The Film
John G. Avildsen's 1992 screen realization of the novel poses an interesting set of questions about translating literature to the screen. Among the most disturbing differences between the book and the film are the number of characters that have been relegated to brief appearances or eliminated altogether. Peekay's family, consisting of his mother and grandfather, are quickly disposed of. Mother dies and Granpa appears only briefly as a nondescript guardian. The roles of Mevrou, Harry Crown, Big Hettie, Pastor Mulvery, Dee and Dum, Mrs. Boxall, Miss Bornstein, and Rasputin do not exist. Instead of meeting Peekay on the train and changing his life forever, Hoppie Gruenewald is introduced later in the story as a substitute for Solly Goldman. Morrie Levy, whose identity as a token Jew was central to his character in the book, becomes Morrie Guilbert whose uncle is a Christian vicar. Gideon's role is enlarged, and Peekay is given a love interest in the character of Maria. After the prison concert and the end of the war, Doc goes back to Germany. How, the reader may ask, does Peekay's story survive with these radical changes? This is more than simply omitting events that would make the movie too long. What, then, was the rationale? The reader (or viewer) can only guess, but the conclusion should lead to the preservation of the theme of the book, the goal of the story. This, the film accomplishes.
To begin, the music sets the tone for the film with a score by Hans Zimmer and additional songs and music by Johnny Clegg and Lebo M. Blending traditional African themes with effective underscoring, the music couches the story, providing part of the framework that is completed by the landscape cinematography by director of photography Dean Semler. Guy Witcher is absolutely enchanting as Peekay. His treatment by the Judge in the shower seems minor, though, compared to the trauma our hero suffered in the book. The killing of his pet is brutal, but the creature was fat enough to be Sunday dinner and did not seem like the scrawny chicken called Granpa Chook.
Morgan Freeman is a compelling presence. His portrayal of Geel Piet was entirely believable even though he didn't match Courtenay's physical description. Freeman is much better-looking than Geel Piet, and not nearly so frail. While his appearance was brief, it was dynamic, and the decision for him to die in Peekay's arms rather than be found dead by him is dramatically sound, uttering the words, "A free man."
I was skeptical about the inclusion of a love interest and saw it as a necessary evil to sell the story to audiences, but after seeing how the relationship was handled I accepted it. The character of Maria Marais satisfied the portion of Peekay's road to adulthood that the book dealt with by describing the boys' chagrin at their emerging sexuality and Peekay's adolescent crush on Miss Bornstein. To further validate this deviation from the original story, the filmmakers made Maria into part of the political contrast in the book, making her father a prominent Afrikaner professor whose writings support total apartheid. As a privileged Afrikaner schoolgirl and a descendant of the early Dutch settlers, Maria is the antithesis of everything that Peekay stands for, and through her association with him she learns that there is more to her country than private school and her father's beliefs. Sacrificing her life to save Peekay's advances the cause of freedom. This event is magnified by its perpetrator being Sgt. Botha, who was responsible for closing down Hoppie's gym, beating Gideon until he blinded him in one eye, and threatening Peekay by threatening that he wasn't finished with him or that Marais girl. It was his doing that the Saturday school Peekay and Morrie started at their school had to be closed. This led to the removal of the school to Morrie's uncle's church where Botha raids it and Maria is accidentally killed. In a meeting in the headmaster's office Peekay recognizes Sgt. Botha as the Judge because of the crude, self-inflicted swastika tattoo.
Instead of Peekay working in the mines and meeting his nemesis there, a riot breaks out where Gideon lives and where they have moved the school after Maria's death, and Gideon steps in to save Peekay when Sgt. Botha is about to shoot him. In Maria's memory, and fresh from finally defeating the Judge, Peekay travels south with Gideon to Pretoria to continue to fight for freedom. Thus, the idea that freedom is attainable and that one person can make a difference has been realized. While I still prefer the book, the film was successful in putting forth the idea of the power of one person, one idea, and one goal, and the study of the book and film together will be a valuable learning experience.
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