First, rent Gary Sinise' 1992 version.<br /><br />Then read the book, then watch this version of the story. You probably wont make it all the way through. I read the book, first, as a kid... and not because I was assigned to read it but because I liked to read.<br /><br />Then I saw this movie on late-night TV, you know when almost every local channel ran movies on the weekend.... and I thought it was poor.<br /><br />In the years since, I've seen TV adaptations and TV broadcasts of stage play versions. None carried the full flavor and emotion of the book.<br /><br />It is widely accepted that thirties cinema was the peak of the art. This film, whether the exception or the model, proves otherwise.<br /><br />Gary Sinise did a far better and more faithful adaptation of the book. If you were to buy one version, I suspect it will be the 1992 film.