12 Biographical Films Inspired by Women Authors’ Lives
By Nava Atlas | On July 15, 2017 | Updated December 30, 2024 | Comments (8)
Lots of films have been made from novels by the classic women authors on this site, as you’ll see by linking to this site’s Filmography. But there are also a number of biographical films about women authors themselves, the lives they led, and the stories they told.
What is it, do you supposed, that’s so fascinating about the life of a woman who writes? The films don’t focus on the act of writing for the most part — wouldn’t that be a yawner! Rather, they pay homage to the literary legacy they left behind in the form of their wonderful stories.
Some of these films take more literary license than others when it comes to the true facts of their subjects’ lives, but many, if not all, can at least be an introduction to the author, her life, and work.
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Out of Africa (1985)
A multi-award-winning film (including best picture) about Isak Dinesen’s African sojourn, based on her 1937 memoir Out of Africa, with Meryl Streep as the author and Robert Redford as her fickle love interest, Denys Finch-Hatton. I re-watched this film not long ago when my book group was reading about Beryl Markham, a pioneering aviator and author of the memoir West With the Night (she appears as a character for some reason named Felicity in the film).
Viewing the film through the lens of colonialism (as Out of Africa is now being reconsidered as well), which we’re now thankfully more aware of, its romantic glaze has faded from when it first came out to glowing accolades. It drags in parts, but strong performances by Streep and Redford help redeem it at least satisfying as a film experience.
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Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle (1994)
Set in the 1920’s this film follows Dorothy Parker and the members of the Algonquin Round Table — the writers of the New York literary world. Viewers are divided on this one — love it or hate it! But more are skewed toward love, and the film is so very star-studded. I have to admit I haven’t seen this one, but it looks entertaining enough to give it a whirl.
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The Hours (2002)
A trio of interwoven stories based on the book of the same name by Michael Cunningham, one of which is about Virginia Woolf, portrayed by Nicole Kidman. Though the theme that ties the stories together is suicide, it is gripping and wonderfully acted. IMHO, a fantastic film that’s respectfully true to its source material. Definitely not cheery fare, but if you loved the book and/or are a Virginia Woolf aficionado, this one will interest you.
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Iris (2002)
A perfectly cast film about Iris Murdoch, the prolific English novelist and philosopher. Kate Winslet portrays the young, complex, and brilliant Iris; Judy Dench is a heartbreaker as the older Iris as she descends into demetia.
As described by the filmmakers, “Here’s the powerful true story based on John Bayley’s novels that earned Jim Broadbent an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and Academy Award Nominations for Best Actress Judi Dench and Best Supporting Actress Kate Winslet.”
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Sylvia (2004)
Gwyneth Paltrow portrays poet Sylvia Plath, with Daniel Craig as her husband and fellow poet Ted Hughes. The film follows Plath through her life, showing her development as a writer, and the increasing depression that plagued her entire, albeit brief, adult life. As described IMDB:
“In 1956, aspiring American poet Sylvia Plath (Gwyneth Paltrow) meets fellow poet Edward James “Ted” Hughes (Daniel Craig) at Cambridge, where she is studying … Sylvia lives in her husband’s professional shadow as she tries to eke out her own writing career, which doesn’t come as naturally to her as it does to Ted. She also suspects him of chronic infidelity. Both issues affect Sylvia’s already fragile emotional state, she, who once tried to commit suicide earlier in her life. Through her pain and her anger, she does gain minor success as a writer, with a completed semi-autobiographical novel and a few well received collection of poems. Following, she tries to regain some happiness in her life with Ted, but has an alternate plan if that does not work out as she wants.”
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Miss Potter (2007)
A charming film biography of Beatrix Potter, starring Renee Zellweger as the author who wrote and illustrated Peter Rabbit, Jemima Puddleduck, and many other memorable animal stories. Her early efforts at getting her work published, falling in love with her publisher, her literary triumph, and using her fortune to become one of Englans’ greatest land conservationists make this such an enjoyable film.
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Becoming Jane (2007)
Starring Anne Hathaway, this film purportedly tells the untold story of a romance between Jane Austen and a young Irishman. It’s difficult to tell if the film is intended to be historically accurate or just a fanciful lark. I do like Anne Hathaway films but casting her as Jane Austen? That I wasn’t sold on. Still, a decent film for those who adore costume dramas.
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Cross Creek (2009)
The life of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Yearling, (1938) is charmingly portrayed by Mary Steenburgen. Rawlings wrote several other well-received novels and was one of the elite group of writers who worked with the legendary editor Max Perkins.
Rawlings is also known for her writings about her adopted home in Cross Creek, Florida, where she bought an orange grove in the late 1920s and lived for many decades. This biopic is inspired by her memoir, Cross Creek, and takes some liberties with the storyline. Still, it works well as a film experience.
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Saving Mr. Banks (2013)
Saving Mr. Banks is the story of how Walt Disney persistently lobbied Pamela (P.L.) Travers for film rights to Mary Poppins, and the challenges that ensued with the prickly author. Things didn’t tie up quite so neatly in real life as they did in this film. Still, it’s good entertainment, starring Tom Hanks as Disney and Emma Thompson as the curmudgeonly Travers, who absolutely hated the Disney-fied musical version of Mary Poppins.
