The Siege of Trencher's Farm
Encyclopedia
The Siege of Trencher's Farm (1969) is a novel by British
author Gordon Williams
and first published by Secker & Warburg. The novel was adapted into the film Straw Dogs (starring Dustin Hoffman
) by Sam Peckinpah
in 1971, and again in 2011, under the same name
. It was republished by Titan Books
in 2011 with the same title as the films, Straw Dogs.
, England, so that George can finish a book he is writing. George accidentally hits a child killer with his car and takes him back to the farm. When the locals find out, they attempt to murder the killer and George has to fight them off and protect his family.
and David Zelag Goodman
changed several aspects of the novel's story while keeping the overall plot. George and Louise Magruder are renamed David and Amy Sumner, and their eight-year-old daughter, Karen, does not exist in the film. Perhaps most notably, the novel does not contain the controversial rape scene presented in the movie. As well, none of the besiegers die. Instead, they are badly injured and face charges.
Henry Niles and Janice Hedden never meet in the book. Hedden suffers from exposure in the snow, while Niles has murdered three girls before the novel began. Janice Hedden is a mentally-disabled eight-year-old girl, not a teenager with a fancy for David Sumner or Henry Niles. Charles Venner is not related to the Heddens and does not besiege the house. He is married and was never in love with Louise.
The novel was adapted again
in 2011, but this film is based more on the 1971 movie than the original novel.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
author Gordon Williams
Gordon Williams
Gordon M. Williams is a Scottish author. Born in Paisley, he moved to London to work as a journalist. He has written for television and is the author of over twenty novels including From Scenes Like These, shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1969, Walk Don't Walk, Big Morning Blues and Growing up...
and first published by Secker & Warburg. The novel was adapted into the film Straw Dogs (starring Dustin Hoffman
Dustin Hoffman
Dustin Lee Hoffman is an American actor with a career in film, television, and theatre since 1960. He has been known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and vulnerable characters....
) by Sam Peckinpah
Sam Peckinpah
David Samuel "Sam" Peckinpah was an American filmmaker and screenwriter who achieved prominence following the release of the Western epic The Wild Bunch...
in 1971, and again in 2011, under the same name
Straw Dogs (2011 film)
Straw Dogs is a 2011 American thriller film directed, produced, and written by Rod Lurie. It is a remake of Sam Peckinpah's 1971 film of the same name, itself based on the Gordon Williams novel The Siege of Trencher's Farm.-Plot:...
. It was republished by Titan Books
Titan Books
Titan Publishing Group is an independently owned publishing company, established in 1981. It is based at offices in London, England's Bankside area. The Books Division has two main areas of publishing: film & TV tie-ins/cinema reference books; and graphic novels and comics reference/art titles. The...
in 2011 with the same title as the films, Straw Dogs.
Plot
George Magruder, an American professor of English, moves with his wife Louise and eight-year-old daughter Karen, to Trencher's Farm in CornwallCornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, England, so that George can finish a book he is writing. George accidentally hits a child killer with his car and takes him back to the farm. When the locals find out, they attempt to murder the killer and George has to fight them off and protect his family.
Film adaptation
For the 1971 film adaptation, writers Sam PeckinpahSam Peckinpah
David Samuel "Sam" Peckinpah was an American filmmaker and screenwriter who achieved prominence following the release of the Western epic The Wild Bunch...
and David Zelag Goodman
David Zelag Goodman
David Zelag Goodman was a playwright and screenwriter for both TV and film. His most prolific period was from the 1960s to the early 1980s. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Lovers and Other Strangers, though he did not win. He co-wrote, with Sam Peckinpah, the screenplay for 1971's...
changed several aspects of the novel's story while keeping the overall plot. George and Louise Magruder are renamed David and Amy Sumner, and their eight-year-old daughter, Karen, does not exist in the film. Perhaps most notably, the novel does not contain the controversial rape scene presented in the movie. As well, none of the besiegers die. Instead, they are badly injured and face charges.
Henry Niles and Janice Hedden never meet in the book. Hedden suffers from exposure in the snow, while Niles has murdered three girls before the novel began. Janice Hedden is a mentally-disabled eight-year-old girl, not a teenager with a fancy for David Sumner or Henry Niles. Charles Venner is not related to the Heddens and does not besiege the house. He is married and was never in love with Louise.
The novel was adapted again
Straw Dogs (2011 film)
Straw Dogs is a 2011 American thriller film directed, produced, and written by Rod Lurie. It is a remake of Sam Peckinpah's 1971 film of the same name, itself based on the Gordon Williams novel The Siege of Trencher's Farm.-Plot:...
in 2011, but this film is based more on the 1971 movie than the original novel.