This is not a book-versus-movie post. Let me be clear about that. I love books and I love movies. There is a significant amount of books that have been adapted into films. If they are done properly, they can be really good. When developing film adaptations, filmmakers do not include every single detail from the book. Sometimes they change a lot and the movie turns out to very loosely based on the book, to the point where they have practically change the entire story. I find that annoying. But even if the film is true to the book, it is impossible to put in everything from the book. I guess it is different because when reading a novel, you have to form the pictures in your mind so you need all those details. So there were a few occasions where I had already read the book before seeing the film and that's cool because I'm ready to see how much is actually taken from the book. In most cases, it's the other way around. If I really enjoy the movie, I may go read the book. I find that this gives me more clarity about the characters and details about their actions.
Examples of extra bits from the book:
The Help by Katherine Stockett:
- Yule May's letter from prison
The film shows Yule May being arrested and beaten over the head after she steals a ring she finds while working as a maid at Hilly Holbrook's house. The last time we see her is when she's reading the book written by Skeeter and the other maids to her cellmates. Aibileen does make mention to Hilly that she has plenty of time to read Yule May's letters from prison so that people will know the truth about how "godless" she is. The movie doesn't go into detail about what these letters might say. The book does provide a letter that Yule May wrote to Skeeter after going to prison. She basically confesses that she stole the ring in order to pay for both her twins to attend college. She and her husband didn't have enough money to send both and she hoped the ring would help. But now neither one would be going because the court fees would cost them all their savings. In fact, this letter is how Skeeter found out where Yule May was after being unable to get in contact with her. In the novel, Yule May had agreed to contribute to Skeeter's book along with Abileen and Minny. But now, with her going to prison, she is unable to. This is in contrast to the film where she flat-out tells Skeeter that she will not be able to help with the book.
- Minny standing at a payphone with her kids.
In the novel, the last time we hear about Minny is when calls Aibileen from a payphone with her children in tow, having run away from her abusive husband Leroy. This is the deal; after the book came out, Hilly had to keep trying to convince everyone that the book was not about Jackson, Mississippi because she couldn't have anyone figuring out that she was the one that ate that "special" pie. So since she couldn't get Minny arrested for the pie, she got her husband to call Leroy's job and get the boss to fire Leroy, stating that his "n***er wife" was the reason. In fact the book talks about several other maids who were fired because of the book they contributed to. Their names were changed but people recognize their own dirt. So the next morning, Leroy comes home from work and tries to kill Minny. He locks her in the bathroom and threatens to burn the house down with her in it. But she escapes with her kids and ends up at that payphone. They actually shot this scene of her at the payphone for the movie. However it was taken out of the final edit because they wanted the last image of Minny to be happy and triumphant. So we just see her being treated to that delicious meal at the Foote's home and promised permanent employment with Aibileen doing a voice-over stating that the food gave Minny the strength to get her and her babies out from under Leroy.
Side note: The filmmakers do give us a glimpse of Leroy's abusive behavior by providing a scene where Minny is in her kitchen talking to Aibileen on the phone after being fired from Hilly's house for using the toilet. Then we hear Leroy come in yelling and carrying on, demanding to know what Minny has done, and we see pots and other objects flying in Minny's direction. So it makes it look like he beat her because she got fired, but I feel like this was based on the incident that happens at the end of the book.
Side note: The filmmakers do give us a glimpse of Leroy's abusive behavior by providing a scene where Minny is in her kitchen talking to Aibileen on the phone after being fired from Hilly's house for using the toilet. Then we hear Leroy come in yelling and carrying on, demanding to know what Minny has done, and we see pots and other objects flying in Minny's direction. So it makes it look like he beat her because she got fired, but I feel like this was based on the incident that happens at the end of the book.
A Time to Kill by John Grisham:
- How Carl Lee Hailey acquired that M16 rifle
In the film, we see Carl Lee Hailey busting out of a closet and opening fire in a courthouse, killing the men that raped his daughter, as they are being led into the courtroom to stand trial for the crime. Perhaps when one watches the film, the question of how he got the rifle is not a major priority. Still, if you read the novel, you will find out that Mr. Hailey got the M16 from a friend who served in Vietnam and illegally smuggled the rifle back into America when his tour was over.
In conclusion, I just want to say that I am in no way criticizing how filmmakers complete their work. I am just saying that it doesn't hurt to read the book as well.
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