Many, many times in my life have I been disappointed by book-to-film adaptations–Harry Potter, while good, left out Peeves and SPEW; Percy Jackson was just a fiasco; Chronicles of Narnia stopped after three movies; Hunger Games focused less on social commentary and more on romance; Love, Simon both changed the name and added some annoying heteronormative subplots not found in the book…..but a few shining examples have not let me down, one of which is The Outsiders.
The Outsiders, written by a teenage S.E. Hinton in 1967, was adapted to film in 1983. Firstly, it’s coming out the 80s, so you know it’s going to at least have some iconic actors and good music. And iconic folks there were–Patrick Swayze, Tom Cruise, Rob Lowe, Matt Dillon, Emilio Estevez….some of the faces of the 80s.
Before we get into a distracted montage of good-looking men from the 80s, let’s focus on a key element: they stuck EXACTLY to the book. The only discernible change is that they started the movie with Ponyboy writing the essay, instead of ending it that way like the book does–although in a film setting, I understand this, it makes more sense and helps frame things.
Cinematically, the themes of the film (the tones it was shot in, musical placement, use of oversaturation at key times), were presented incredibly well. Instead of feeling like you’re watching an adaptation, you feel immersed in the book. They do a lot of iconic scenes justice–the poetry scene, the barn scene, Dally’s death….
And speaking of Dally.
While all the actors shine, it is, in my opinion, Matt Dillon’s performative as Dally that helps skyrocket the film. Dally is a complicated character, so just the right actor is needed to portray him.
One of the things that makes Dally such an iconic character (and also a tragic one) is his secret tenderness. He’s the bad-boy with a soft streak. He cares deeply for his friends, especially Johnny, and a young Dillon offers the perfect balance, as you can see in the pictures above.
Of course, I also have a natural predilection towards morally complicated characters (Dally, Monty from The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue, Zebulon from Zebulon Finch, Kylo Ren/Ben Solo from Star Wars {this specific one I’ve written about before}, Draco Malfoy….I could go on and on), so that might be part of the reason why Dally has a special place in my heart.
I guess what I’m trying to say here to you all is that you should absolutely read and watch The Outsiders. My dad has seen it multiple times, and he is quick to tell you that he does not like to rewatch movies.
What movies do you think did their books justice?
Peace,
Edith-Marie, aka Short Girl 🙂
Short Girl Writes 