The Short Version
If you’ve just watched the new East of Eden series on Netflix, you might be wondering how close it is to John Steinbeck’s novel, and how it compares to the famous nineteen fifty five movie with James Dean.
The short answer: the movie only adapts the last part of the book, the Cal and Aron story. The new series is the first in decades to try the whole saga. Here’s what each one keeps, cuts and changes. There are spoilers for all three.
The Book
Quick refresher. The novel, from nineteen fifty two, follows the Trask and Hamilton families from the Civil War to World War One. It’s about six hundred pages, with two generations of brothers, Cathy, one of literature’s great villains, and Lee, the wise cook.
Its central idea is the Hebrew word timshel, thou mayest: we aren’t doomed, we can choose. Any adaptation has to fit all of that in, which is why most don’t try.
The Nineteen Fifty Five Movie
The movie was directed by Elia Kazan, and it was James Dean’s first big starring role. Dean plays Cal, Raymond Massey plays Adam, Julie Harris plays Abra, and Jo Van Fleet won an Oscar for playing Kate.
Dean was nominated for best actor after his death in a car crash later that year. His Cal, desperate for his father’s love, is the reason the film is still famous.
What The Movie Cuts
The film starts around nineteen seventeen, in the book’s final section. That means there’s no Charles, no young Cathy, no Samuel Hamilton, and, biggest of all, no Lee.
Without Lee, there’s no timshel discussion. The film keeps the father, the rejected gift and the reconciliation at Adam’s bedside, but the big philosophical idea mostly disappears. It’s a great movie about a father and son, but it’s not really the book.
The Netflix Series
The new series came out on October first, twenty twenty six: seven episodes, all released at once. It was created by Zoe Kazan, Elia Kazan’s granddaughter, which is a lovely full-circle detail.
Florence Pugh plays Cathy, Christopher Abbott plays Adam, Mike Faist plays Charles, Hoon Lee plays Lee, and Ciarán Hinds plays Samuel Hamilton. It was filmed in New Zealand standing in for California.
What The Series Keeps
Unlike the movie, the series covers the whole story. The early episodes follow Adam, Charles and Cathy. Episode five jumps ten years ahead to the teenage twins, and the finale reaches Aron’s death in France.
Critics have been kind. As of mid October, it’s at eighty seven percent on Rotten Tomatoes and eighty on Metacritic, with Florence Pugh’s Cathy getting the most praise.
What The Series Changes
Based on the episode summaries, the series expands a few things. Cathy gets more childhood backstory, making her a little more human than Steinbeck’s born monster. Lee gets his own storyline, including his dream of opening a bookstore and time in Chinatown.
The finale also reportedly shows Adam’s death. In the book, Adam whispers timshel and falls asleep, and Steinbeck never says whether he dies. Seven episodes still means cuts, especially to the Hamilton family chapters.
The Other One
There’s also a nineteen eighty one TV miniseries with Jane Seymour as Cathy, which won her a Golden Globe. It’s the other full-story version, and it’s still worth hunting down if you want more Cathy.
Which Should You Choose?
So, which should you pick? If you want the full story and the big ideas, read the book; nothing else has Lee’s full timshel speech or the narrator’s voice. If you want the whole saga on screen, watch the Netflix series.
And if you want one great performance, watch James Dean in the nineteen fifty five movie. It’s only the last quarter of the story, but it’s the most moving father and son scene of the three.
Your Turn
Have you watched the series yet? Tell me in the comments how Florence Pugh’s Cathy compares to the one in your head. My review and ending explained are linked below.
