Modern Adaptations

Pretty Woman (1990)

Based on: Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw

Modernisation: Set in contemporary L.A., with the female protagonist being a prostitute instead of a poor flower girl.

Apocalypse Now (1979)

Based on: Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

Modernisation: Moving the action from a boat in the Congo to a mission in the Vietnam War.

Clueless (1995)

Based on: Emma by Jane Austen

Modernisation: Set in an American high school, the rich heiress being a popular and wealthy student.

A Study in Pink (2010) (First episode of the Series "Sherlock")

Based on: A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Modernisation: Changing the setting to modern day London instead of the traditional Victorian world.

The Lion King (1994)

Based on: Hamlet by William Shakespeare

Modernisation: Set in the animal kingdom instead of the royal court in Denmark.

Tamara Drewe (2010)

Based on: Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy

Modernisation: Set in modern England instead of Victorian times, and most wittily: a life-changing inheritance becomes a nose job. 

A Knight's Tale (2001)

Inspired by: "The Knight's Tale" from The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer

Modernisation: Seemingly set in the 14th century, this film contains many anachronisms and is surprisingly modern at times.

Easy A (2010)

Based on: The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Modernisation: Set in an American high school, in which the students have to read Hawthorne's novel. 

Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)

Inspired by: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Modernisation: The modernisation actually happened in the novel by Helen Fielding, who transferred the plot into modern London. 

West Side Story (1961)

Based on: Romeo & Juliet by William Shakespeare

Modernisation: Film version of the Broadway musical, which tells the story of two star-crossed lovers in New York.