It looked, formerly, that even outstanding movies could rarely be better than the original literature, unless a film created a new story, but there have always been exceptions.
On the other hand, if referring to theatre and opera, the written stories could'nt / cannot go without the corresponding pictures or shows with acting people, custumes, speaking, miming and the surrounding scenes, and, for operas, the corresponding presentations with music and singing.
And literature went along with visual arts, like drawing, painting, sculpture, etc., or performing arts, like music, dancing, etc.