Jim on Film
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One-Hundred-and-One Dalmatians
by Dodie Smith
The novel by Dodie Smith is one of those charming books for children that will
likely entertain kids but charm their parents far more. Unlike the movies, there
are four adult dogs, and Cruella de Vil is married. As she says to Mrs. Dearly
(Anita in the films), “My name is still de Vil . . . I am the last of my family
so I made my husband change his name to mine.�?
Indicative of the cleverness of the rest of the novel is when the dogs on the run take refuge in a (from puppy perspective) barn of sorts, one with tall colored windows. While it has no hay, they are impressed by a beautiful manger scene, which one of the puppies, Cadpig, comments is much better than ordinary television. And they are amazed that on the floor in neat rows in front of the many seats are padded little puppy-sized doggy beds.
While the animated film is a great adaptation of a charming and imaginative book, it would have been nice if the live-action version would have returned to Dodie Smith’s original, adding in all the elements the original film altered. One-Hundred-and-One Dalmatians is definitely worth a read.
The Moon-Spinners
by Mary Stewart
There’s a reason why The New York Times called Mary Stewart the “mistress
of suspense-romance.�? After seeing the Hayley Mills movie of the same name, I
found a copy of Stewart’s original book in the library. I was very thankful that
I had seen the movie first because I can now fully enjoy both as separate
identities instead of seeing how much the movie changes from the book.
The movie does have many similarities with the book. Nicola Ferris is vacationing on the Isle of Crete with her cousin Frances (who is younger than in the movie) when she meets mysterious Englishman Mark Langely who has been shot and is hiding in a cave. Nicola finds herself swept up into a life-threatening mystery on the isle, helping Mark who is in desperate search of his missing brother. Like the movie, what ensues is an exciting suspense-filled adventure peppered with romance, mythology, and Stewart’s unique flair for poetic narrative. The difference is that whereas the film builds suspense quickly and, after the mystery is solved, passes the torch to action as the leads make their way to Madame Habib’s yacht, the novel continues to build the suspense into a story that will keep you awake far later than you intended to stay awake and have you rushing out to buy Stewart’s other mystery-suspense novels from this era.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Since childhood, Tom Sawyer was a favorite story of mine, though reading
the book in seventh grade for the first time proved to be a challenge.
Unfortunately, after watching the disappointing Disney adaptation called Tom
and Huck, it became clear that not everyone has read the book, at least not
the people in charge of that major Hollywood production.
Of course, the big hurdle of adapting either of these two Mark Twain classics is that they have both been adapted countless times before and both of the books are far too long (particularly Huckleberry Finn) for a truly faithful adaptation. Unfortunately, as the advertising campaign for Tom and Huck implied, the Tom Sawyer film seemed to focus on them being “bad boys�? rather than getting caught up in an exciting adventure. Furthermore, the filmmakers take some of Twain’s key scenes (Dr. Robinson’s murder, Tom falling through the church ceiling at his own funeral, and others) and change them needlessly, which makes one wonder how anyone can really better the American master himself. For anyone who has seen the film, Mark Twain’s original is a must-read delight.
As for The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, that is better saved for adults and older teens who can fully understand Twain’s rich sense of humor. In terms of story, Huckleberry Finn is less exciting than Tom Sawyer, though it is a funnier and richer book. And no matter the age of the reader, it will be time far better spent than watching the Disney film adaptation.
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-- Jim Miles
Jim On Film is published every other Thursday.
The opinions expressed by our guest columnists, and all of our columnists, do not necessarily represent the feelings of LaughingPlace.com or any of its employees or advertisers. All speculation and rumors about the future of Disneyland and the Walt Disney Company are just that - speculation and rumors - and should be treated as such.
-- Posted June 2, 2004