After watching the movie, This Boy’s Life, I noticed many differences between the movie and the novel. I came to this conclusion: the book is much better. This surprised me since my thinking has always been that a movie must be better than a book, but my feelings have changed. It was a good movie, let me tell you, but since I had just read the book prior, I knew how much the viewer was missing.

A couple differences I’d like to point out before I continue: Rosemary’s name in the movie is Caroline (I see no reason why) and the absence of Bobby Crow.

First of all, sex is one major difference between the novel and the film. The sex scene between Dwight and Rosemary, I mean Caroline, after their wedding is what I’m talking about. But also, Toby hears Roy and Caroline getting it on when the two reconcile in Utah. I didn’t think this was necessary, but the directors did. The scene between Caroline and Dwight is graphic, I believe, especially since it wasn’t needed but also the dialogue was explicit. And I quote: “You can get it doggy-style or you can get it laying on your side; those are your choices.”

I believe this scene is added because sex sells. Everyone knows that. (Baywatch is the number one show in the world for Christ’s sake.) Name a movie without a single sex scene and I’ll tell you you’re watching a Disney flick. The producers know this, the director know this and the actors know it.

Also, instead of getting off watching Annette, the three lads got off watching Lois Lane. A subtle difference, but nonetheless, a difference.

One major significant difference was the added scene in the movie I like to call the Mustard Jar scene. This did happen in the book, but the outcome of the mustard jar incident didn’t happen as the movie portrayed. Toby did say, “yes,” but did not attack Dwight as a result. I feel the director had the movie pan out this way to create excitement, a climax of sorts. The viewers certainly wanted Toby to go nuts on Dwight; he certainly deserved it. As a result, Caroline comes out and they both frantically agree to leave Dwight as Dwight repeatably asks, “What about me?” Also, as this scene dictates, Dwight is the one who tells Toby he stole his paper route money, when instead it was Rosemary who informed Toby in the book. Once again, the director had this happen so the viewer could see the disgust of Toby after hearing this, and create even more hostility.

Now, don’t get me wrong; this all did happen in the book. They did leave Dwight, but not in this fashion. They left over time, quite a while after the proposed mustard jar incident. In fact, it was after this incident in the book that Toby called his brother, and the beginning of the prep school dream started for Toby. In the movie, it was the scholarship to Hill that made Dwight go nuts when, in reality, he didn’t know about this until much later.

A scene that was in the book but not in the movie is the scene where Mr. Howard meets with Toby at a clothes shop. Additionally, all of Toby’s adventures at the Bolger’s house were left out of the movie too. I feel this move was made because the directors thought the heart and meat of the movie lied within Dwight, and end with the climatic exit of Dwight out of Toby and Rosemary’s life. Even if it changes the real story quite a bit. The addition of these scenes would make the movie run long. It is already two hours as it is at this point and the director felt that the final chapters were probably too boring to continue the movie into those scenes.

Another quick observation: Dwight never kills Champion, whom he calls Champ in the movie and Dwight also never threatens Rosemary with her life.

The film, This Boy’s Life, focuses mainly upon the relationship between Dwight and Toby where the novel goes much deeper. The book, This Boy’s Life, also goes into the following relationships, none of which are shown in the movie (or at least not enough): Rosemary-Dwight, Toby-Skipper, Toby-Mr. Howard, and the Toby-Bolger family relationship. The director felt the movie was too long, to continue the story into the Bolgers and the summer Toby was supposed to spend with his father. They had Robert Deniro playing Dwight and wanted the movie to focus on Dwight and his terrorization of Toby. Thus end the movie with the departure of Deniro.

A great movie. A better novel.

Dwight is a stubborn man. To picture him, I see this: a tall, medium build man, dark hair, wearing pants and sweater or a sports jacket. Dwight is a stern man, no doubt. He was raised that way. And he feverishly terrorizes young Toby/Jack; he even seems to relish in his accomplishments in scaring this kid stupid.

