The part from the book that wish was incorporated in the film was the initial friendship of the Du Toits and the Ngubenes. The film started off with Gordon Ngubene in the garden and Johan and Jonathan playing together. However, their friendship goes a distant beyond that. In the book, Gordon was a janitor at the school where Ben taught. Ben had taken up for Gordon when some items became missing from one of the other teachers, who accused Gordon. The families became very close that Ben took interest in young Jonathan’s education and paid for his books and tuition as long as he received good grades. The book gives further detail of this friendship as to when Susan took sick while giving birth to Linda, it was Emily Ngubene that came and helped with the housework. However, in the film, Susan treats the Ngubenes as peasants.
This scene was important because it would have showed Susan in a better light. It would have allowed some support of Ben’s family towards the Ngubene’s situation and allowed her, Susan, to fight for justice beside her husband. I think the friendship would have been a better balance for the film instead of everything being black vs. white.
3 comments:
I never got any sense that Susan was interested in being a frined of the Ngubenes -- more like she was just tolerating Ben's support of the Ngubene family because she didn't know what else to do.
Emily came to help out, out of sense of obligation to the De Toits, I think, not out of friendship. It was hard for blacks and whites to be "friends" in that culture.
As dialogue later showed, Susan didn't share many of Ben's values. She certainly showed a harsher and very negative side later, when Stanley came to visit.
Ben and his son, however, were supportive the Nbugene family.
Showing Jonathan as being so young (maybe 12) rather than the 15 thru 17 year-old of the novel, seemed an act of artistic license that wasn't appropriate.
"I think the friendship would have been a better balance for the film instead of everything being black vs. white."
Very insightful comment. It's not always just black and white.
Do you recommend the book?
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