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1honeybemelissa
Has anyone seen The Help and read the book?
Personally I thought it stayed pretty true to the book, but its been a while since I read it. I did think they left out a lot of the boyfriend story.
If you haven't seen it yet, definitely check out the movie. It was hilarious!
Personally I thought it stayed pretty true to the book, but its been a while since I read it. I did think they left out a lot of the boyfriend story.
If you haven't seen it yet, definitely check out the movie. It was hilarious!
2Lcanon
I thought it was a decent adapation. Of course they blew up certain scenes for sentimental reasons, and cut out some of the funnier and more intelligent parts of the book, but I kind of expect that with movies. I thought the acting was excellent.
3theapparatus
Someone else's take on the story: http://multiplexcomic.com/strip/620
4Lcanon
That comic strip (and I suspect the artist has not read the book or seen the movie) is an interesting example of the difference between a movie and novel. I didn't see the book as "white character saves black character" because much of the book is narrated by a black character and so you see her as empowering herself.
In the movie that gets lost. The movies being what they are, the white character gets more screen time.
The same complaint was made about the film Mississippi Burning and with some justice. There is a tendency for white people to rewrite the history of the Civil Rights movement and make themselves the heroes, which is most tragic when the real heroes -- those who risked their lives, not just their reputations -- get overlooked. But I acquitted The Help of this pretty early on in the book. I think she's trying to show people, black and white, at a certain moment in history, that's all.
On another note, one of the things I disliked about the movie was that they changed the character of Skeeter's mother from a genteel, dignified person into a kind of a wild Tennessee Williams caricature. It's like they couldn't imagine Southern women any other way.
In the movie that gets lost. The movies being what they are, the white character gets more screen time.
The same complaint was made about the film Mississippi Burning and with some justice. There is a tendency for white people to rewrite the history of the Civil Rights movement and make themselves the heroes, which is most tragic when the real heroes -- those who risked their lives, not just their reputations -- get overlooked. But I acquitted The Help of this pretty early on in the book. I think she's trying to show people, black and white, at a certain moment in history, that's all.
On another note, one of the things I disliked about the movie was that they changed the character of Skeeter's mother from a genteel, dignified person into a kind of a wild Tennessee Williams caricature. It's like they couldn't imagine Southern women any other way.
