Monster's Ball A Comparison of the Script and the Film

There are many horrific yet interesting aspects about the process of executing a prisoner. One such aspect is the manner in which it is common that the execution position passes down the generations which is illustrated between the three generations of corrections workers that the film includes. Furthermore, one of the first scenes in the movie that really illustrates the racist themes that are present throughout the film and throughout the generations. In one of the first scenes of the movie, Buck, the elder executioner, notices some African-American children that are one his property as he eats breakfast. Hank, the story's protagonist and second generation executioner, seemingly reluctantly honors his father's wishes and greats the children with a shot gun.

In the movie's screen play, Sonny, the youngest member of the three generations presented, pulls up in a "Nova." However, in the movie Sonny is driving an older pick-up truck. Although this does not change much about the story, it does signify some of the director's liberties in retelling the story. It could have been that a Nova was difficult to find or that the director did not really feel that it correctly portrayed Sonny's character. Regardless, Sonny pulls up in an older Jeep pick-up and meet the boys. The story portrays Sonny as defending the boys by ordering his father to put down the gun. This scene is significant because it shows the evolution...

The boys actually were there to see Sonny indicating a friendship between them. Another difference between the screenplay and the movie is this scene is the fact that Sonny is said to lean out the window to greet the boys when in the movie he actually exits the vehicle. Furthermore, Hank tells Sonny, "you watch your ass" before turning away and returning to the house in the film, which is an exchange that is not present in the screenplay. It is entirely possible that this interjection came directly from the actor (Billy Bob Thornton). Wherever this interjection stemmed from, it illustrates the tension between the father and son that gradually builds throughout the film.
Another one of the dramatic scenes that sets up the rest of the movie is the death row good bye scene that includes Leticia (Halley Berry), Lawrence (her husband played by Sean Combs who is about to be executed), and their son, Tyrell. This scene has many differences that appear between the screenplay and the movie. For example, one difference is that when Leticia is talking to Lawrence in the movie, she makes it clear that the only reason she is there is so that Lawrence can say goodbye to his son. In the screenplay it does portray the character as…