after the American Civil War.
  • Little Women (2019), directed by Greta Gerwig, follows the March sisters through intertwined timelines that explore their personal growth, artistic aspirations, relationships, and the enduring bonds of family.
• Persuasion (2007) follows Anne Elliot as she reconnects with Captain Frederick Wentworth, the naval officer she was persuaded to reject years earlier, and must decide whether they can overcome the regrets of the past and find love again.
• The Princess Bride (1987) follows the farmhand Westley as he embarks on a perilous adventure to rescue his true love, Buttercup, from an unwanted marriage.
• The Remains of the Day [DVD] (1993) follows the devoted but emotionally reserved butler Stevens as he reflects on a lifetime of service and the missed opportunities for love and personal fulfillment.
• The Cider House Rules [DVD] (1999) follows orphan Homer Wells as he leaves the only home he has known and struggles to find his own path while confronting complex moral choices about family, love, and abortion.

Contemporary Fiction and Modern Journeys

• The Martian (2015) follows astronaut Mark Watney as he is stranded alone on Mars and must rely on his ingenuity and determination to survive while awaiting a rescue mission.
• The Devil Wears Prada (2006) follows aspiring journalist Andrea Sachs as she takes a demanding job working for the powerful fashion magazine editor Miranda Priestly and discovers the personal cost of success in the fashion industry.
• Nomadland (2020) follows Fern, a woman who embarks on a journey across the American West as a modern-day nomad after losing her job and home in the wake of an economic downturn.
• Gone Girl (2014) follows Nick Dunne as he becomes the prime suspect in the disappearance of his wife, Amy Dunne, uncovering a web of deception, manipulation, and dark secrets.
• The Call of the Wild (2020) follows the dog Buck as he is uprooted from his comfortable life and thrust into the rugged wilderness of the Yukon, where he discovers his strength, independence, and true nature.

Celebrate Banned Books Week with Streaming Films

Banned Books Week is an annual celebration of the freedom to read and a reminder of the ongoing challenges to intellectual freedom, free expression, and access to information. Each year, libraries, readers, educators, and communities come together to spotlight books that have been challenged or removed from schools and libraries—and to affirm the importance of making diverse voices and ideas available to all.

In recognition of Banned Books Week, the University Library invites you to explore a selection of streaming films that examine censorship, book banning, free speech, and the power of stories. From documentaries about today’s battles over school and library collections to feature films adapted from frequently challenged books, these titles offer powerful ways to reflect on why the freedom to read—and to think freely—matters.

To explore more titles for Banned Books Week, search the Music & Media Collections for films on book banning, censorship, and free expression.

Documentaries on Libraries, Book Bans, and Intellectual Freedom

• The Librarians (2025) – This documentary follows librarians across the U.S. as they defend access to books and information amid escalating challenges to library collections and intellectual freedom.
• Banned Together: The Fight Against Censorship (2025) – Following students and adult allies fighting to restore 97 books removed from school libraries, this documentary examines the current wave of book bans and curriculum censorship in the U.S.
• Banned Books, Censorship & the Future of Reading (2025) – This documentary explores why books are being banned, who is organizing against them, and what these challenges mean for the future of reading and free expression.
• The Forbidden University (2025) –  Set in Iran, this documentary reveals how members of the Bahá’í religious minority risk persecution to pursue higher education through an underground university system.
• Writers and Censorship (2005) – This documentary examines the impact of literary censorship through challenged and banned books while featuring authors Salman Rushdie and Taslima Nasrin, who share their personal experiences with censorship, persecution, and defending freedom of expression.
• Floyd Abrams: Speaking Freely (2023) – This documentary profiles First Amendment attorney Floyd Abrams and the landmark cases that shaped modern debates over free speech in the United States.

