Two Paths to the Same Journey

Although the movie, The Hours, does a satisfactory job of following along with its literary counterpart, there are a number of instances in which the two conflict. Why is this so? Perhaps the producer felt it was necessary in order to make a more attractive film; perhaps the audience of the book and the movie differed. At any rate, I am not asked to say why the two conflicted but rather what effect this discrepancy had.

The first thing that I noticed, however unimportant it may be, was the difference in Julia’s appearance. In the book, Julia is described as being attractive, yet having a shaved head, a ring in her nose, and wearing black combat boots and men’s clothing. In the movie, she has a full head of hair, no ring in her nose, and, though she still wears unattractive clothing, it is not nearly as drastic as the book describes. I believe that this “toned down” appearance allows the viewer to see Julia as a much more mature and sophisticated individual.

Secondly, the scene in which Louis and Clarissa are reunited is extremely altered from that of the book. In the book, Louis breaks down and spills out his emotions and concerns to a comforting Clarissa. The author even states that, "Clarissa, the more sentimental one, the more indignant, never seems to cry at all, though she often wants to." However, in the movie, Clarissa is overwhelmed by all of the daily burdens she bares and weeps bitterly while an uncomfortable Louis stands near and attempts to console. This is a complete reversal of roles, and according to the author, a complete change of Clarissa’s demeanor. It causes the viewer to see Clarissa as a much softer and more sentimental person than she really is. Her resilience and inner strength of self are cast aside, revealing a weaker and more emotional woman. I believe that the producer was forced to conduct the scene in this way, because, while the author could simply write about how Clarissa was “the more sentimental one” without actually displaying this quality, the producer had no choice but to visually show the evidence.