Well I finally watched this, after having seen the 1939 original movie version of this maybe 15 or even 20 times over the years.
I tried this years ago and I'm not sure why I stopped; this is a really great version of the movie.
It's played much differently than the original of course - it has Malkovich delivering his lines very softly much of the time, which of course shows more that Lennie is really a kind person inside - "like a little baby" as Curley's wife (here given no name) says.
Also the language here did not have to conform to the censorship standards of 1939.
The parts I liked more in the original were:
The scene with Lennie and Crooks (who here stands much more crooked) - in the original, the sense of extreme loneliness is much greater, I felt it much more than here. And it's pretty powerful here. That speaks volumes the way it feels in the original to me.
Also in that, Curley's wife, Mae, we see further how lonely she really is, the way she is completely cast out from contact by Curley.
There's a billboard shot in a scene at the beginning of the original that has to be seen.
And the ending in the original comes off feeling like the killing of Lennie by his friend George was a true act of kindness, to spare him from the fate he would have otherwise; the ending of the original is quite beautiful; here it's shocking (even though I of course knew it was coming), and quite painful to see. The ending of this version is painful.
Both are great versions and this makes me want to go and read the book again (it's been so long, many years), but while I found this excellent, well like my title says, I greatly prefer the original, which is simply one of my all-time favorite movies.
I'd recommend both to basically everyone. And if someone has only seen this, they need to check out the original, to give it a chance. This is a great movie, by all means, regardless. I wish I hadn't waited so long.
Great cast too. Malkovich is superb - at first I had trouble adjusting to his facial expressions and how he spoke, as it came off fake, due to my having seen him recently in Places In The Heart; Sherilyn Fenn is great as Curley's wife (here, clearly interested in George); Burgess Meredith as Candy is great - and here the dog is old! Not just stated as old. And also watch for Alexis Arquette in this, when he was still a man, in a small part.
There are lots of differences - here, Lennie wasn't the only one amused before Curley decided to pick a fight with him....
Excellent movie. See both versions by all means.
I tried this years ago and I'm not sure why I stopped; this is a really great version of the movie.
It's played much differently than the original of course - it has Malkovich delivering his lines very softly much of the time, which of course shows more that Lennie is really a kind person inside - "like a little baby" as Curley's wife (here given no name) says.
Also the language here did not have to conform to the censorship standards of 1939.
The parts I liked more in the original were:
The scene with Lennie and Crooks (who here stands much more crooked) - in the original, the sense of extreme loneliness is much greater, I felt it much more than here. And it's pretty powerful here. That speaks volumes the way it feels in the original to me.
Also in that, Curley's wife, Mae, we see further how lonely she really is, the way she is completely cast out from contact by Curley.
There's a billboard shot in a scene at the beginning of the original that has to be seen.
And the ending in the original comes off feeling like the killing of Lennie by his friend George was a true act of kindness, to spare him from the fate he would have otherwise; the ending of the original is quite beautiful; here it's shocking (even though I of course knew it was coming), and quite painful to see. The ending of this version is painful.
Both are great versions and this makes me want to go and read the book again (it's been so long, many years), but while I found this excellent, well like my title says, I greatly prefer the original, which is simply one of my all-time favorite movies.
I'd recommend both to basically everyone. And if someone has only seen this, they need to check out the original, to give it a chance. This is a great movie, by all means, regardless. I wish I hadn't waited so long.
Great cast too. Malkovich is superb - at first I had trouble adjusting to his facial expressions and how he spoke, as it came off fake, due to my having seen him recently in Places In The Heart; Sherilyn Fenn is great as Curley's wife (here, clearly interested in George); Burgess Meredith as Candy is great - and here the dog is old! Not just stated as old. And also watch for Alexis Arquette in this, when he was still a man, in a small part.
There are lots of differences - here, Lennie wasn't the only one amused before Curley decided to pick a fight with him....
Excellent movie. See both versions by all means.