Entry 36: Red Badge Film

Compare and contrast the film version of The Red Badge of Courage with the novel. How was it the same? How was it different? Did people , places, and things look the way you imagined them? In what ways were your ideas reinforced, and in what ways were they challenged?

• I believe that the Red Badge of Courage movie, though a quite good film, does not realistically and efficiently display and convey what the book wants to display and convey. The film focuses more on a physical level, on what actually happens in the real world; in contrast, the book focuses more on a psychological level, on what is going on in Henry's mind, and exactly what is the psychological crisis that Henry is experiencing. Therefore, I believe that it is inferior in this sense.
• I would also like to point out that there are many other differences between the book and the film. The first one is as mentioned above: the messages that are conveyed are different. Another difference is the age of Henry. At least, in my opinion. I have always thought that the Henry in the book is way more younger than the Henry depicted in the movie.
• I believe that the book is better than the film because of one main reason: the book allows for better imagery and feeling in our minds (it helps let us experience what Henry experienced), and it does not limit our minds to just one picture depicted by others through the film.