Doors are not just doors when it comes to fiction.
It is a portal to a different world, the place where a new adventure begins, or it could sometimes take you further down the rabbit hole.
Adaptations of beloved books are the trend right now, be it on the silver screen or in the small screen. Movies, when done well, can transport you to another time and place. So much so, in fact, that you are generally unaware of the visual techniques used to move the plot along—in this case, the seemingly inconsequential door.
1. 221B Baker Street
In 1887, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle first published the story of a consulting detective, together with his close friend and biographer, as they solve crimes in Victorian-era England. This forever etched the adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson into the hearts of millions of their readers up to today.
Through the eyes of Dr. Watson, readers were given front-row seats to see how Sherlock’s forensic skills and deductive reasoning solve him many a crime in England—all starting from their apartment in 221B Baker Street.
It’s not a wonder then that Sherlock has seen plenty of adaptations. In recent years, Robert Downey Jr. gave life to the antisocial Sherlock Holmes on the silver screen in 2009 and 2011.
On the small screen, BBC’s Sherlock (2010-present) series is proving that smart is the new sexy, with Benedict Cumberbatch playing the role of everyone’s favorite high-functioning sociopath.
2. The Wardrobe in the Spare Room
C.S. Lewis told the story of the Pevensie siblings in the Christian allegorical tale The Chronicles of Narnia (1950-1956). The seven-book series began with The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, narrating the adventures of the Pevensie children in war-torn London, where they were evacuated to the home of a Professor they have never met before.
While staying at the house, the children stumbled upon the gateway to Narnia through the iconic wardrobe in the spare room. The wardrobe led Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy to discover otherworldly creatures and talking animals living in an ice wasteland ruled by The White Witch. With the help of the lion Aslan, the children vanquished the Witch and ruled Narnia for years.
In 2005, The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe was adapted to a movie. It was then followed by Prince Caspian in 2008 and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader in 2010.
3. The Room of Requirement
Ah, how wonderful must it be to have a room that can transform into anything you will it, whenever you need it. That is exactly what the Room of Requirement is in the wizarding world created by J.K. Rowling.
Following the story of the boy who lived, the Room of Requirement was first mentioned in The Goblet of Fire but first appeared in The Half-Blood Prince, when Harry Potter and his friends needed a secret room to practice Defense Against the Dark Arts spells. This officially began Dumbledore’s Army, a team of Hogwarts students who vowed to fight against Voldemort.
The Room of Requirement is located on the seventh floor of Hogwarts. For the door to appear, however, they need to walk by the area three times while concentrating on the room they need most. The movie adaptation of The Half-Blood Prince came out in 2009.
4. The Talking Door Knob
The 1865 novel written by Lewis Carroll follows the story of Alice as she falls down a rabbit hole in search of a frantic white rabbit. This then led her into a world that would truly challenge your disbelief as it defies logic in every turn, filled with anthromorphic creatures and psychedelic surroundings.
Such is its popularity that Walt Disney adapted the book to film in 1951. Alice in Wonderland gave life to the novel designed by the company’s trademark animation.
In the movie, one of the first things Alice encountered in Wonderland is a talking door knob. After a few troubles with the shrink potion and the growth cookies, which include the room being flooded by giant Alice’s tears, she finally got through. Indeed, the way may look impassable, but nothing is impossible.
5. Bag End
In a world where humans, elves, orcs, giant monsters, and dragons live, there exists a small door for a small home that started the adventure of two hobbits who played a huge role in changing the world.
Although written in two separate books, Bilbo and Frodo Baggins’ adventures began the minute they stepped out of the confines of their home in Bag End. Both left their otherwise sheltered life to fulfill their respective quests, as written by J.R.R. Tolkien in The Hobbit (1937) and in The Fellowship of the Ring (1954).
The high-fantasy books were adapted to the big screen in the past decade. The Lord of the Rings trilogy came out yearly in 2001 to 2003, while The Hobbit trilogy came out yearly in 2012 to 2014.
Which of these doors were you able to identify just by looking at the photos? Do you prefer the books or the movie adaptations? Tell us in the comments section below.