Comparing and contrasting the book and the films

Comparing and contrasting the book and the films based on King's novel Stephanie Gauntt Ansley Nolan Meagan Nix

Background Information

Carrie a. Written by Stephen King b. Published in 1974 c. King's first published novel (even though it wasn't the first book he'd written) • One of the most frequently banned books in United States schools

Carrie (1976) a. Came out November 3, 1976 b. Original film based on the novel by Stephen King c. Drama/Horror/Thriller d. Carrie White played by Sissy Spacek

Carrie (2002) a. Not a remake of the 1976 film b. Originlly intended to be a pilot for a T. V. series where Carrie lives and moves to Flordia to help others with TK problems • NBC scratched the idea due to poor ratings • Carrie White played by Angela Bettis • Follows the novel more than the original film

Differences in the Novel and Films

What was different about the book and the 1976 film version? Quite a bit actually. . . 1. The P. E. teacher has a different name. In the novel she is Miss Desjardin, however, in the film she is named Miss Collins. – Where is Chris Hargensen's father? He played a big role in the novel when he tried to get this daughter out of trouble after the shower scene. He is not shown or mentioned in the film at all. – There is really no sexual content in the film as there was in the novel. – Sue asks Tommy to take Carrie to the prom in a different location. – Instead of staying at home while Tommy and Carrie are at the prom, Sue leaves her house during dinner to go to the prom and see how things are going. Miss Collins throws her out after she sees her. – Carrie doesn't kill nearly as many people as she does in the novel

What was different about the book and the 1976 film version? cont. . . 7. Carrie seems to have a mother/daughter relationship with Miss Collins in the movie, but this is not realy played upon in the novel. 8. Carrie kills her mother, Margaret White, differently. In the book she stops her heart, but in the movie she does more of a crucifixion using knives. 9. Carrie dies differently as well. In the novel, she dies due to blood loss, shock, coronary occulsion and/or coronary thrombosis, but in the movie she dies from the house caving in on her. 10. Sue was with Carrie in the book when she died, but she was not in the movie. 11. Margaret is more talkative in the film. 12. The book is more of a documentary, but the movie is firsthand actually happening 13. Carrie doesn't really show her feelings for Tommy in the book, but in the movie shows more interest 14. In this film version, the stone incident is not recounted. The film does not look back to the child Carrie as the novel did.

What was different between the book and the 2002 version of Carrie? 1. Sue Snell was played by an African-American girl. 2. There is not really any sexual content like what is present in the book. 3. The girls from the locker room/shower scene stuffed Carrie's locker with tampons, and the whole school yelled at her in the hallway. 4. The stones incident is portrayed as meteors raining down, not stones. 5. Carrie reads a teen magazine in her praying closet and hides it where her mother can't find it. 6. Carrie ends up living at the end; Sue finds her after her mother tried to drown her and takes her away from their hometown. 7. People seem to die more from being electrocuted instead of just being burned to death in the gym.

Carrie White vs. Carrie White a. There are differences in the character of Carrie in the book and the movies. In the book: -Carrie is characterized as a heavy girl. -Carrie has pimples on her neck, back, and buttocks. -Carrie is animalistic. In the movie(s): -Carrie is played by skinny girls. -There is no sign of the acne. -Carrie is still compared to an animal, but she is not animalistic. a. In the movie, Carrie is made to be more aesthetically pleasing. She is more "Hollywood. " b. She is an outcast in both of the movies and in the novel, but in the novel, she seems less socially awkward. Seeing the way she acts around people on film makes her seem even more strange.

Analysis

Religion a. Religion is a central theme in the book and both films. b. Margaret is religion crazy, and forces this on her daughter and on the townspeople. c. Margaret's death is like a crucifixion, and she resembles the Jesus that is portrayed on the crucifix that hangs on the wall in the first movie. Her appearance even looks like Jesus. d. Margaret tells Carrie that starting her period was a sign of sin. She then makes Carrie quote religously about Eve. e. Margaret forces Carrie into a small closet to pray when she deems that Carrie has sinned. It is almost like Margaret is God, but she is sinning without realizing it. f. Religion is life to Margaret. Without religion or extreme religion like hers, she has no idea what to do. g. Margaret tells Carrie should have given her to the Lord when she found out she was pregnant after participating in the sin known as intercourse.

The Color Red a. The color red is present, in some way, when "bad" things happen in the book and movies. b. Carrie starts her period, which is blood and therefore, red. With the start of her period, there comes the misuse of her power. c. Margaret's hair is red and she is a montrous human being. d. The pig blood is the core of the prank Chris and Billy carry out, which ends tragically. e. Carrie's mother described her dress as red even though it was Pink, and she is wearing the dress when everything goes awry. f. Carrie reeks havoc on the prom, while completely drenched in the pig blood.

Sexuality and Power a. Sue and Chris both use sex to manipulate their boyfriends. b. Sue uses her power over Tommy to convince him to take Carrie to the Prom. c. Chris starts sleeping with Billy to make him do what she wants him to, but she does not know that he also has power over her. She will not do the "prank" if he is not there. She needs him to do the dirty work. d. Carrie starts her period, which in a way marks her sexual female beginning. This is also the time her power peaks. She starts becoming more aware of her sexuality and her TK.

Women a. The pig blood is from female pigs. b. As discussed in class, the body of a woman is complicated, and giving the TK power to a young woman makes it and the character harder to understand. c. Margaret is portrayed as an overwhelming woman in the novel, which contributes to her power; but, in the films, she looks like an average woman, yet she still has great power over her daughter. d. Once Carrie gets her TK under control, she tells her mother, who has been in complete control, that things are going to change around their household, and she proceeds to show this to her.

Closure In Stephen King's novel, the reader is able to get a better picture of who Carrie White is. In the movies, mostly only what she does wrong with her TK is shown. The second movie does follow the novel better, but neither go in depth of her life. Carrie expresses to her mother in both films that she just wants a chance at being normal and hanging out with normal people. Margaret is also portrayed in a worse way in the novel. In the movies, it shows Margaret holding her daughter, but this does not happen in the book. She never shows any feeling besides hatred toward her daughter. In Hollywood, it is easier to show a monstrous mother that cares at some point, so it is easy to see why the movies were this way.