Feature Films on Censorship and Free Speech

• Trumbo (2015) – Set during Hollywood’s anti-communist blacklist era, this film follows screenwriter Dalton Trumbo as he fights to keep writing in the face of censorship and political persecution.
• Howl (2010) – This hybrid drama recounts Allen Ginsberg’s poem Howl and the obscenity trial that became a landmark battle over literary free expression.
• Good Night, and Good Luck (2005) – Centered on journalist Edward R. Murrow’s confrontation with Senator Joseph McCarthy, this film captures a climate of fear, censorship, and political intimidation in 1950s America.
• V for Vendetta (2005) – In a totalitarian future, a masked revolutionary challenges a regime that controls speech, media, and public memory.
• Equilibrium (DVD) (2003) – Imagining a society where books, art, music, and emotion are outlawed, this dystopian film explores the cost of conformity enforced in the name of order.
• The Post (2017) – Dramatizes The Washington Post’s 1971 decision to publish the Pentagon Papers, the classified government study of the Vietnam War that the Nixon administration sought to suppress; the resulting Supreme Court case, New York Times Co. v. United States, became a landmark victory for press freedom against government censorship and prior restraint.

Feature Films Adapted from Banned Books

• The Hate U Give (2018) – Adapted from Angie Thomas’s YA novel about police brutality and systemic racism; one of the most challenged and banned books of the past decade.
• 12 Years a Slave (2013) – Solomon Northup’s 1853 slave narrative was banned in Southern states before the Civil War and has faced contemporary curriculum challenges related to depictions of racial violence.
• Love, Simon (2018) – Adapted from Becky Albertalli’s novel Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda; frequently challenged in school libraries over LGBTQ+ themes.
• The Shining (1980) – Based on Stephen King’s frequently challenged novel, The Shining explores isolation, madness, and violence as a family’s stay at a remote hotel descends into terror.
• The Book Thief (2013) – Set in Nazi Germany, The Book Thief follows a young girl who finds comfort and courage in stolen books during a time of censorship, propaganda, and book burning.
• Fahrenheit 451 (1967) – In a dystopian future where books are outlawed and burned, Fahrenheit 451 follows one fireman’s awakening to the power of reading and independent thought.
• To Kill A Mockingbird (1962) – Adapted from Harper Lee’s frequently challenged novel, To Kill a Mockingbird portrays racial injustice, moral courage, and childhood innocence in the American South.
• The Fault in Our Stars (2014) – Based on John Green’s challenged YA novel, The Fault in Our Stars tells the story of two teens with cancer who find love, humor, and meaning amid grief and uncertainty.
• The Godfather (1972) – Adapted from Mario Puzo’s controversial bestseller, The Godfather examines family loyalty, power, and violence within the world of organized crime.
• Fight Club (1999) – Chuck Palahniuk’s novel has been banned in state prison systems (including Texas) and challenged in libraries for extreme violence, nihilism, and anti-consumerist extremism.
• The Call of the Wild (2020) – Adapted from Jack London; burned by the Nazis in 1933 and banned in Yugoslavia and Italy for its perceived radical social undertones.
• Gone Girl (2014) – Gillian Flynn’s novel has faced removal challenges in public and high school libraries over graphic language and violent/sexual scenes.

Earth Day, celebrated each year on April 22, is a moment to reflect on our relationship with the planet and to learn how collective action can protect the environments we depend on. At the University of St. Thomas Libraries, patrons can explore a wide range of thought‑provoking documentaries that examine climate change, conservation, environmental justice, and the natural world from local and global perspectives. Whether you’re looking to deepen your understanding, spark classroom discussion, or simply be inspired, these films offer meaningful ways to engage with Earth Day and the ongoing work of caring for our shared home.

• All That Breathes – An intimate portrait of two brothers in Delhi who rescue injured birds while living amid environmental and social collapse.
• The American Buffalo – A sweeping Ken Burns documentary tracing the cultural, ecological, and symbolic history of the American bison and its deep connection to Indigenous peoples and the nation’s identity.
• Bugs That Rule the World – This documentary reveals the essential roles insects play in sustaining ecosystems, agriculture, and human survival.
• Climate Refugees: A Global Challenge – A documentary examining how climate change is displacing millions of people and reshaping global migration.
• Dynamic Planet – An educational film explaining Earth’s interconnected systems—geological, atmospheric, and biological—and how they shape life on the planet.
• Earth Emergency – A global look at the accelerating climate crisis and the urgent actions needed to mitigate its most devastating impacts.
• Fast Fashion: The Real Price of Low‑Cost Fashion – An exposé of the environmental, social, and human costs hidden behind the global fast‑fashion industry.
• Gardening for the Planet – A hopeful exploration of how innovative gardening and land‑stewardship practices can help communities adapt to climate change.
• King Coal – A poetic and personal documentary reflecting on coal’s cultural legacy and environmental toll in Appalachian communities.
• Kiss the Ground – An optimistic film advocating regenerative agriculture as a powerful solution to climate change through soil restoration.
• The National Parks: America’s Best Idea – Ken Burns chronicles the visionary effort to preserve America’s natural landscapes through the creation of the national park system.
• Planetary Defenders – A profile of activists, scientists, and Indigenous leaders working worldwide to protect Earth from ecological destruction.
• Silverback – A nature documentary focusing on the life of a dominant male mountain gorilla and the fragile world he protects.
• Single‑Use Planet – An investigation into the environmental damage caused by disposable plastics and the movement to eliminate single‑use waste.

