Summary
- The Outsiders: The Complete Novel 4K remaster includes scenes that were cut from the original movie, providing a more faithful adaptation of the book.
- The movie focuses more on Dally's character and his relationship with Johnny and Ponyboy, giving Matt Dillon a bigger role.
- While the movie captures the core themes of the book, the omission of certain scenes and details from the novel affected character development and depth in the adaptation.
The differences between The Outsiders cast like Patrick Swayze, Tom Cruise, Ralph Macchio, C. Thomas Howell, Matt Dillon, Emilio Estevez, and Rob Lowe, Hinton's characters have become cult cinema icons.
To celebrate the beloved 80s movies and the book that inspired it, Coppola released a 4K remaster of the movie in 2017 in time for the 50th anniversary of S. E. Hinton's novel. Apart from its improved resolution, The Outsiders: The Complete Novel features scenes that Coppola had to cut for time, with the DVD format allowing for a much more faithful adaptation of the novel - in stunning 4K. There are some notable differences between The Outsiders book and the movie's original cut, along with whether they've been included in the 4K remaster or not.
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15 Ponyboy's Introduction Scene
Ponyboy's First Scene Was Getting Jumped By Socs
Among the many differences in the adaptation and source material, the most glaring omission from the novel is Ponyboy's book introduction. The novel begins with Ponyboy getting jumped by the Socs alone until the Greasers show up to save him. However, in the movie, Ponyboy (C. Thomas Howell) is with Dally (Matt Dillon) and Johnny (Ralph Macchio) and doesn't really interact with the Socs at all. The introduction of Ponyboy in the book and in the movie are completely different, which seems like a strange decision. However, with The Outsiders: The Complete Novel now including this introductory scene from the book, it seems that it was shot but then cut for running time.
14 The Curtis Boys' Parents
The Deceased Parents Were Mentioned A Lot More In The Novel
Throughout S. E. Hinton's book, Ponyboy heavily discusses his parents, who died in a car crash and left the three siblings to fend for themselves. Ponyboy constantly thinks and talks about them and tends to compare himself and his two brothers to their mother and father. The film doesn't really mention their parents and instead focuses on where the boys are now, without much mention of their past when their parents were alive. This may seem like a small detail and not needed as much of the movie is about the relationship between the brothers, but it would've given much more context to the circumstances and decisions of these characters.
13 Darry's Role Is Smaller
The Movie Presents The Older Brother As More Distant
Darry (Patrick Swayze) is Ponyboy's eldest brother, who has acted as a surrogate father to him and Sodapop (Rob Lowe) after their parents died. Darry is a stern but constant presence in Ponyboy's life, and he talks about him and their rocky relationship frequently throughout the book. Unlike in the movie, the book lays out their difficult relationship and how Ponyboy truly thinks that Darry hates him. What truly makes this a notable change is that it makes the reunion between Darry and his brother at the hospital a much more emotional affair in the book than in the film.
12 Greaser Side Vs Soc Side
The Book Highlights The Class Difference Between The Rival Gangs
The main fighting and hatred between the Greasers and the Socs is just as strong in the movie as it is in the book, but the details about the locations of the groups are changed for the movie. The book describes the Greasers as controlling the poorer East side of town while the Socs control the wealthier West side. Meanwhile, the movie says the Greasers are on the North side of town and the Socs are on the South side of town. While it is another small difference between The Outsiders book and movie, the source material seems to further highlight the economic divide between these gangs.
11 Sandy And Soda's Relationship
Soda's Girlfriend Doesn't Appear In The Movie
One of the main recurring side plots in the novel is Sodapop's relationship with Sandy, who doesn't even appear in the movie. Sodapop was sure he and Sandy would get married, but when Sandy becomes pregnant, she's sent to live with her grandmother, and they never reunite. It's a catalyst for a lot of Sodapop's issues, including his frustration about being stuck between Darry and Ponyboy's constant fighting, as he no longer has a person outside the family to turn to when he needs to vent. It's one of the more unfortunate omissions from the movie as it would've led to a more explosive start for Rob Lowe's movie career.
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10 Darry Fighting For Custody
The Movie Downplays The Threat Of The Brothers Being Broken Up
Despite their differences, The Outsiders book and movie are, at their core, about brotherly love. However, in the novel, a main concern of the eldest Curtis brother is being able to keep custody of his two younger brothers, and this plot line is hardly mentioned in the movie. There are a few scenes where Darry voices his concerns about being unable to provide for Soda and Pony, along with worries about Child Protective Services taking them away. However, the movie never fully shows this struggle, though it was crucial to Darry's arc in the book. It's a pity, as it would've only made Patrick Swayze's performance better.
9 Ponyboy's School Project
The Narrative Device Is Not Mentioned In The Movie
The book makes it clear that Ponyboy is writing his story for a school project, but the movie never specifies why Ponyboy is telling the audience his story. The book even emphasizes the fact that Ponyboy's a great writer and student, which includes a storyline dedicated to a teacher reaching out to Ponyboy to him and make sure he's able to finish his assignment after the fire. The movie ignores all this, and it's one of the more contested changes. On one hand, the film format somewhat negates the need for the assignment premise. On the other hand, it would've given C. Thomas Howell's Ponyboy some more character development.
8 The Courtroom Scene Finale
The Movie Chooses A Different Ending
The book ends in the courtroom, where Ponyboy takes the stand regarding Johnny killing Bob the Soc, and about his home life with Darry and Sodapop. The film mentions that, after the killing in self-defense and the fire, the only thing that the authorities really cared about was making sure that Ponyboy had a stable home life living with his brothers. However, it doesn't show any of the ending courtroom scenes where Ponyboy explains he's happiest with his brothers. This is decidedly one of the biggest differences between The Outsiders book and movie and takes away from the more emotional conclusion.
7 Blonde Hair Vs Black Hair
The Movie Creates A Visual Distinction Between Greasers And Socs
The book describes the Greasers as having all types of hair colors. Some even have blonde hair, including Dally whose hair is described as almost white. However, the movie chooses to give more distinction between the Greasers and the Socs by giving the Greasers dark black hair and the Socs lighter hair colors. It's not a significant difference to the plot and visually on the screen, and it makes sense as a further representation of the rivalry between the two groups, but it's still odd reading Dally's description and comparing Matt Dillon's movie look to Dally in the book. Nonetheless, it's one difference between The Outsiders book and movie that's easily forgiven.
6 Sodapop's Significance To Ponyboy
Deleted Scenes Add More Moments Of Their Closeness
The film focuses more on Ponyboy and Johnny's relationship than focusing on Ponyboy's relationship with his older brothers. Notably, Ponyboy has a strained relationship with Darry but is incredibly close to Sodapop. This is clear in the movie, but not like in the book, much of which is dedicated to Ponyboy writing about his love and iration for his brother. The Outsiders: The Complete Novel actually remedied this by including the full scene of Sodapop cuddling his baby brother in bed and Ponyboy asking him big life questions. It's just one of the deleted Sodapop scenes returned in the 4K remaster, which somewhat makes up for this huge change.