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A Quiet Passion (2017)
Film critics loved Terence Davies’s A Quiet Passion, but Emily Dickinson fans gave this biopic mixed reviews at best. Though it’s a beautifully photographed film, one wonders how much “poetic license” was taken with the story of the brilliant poet who rarely strayed from her family’s Amherst home. I for one am not a fan, but the film is a curiosity piece. Those who love this iconic poet may not be pleased; but it may inspire us all to simply read more of her breathtaking poetry.
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To Walk Invisible (2017)
To Walk Invisible is a beautifully done Masterpiece Theater film about the Brontë sisters, their father, and troublesome brother Branwell. Perfectly cast, at times you’ll feel like you’re watching a documentary about this extraordinary literary family. My favorite parts — when the sisters decide they’re going to “walk invisible” as writers and decide on their pen names; when Charlotte pokes around and finds Emily’s secret poetry; and when Charlotte, accompanied by Anne must reveal her true identity to her publisher.
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Mary Shelley (2018)
This biographical film dramatizing the story of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (née Godwin), the author of Frankenstein, stars Elle Fanning. Central to the story is her tempestuous affair with and eventual marriage to the romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley (Douglas Booth). This film was generally panned by critics, though viewers gave it a higher rating in aggregate. According to Rotten Tomatoes:
“The pair are two outsiders constrained by polite society but bound together by a natural chemistry and progressive ideas that are beyond the boundaries of their age and time. Mary and Percy declare their love for each other and much to her family’s horror they run away together, joined by Mary’s half-sister Claire (Bel Powley).”
A few more biopics …
These films and miniseries were not as highly rated by critics and audiences, but here they are in brief:
- Julia (1977): Based on the experiences of playwright Lillian Hellman. As a friend of the titled Julia, she assists her with anti-Nazi resistance work in pre-WWII Germany and Austria. Serious doubt has been cast about the veracity of this story, yet it still makes for good filmmaking.
- Portrait of a Marriage (1992): This BBC miniseries explores the unconventional marriage of Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson. Though devoted to one another, they were free to follow their passions. She preferred women; Nicolson preferred men. Famously, Vita and Virginia Woolf had what has long been accepted as at least an emotional affair.
- Beyond the Prairie: (2010): Claiming to be “The true life story of Laura Ingalls Wilder,” this film, like other Hollywood-ized biopics, takes a great deal of license. Purporting to be about the author and her beloved husband, Almanzo, this could be entertaining for fans of the Little House books who can view it with a big grain of salt. On the other hand, true fans might be upset by all the unnecessary liberty taken with Laura’s life, which was interesting as it was.
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You might also like:
Quiz: Who Are the 12 Women Authors Behind These 12 Classic Films?
Miniseries of 19th-Century Novels by Women Writers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHVvv9kw3g4
Thanks, Sam! Readers, this is a 20-minute film depicting a visit to Beatrix Potter’s world in the Lake District of England.
I, too, love “Miss Potter” for its very condensed but lovely look at Beatrix Potter’s achievements and artwork. She set the standard for children’s books at a time when women were not encouraged to work in publishing or marketing. She was very determined to do things her way despite the limits and rejections she faced with her botanical artwork and original stories for children. The Warne love story was true, but was, of course, overly dramatized and expanded from the brief time that they worked together. Her happy marriage to Willy Heelis was touched on, but he was not a childhood friend as portrayed in the movie. Her childhood trips included many summers in Scotland before she ever went to the Lake District. Beatrix Potter is still the largest, single-most donor of 4000+ acres of farmland to the National Trust. On the DVD, there is an extra bonus biography of the REAL Beatrix Potter. The film is certainly a sweet story, beautifully filmed in the Lake District, and has brought much more attention to Potter’s remarkable life.
Thanks for this in-depth commment, Connie. It’s much appreciated! I’d love to do a tour of “Potter country” in the Lake District.
I was amused and torn when I saw featured on the list “Beyond the Prairie” purporting to be a biopic of Laura Ingalls Wilder. As most of these on the list, this particular TV mini-series was very LOOSELY based on the adult years of Laura following the last two books in the “Little House” series long before she authored them. It was followed by another TV series the next year. Sadly, Hollywood can never cast a brunette as Laura (child or adult) and can never stick to the true story of her remarkable life, overcoming poverty and farming disasters to humbly use her writing as a means for income and hope. There were imagined scenes that were ludicrous for the time period portrayed. By the way, if you had read the “Little House” books, you would know her husband’s name was ALMANZO. (It’s always butchered by the press – which I expected more from Literary Ladies.) The best recent biography is “Prairie Fires: the American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder” by Caroline Fraser, which just was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Biography in 2018. I hope another movie/TV series can be made to truthfully dramatize her very common but universally embraced life.
Thanks for this comment as well, Connie. The misspelled name was a sloppy typo, and it has been fixed. I also worded the description so that it’s clear that this biopic takes a lot of license. I recently saw a copy of Prairie Fires and would love to read it!
“Biopics” are biographical films. “Biopic film” is redundant.
Mark, that’s a good point and certainly true. But we used both words to help searchers find this post.