I disliked the movie created from the novel “The Stone Angel” for numerous reasons.
First, I thought the casting was poor. The actors did not represent the characters in the novel well. They appeared more modern and did not fit the descriptions given to them in the novel. Hagar was the main character in the novel and her main qualities were her “strength” and stubbornness, which were not portrayed well in the film.
Secondly, important details were missing. What I found important was John lying to Hagar about his elementary school friends, old Hagar spending her last night at Shadow Point with Murray in the old cannery, and during Hagar’s last days in the hospital forming a relationship with Mrs. Dobereiner. Those events played a significant role in the novel because they demonstrated how John and Hagar were changing over time. Perhaps including these scenes would have improved the movie.
Lastly, I found the novel was full of emotion, whereas the movie was focused on what would sell. I found the added curse words, drugs and alcohol scenes unnecessary. Although there were scenes with alcohol and minimal swearing in the novel, I found it overdone in the movie.
That being said, I understand that it is not an easy task to create a movie from a novel, let alone a Canadian fiction novel. If the director would have stayed true to the novel, I believe, they could have created something great even on a budget.
Jessica
