Anne Holm's novel 'I am David' is an internationally acclaimed juvenile novel. This novel follows the adventures of a 12-year-old boy as he travels across Europe. This book was adapted into the film 'I Am David,' directed by Paul Feig. The majority of the film is based on the main plot of the book. It retains David's spiritual journey of discovering himself and learning about the world. However, near the end of the film, it begins to feel rushed. Instead of travelling by land from Switzerland, he takes a plane all the way from Denmark, cutting off half of the novels plot. As a result, some characterisation, the farmer and the dog, and more plots are lost. Aside from removing half of the plot, they also removed some minor details, such as the materials David has to survives, why the sailor (Antonio) saves him, and how he saves Maria.
In Anne Holm's plot that she wrote in the book, when David arrived in Switzerland, he continued his journey to meet his mum in Denmark on land. In the books plot during the time between Switzerland and Denmark he's in a snowstorm and meets a cruel farmer. The farmer made him work long hours on the farm, but he made a good friend in the farm dog, King. These were influential characters in the books plot and also cuts down on characterisation in the film. Then David travels to Germany where King sacrifices him self for David with the help of several lifts made his way safely to Copenhagen and to meet his mum at her front door. Instead in the movie they remove all these characters, plots and characterisation features. This significantly affects the movie because these were some notable plots and characters. Even with King appearing on some covers of the book. This is the reason why it was beneficial if the movie included this instead of making him catch a plane all the way to Switzerland in a rushed way just to say "I am David".
Other than the ending and the farmer and the dog, there are many minor details to the plot which are minor but beneficial to the storyline. This includes the reason why the sailor saves David. In the book, a minor difference is the reason why the sailor helped David get off the ship. In the book, it was because he had the same eyes as his grandma the day before she died, and he thought that David would die if he didn't help him, but in the movie, he helps David for a trade for a knife. This doesn't change much in the plot because when he was given items the only thing different I the knife. There are more including the way he saved Maria. In the book he carries Maria out of the fire but in the movie he drags Maria instead. There also many more like how he kissed Maria goodbye in the book making it a much more romantic goodbye to his love interest but in the movie he just gives her a necklace. This is much less romantic because they both like each other and that kissed showed it in the book but in the movie him giving a necklace doesn't make him seem to care about Maria about.
This proves that the movies plot is significantly worse than the book. The movie excludes many important parts and memorable parts that made this book one of the best and award winning. They did by the feel and emotion, characterisation and characters that are crucial to the plot. This includes the dog (king) and the farmer, the ending, minor differences like why the sailor saved him, how he saved Maria and how he said goodbye to Maria. In the dog and the farmer they were influential characters that impacted the plot with the dog guiding King and keeping him safe and the farmer torturing him. The ending was a rushed mess in the movie whereas it felt like a journey. In the movie he was given more materials to use making it seem less survival. The sailor saved him for the pocket knife instead of the fear that David might die. In the book he carries Maria which does seem more romantic then being dragged on the floor. And the way he said goodbye to Maria was more romantic giving her a kiss instead of a necklace.
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