Trinity is ruled by a secret society of boys called the Vigils. Jerry’s assignment was to refuse to sell the chocolates for a few weeks; however, after Brother Leon outwardly harasses a student in the middle of class, he decides to go against the administration and continues to refuse to sell the chocolates. The crowd gets angry, as it happened too quickly for most of them to realize, and they just saw Jerry block a punch. It is obvious that The Vigils are selling all the chocolates. The movie has some fantasy sequences involving Jerry’s dead mom, etc. Archie also tells Obie never to pull anything like what he did with the black box ever again. by ‧ (over the years, many reprints and imprints!) I 100% Agree. Riordan lays on the transformation of the heedless, arrogant sun god to a repentant lover of his long-neglected semidivine offspring and of humanity in general, which has served as the series’ binding theme, thickly enough to have his humbled narrator even apologizing (twice!) However, the movie does a good job of conveying these details anyway because the actors are talented and this movie is well-directed. Jerry tells the Goober what he has realized—that it is best to just do what they ask and not to disturb the universe. Brother Jacques asks Archie why he did it. The Chocolate War - An Alternate Ending. ; In the movie, Archie is forced to take Janza’s place in the ring. The next ticket directs Jerry to hit Janza, and Jerry hits him in the face harder than either of them thought he could. Is Robert Cormier a YA genius? The ending isn't pretty. depressed me when I first read it in high school. However, with this reading of the book, I challenged myself to see its merits. This upsets Brother Leon, a teacher who has taken over for the headmaster during a leave of absence, especially since Leon has put Archie in charge of making sure the chocolate sale goes smoothly. Follow 0 Followed 0. Grade Saver, n.d. They rarely live up to the stories they are based on. Students are calling for more action, getting into the fight. The fight now silently sanctioned by Leon, Archie knows he cannot get in trouble. Web. Eventually, it becomes common knowledge that Jerry's refusal is prompted by a Vigils assignment. 2016. Janza has no mercy, nor do the students who at once point even urge Janza to kill Jerry. Then all he has to do to get Brother. Also, the movie has a great score, with songs by Yaz, Peter Gabriel, and Kate Bush. None of the bad guys see the error of their ways, and seem primed to continue their reign of pain. The difference is that he is not completely destroyed in the process. Before his death in the year 2000, Robert Cormier was often asked in interviews how he felt about reactions to The Chocolate War by teens, school districts, and parents. ;) Very generous of you! Archie realizes that he is in the clear, forever—he, Brother Leon and The Vigils. Jerry Renault, a freshman at Trinity High School, has a confrontation with the school gang, The Vigils. But, for the many fans of The Chocolate War: another dark, intense melodrama—with another downbeat, Evil-Goes-On ending. Much of the language in the novel can be considered politically incorrect by today’s standards. RELEASE DATE: Oct. 6, 2020. by Want to follow this profile? The major characters are the same in both versions. and suffers the consequences when Archie (a subtle tormentor) finds out. He also leaves any real-life parallels to the slick, megalomaniacal, emotionally abusive Nero entirely up to readers to discern and dishes out just deserts all round, neatly tying up loose ends in a set of closing vignettes. The Vigils, headed by Archie Costello, specialize in making assignments that other students have to complete. Although it received mixed reviews at the time of its publication, some reviewers have argued it is one of the best young adult novels of all time. Then, Janza is directed to give Jerry an uppercut. The ambulance is just leaving the field and Jerry has a broken jaw and possibly internal injuries. Adapting books into movies is a tricky business, especially when you’re dealing with well-loved books. “The Chocolate War: The Banning of The Chocolate War.” The Chocolate War. SHADOW IN THE WOODS AND OTHER SCARY STORIES. New York: Pantheon, 1974. Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. I was, wholeheartedly, a person with that mindset at age fifteen. You'll have to lemme borrow this one, but truly you already know that. ( Log Out / At the time, English teaching in schools was going through a trend away from the teaching of classic novels of the canon and toward using young adult literature in the classroom. 2016. Change ), Resources for Learning More About Banned or Challenged Books, Censorship in Comics and the Threat of Juvenile Delinquency. In this tumultuous series closer, Apollo, transformed into a mortal teenager, takes on both a deified emperor in a luxurious Manhattan high-rise and an older adversary. At the 1975 National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) convention, it was cited by speakers as “‘Watergate at the high school level,’ ‘the best YA (Young Adult) book to come out within the last half dozen years,’ and ‘a book deserving defenders'” (“The Banning of the Chocolate War”). The quartet takes their tricked-out ride (an armored RV named Bad Mama) onto the open road (with Jack’s Zombie Squad in tow) to find the Outpost, where they believe a certain monster will be able to give them the location of the evil Tower where they believe Thrull now resides. It is not a happy ending … As I’ve said, I am not the biggest fan of movie adaptations of classic books. A completely cynical ending is no more truthful than an over-the-top happy ending. The supporting cast is predominantly White, with passing mention of diverse representation. It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds! Lester/Apollo’s coast-to-coast quest reaches its climactic stage as, with help from both eager squads of fledgling demigods from Camp Half-Blood and reluctant allies from realms deep below New York, he invades the palatial lair of Emperor Nero—followed by a solo bout with another foe from a past struggle. Cormier goes on to say in this interview that he did not really have a certain age in mind that readers of The Chocolate War should be. to his underwear for having to change it periodically. RELEASE DATE: April 21, 1985. Janza decides not to abide by any rules, and punches Jerry over and over. Brother Leon watches the whole thing—once again, Archie is right in guessing that Leon would have enjoyed himself. When word gets out that a freshman is defying the Vigils, the group takes action against Jerry with devastating results. But in this case, I far prefer the movie. Print. Reported resources will be reviewed by our team. Should you read it? It's been over ten years since The Chocolate War (1974), but the action in this sequel takes place only a few months after the original ugly doings at Trinity High—a boys' day school in drab mid-New England. I grabbed an ARC at ALA and was glad I did! The subject of today’s Book vs. Movie Showdown is The Chocolate War, written by Robert Cormier in the 1970s and directed by Keith Gordon in the 80s. Finally, after Jerry collapses, the lights in the stadium go off. Jerry gets the stuffing beaten out of him and, before he is removed in an ambulance, he tells his friend Goubert never to buck the system; that it’s not worth it. Horn Book, 21 Apr. This handout asks students to provide points for both sides of the argument: Is Cormier's ending to The Chocolate War hopeless or hopeful? Carter draws a card that commands Janza to hit Jerry in the groin. Jerry doesn’t want to accept this assignment because the school’s temporary headmaster/dictator, Brother Leon, is fanatically behind it. They are calling him at all hours of the day and night, and then hanging up. and Jerry decides that that is precisely what he will do. Inspired by the poster in his locker that reads: "Do I dare disturb the universe?" Here's an in-depth analysis of the most important parts, in an easy-to-understand format. In the movie, this character is a girl and Jerry has a crush on her. “An Interview with Robert Cormier.” The Horn Book. The monster-fighting gang from Wakefield departs on a post-apocalyptic road trip. Yes. Of course, this isn’t always practical when you consider how boring some wonderful books would be without a little tweaking to suit the screen.That said, it drives me crazy when Hollywood “butchers” my favorite books. Book vs. Movie Showdown: The Chocolate War, Review: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. CHILDREN'S ACTION & ADVENTURE FICTION | And honestly, I hate the message that you can never buck the system without inviting destruction.I’ve heard some say that the ending of the movie isn’t realistic, because Jerry wins the fight and is cheered by his former tormenters.