Proof: The Book Compared to the Movie Essay

Whose is the Proof?

The play Proof by David Auburn 2001, and the movie Proof directed by John Madden 2005, portray this work of art in two different ways. Both the play and the movie are set in Chicago and tell the story of a young woman named Catherine. In both versions, Catherine is hurting and having flashbacks of when her father was alive. Throughout the film version of Proof, what happens to Catherine is very similar to what happens to her in Auburns play. However, the movie is different from the play because it shows the characters in a different light, it takes place in many different settings, and it adds more scenes than the play does. The story lines between the play and the movie have different plots, characters, scenery, and music/sound effects. You will want to read the play to get the best scenario, and leave the movie for the ones who really do not appreciate reading.

First of all, the plot of the movie was somewhat similar to the play. Madden did however, change how he told the story. His intentions involved adding more scenes and rearranging them in a different order than what the play did. For instance, he actually filmed the scene when Catherine told her father that she was going back to college in his classroom; whereas, in the play this took place at the house. Madden also added a scene of Roberts funeral where Catherine lost control and walked up to the podium and started talking about him unkindly, before she ran out of the funeral. This scene was never even a thought in Auburns play. The movie tells you exactly what is going on, it leaves nothing to the imagination, and it tells you everything that is happening in such a great detail. The play has a great story line and lets you have the option to use your imagination as you are reading to comprehend the plot.

Secondly, there are deviations in the characters between the movie and the play. Some characters were mentioned but had no lines at all in the play and in the movie they were actors with lines. Such as the scene at the house after the funeral where they played in the band and once again in the scene where Hal spoke to them about the proof that Catherine gave him to look over to see if it checks out. The ages of the characters differed between the play and the movie. Catherine yells a lot throughout the movie and shows so much anger; whereas in the play this does not seem to be portrayed. Also in the movie, Catherine is portrayed to be closer to her sister than in the play. In the play, Catherine implies that she is not close to Claire at all and that they do not get along. In both versions there is a scene where Catherine shows how resentful she is of Claire because she was not there to help her take care of their father for the last five years. These differences in the characters show that you get a lot of important information from them, even though you do realize the relevance of some of the scenes at the time they are being introduced.

Thirdly, the scenery was incredibly different in each version of Proof. The movie showed so many different scenes from the beginning to the end, and by doing this Madden was helping the viewer understand each part of the movie. In the play, it was set on the back porch of Catherines home and really had limited scenery, so you had to use your imagination while you were reading the play. For instance, the movie does not show any of Claires friends at the get together after the funeral but, the friends were part of the play. So while you are reading and envisioning this scene, you envision Claire in the house having a good time with her friends.

Finally, the music/sound effects are almost unheard in the play. In the play there are really no stage directions that portrayed this element in any of the scenes. However, in the movie there was music connecting the different scenes that implied when something important was going to be happening because it would get louder. The play would just tell the reader that there was a beat, by doing this it implied that there was some sort of sound effect being heard but did not tell what kind so the characters actions filled in the storyline for the readers to help them determine what the mood of the scene is .

In conclusion, the movie and the play were comparable versions of Proof by comparing the play to the movie the reader gets a greater insight into which version they would like to assess for themselves, if they wish to at all. The movie, adds so many different scenes that it makes everything apparent. It covers all the aspects so there's nothing to keep you wondering what is going to happen next. The play makes you question the characters' sanity and who you can trust. In both versions, at the end Catherine realizes she is mentally stable and proves to everyone else this point also, when she gives them her proof and they come to realize that she really did write this proof, and her father did not.

Works Cited

Kirszner, Laurie G., and Stephen R. Mandell. Literature, Reading, Reacting, Writing. 7th ed. Boston: Wadsworth Pub Co, 2010. Print.

Madden, John, dir. Proof. Perf. Gwyneth Paltrow, Anthony Hopkins, and Jake Gyllenhaal. Miramax, 2005. Film.