Post #4 - Adapting The Help

 

Some specific challenges a filmmaker might have in adapting the movie from the book would be the setting and the time frame in which the book is set. The book is so specific in its details of Jackson, Mississippi and the way African-Americans were treated. A film maker would have to be pretty spot on with those details or else the movie wouldn’t make sense because that is the whole idea of the book – how African-Americans were treated during the 60’s, especially the African-American maids working as the help to white women.

The first scene that is essential to the book that a film maker would have to keep is the scene where all the women are at Elizabeth Leefolt’s house playing bridge and Hilly Holbrook uses the guest bathroom and comes out telling Elizabeth that she really should put a bathroom outside for Aibileen. An important quote for this scene that is key to the book that would need to be in the movie is; “ ‘That’s exactly why I’ve designed the Home Help Sanitation Initiative,’ Miss Hilly say. ‘As a disease-preventative measure … A bill that requires every white home to have a separate bathroom for the colored help. I’ve even notified the surgeon general of Mississippi to see if he’ll endorse the idea’ ” (10). This is an important scene because this is the part in the story that comes up a lot throughout the book and is the reason for the stories Skeeter wants to right.

Another scene that would be important to keep for the movie would be the scene where Minny goes to work for Celia Foote. An important quote to go with this scene is; “I sit in the sagging seat of the Ford Leroy’s still paying his boss twelve dollars every week for. Relief hits me. I have finally gotten myself a job. I don’t have to move to the North Pole. Won’t Santy Claus be disappointed” (45). This is important because Minny’s previous employer went to an old folk’s home and her daughter, Hilly Holbrook, accused Minny of stealing the silver and told everyone in town making it virtually impossible for her to find work anywhere else. Celia lives way out in the country and isn’t friends with any of the other girls so she doesn’t know anything that Hilly has been spreading around town about Minny.

A third scene that would be important to keep is when Aibileen decides that she will do the interviews with Skeeter. An important quote for this scene is; “[Aibileen’s] quite a second and then she blurts it out. ‘What if – what if you don’t like what I got to say? I mean, about white peoples’ […] ‘Law have mercy. I reckon I’m on do it’ ” (142). This is important because this is the part in the book where Minny decides that she’s had enough and she wants her stories to be heard. She wants things in Jackson, Mississippi to change. She doesn’t know if her stories will make a huge impact but her stories need to be heard.

One part that should be cut from the script is Elizabeth Leefolt spanking her child, Mae Mobley, for trying to use Aibileen’s bathroom. When Elizabeth say’s “ ‘I did not raise you to use the colored bathroom!’ I hear her hiss-whispering, thinking I can’t hear, and I think, Lady, you didn’t raise your child at all.’ ‘This is dirty out here, Mae Mobley. You’ll catch diseases! No no no!’ And I hear her pop her again and again on her bare legs” (111). This part in the book is extremely controversial, even though the whole book is basically about racism, I think this part takes it a little too far with Elizabeth coming right out and telling Mae Mobley, whom she didn’t raise at all, Minny did, that she will get diseases from using Aibileen’s bathroom.

Another scene that could be cut is the  scene where Skeeter is standing out by her car after her miserable date with the senator’s son. “He turns and focuses on me for what, I’m pretty sure, is the first time all night. After several long moments of standing there being looked at, my eyes fill with tears. I’m just so tired” (141). While this scene is important for the later scene where the senator’s son comes back to see Skeeter a few months later to apologize and they start dating, I think this scene where they go on the double date with William and Hilly is just drawn out and excruciatingly awkward.

Post #3 - Book 1 Project

Have you read Thirteen Reasons Why? Did you absolutely love it? Do you want to further your experience and get inside Hannah’s head a little bit more? Then do I have the ultimate fan experience for you! I have created a board game that takes you along the journey that Clay Jensen went on while he was listening to Hannah’s tapes. This board game will transport its players into Hannah’s world and ultimately further the fan’s experience. My idea for this game came from within the book. Hannah slipped a map into the possession of each of the 13 people on her list. The map takes the listeners through the town to important places where each individual event occurred to make Hannah’s decision easier as each event unraveled. The board of the game will have specific scenario spots where you draw a card and it explains what happened to Hannah. These cards, for example, could say; Hannah gets her first kiss! And it’s with Justin Foley! What could be better? Oh, maybe that it’s on the rocket ship that she wanted it to be on! Collect 13 Encouragement Cards! This card is based on the quote; “[s]o thank you, Justin. Sincerely. My very first kiss was wonderful. And for the month or so that we lasted, and everywhere that we went, the kisses were wonderful. You were wonderful” (30). Based on the scenario you either gain or lose encouragement cards. The encouragement cards have encouraging quotes from the book such as; “in my dreams, my first kiss took place at the rocket ship. It reminded me of innocence. And I wanted my first kiss to be just that. Innocent” (25).  This game is a great game for fans of this book. It is based off the idea of the map that Hannah gave out to the 13 people on her list. This makes it great because players get to experience what Clay experienced when he went from spot to spot on the map.

Here’s how you play.

Each player starts out with 13 Encouragement Cards. Each player rolls the die and lands on a space. If you land on a red space, you take a Scenario Card.

Ex. Your roll a 3 and land on the red square that says “Justin Foley Take 1 Scenario Card”. You do just that.

Let’s say your Scenario Card says this; “Justin is on Hannah’s list again because not only did he let her first kiss turn into something more (that didn't actually happen), but he let Bryce Walker rape Jessica Davis. And Hannah had to watch the whole thing from the closet she escaped to after her and Clay kissed. Lose 10 Encouragement Cards.”

This card is based on the part in the story when Hannah is at the party after Clay leaves. “Justin, baby, I’m not blaming you entirely. We’re in this one together. We both could have stopped it. Either one of us. We could have saved her. And I’m admitting this to you. To all of you. That girl had two chances. And both of us let her down” (229). So you can see why you would lose your 10 Encouragement Cards after that one.

So, after you take 10 Encouragement Cards out of your Paper Bag of Encouragement and place them back in the pile, the next person takes their turn.

The game continues until you reach the finish square. In this game, there are no real winners because all of these things happened and caused Hannah to kill herself. In the end, nobody won.