For class, we are viewing the movie To Kill A Mockingbird. So far, the movie seems very different from the book but some parts are similar. For one thing, they have the same events occurring, but they are in a completely different order. For example, in the book, the Cunninghams giving Atticus nuts happened in the winter before the “story” in the book starts. In the movie, they have it occurring in the summer when the kids meet Dill. Also, in the movie, Jem, Scout, and Dill didn’t have to explain why Jem didn’t have pants on. In the book, they did because Jem didn’t go back right away to get his pants. He waited until after the crowd left the Radley’s house. So far, I think that I still like the book better. I like the movie because it gives you a visual about what you are reading, but I like how the book has more details and gives you lots of information on the events that are occurring. In the movie, it almost seems like events are happening, but they just kind of brush over them. My favorite scene from the movie would be when Scout meets Boo Radley for the first time. This scene is my favorite because this is Scout’s dream come true. Since the beginning of both the movie and the book, the kids have been obsessed with getting a glimpse of Boo Radley. This was a very touching part because the awe and wonder that Scout expresses lets you see how badly she wanted this dream to come true. This is an experience that Scout will never forget and you can see that in this one scene of the movie.
I think that they characterized the characters very well in this movie. I think that Atticus was portrayed the best though because they show him as a wise and straightforward person and that’s how he came off in the book. In both the movie and the book, Atticus has the same characteristics, sayings, and habits. He is very intelligent in both and it was easy to see that. I don’t think that they portrayed Cecil Jacobs very well though. In the book, they made Cecil seem like one of those kids who is afraid of nothing and very mouthy. He just looked like a little wimp in the movie. Also, in the book, Cecil seems very superior because Scout does not fight him. But in the movie, he does get beat up by Scout. Overall, I really was not disappointed by this movie. I really enjoyed watching it. The only thing that really bothered me was that it had the same events occurring in the movie that did in the book, but they seemed to be in a completely random order. I also disliked the absence of Aunt Alexandra in the movie. In the book, she seems to create many conflicts with the kids and it didn’t make the movie as dramatic as it could have been. If I had created the movie, I would have included her long visit in the movie. I think that that was a very important part in the book that should have been in the movie.
