It's been a long time since I saw both the play (in 2005 on Broadway w/ Jones and O'Byrne) and the film (at my local cinema in 2008). I liked both but the film reminded me a lot of my grammar school in Cicero, IL.
The film, by showing the boy and the other students, all the nuns, and scenes in the classroom, in church, and of the surrounding community, gives the audience a much fuller picture of the entire story. If I remember correctly, the scene where Sister James notices Father Flynn with the boy's undershirt is not mentioned in the play and is pretty clear evidence that something improper is happening (although it doesn't necessarily mean the priest is a predator, i. e., there is doubt). |
