The Sisters Brothers

Book vs. Movie

 

I will warn you that there are some spoilers here.  Wow.  The two formats could not be any more different from each other.  The only thing really true to the actual novel was the characters (I mean the four main ones).  The way the timeline/plot is portrayed in the film is almost in an alternate reality.  I understand that movie producers have the right or access to creative licence (because of time restrictions) and probably got the go ahead from the author but it could have been done better.  The book was so engrossing, even though not much happens (at first).  It was also more funny.  There were certain scenes that I picked as my favourites in the novel and couldn’t wait to see them play out on the screen.  I was slightly disappointed.  The Sisters Brothers never get to visit the dentist (a man who seems to have failed at everything), which is the reason Eli starts brushing his teeth, and they never get to step into the shop that gives them a new wardrobe, which actually gives Eli the inspiration to own a similar business like that one day.  Mayfield has been changed to a woman in the film and we no longer see the Asian influence in San Francisco, through the innkeeper there.  The way the brothers find out about Morris and Warm is not the same as in the book, either.  Even the climax of the story turns out slightly different.  I think all the actors were selected appropriately; there was great acting but watching the film was rather slow.  Even the wailing stranger or annoying boy didn’t find their way on screen—all things that could have improved the quality of the movie.  Unfortunately, the film just took the shell of the story, whereas the details that made the book interesting, were completely ignored.  My husband likes westerns but he was not impressed with what he saw.  I’ll stick to the novel, thanks!  How do you think they compared?