To continue your Earth Day viewing, search the Music & Media Collections for documentaries on climate, conservation, and sustainability.

Exploring the Holocaust through film can be a powerful way to begin understanding one of the darkest chapters in human history. This curated collection brings together a selection of both documentary and feature films that offer meaningful entry points into the topic—whether you’re new to learning about the Holocaust or seeking to deepen your knowledge. While this list highlights key titles to get you started, there are many more films available. To continue your exploration, be sure to search the University Library’s Music & Media Collections for additional resources and viewing options.

From March 1 -April 30, 2026 visitors are also invited to experience Transfer of Memory, an exhibit on display in the O’Shaughnessy-Frey Library’s main floor rotunda. This portrait‑based exhibition shares the life stories of Holocaust survivors who made their homes in Minnesota, combining photographs and first‑person testimony to illuminate lived histories of displacement, survival, and resilience. The exhibit offers a space to reflect on the importance of carrying memory forward, especially as the number of firsthand witnesses continues to decline.

Documentaries

• 999: The Forgotten Girls – A historical documentary that tells the untold true story of nearly 999 young Jewish women and girls from Slovakia who were deceived into believing they were going to work but were instead deported to Auschwitz in the first official Jewish transport, showing through survivor testimony how a few endured over three years in Nazi death camps.
• Against All Odds: Surviving the Holocaust – A documentary that follows the powerful firsthand accounts of survivors who recount their experiences of endurance, resilience, and the will to live through the atrocities of the Holocaust.
• As a Young Girl of Thirteen – A documentary in which Holocaust survivor Simone Lagrange recounts her experiences before and during her deportation to Auschwitz‑Birkenau and her later role in identifying Nazi war criminal Klaus Barbie.
• The Cure for Hate: Bearing Witness to Auschwitz – A documentary that follows former neo-Nazi and Holocaust denier Tony McAleer’s personal journey to Auschwitz-Birkenau to atone for his past, confront the roots and consequences of hate and extremism, and highlight the urgent need to remember the Holocaust and challenge unchecked hatred today.
• Harbor from the Holocaust – Recounts how nearly 20,000 Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi-occupied Europe found unexpected refuge in Shanghai during World War II and explores their experiences and connections with the city through personal testimonies and historical context.
• Night and Fog – A haunting short documentary that juxtaposes post-war color footage of abandoned Nazi concentration camps with archival black-and-white material to confront the horrific realities of the Holocaust and urge reflection on humanity’s capacity for cruelty and the necessity of memory.
• The Rape of Europa – Chronicles how the Nazis systematically looted, destroyed, and displaced Europe’s artistic treasures during World War II and follows the efforts of historians, curators, and the “Monuments Men” to save and recover those works.
• Shoah – Part 1 & Shoah – Part 2 – Shoah is a nine‑hour documentary by Claude Lanzmann that presents the Holocaust through in‑depth interviews with survivors, witnesses, and perpetrators, without using archival footage. It explores the mechanisms and human experiences of genocide through direct, unflinching testimony.
• The U.S. and the Holocaust – A documentary that explores how American society, politics, and policies shaped the nation’s response to the rise of Nazism and the genocide of the European Jews during World War II.
• To Auschwitz and Back – A documentary that follows Holocaust survivor Joe Engel’s harrowing journey from the Warsaw Ghetto to Auschwitz and Birkenau, his escape from a death train as a teen, and his lifelong mission to share his story of survival and resilience

