Review of The Devil's Arithmetic (1999) by Erin B — 16 Jul 2008

I generally do not like to say bad things about movies of this genre out of respect (and some fear)... It was decent I suppose. As this movie is based on one of my favorite children's books (the book is by Jane Yolen) I was very excited to find there was a movie version.

It is very touching, yet frustrating if you've read the book. A great many characters are eliminated from the movie altogether, while some who are important are introduced at the beginning, then never heard from again (e.

G., Esther & Shifre). This movie is perhaps a good precursor for children who might be overwhelmed by Schindler's List. To me, the MOST annoying difference was that they completely removed the whole reason for calling it The Devil's Arithmetic! In the book, the girls are taught by a mentor in the concentration camp that they no longer have names and are just a number.

To memorize their tattooed numbers, they each create a mnemonic device to remember their numbers easily. In the movie, this is replaced by the "adding and subtracting of Jews" statements made by the camp commandant throughout the film, which does not have the same effect as the device used in the book.

While the choice of Dunst for the part of Hannah is questionable, I was completely bowled over by Brittany Murphy in the role of Rivka...and seeing Louise Fletcher in a kind, caring role for once was a nice touch! All in all, a potentially educational movie (for children), but not half as good as the book!