Studs Lonigan - Differences Between The Novels and The 1979 Miniseries

Differences Between The Novels and The 1979 Miniseries

In the book version, Danny O'Neill, the sensitive lad who presumably represents Farrell himself, is merely a casual acquaintance. Studs does not like him or respect him. In the mini-series, the two are good friends, and Danny cares for Studs' girlfriend after he is dead and provides an elegy to his fate. Similarly, the only Jewish child in the gang, Davey Cohen, is treated badly by Studs in the novel, while in the mini-series the two remain loyal comrades to the very end. This increases the tragedy, as Studs dies of pneumonia just after Davey has promised to hire him at his new factory. Watching the dying Studs sink slowly into the gutter, still holding aloft the dollar bill Davey has loaned him, is one of the most emotional moments of the mini-series. In the book Studs' collapse is less poignant, since no one was trying to help him and he had less reason to keep struggling.

In the book, Farrell tends to insist that everyone must be degraded by "the system," without any chance for charm or luck, much less hard work and initiative. In the mini-series Studs fails, but many of his old friends succeed. Even Lucy Scanlan, the dream girl Studs desires from afar, proves to be friendly and engaging in the movie version. At the end, when Studs is dying in the gutter, we see a brief glimpse of Lucy—- by now the pampered wife of a very wealthy Irish attorney—- pausing to give a little money to a street bum who looks much like Studs. Thus the end message is not so much that life is hateful and everyone is doomed, but that life continues and kindness will triumph in the end.