| In the Book |
In the Movie |
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Michael contracts hepatitis and misses 3 months of school. |
He has scarlet fever. |
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When Hanna learned to read, she asked the warden to order books about the concentration camps. She read books by Primo Levi, Elie Wiesel, Tadeusz Borowski, the autobiography of Rudolf Hoess. She also read books on women in the camps, both prisoners and guards. |
We don't see what type of books she reads.
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Michael gets advice from his father about what he should do regarding Hanna's trial. |
This is not included. |
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Michael made two trips to the Struthof-Natzweiler concentration camp. |
He took only one trip to Auschwitz.
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The book begins with Micheal getting sick in the street. |
The movie begins with Michael as an adult after a women has spent the night with him. |
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Hanna splashes one pail of water, then gets Michael to help her with a second pail. She wipes his hands and splashes water in his face. |
She wipes his face and splashes the two pails of water herself.
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Michael goes to give Hanna the flowers and looks at all the name plates. Another tenant comes, Michael explains who he is looking for and is directed to Hanna's apartment. |
Michael looks at the nameplates but then enters the apartment and finds Hanna through the cracked open door. |
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Michael is 15. |
The actor who plays Michael is 18 and does not look 15
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When Michael and Hanna exchange names it is on the 6th visit. When she leanrs his name she makes reference to him being a collage boy- he corrects her and says high school, she then assumes he is 17 rather than 15. He then says he is in 10th grade but may have to repeat because he does not study hard enough. She becomes enraged and kicks him out until he studies hard. |
It is the 3rd visit when they exchange names, she does not make reference to his age, talk about school or kick him out. |
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Michael returns home late after his first meeting with Hanna and explains by saying he was lost. His family discusses his return to school with his father making the decision. |
Michael's little sister does not believe his story, saying he is lying. his mother says he is not and never lies. This exchange did not happen in the book.
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Hanna always makes Michale take a shower with her before they get it on. |
Not in the movie. |
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Michale takes a ride on Hanna's street car. But she ignores him and chats and jokes with the driver, glancing at him once. |
Hanna sees Michael, looks furious and slams the streetcar door separating the driver from the passengers.
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After the tram incident , they fight in Hanna's home. She kicks him out but he comes back a half hour later, after she is out of the tub. He apologizes for everything, later thinking it was a power struggle which she won. It bothered him but he always gave in to fights. He wrote her a few letters explaining things, but she never responded to them. He does not cry, or tell her he can not live without her. |
The fight happens in the movie, but she adds "you don't mean enough to me to upset me". Michael leaves, but only for a few minutes while he cries, returning while she is still in the tub, telling her he can not live without her. |
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This did not happen. |
Michael shows Hanna a guide book, which she grabs and throws, remarking that he likes to plan.
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Michael goes out one morning to get breakfast, leaving Hanna a note. He comes back with her trembling, furious that he left her. She hits him with a belt, and breaks down crying. He tells her he just went out and left a note. She says there was no note. This does not happen in the movie. |
In the movie, rather than the note scene, they go to a restaurant where Hanna looks at the menu and then tells Michael to order for her. She stares at children reading the menu. After lunch Michael goes to show her a map of where they are going - she says she does not want to know where they are going. |
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These scenes do not happen in the book. |
After lunch, the waitress says she hopes Michael's mother enjoyed it. He says yes, she did and then goes and kisses her as the waitress looks on. They then go to a church where she watches children sing. She seems very happy and weepy.
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This does not happen in the book. Also, the book sticks to the chronological order of the events, told looking back. |
Michael writes a poem about Hanna while she is swimming. He tells her he will read it to her one day. Then old Michael is looking at the book in present day. In fact, the movie goes back and forth between the past and present. |
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Michael mentions his time at the pool, but there is no dialogue. On his birthday he feels resentment for having to go to Hanna's but does not tell her it is his birthday. |
Scenes at the lake (rather than a pool) include dialogue. On his birthday he goes to
Hanna's. They fight and he tells her it is his birthday. He says he always has to apologize (his resentment over this is kept inside in the book). She slaps him when he tries to kiss her, then she gives him a scrub down, followed by love making. She tells him to go back to his friends.
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Michael is caught in the rain with Sophie, she asks him what is wrong with him, he says maybe he will tell her someday. He feels guilt that he does not share his life with Sophie with any friends. Years later he sleeps with Sophie and then dumps her right away, she asks what happened to him? |
They say at the pool that he always leaves early. Shows him playing footies with Sophie. |
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Several days later the bath scene, followed by lovemaking happens. Hanna tells him to go back to his friends. He has a bad feeling at the pool, but does not act on it. It goes away. He sees Hanna standing at the pool looking at him, but he does not react right away.
he stands, but she runs away. The next day when he goes to her house, she is gone. |
He seems to have returned to his friends, gets a bad feeling, runs back to Hanna's but she is gone.
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we find out she had the promotion when Michael does - her boss tells him when he goes looking for her. |
Even before the birthday scene we see Hanna getting a promotion, but she does not look very happy. |
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This did not happen. |
Awkward scenes meeting his grown daughter in the present day.
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The seminar seems to have several students. There is no dialogue but an explanation that they debate the legality and morality of the camp workers. Also it is explained that Michael's generation blames their parents. |
There are only five students. One girl seems to take an interest in Michael. They are shown in his dorm, where she seems to be making the moves on him |
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They drive to the trial. Michael says he feels nothing when he sees Hanna. |
They take the train to the trail, with the professor. On the way in there are protestors, they discuss on the way home. Michael seems upset, during the trial, on the way home, and in a scene in his dorm after.
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