I haven’t seen the movie as of yet so I’m taking a not-so wild guess in asserting that Robert Deniro will play Dwight’s character. If this deems true, that is a great example of an excellent job of casting. That person, whoever was in charge of casting, is deserving of an Oscar. Is there an Academy Award for casting? I’m sure there is.

The epitome of Dwight is when he threatens Rosemary with her life when he assumes the chance of her leaving him. I did not expect this. I know he is a violent man, but threatening the woman? I need a quote here.

“He just sat there, drinking from a bottle of whiskey. When it was empty he pulled his hunting knife out from under the seat and held it to her throat. He kept her there for hours like that, making her beg for her life, making her promise she would never leave him. If she left him, he said, he would find her and kill her. It didn’t matter where she went or how long it took him, he would kill her. She believed him.”

I also would like to point out the drinking and driving problem Dwight has. Everytime he passes that bar on the way home, he drinks for a few hours, and then drives – with his wife and kids in the car. That’s nuts. I wonder how strict the laws were back in those days on drinking and driving. Not very much, I plainly see.

The home in Concrete: I would describe the barracks as the apartments on South Campus, long and narrow. But Toby’s house specifically, that I would describe as a small townhouse. Inside: all white due to the extensive painting done by Dwight when the arrival of Rosemary was imminent. Also brown, wooden floors, as I imagine there were little or no ceramic tiles in those days. At the entrance, look to the right: a good sized living room where Dwight would relax and have a drink and also think of other ways of torturing young Jack. To the left: a staircase leading to the bedrooms upstairs, where Jack would take his beatings from Dwight. Look straightforward you will find the path to the kitchen and eating area. The utility room flanks the kitchen to the left. It’s down a step and leads to the garage. On the carpet lies Champion, the greatest hunting dog that never was.

Toby Wolff’s biggest fear in life is to be exposed as who he really is. He never let his true-self show. Toby acted as he thought he should. Toby never let anyone know his true feelings. An example of this is when Rosemary would call him while he was with Dwight, seeing if they could start a life there. Toby would always answer “It’s fine,” or “It’s okay,” even though Dwight was putting him through hell. Toby thought this is what his mother wanted to hear, that he liked living with Dwight, though that was not true.

To picture Toby, I see this: a medium-sized young man, short hair, and the onset of whiskers – the preeminence of a mustache. I imagine he is portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio (I think he’s the guy from that movie about that ship.) I don’t see that at all. I can also formulate a picture in my head of Toby with a boy scouts’ uniform on.

Toby tries very hard to impress people. This is why he goes to Hill. I think he wanted to impress his father and brother, who were among the upper class, and prove to them that he was ready to join their lifestyle. He wasn’t. Dwight had a long-lasting effect on Toby. When Toby struggles, and eventually drops out at Hill, he decides to join the army. I believe Dwight had something to do with this. Dwight had raised him in a violent home with many rules, and that is what Toby felt close to: the violence and orderly manner of the army.

Rosemary was a woman who wanted the best for her son but didn’t know how to accomplish this goal. Toby thought it went downhill since she left his father. Toby hated Roy, and when Rosemary decided to leave Florida to Utah and leave Utah for Seattle, Toby was excited about the excursions because he wanted to get rid of Roy. Rosemary felt Toby needed a strong-male upbringing, so she sent him to spend some time with Dwight. To picture Rosemary, I see this: a semi-tall woman with dirty blond hair that falls to her shoulders. I can see her wearing a dress; a light sky-blue colored dress. Rosemary took abuse from Dwight because she thought that situation was the best for Toby to be reared up in. She was too naïve to see that it wasn’t. Yes, I’m stating that Rosemary is naïve.

To picture the house in West Seattle, I see this: an old greenish house, one-story with black shutters on all four windows on the first floor. I can see a car parked to the left of the house. Inside the house, a kitchen with a table and a medium sized family room is the heart of the house. The four bedrooms, one small room for Toby and three medium-sized rooms for Kathy, Marian, and Rosemary, flanked the kitchen and family room to both sides. It is a rundown house, but with possibilities as Rosemary stated.