Modern Books and Cinema Club

The final meeting of the series involves watching and discussing the film adaptation of Steinbeck's East of Eden.
East of Eden (1955) is an American epic period drama film directed by Elia Kazan and written by Paul Osborn. Along with Dean's other films (Rebel Without a Cause and the Giant) , East of Eden was named one of the 400 best American films of all time by American Film Institute.

The event will go as follows:
- Rent the film using the available streaming services and watch it in your own time.
- At 8.00pm EET time the online event will start to discuss the film seperately and in relation to the book.

Movie Title: East of Eden (1955)
Director: Elia Kazan
Running Time: 1h 58min

The Postman Always Rings Twice is a 1934 crime novel by American writer James M. Cain. It is one of the earliest examples of noir and a book that was both successful and notorious upon publication.
It is considered one of the most outstanding crime novels of the 20th century. (It is one of the two crime novels to be included in Modern Library's list of 100 best novels; the other one is The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett).

For crime novel critics, Caine was a champion of featuring the perpetrator of the crime, rather than law enforcement. In a way, most crime novels - other than procedurals and private detective stories - owe a nod to him. In Thomas Brown words, "this classic novel is full of flawed people, violence, lurid sex, bad choices and doomed people. Despite its age, The Postman... still holds up and is something that any fan of this edgier type of crime fiction should read."

The novel has been adapted for film seven times.

This online meetup group is set to discuss Cain's crime novel seperately and in relation to some of its successful film adaptations. These are:
1. The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946) , starring Lana Turner and John Garfield. Directed by Tay Garnett.
2. The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981), starring Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange. Directed by Bob Rafelson; Written by David Mamet.

Details:
- Read Cain's novel. (116 pages).
- Rent the films using one of the available streaming services and watch them in your own time.
- At 8.00pm EET time the online meeting will start to discuss book & adaptations.

Jamaica Inn (1935) is the fourth book written by Daphne du Maurier. In the first three months after Jamaica Inn was published, it sold more copies than her first three books had sold altogether.

Inspired by her stay at the eponymous Inn - which still exists today- du Maurier's novel is set in the early 1980s and centres on the infamous underbelly of smuggling in Cornwall, United Kingdom. Although it is often described as a psychological thriller, this novel is also a piece of gothic fiction, a window into Cornwall’s dark past and a historical romance.

In 1939, Alfred Hitchcock will adapt the book for film keeping the same title. On release, Jamaica Inn was a substantial commercial success and in April 1939, Hitchcock left United Kingdom to continue his film career in Hollywood. Thus, Jamaica (1939) was the last of his "British period" films.

The book is 302 pages long.
On Tuesday 8th of July, the group will discuss online the first 160 pages .

Following up our starting conversation on the 8th of July, this is a meetup to discuss the second half of du Maurier's book. (pages 161-302). The novel will be examined seperately and in relation to its film adaptation by Alfred Hitchcock.

Details:
- Read Daphne Du Maurier's novel.
- Rent the films using one of the available streaming services and watch them in your own time.
- At 8.00pm EET time the online meeting will start to discuss book & adaptations.

Film: Jamaica Inn (1939)
director: Alfred Hitchcock
Running Time: 1h 38min