The best teen movies based on classic literature
De quels classiques de la littérature s'inspirent ces films cultes pour ados ?
Saviez-vous que ces films cultes étaient adaptés de classiques ?
Les films pour adolescents ont souvent mauvaise presse : mais savez-vous que certains, souvent devenus cultes, sont inspirés par des classiques de la littérature ? Petit panorama de ces influences inattendues, qui pourront nous faire redécouvrir ces divertissements avec un oeil nouveau...
If the teen movies of the 1980s were defined by John Hughes, those of the 1990s were best known for their literary links. Many of the period’s most enduring success stories, such as Clueless and 10 Things I Hate About You, took inspiration from works of classic literature and attempted to transfer these well-known stories to high-school settings. Funny, romantic and filled with teenage angst, they managed to walk the line between light-hearted trash and the kind of film an adolescent could convince an adult they were watching for revision. Here are five classic teen movies based on works of classic literature, ranked.
(1999) -
duced by school slack Patrick (Heath Ledger) to help out a friend. The chemistry between Stiles and Ledger is strong, but with a supporting cast including Gabrielle Union and Joseph Gordon Levitt, it’s hard not to fall in love with this film. It perfectly captures the dizzy rush of first love, with regular allusions to The Taming Of The Shrew as Gordon Levitt captures his lovesickness with the words: “I burn, I pine, I perish." But it’s Ledger who really drives 10 Things I Hate About You. This is the Australian actor at his best: singing, dancing, smiling, and making audiences around the world fall in love with him.
(1995) -
3. Clueless reimagines Jane Austen’s Emma as though it was transposed to Beverly Hills. Alicia Silverstone plays Cher, a popular, spoiled
ryn and Sebastian, who engage in a game of manipulation to get vengeance on those who’ve wronged them. For Sebastian, his challenge is to woo Annette (Reese Witherspoon), their new headmaster’s daughter who’s sworn to be celibate until marriage. If he seduces her, he’ll be able to have the person he’s always wanted: his not-quite-sister. The power games played between the pair are enthralling to watch and despite featuring a seriously dramatic ending, there’s just enough pent up angst in this film to make it irresistible.
(1983) -