paraphrase essay

Both the stage and film versions of Driving Miss Daisy were written by Alfred Uhry. The story line is very much similar. However, there are several differences from the play to the film. Many of the differences can be assumed to have taken place because of the differences in what can be offered on stage versus what can be offered in a film production with a higher budget and the benefit of not having a live audience. The movie had additional characters and setting changes that were not present in the play.

The play only has three characters, Miss Daisy, Hoke, and Boolie. However, other characters are mentioned in conversation such as Boolie’s wife and Miss Daisy’s cook. In the film, those characters came to life. The development of these characters provided insight into their lives and environment in a way that was not available in the play. The development of these characters helps to develop the themes even more so than the way that they were developed in the play. Both the play and the movie are set against both social and industrial changes that were going on in the South at that time. The development of more characters allows these ideas to flourish and be better demonstrated through dialogue and action. The dynamics between whites and blacks were rapidly changing in that time. Additionally, the generation gap was becoming obvious between a younger generation who was more technologically advanced and pushing toward the future, and the older generation who clung to the past and tradition. These themes are realized in the play, however, in the film version of Driving Miss Daisy, the ideas really come to life. The additionally characters help to drive home these points by adding more action which makes the themes more evident and available for the audience’s understanding.

Another change from the play to the film is the way the setting is handles. In the play, there can only be one location. Set and costume changes along with behaviors and dialogue give the audience ideas about passage of time and change of location. However, the movie offers a different, and perhaps more easy to understand idea of the setting in time and place. The movie was filmed in and around Atlanta, which really brings life to the story. Ideas that can only be discussed and imagined in the mind of the reader or viewer in the play take shape and have a concrete image attached to them in the movie.

The setting in time and place in Driving Miss Daisy is very important to understanding the theme. Racism, or rather conquering racism, is a big idea in both the film and the play. It is important to note that the action takes place in Atlanta during a time when many people still found it perfectly acceptable to mistreat people of color. If we consider Miss Daisy from the beginning of both the film and the play we can see that it seems normal for her to not want to be alone in the car with a black man. This does not seem like an unacceptable behavior to her. This is indicative of the time. It is paramount that the time did not change between the play and the film. If the movie had taken a leap forward and set the movie further into the future, the entire action would not make sense, and the themes would change. The prejudices that exist are indicative of the time and place in which both the play and movie are set. There is also an additional scene in the movie which helps the viewers imagine the setting. Police stop Miss Daisy and Hoke as they are having a roadside picnic. The police make derogatory comments toward Miss Daisy because of her religion and toward Hoke because of his race. These scene adds to the ideas of racism and prejudice that are important to the overall theme of the film.

The major differences between the play and the film come in the form of added characters and different handling of the setting. However, besides that, there are few differences. This leads the film to be a bit slow moving because it is set up much like a theatrical piece instead of a movie. However, the film does boast fabulous acting which led it to receive many awards and nominations. The film adaptation gives viewers a more detailed view of the prejudices that were present at that time and especially in the South. Added scenes and characters help to bring the theme full circle and explain the ideas to the audience. Both the film and the play share the same themes, however in the film version, the ideas are more accessible to the audience without having to do too much deep thinking and understanding on their own behalf.