Of Mice and Men

As the theater darkened for the premiere of Gary Sinise's adaptation of the John Steinbeck classic "Of Mice and Men," memories of my junior high English class came rushing back. I remember being totally awed by the story's great themes of Poverty, Friendship and Human Hope, all of which I dutifully memorized for the weekly literature quiz.

George Milton (Gary Sinise) and Lennie Small (John Malkovich), protagonists of both the book and movie, became tragic heroes in my early adolescent eyes. This story of two Depression era migrant workers, with its sparse prose, illumines the intricacies of loneliness and companionship, desire and hope, greed and helplessness. It ranks among the great American classics.

I came to the film expecting the same great themes; I was not disappointed. Gary Sinise, as co-producer, director and lead actor, created a remarkable version of the literary classic. The film remains true to the original and resonates for a modern-day audience. The script, written by Horton Foote (scriptwriter for "To Kill A Mockingbird,"), effortlessly depicts the simple truths and tragic theme of this story.

Not only has Foote spent 78 years writing some of the finest screenplays in American cinema, but he also experienced the Depression firsthand. His expertise allowed him to write the script in a mere ten weeks. Sinise also related how he and Foote were able to work cooperatively on the script, creating a shared vision of Steinbeck's work.

The superior script is paired with a talented cast. Each character--from the greedy ranch owner to the pathetic, crippled stable boy--rings true. This across-the-board excellence pays tribute to both the director and the actors. It seems that Sinise strove for historical accuracy to great success. Veteran actor Ray Walston as Candy, also a survivor of the Depression, contributes a moving performance, convincing the audience of the isolation of a ranch hand's life.

Casey Siemaszko, who portrays the tyrannical rancher's son Curly, contrasts well with John Terry in the part of the generous foreman Slim; their antagonism symbolizes the power differences between the haves and have-nots. Sherilyn Fenn's performance as Curly's wife subtly alters the book's version of the character, allowing her more sympathy and greater development as the sole woman in the story. Here, Sinise modernizes the original, transforming the role of the wife Jezebel into a modern-day victim of circumstance.

Finally, the rapport between John Malkovich and Gary Sinise as Lennie and George conveys the essential themes of the movie: loneliness and companionship. These two young, vagabond ranch hands present the only complete and fulfilling relationship of the film, although individually they are social misfits.

Repeatedly, circumstance and society challenge their friendship, but that only strengthens their lonely bond.

Lennie and George struggle to find a place for themselves in a world which disdains them. Lennie, a hulking giant with the mind and heart of a child, is prey to the cruelty of other's prejudice. Lennie's true Achille's heel, however, is his ignorance of his own brute strength. His physical power both builds and destroys his relationship with George. Herein lies the tragic contradiction of the film.

Of course, as Sinise says, "you already know [the story] good." Its relevance to our own era of economic uncertainty is clear in our thoughts and anxieties. The few changes from the original story that Sinise makes strengthen the film's structure and theme.

By confronting the audience in the first scene with George and Lennie's desperate flight from a lynch party, the viewer becomes riveted to the action of the film and consumed by questions about the identity of the two escapees and the reason for their escape. In reshaping the wife's role, Sinise produces a more palatable character for an audience concerned about women's issues.

Following in the footsteps of classic film and literature is never easy, but this film agilely reproduces "Of Mice and Men" while also adding some new steps of its own.