BOOK / MOVIE: Johnny Tremain (1943 / 1957)

                        In 1943, Esther Forbes published the beloved young adult novel Johnny Tremain.  It went on to win the Newbery Medal and is one of the best-selling books of its type.  In 1957, Disney made its version for its TV series, but the movie opened in theaters first.  It was directed by Robert Stevenson (“Old Yeller”). 

                        Johnny is an apprentice to a silversmith.  An accident injures his hand and ends his chances of becoming a silversmith.  He has trouble finding any job so he goes to a local rich merchant with the claim that he is a relative.  This backfires and almost gets him executed.  He finds a job delivering newspapers.  The newspaper is anti-British and Johnny encounters some of the leading figures in the pre-Revolution Boston scene.  He meets men like Paul Revere, Sam Adams, James Otis, and Dr. Joseph Warren.  He is befriended by an older boy named Rab who is a member of the Sons of Liberty.  Within this orbit, he participates in the Boston Tea Party.  Meanwhile, he is courting Priscilla Lapham.  Johnny becomes a spy.  The story culminates with Lexington and Concord.

                        Okay, students.  Here is how the movie differs from the novel, before you write your book report based on the movie.  Johnny works at Mr. Lapham’s, but the movie eliminates the other two apprentices.  Dove is not there to be a hissable villain.  It is Mr. Lyte who brings the basin to be repaired, not John Hancock.  The accident to Johnny’s hand is no one’s fault.  He does have trouble finding a job.  He is already friends with Rab.  He does go to Lyte’s home and gets arrested.  Paul Revere gets Josiah Quincy to represent him in court.  The trial is basically the same as in the novel, except there is no appearance by the creepy Isannah (who does not appear in the movie at all).  Rab does get a horse named Goblin and becomes a rebel courier (the movie bumps him up from newspaper deliverer).  He does attend committee meetings and witnesses planning for the tea party.  He blows the whistle and participates in the vandalism.  Lyte witnesses the destruction and in the movie, they sing “The Liberty Tree”.  There’s no singing in the novel, because the novel is not written by Disney.  The movie has Warren visiting Gage.  Johnny visits Lyte and they argue over principles, Cila does not go to work for him.  There is no Lavinia for Johnny to have a crush on.                     

                        In the movie, Johnny’s participation in historical events leading up to Lexington is significantly different.  He does witness Otis’ impassioned speech to the committee.  The dialogue is taken mostly from the book.  Johnny goes to tell Newman to put two lanterns up.  He escapes soldiers chasing him.  The movie covers Paul Revere’s ride.  Johnny joins Rab in Lexington.  He stands with the minutemen on the village green and then he and Rab shoot at British soldiers on their march.  The movie closes with Cila joining  Johnny at the camp and Otis gives another speech. 

                        Once again, I find my theory that most movies based on books are better than the book proven true.  I am not referring to the overall experience.  I am referring to the plot.  My theory is the screenwriter has access to the novel and can make changes for the better.  There is no reason for the movie not to be better, unless the book is difficult to recreate.   In this case, Tom Blackburn decided to shorten the character list and bump up the action.  He removed Dove, Isannah, and Varinia and the subplots that went with them.  No big loss, in my opinion.  They are all unattractive characters.  Lyte has to carry the load as the villain and unfortunately the part is not well-developed.  The movie brings him back after the trial for an unnecessary scene where he tells Johnny that he would have accepted him and taken him to England if Johnny was not a Whig.  One strength of the movie is the better coverage of the historical characters.  Paul Revere and Joseph Warren become mentors to Johnny.  This is nice as I am a big fan of Warren, who is a sadly forgotten founding father.  Rab also gets a bigger role which is nice because he is a better character than Johnny, in my opinion. Forbes would have had a better book if Rab was the main character.  Another improvement is Johnny is involved with the fighting on April 19.  Instead of lamely staying in Boston as in the book, he is in the thick of it.  This allows the movie to do a fairly accurate reenactment of the start of the war.  The movie has a much more satisfying finish than the book.

                        The book is a classic and justifiably so.  Forbes writes well and is not too florid.  The plot is somewhat soap operaish.  There is a strange like (not love) triangle between Johnny, Cila, and Varinia.  It just doesn’t make a lot of sense.  The book fleshes out Johnny’s personality more and he is not as likeable as in the movie.  In fact, he is something of a bully towards Dove.  The Isannah character was thankfully dumped from the movie.  She’s a brown spot on the banana.   The romance between Johnny and Cila is complicated and more realistic than the movie.  In the movie, it is smooth sailing, as in a Disney kids’ movie.  The book is a good tutorial on the opposing sides and has some positive British characters.  It does lack suspense and action. In my opinion, the book is overrated and hopefully is not still required reading.  If a teacher wants a similar, but superior take on the early Revolution, Howard Fast’s April Morning is the way to go. 

                        The movie is average Disney.  It is entertaining for kids, but offers little for adults.  It does work as a substitute for reading the book, just be aware that it differs from the book in plot.  The cast is not noteworthy.  The acting is mediocre.  Hal Stalmaster was discovered working for the casting director (his brother).  It was the only movie of an undistinguished career.  He plays Johnny as a smiling patriot.  The adults come off a bit better, but they are also one-dimensional.  Even the villainish Lyte (Sebastan Cabot) is half-ass.  There is no despicable British officer.  This movie is the opposite of Mel Gibson’s “The Patriot”.  However, it is a better history lesson.  The historical figures are accurately portrayed.  James Otis did have mental stability problems due to a knock on the head, for example.  The Boston Tea Party is greatly simplified, but you get the gist of it.  The same can be said for Lexington and Concord.  It’s eighth grade history.  Much of our current historically illiterate public could learn the basics from it and they wouldn’t have to read!  All of this is done in vibrant technicolor on painstakingly made, if painfully obvious, sets.  It is a real nostalgia treat for old-school Disney fans.  If you were not able to see it on the Wonderful World of Disney, it is unlikely that it is a movie that would wow you today.

 

MOVIE  =  C

BOOK  =  C-