I just finished reading The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers. What an amazingly written piece of literature. I wish I could say the same for the screen play of the same name. The movie itself is tolerable but should have not carried the title of the literary work. The same names were used in the movie but that is where the comparison ends.There is a very telling human story that evolves in the book - it is universal and it is raw. It can not be compromised or the story (and the impact of the title) can not be told.Arkin does a good job acting as a deaf-mute [let's face it - he has no dialogue - that's a challenge for any actor] but he does not depict the deaf-mute known as Mister Singer in the written word.