What differences did you spot between the book and the movie ... ?

Question

..."To Kill a Mockingbird?"

Answer 1

Well, for one thing, his brother, a major player in the book, was completely eliminated from the movie.  No idea why.

Answer 2

First, I should note that I believe that Horton Foote's screenplay was excellent; and, in the main, remained true to Harper Lee's book.  

Rather than list the minor differences, I have noted below what I believe are two significant differences between the screenplay and the book:

**Although Mrs. Dubose does appear in the motion picture, her stormy relationship with Jem, that ultimately leads Atticus to teach him an important lesson about courage, is not found in the motion picture.  

Recall that in the book, Harper Lee portrays Mrs. Dubose as an elderly racist and a morphine addict who angers Jem by her insults directed toward Atticus.  He then assaults her flower garden.  He is punished by having to read to Mrs. Dubose.  After five weeks of reading to her each day, Jem is allowed to stop.  Mrs. Dubose dies shortly thereafter.  It is in that context that Atticus trys to teach Jem about courage, bravery and respect as he utters one of the most important quotations in the book: "I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do. Mrs Dubose won, all ninety-eight pounds of her. According to her views, she died beholden to nothing and nobody. She was the bravest person I ever knew."  

**Another important difference is that the motion picture leaves out Aunt Alexandra.  She played an important role in the book, revealing, for example, that Scout and Jem were not just playful "angels," but were normal children who got into mischief.  Also, her frustration with Scout's "tomboy" behavior; and her efforts to provide Scout with lessons on being a "young lady" are not found in the motion picture.