A Lesson Before Dying

We watched A Lesson Before Dying the other night. It's another good book by Ernest J. Gaines and the movie is almost as good and well worth watching after reading the book. The book gives more emotional impact in the writing; the movie gives it in the acting. Great acting. Don Cheadle plays the main role and is always good. His mother is played by Irma P. Hall who makes the movie worth watching just to see her performance. She was the character in The Ladykillers with Tom Hanks who was the target and the only reason to watch that movie. I thought the movie was basically a silly excuse to say the f-word as much as possible.

Cicely Tyson is the aunt and just as good and almost as old a character in another very good Gaines' book and movie, The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman.

If you've seen Dead Man Walking then you know part of the plot except Lesson Before Dying was done as a TV movie and doesn't have the splash of Hollywood major stars which I think makes it a better movie given the subject matter. This might be about a lesson before dying but who learns the lesson and what they learn about living is well-told. The moment that Jefferson gets a glimpse of the lesson is as meaningful as when Patty Duke in The Miracle Worker gets the word for water. It's not as dramatically filmed but still a great bit of acting. Except The Miracle Worker is almost iconic so probably not the best comparison but I've always wanted to use the word "iconic."

What about a remake of Marty with the cast from A Lesson Before Dying?