He also uses the beginning to introduce the two main characters, George and Lennie This is mainly done to show their relationship and how Lennie is like a child “Look George, look what I done” and how George is the more dominant of the two – “For God’s sake don’t drink so much.” There are many more examples of how the reader can relate to each character by the hints given by John Steinbeck. Expectations are again raised here about forthcoming events, in the plot for example when Lennie gets them into trouble “An you ain’t gonna do no bad things like you done in Weed.” This makes the reader wonder what will happen in Weed and whether it will happen again further on in the novel.
The director Gary Sinise’s aim is to grab the audience’s attention as does John Steinbeck but the beginning is very different. He uses a dramatic opening during the credits where George is sitting on a train thinking back to past events. Flashes of light streak past his face given the appearance of prison bars. This is ironic as this is how Lennie nearly ends up but it also could represent the restricted lifestyle of a ranch hand.
During the flashback George thinks of Weed, and the film starts with a girl in a ripped red dress running through fields. At this point a medium shot is used and then the camera zooms into a close up of the girl’s face, which shows fear and therefore questions are raised as to why she is running, why is there a rip in her dress? Why does she look so terrified? This creates a lot of tension and drama and in my opinion is an effective way to capture the interest of the audience. Also you first see the two main characters, George and Lennie, running away from a lynch mob. A tracking shot is used to show George and Lennie running. This also raises suspicion as to why they are running, have they committed a crime? The sound of men shouting, dogs barking and horse shoes hitting the ground puts the audience on the edge of their seats. All this action immediately draws the viewer in. Gary Sinise uses all-action instead of the descriptive dialogue of the book to create a mood of drama, tension and suspense.
Also in the opening shot we see George and Lennie in Soledad collecting their work cards. The work agency automatically indicates it is the 1930s and therefore it shows that it was the time of the American Depression, which means assumptions about migrant workers and also the lives, which ranch workers lived. We immediately know just from this one part of the film the cultural, social and historical context of the story.
In the book the characters walk into the Willow Pool but in the film George and Lennie are introduced by being chased by a lynch mob and the nature of the characters comes after in order to keep the interest of the viewers.
George is firstly described in the book as “Small and quick, dark of face with restless eyes and sharp, strong features.” By describing George as having restless eyes John Steinbeck is suggesting that George is always alert and a quick thinker. Lennie on the other hand is the total opposite of George “Huge man, shapeless face, with large, pale eyes, with wide sloping shoulders; and he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws.” By suggesting Lennie is like an animal it shows that he is slow and clumsy physically and mentally. They are both wearing “denim trousers and denim coats with brass buttons...black, shapeless hats…. carried tight blanket rolls” The uniform of ranch hands. Also John Steinbeck shows Lennie’s childlike nature in the beginning chapter when George says “You aint got sense to find nothing to eat.” He also shows the relationship between Lennie and George. We know Lennie is not bright and we also know that George is caring for Lennie and has dominance and power over him. This is shown when Lennie walks behind George “Behind him walked...” Another example of George’s care, power and dominance over Lennie is the dialogue used “Lennie, for God’s sake don’t drink so much” This immediately indicates their relationship.
The characters in the film are unlike the ones in the book as they are not physically opposite. Lennie is only slightly taller than George, however the behaviors of the two characters do mirror that is the book because Lennie acts like a child and George is the smart, dominant one. For example when running from the lynch mob George makes sure Lennie is in front to keep his eye on him.
They are both wearing the clothes of a ranch hand as described in the book, and the way in which they talk is similar. The dialogue is colloquial and heavily accented which adds a sense of realism.
I think that using a flashback technique is very clever. It shows the tragedy and sadness of the past events. By using a fast paced, action packed opening it captures the viewer’s attention, and also shows us what happened in Weed.
I feel that when casting the actor chosen to play Lennie should have been a lot taller to fit the physical description, as I do not feel John Malkovich has the build and stature as described in the book although he played the character of Lennie brilliantly, because he is able to show the child like immaturity of Lennie’s character for instance when Lennie says he like tomato ketchup on his beans, because he goes on and on about having tomato ketchup, like a child would John Malkovich shows that Lennie isn’t intelligent.
Gary Sinise skillfully changed the order of events to get across to the audience the background information of past events and therefore I think that the adaptation of the book was clever even though the order of events was changed. Gary Sinise faithfully re- produced the Willow Pool scene, as it is a crucial part of the story.
