Bird Imagery in the film, Green Days By The River

negative. The brief but ominous drumming when Gidharee cuts the neck of the alligator [iguana] is a perfect depiction which foreshadows Gidharee’s power.

The movie producers made a few changes to the story and some viewers hold the opinion that these changes add as well as detract from the plot points when compared to the original book version. One change is the way Mr. Gidharee found out about Shell and Joan’s relationship after the letter fell from Shell’s pocket while he and Gidharee are out into the bush. Vital to the text is the scene when Shell hits the ripe cashew from the tree. The scene foreshadows Shell’s sexual encounter with Rosalie who is likened to the ripe cashew. It is Shell who secretly gets the sweet fruit which has been the object of the desires of the teenage boys seen pelting earlier in the film. The producer’s omission of the cashew tree is one element which somewhat shifted the dynamics, in the film. The symbolism of Shell’s action is not emphasized in the film. Its omission provides no alert to the viewers of Shell’s sexual encounter with Rosalie-an action that is implicitly given in the text and even more concealed in the film, itself. Many Jamaican viewers particularly loved that a mango tree was substituted in the screen version of the story. However, they expressed a desired to have seen the textual symbolism retained by the filmmakers.

Another difference in the film is in the depiction of Shell’s maturity- a major theme explored in the original literary piece. Instead of the feeling that Shell has come into his maturity when he chooses to marry Rosalie, it appears that the chief factor fueling Shell’s decision is his fear of Mr. Gidharee. This made the film end on a very sad note, instead of on the redemptive note that the novel itself evokes. Some viewers say they felt sympathy for Shell at the appearance of his final image on the screen – the newlywed Shell and Rosalie in their Hindu wedding garb, while standing in the background is Mr. Gidharee – emanating his ominous persona of power and control. In this image, Shell seems more like Mr. Gidharee’s victim of circumstance. The screen version met my expectation in the way Gidharee’s power and dread were captured. After the brutal attack of the dogs, as Shell lies asleep in bed, recuperating, he is under the watchful eyes of Gidharee – perhaps this time with a measure of regret that he had to resort to extreme measures to teach Shell a lesson.

Another point of interest is the images of birds in the movie. In Literature, birds symbolize the presence of a higher being, having an insightful perspective on the world, and conveying the idea of achieving success in a relationship or career. While it is not certain that the producers intended a significance in the image of the three birds flying in the sky, it is interesting that the image of the newlywed, Shell and Rosalie, with the brooding figure of Gidharee immediately appears. The bird image reinforces Shell's entrapment and seems to falsify Shell’s initial statement when he tells his father, “Marrying Rosalie is not like if I’m marrying him”. One could say that the filmmakers have so aptly depicted a spiritual completion through the inclusion of the three birds.

Green Days By The River is a must-see film that will definitely let snippets of Michael' Anthony's life bind you in its realism!

Another point of interest is the images of birds in the movie. In Literature, birds symbolize the presence of a higher being, having an insightful perspective on the world, and conveying the idea of achieving success in a relationship or career. While it is not certain that the producers intended a significance in the image of the three birds flying in the sky, it is interesting that the image of the newlywed, Shell and Rosalie, with the brooding figure of Gidharee immediately appears. The bird image reinforces Shell's entrapment and seems to falsify Shell’s initial statement when he tells his father, “Marrying Rosalie is not like if I’m marrying him”. One could say that the filmmakers have so aptly depicted a spiritual completion through the inclusion of the three birds.