To Kill A Mockingbird Movie Comparison
Comparing To Kill A Mockingbird to Its Film Version
In most cases when there are two versions of something we can find differences and similarities, such as when a book is made into a movie. An example of this is the book To Kill A Mockingbird which was made into a movie, these two versions are very different but portray the same story. The movie does a good job in presenting the main points of the book but overall the film and the novel are dissimilar more than they are alike. The three main differences are the alterations of major scenes, the absence of characters and the lack of details illustrated in the book.
There are many scenes from the book that were changed
in the movie. For example, in the film Jem and Scout see Mr. Nathan Radley cement up the old tree and in the book they don’t know from whom the cement came from. In the book when Jem loses his pants he waits until later that night to return to the Radley house to get them and in the movie he goes back for them right after he loses them. Mr. Radley comes out with his shotgun to scare the unknown prowler when Jem returns to retrieve his lost pants but in the book he comes out when both Jem and Scout are in the Radley yard. During the trial of Tom Robinson Calpurnia goes to the court and tells Atticus that Jem and Scout are not at home, he then realizes that they have been watching him from the balcony. In the movie she doesn't go, no mention is made if Atticus knew they were there or not and he is seen walking home after the trial with Jem and Scout.
In the movie movie many characters are left out such as Aunt Alexandra. In the book she wants Scout to act more like a lady but Scout is not interested in her advice. Miss Caroline is another character who was left out in the film, she is new to Maycomb and is Scout’s first grade teacher. In the film there are no scenes of Scouts class but in the book there are characters that are presented in the classroom such as Little Chuck Little. Little Chuck Little is a student in Scout's class he tells Miss Caroline that Burris Ewell should be sent home because of his lice, he is not shown in the film. A larger difference in the film was with the role of Mrs. Dubose, she made a small appearance in the movie but she had a much bigger part originally in the book. Mrs. Dubose is a morphine addict who tormented Jem and Scout constantly. Jem had to read to her as a punishment after he ruined her garden. She then died and Jem is taught a lesson by his father about courage.
The movie has a limited time in which to tell the story, therefore details from the book were dropped when the book was made into a film. The part where Jem was building a snowman was cut out from the film, this part was very symbolic and showed a lot about Jem’s character. In the book Dill and Scout carry on a romance and Dill promises to marry Scout, this is not shown in the movie. Another important detail that was presented in the book but is cut out in the film was when Mrs. Maudie’s house caught on fire. This event further demonstrated the children’s relationship with Boo Radley. While the town was trying to put out the fire, Boo put a blanket around Scout’s shoulders, when she found out she was terrified as to how close he was to her.
These details help the audience understand the characters better and in the movie many characters are not explained very well such as the Ewells. In the book the Ewells are presented as the disgrace of Maycomb, they are seen as trash by the town. The film does not describe the Ewells as well as the book, Bob Ewell and his daughter are shown in the courtroom but not much can be understood as to how the town sees them and how they live. Neither does the film explain what happened after the trial, in the book Atticus explains what happened in the trial to his children.
The book and the movie of To Kill a Mockingbird have many differences, but are both a tragic story of racial injustice in the 1930’s. It is difficult to make a novel into a film, as shown in this example many scenes were dropped or altered. Overall, the novel had more details than the film but both portrayed the same story. In the movie there are many changes to major scenes, some events are dropped because the film has limited in which to tell the story. The book had a lot more characters than the movie, they all played an important role in the story and helped the reader understand the society of that time. There are many details left out in the film but the director did a good job in presenting the important features. In conclusion, both the book and the film version of To Kill A Mockingbird portray a great story and demonstrate life in the 1930’s.
In most cases when there are two versions of something we can find differences and similarities, such as when a book is made into a movie. An example of this is the book To Kill A Mockingbird which was made into a movie, these two versions are very different but portray the same story. The movie does a good job in presenting the main points of the book but overall the film and the novel are dissimilar more than they are alike. The three main differences are the alterations of major scenes, the absence of characters and the lack of details illustrated in the book.
There are many scenes from the book that were changed
in the movie. For example, in the film Jem and Scout see Mr. Nathan Radley cement up the old tree and in the book they don’t know from whom the cement came from. In the book when Jem loses his pants he waits until later that night to return to the Radley house to get them and in the movie he goes back for them right after he loses them. Mr. Radley comes out with his shotgun to scare the unknown prowler when Jem returns to retrieve his lost pants but in the book he comes out when both Jem and Scout are in the Radley yard. During the trial of Tom Robinson Calpurnia goes to the court and tells Atticus that Jem and Scout are not at home, he then realizes that they have been watching him from the balcony. In the movie she doesn't go, no mention is made if Atticus knew they were there or not and he is seen walking home after the trial with Jem and Scout.
In the movie movie many characters are left out such as Aunt Alexandra. In the book she wants Scout to act more like a lady but Scout is not interested in her advice. Miss Caroline is another character who was left out in the film, she is new to Maycomb and is Scout’s first grade teacher. In the film there are no scenes of Scouts class but in the book there are characters that are presented in the classroom such as Little Chuck Little. Little Chuck Little is a student in Scout's class he tells Miss Caroline that Burris Ewell should be sent home because of his lice, he is not shown in the film. A larger difference in the film was with the role of Mrs. Dubose, she made a small appearance in the movie but she had a much bigger part originally in the book. Mrs. Dubose is a morphine addict who tormented Jem and Scout constantly. Jem had to read to her as a punishment after he ruined her garden. She then died and Jem is taught a lesson by his father about courage.
The movie has a limited time in which to tell the story, therefore details from the book were dropped when the book was made into a film. The part where Jem was building a snowman was cut out from the film, this part was very symbolic and showed a lot about Jem’s character. In the book Dill and Scout carry on a romance and Dill promises to marry Scout, this is not shown in the movie. Another important detail that was presented in the book but is cut out in the film was when Mrs. Maudie’s house caught on fire. This event further demonstrated the children’s relationship with Boo Radley. While the town was trying to put out the fire, Boo put a blanket around Scout’s shoulders, when she found out she was terrified as to how close he was to her.
These details help the audience understand the characters better and in the movie many characters are not explained very well such as the Ewells. In the book the Ewells are presented as the disgrace of Maycomb, they are seen as trash by the town. The film does not describe the Ewells as well as the book, Bob Ewell and his daughter are shown in the courtroom but not much can be understood as to how the town sees them and how they live. Neither does the film explain what happened after the trial, in the book Atticus explains what happened in the trial to his children.
The book and the movie of To Kill a Mockingbird have many differences, but are both a tragic story of racial injustice in the 1930’s. It is difficult to make a novel into a film, as shown in this example many scenes were dropped or altered. Overall, the novel had more details than the film but both portrayed the same story. In the movie there are many changes to major scenes, some events are dropped because the film has limited in which to tell the story. The book had a lot more characters than the movie, they all played an important role in the story and helped the reader understand the society of that time. There are many details left out in the film but the director did a good job in presenting the important features. In conclusion, both the book and the film version of To Kill A Mockingbird portray a great story and demonstrate life in the 1930’s.