Feature Films

• Europa Europa – A dramatic true-story film about a Jewish teenager during World War II who survives by concealing his identity and posing as an ethnic German, ultimately joining the Hitler Youth while constantly risking exposure.
• Fateless – Depicts a Hungarian Jewish teenager’s harrowing journey through concentration camps and his struggle to comprehend survival amid unimaginable brutality.
• In Darkness – Portrays a Polish sewer worker who hides a group of Jews in the sewers of Nazi-occupied Lwów, risking his life as compassion gradually overtakes self-interest.
• Jojo Rabbit – A satirical drama about a young German boy in the Hitler Youth whose worldview is challenged when he discovers his mother is hiding a Jewish girl in their home.
• Life is Beautiful – This film centers on a Jewish father who uses humor and imagination to shield his son from the horrors of a Nazi concentration camp.
• Schindler’s List – The true story of German businessman Oskar Schindler, whose efforts saved the lives of more than 1000 Jews during the Holocaust.
• Son of Saul – A Jewish‑Hungarian Sonderkommando prisoner (Jewish prisoners forced to assist the Nazis) in Auschwitz who becomes determined to give a murdered boy he believes is his son a proper Jewish burial despite the mortal danger it brings.
• The Grey Zone – Inspired by real events, a brave group of Jewish prisoners stage the only armed revolt ever carried out within the walls of Auschwitz.
• The Monuments Men – Allied WWII-era art experts go behind enemy lines in Germany to recover works of art stolen by the Nazis, which are slated for destruction if the Third Reich falls. With little combat experience, the ragtag squadron have their work cut out for them.
• The Pianist – Based on the true survival story of Polish Jewish musician Władysław Szpilman as he endures the destruction of the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II.
• The Zone of Interest – The commandant of Auschwitz, Rudolf Höss, and his wife Hedwig, strive to build a dream life for their family in a house and garden next to the camp.
• Woman in Gold – A Jewish woman attempts to reclaim her family’s property, which was stolen six decades earlier during WWII. With the help of an ambitious young lawyer, she starts legal proceedings in various countries around the world.

Black History Month is a time to recognize and celebrate the achievements, contributions, and resilience of Black individuals and communities throughout history. It offers an opportunity to reflect on the struggles for justice and equality while honoring the cultural, artistic, and intellectual impact of Black voices.

This month, we invite you to explore powerful stories told through film with a curated selection of streaming titles from our collection. From documentaries to feature films, these works celebrate Black voices, experiences, and creativity while encouraging a deeper understanding of the past and its influence on the present.

• 42 – The story of two men—the great Jackie Robinson and Brooklyn Dodgers GM Branch Rickey—whose brave stand against prejudice forever changed the world by changing the game of baseball.
• Black Panther – A superhero known as Black Panther defends Wakanda, a technologically advanced country in Africa that has hidden itself away from the rest of the world. Now, he must face a dissident who wants to sell the country’s natural resources to fund an uprising.
• District Greenwood: The Amalgamated People – In 1921, Tulsa, Oklahoma’s Greenwood District, or Black Wall Street, was one of the most prosperous African American communities in the US. This documentary charts that history and explores the lessons from this time period that can be applied today.
• Eyes on the Prize: America’s Civil Rights Movement 1954–1985 – Critically acclaimed documentary tells the definitive story of the civil rights era from the point of view of the ordinary men and women whose extraordinary actions launched a movement that changed the fabric of American life, and embodied a struggle whose reverberations continue to be felt today.
• Eyes On The Prize III: We Who Believe In Freedom Cannot Rest 1977-2015 – Inspired by Henry Hampton’s legendary documentary series Eyes on the Prize: America’s Civil Rights Movement, this new installment illuminates the bold stories of people and communities who continue to work for equity and racial justice in the years since the birth of the American Civil Rights Movement.
• Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project – An intimate documentary portrait of poet Nikki Giovanni that weaves her reflections on love, activism, aging, and imagination with her lifelong fascination with space and the future.
• Harriet – The incredible true story of one of America’s greatest heroes, Harriet Tubman. From her escape from slavery to the dangerous missions she led, setting free hundreds of slaves through the Underground Railroad.
• I Am Not Your Negro – This film examines race in America through the words of James Baldwin, using his unfinished manuscript to confront the nation’s history of racism and its enduring impact on Black lives.
• Marshall – This gripping courtroom drama centers on a young Thurgood Marshall in 1941, long before his Supreme Court appointment, as he defends a Black chauffeur accused of assaulting a wealthy white woman in Connecticut.
• Moonlight – A young African American man grapples with his identity and sexuality while experiencing the everyday struggles of childhood, adolescence, and burgeoning adulthood.
• Muhammad Ali – A four-part documentary miniseries about one of the best-known and most indelible figures of the 20th century, a three-time heavyweight boxing champion who insisted on being himself unconditionally and became an inspiration to people everywhere.
• Straight Outta Compton – Chronicle of the seminal rap group N.W.A. and their ‘hood-to-riches success, tracing their story from the mean streets of mid-’80s Compton to their triumphant battles against censorship.
• The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution – Documentary chronicles the rise and fall of the Black Panther Party, exploring its fight against police brutality, racial injustice, and systemic inequality in 1960s and 1970s America. Through archival footage and firsthand accounts, the documentary reveals the movement’s powerful impact, internal conflicts, and lasting legacy.

