From biography to big screen
12/09/2012 by Anne Mellar
'Who would play you in the movie of your life?' is a question often asked of celebrities. We look at the the films you may or may not know were once autobiographies
Ex-Manchester City footballer Paul Lake's autobiography I’m Not Really Here is the latest life story to be snapped up by the big screen, telling the story of his relegation to the sidelines when an injury cut short his career. Ever since The Damned United hit cinemas in 2009, starring Michael Sheen and based on David Peace's best-selling biography of Leeds United manager Brian Clough, footballer biographies have seen somewhat of a ressurection.
Joining the rafter of true stories that have already appeared on the silver screen, this film will chart his broken dreams and resilient spirit.
Here’s a look back at some of the extraordinary real stories behind big movies:
The Motorcycle Diaries
Che Guevara
When he was 23 years old, this future revolutionary set out with a friend on an adventure across South America. Unfortunately the motorbike soon broke down. But their coming-of-age odyssey would continue for another 5,000 miles. The journey was recoded in Guevara’s travelogue; finally released in 1993, it has since been made into an Oscar-winning film starring Gael García Bernal.
Girl, Interrupted
Susanna Kaysen
Angelina Jolie stars in this 1999 film based on the memoir of the same name. When diagnosed with depression, the author was sent to a 1960s psychiatric hospital at the age of 16. For nearly two years, Kaysen inhabited the same ward on which Sylvia Plath and Ray Charles were treated. This is an unsettling book about psychology and what it is to be normal.
Angela’s Ashes
Frank McCourt
The winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography in 1997, Angela’s Ashes made its way into cinemas two years later. Crossing from Brooklyn to Limerick, the Irish expat author had to endure poverty, prejudice and a family life wrecked by alcoholism. The grimy film captures McCourt’s bleak but forgiving narrative.
An Education
Lynn Barber
Adapted for the screen by author Nick Hornby in 2009, An Education tells of the experience of journalist Lynn Barber. When stopped by an older man in a sports car, the 16-year-old author was driven away from her bright future and towards the shady streets of west London. Carey Mulligan stars in this bittersweet story.
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Jean-Dominique Bauby
This author, father and editor-in-chief of Elle was struck by locked-in syndrome in 1995 after suffering a stroke. Imprisoned in his own body, Bauby had to dictate his deeply moving narrative letter-by-letter by blinking his left eyelid. It’s an extraordinary piece of writing that was followed by an award-winning film 10 years later.
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