A-Level English Literature

Cert

Age group14+

Duration125 mins

A Streetcar Named Desire(1951)

Adaptation of Tennessee Williams' play about a destitute woman anxious about her fading beauty moving in with her sister and her harsh brother-in-law.

This transgressive Southern Gothic play is one of the set texts on the English Literature syllabus usually taught at AS level for most exam boards. It was adapted for the screen with much of the same cast as in the original Broadway production, including a young Marlon Brando.

Cert

Age group11+

Duration142 mins

The Great Gatsby(2013)

An extravagant adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Jazz Age story about an enigmatic businessman and his lost love.

Another popular title that appears as a set text on many exam boards for A-level English Literature, this novel has seen several film versions, with Baz Luhrmann’s lavish and raucous rendition possibly being the most cinematic. The quintessential American dream, the story is both one of love and of tragedy, with a sharp commentary of society.

Cert

Age group11+

Duration125 mins

The Kite Runner(2007)

This adaptation is a powerful story of friendship and betrayal set in Afghanistan.

This film, adapted from the 2003 bestseller about a young Afghani boy fleeing to the west after his country falls into conflict, gives an important insight into a world largely only seen on the news. It is one of the set texts for non-examination assessment with Edexcel and also appears on the AQA English Literature B and AQA English Language and Literature specifications.

Cert

Age group14+

Duration147 mins

The Color Purple(1985)

Adaptation of Alice Walker's novel about the turbulent life of Celie, a black woman growing up in the American Deep South of the 1900s.

Featuring incredibly moving performances, this film is heralded as an exceptional adaptation of an epistolary novel. The book is one of the comparative set texts on the AQA English Literature A syllabus for the study of modern literary works, as well as an example of prose in component 2 of the Edexcel syllabus exploring the topic of childhood.

Cert

Age group14+

Duration118 mins

Atonement(2007)

Epic tale of love, betrayal and guilt which begins in a country house in 1935 and spans several decades.

Ian McEwan’s Booker prize-nominated novel also features on Edexcel syllabus’ as an example of prose addressing childhood, as well as on several other exam board specifications. The costume drama adaptation is famed for its breathtaking depiction of World War Two Dunkirk and for its insightful approach to characters’ perspectives.

Cert

Age group11+

Duration100 mins

Never Let Me Go(2010)

What begins as a love triangle between students at an English boarding school soon evolves into a science fiction tale of what it means to be human.

While this sophisticated text appears on some GCSE course specifications, it is also highlighted on the Edexcel and CCEA A-level English Literature syllabuses as a highly relevant text exploring representations of dystopia, science and society. With fantastic philosophical insight, this film adaptation taps into many of Ishiguro’s complex ideas in an accessible way.

Cert

Age group11+

Duration108 mins

Journey's End(2017)

A group of young soldiers, led by an increasingly unstable Officer, await their fate in the trenches of France towards the end of World War One.

Similarly, R.C. Sherriff’s World War One drama is also taught at GCSE but it also an option for study on the AQA A-level English Literature A syllabus. This film adaptation of the play conveys the context of war and its impact on individuals in a way that can strongly resonate with today’s young audiences.

The Personal History of David Copperfield

Cert

Age group7+

Duration119 mins

The Personal History of David Copperfield(2019)

Comedic adaptation of Charles Dickens’ rags-to-riches novel about an orphaned boy who tries to find his way in the world.

Dickens' classic Victorian novel, which is one of the options for the closed-book examination of pre-1900s fiction on the WJEC English Literature syllabus, is reimagined with fresh humour and modern sensibility in this period comedy. Highly accessible and heartfelt, the adaptation demonstrates how texts can be translated to the screen in immersive and creative ways.

Cert

Age group14+

Duration91 mins

Othello(1995)

Adaptation of Shakespeare’s play in which a prosperous general is sabotaged by his companion who grows jealous of his commander’s life.

This Shakespearian tragedy is a set text on the AQA and Edexcel A-level English Literature syllabuses. The adaptation immerses the audience into the psychological drama, offering opportunities to explore topics including toxic relationships, racism and prejudice in the context of Shakespeare’s writing.

Cert

Age group16+

Duration232 mins

Hamlet(1996)

After a Danish prince learns that his father was murdered by his scheming uncle who wanted the throne for himself, he resolves to exact revenge.

Following word-for-word the dialogue of the original play, which appears on most of the A-level exam board specifications, this film adaptation of Shakespeare’s gripping tragedy enables students to appreciate the full structure of the script, while appreciating how the story can be reimagined in a different setting, such as a lavish 19th century court.

Cert

Age group11+

Duration116 mins

A Midsummer Night's Dream(1999)

All-star version of Shakespeare’s classic romantic comedy about a series of magical misunderstandings and events in the woods.

The 19th century also provides the setting to this Shakespeare reimagining, this time of a comedy listed on the Edexcel English Literature syllabus. Tuscan hills and swooping Italian operatic music bring an indulgently dreamy quality to this film adaptation of the Bard’s whimsical tale of entangled love and hapless magical beings.

Cert

Age group11+

Duration94 mins

10 Things I Hate About You(1999)

Inventive 90s comedy, in which Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew is relocated to a modern American high school setting.

On the AQA and Edexcel course specifications for A-level English Literature, this adaptation of another Shakespearian comedy may take great liberties with the script through its recontexualisation of the story, but it cleverly reassesses the original play’s often problematic attitude towards gender, offering an updated perspective on the themes of pride, attraction and power.