You can find more films by searching our list of streaming video databases (https://libguides.stthomas.edu/music-media/databases).

Martin Luther King Jr. Day offers an opportunity to honor and reflect on the life, work, and enduring legacy of Dr. King, whose leadership and vision helped advance civil rights and social justice in the United States. Observed each January, the holiday encourages reflection on his commitment to nonviolence, equality, and community service, while inviting individuals to consider how his work continues to shape conversations about justice and opportunity today. The UST Libraries support this reflection by providing access to a wide range of streaming films that explore the Civil Rights Movement, Dr. King’s leadership, and the ongoing pursuit of racial justice.

• BlacKkKlansman (2018) – A black detective sets out to infiltrate the Colorado chapter of the Ku Klux Klan with the help of his Jewish colleague. In the midst of the 1970s civil rights movement, they risk their lives to obtain insider information on the violent organization.
• Green Book (2018) – Bouncer Tony Lip is hired by African-American musician Don Shirley to chauffer him around the Jim Crow South in 1962 for an eight-week concert tour. The mismatched men form a friendship as Tony learns first-hand the racism Don must endure to perform.
• John Lewis: Good Trouble (2020) – An intimate account of legendary U.S. Representative John Lewis’ life, legacy and more than 60 years of extraordinary activism.
• King: A Filmed Record…Montgomery to Memphis (1970) – A documentary that follows Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. from 1955 to 1968, in his rise from regional activist to world-renowned leader of the Civil Rights movement.
• King in the Wilderness (2018) – A portrait of Martin Luther King Jr. during the last years of his life, from his part in the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to his assassination in 1968.
• Making Black America (2022) – This four-hour series, hosted by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., chronicles the vast social networks and organizations created by and for Black people-beyond the reach of the “White gaze.” Gates takes viewers into an extraordinary world that showcases Black people’s ability to collectively prosper, defy white supremacy and define Blackness in ways that transformed America itself.
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Day: The Making of a Holiday (1978) – This is the story of how Martin Luther King, Jr.’s, birthday became a national holiday thanks to the unrelenting drive of his widow, Coretta Scott King, and politicians like Representative John Conyers, Jr.
• Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I have a Dream” Speech – On August 28, 1963, from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, Martin Luther King Jr. delivers his “I Have a Dream” speech to 200,000 listeners.
• MLK/FBI (2020) – A documentary that examines the FBI’s extensive surveillance and harassment of Martin Luther King Jr., revealing how government agencies sought to undermine the civil rights movement through wiretapping, intimidation, and disinformation.
• Mississippi Burning (1988) – A dramatization of the FBI investigation into the 1964 murders of three civil rights workers in Mississippi, exposing the violent racism and corruption that protected white supremacist groups.
• Selma (2014) – The marches from Selma, Ala., to Montgomery to secure voting rights for black Americans are depicted in this docudrama set during the U.S. Civil Rights Movement, and which focuses on the actions of Martin Luther King Jr.
• Till (2022) – The story of Emmett Louis Till and the legacy of his mother who pursued justice for her lynched son.

You can find more films by searching our list of streaming video databases (https://libguides.stthomas.edu/music-media/databases).