Marnie takes place in England. That's one of the big differences. There are characters that aren't in the movie. I wish they had been, because there's nothing I like better than seeing a man act like a jerk, but then, maybe Mark would have looked even better to people who liked Mark if there were other big jerks in the movie like in the book. The book goes into more detail about how Marnie manages to live her wacko life, and so it is harder to accept. In a movie it is easier to willingly suspend your disbelief. When you read the book you have time to think about it all. They don't have social security cards in England. That makes it different, too. Marnie doesn't seem to dye her hair. Reading the book gives me more respect for everyone involved with the movie, because they must have thought up all the neat visual stuff themselves. They also invented the stuff about her reaction to red. Marnie in the book calls her mother "Mam" just like I do. I know that is not unheard of in England, but it startled me.

 

It's an easy read, very interesting, but the movie improved on it a great deal. Read it after you've seen the movie, if you'd like; they are really so different that reading the book won't give you any new insights into the movie. Marnie. Winston Graham. 1961.

 

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