Movie Ideas

Many of us read marvelous books and then expect to see a film version within a few years, only to be disappointed as we scan past the latest list of teen slasher and dysfunctional family epics in the movie section of the paper.


Since this is Oscar night, it may be appropriate to mention Books That Deserve a Film Version.


My modest and grossly incomplete list:

• A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole. The story of Ignatius Reilly, a true eccentric and victim of Dame Fortuna in New Orleans, who offers colorful observations while hot dog peddling, lute playing, and scrawling on Big Chief tablets.
• A River Town by Thomas Keneally. An Irish storekeeper in a small Australian town near the start of the 20th century is asked to identify a head and discovers how doing the right thing is sometimes punished.
• Eagle in the Snow by Wallace Breem. A Roman commander on the Rhine faces the tribes that will eventually engulf the Roman Empire.
• Dead Famous by Ben Elton. A reality television show gets a new dimension when one of the people in its camera-filled house is murdered. [An extremely funny take on pop culture.]

[Update: How could I have forgotten Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter by Mario Vargas Llosa?]

Any other nominees?