Algernon: Comparing The Book And Movie

In the movie, there are three acts that do overlap in ways in which they do not in the play. For example, in the movie, there are early cuts to Cecily at Jack's country house, but in the play, we do not meet her until Act Two. This shows that events from different acts, mostly Acts 1 and 2 are mixed together. The movie does lengthen certain scenes, probably to make the movie a bit longer than it otherwise might have been. For example, in the play, Aunt Augusta simply conducts her interrogation of Jack as a marriage prospect for Gwendolyn at Algernon's house, but in the film, it is turned into a much more formal and frightening affair, but in a comical way. Aunt Augusta asks Jack to come to her home the next day, and when he arrives, he passes

someone we must assume to be another potential suitor of Gwendolyn's looking very harried as he quickly leaves the premises. When Jack and Aunt Augusta meet the two other women take notes and look at him judgmentally. It is even more awkward for him than the original scene in the play. In general, however, the film does a nice job of capturing the characters and themes and only alters details to make them more accessible to a modern audience or omits them if they would not be helpful to such an audience.