Film Adaptations in the Classroom

I really enjoy modern adaptations or allusions of old novels and I think it's a great way for students to really understand what is going on in a book if they can connect it to their modern worlds. I would use these film adaptations as pre-reading strategies. Films I might use:

O - Othello

Apocalypse Now - Heart of Darkness

Romeo + Juliet - Romeo and Juliet

Bridget Jones's Diary - Pride and Prejudice

Easy A - The Scarlet Letter

Clueless - Emma

Pleasantville - The Giver

Additionally, I think a great option for a project would be to make one of these modern adaptations of a novel. Students could brainstorm, write a script, storyboard and film, write, drawn or act out their modern adaptations in film, play, comic books, or digital storytelling. The students will have to investigate themes, characters and settings and analyze how they are still applicable to modern society.