UKH

What a brilliant drama. I can't remember seeing anything as good as that for years.

Anyone else a fan?

In reply to Yanis Nayu:

Thought it was briliant

In reply to Yanis Nayu:

Aside from Chrystal I didn't really bond with any of the other characters. Not a criticism as this was probably down to me rather than the producer.

Great Sunday evening telly though.

In reply to Yanis Nayu:

I've not read book or really watched the adaption but the Mrs thinks it was different from the book at the end?

I didn't like the ending much but was it supposed to be some sort of catharses through sacrifice?

In reply to Yanis Nayu:

Terrible adaptation of the book. Heavily criticised in the media as well, and rightly so IMHO.

Extremely disappointing, especially considering it was commissioned by the BBC. None of the characters were anything more than one-dimensional and lacking in substance - and telling the story in only 3 parts allowed no time for sufficient development. Clever camerawork and beautiful settings (6 different places apparently, including Tintern) but little more. The book was far far better and the script should have stuck much more closely to it. The result would have been a far better drama.

I suspect that the BBC only filmed this surficial and insubstantial adaptation because it had the Rowling name on it. Guaranteed to be successful - even if it was little more than facile dross.

In reply to winhill:

>.... different from the book at the end?

I think that was in the preview press (I've not seen the last episode).

In reply to Dave Williams:

i read reviews saying that the it was far better than the book....so just goes to show.
I have only seen the first two episodes and not read the book so can't really comment on that but i am enjoying it so far.

In reply to Yanis Nayu:

I thought it was absolute plotless drivel and I'll never forgive my wife for making me sit through 3 hours of it.

In reply to LastBoyScout:

I managed to wriggle out of watching the last one in order to watch The Joy of Train Sets of Yesterday. Not my cup of tea at all.

In reply to Yanis Nayu:

Lost interest in Episode One - felt a bit pedestrian and reminded me of Hot Fuzz without the jokes (Sandford, Pagford). Should I have persevered?

In reply to Dave Williams:

I have to agree. I kept watching in hope that some depth would develop in the story line and its main players. Neither happened but perhaps that was the point. A lot of people lead shallow and vacuous lives driven by the need for drugs, money and status. In that respect it was worryingly representative of the contemporary UK.

As for it's implied meaning. Is there any; death of the author as all that.................

In reply to Yanis Nayu:

Read the book some time ago, did not enjoy it - found it very depressing - not helpful as I was going through a rough watch at the time. I've avoided the BBC version.

In reply to Removed UserDeleted bagger:

More like what a lot metropolitan media types imagine living in the countryside must be like. Well, I can tell you that we don't take parish council elections as half as seriously as this.

Haven't read the book but yes, it did seem like a lot of shallow stereotypes with wholly unconvincing motivation. And how the hell do you get tangled up in the wiring from a flatscreen television thrown in the river only days earlier sealed in its original packing?

Older readers may remember the dramatisation of Fay Weldon's Heart of the Country. A lot of the same rural angst, done much better.

In reply to Mark Kemball:


Me too. I had to read the book because my dear families gave it to me for my birthday. I found that the only way to get through it was to write a list of the characters as they appeared on the back of an envelope that also served as a bookmark, together with a few key-words to remind me who/ what they were. It's one of those books with too many bland and inane characters who it's very easy not to give a **** about, and a list was for me the only way to keep track of them all.

In reply to Dave Garnett:
Or maybe not. Try watching 'Cry your tears and walk away' Small town idyl gone rotten, Hebden Bridge at its worst.


Fay Weldon's Heart of the Country. I'll look that up.

Cheers

In reply to Dave Garnett:


With a keyboard....

Yes, that did seem to be a rather crow-barred in link to another event to initiate a guilt trip.

Alan

In reply to Yanis Nayu:


Are you completely mad? It's a cartoon.

In reply to Yanis Nayu:

Nice music too - Solomon Grey.

In reply to steveb2006:

The book was much better and gave more padding to the characters. Whilst the book wasn't amazing I did quite enjoy it.

In reply to ranger*goy:

The tv adaptation seemed curiously lacking in plot, which might have been OK if the characters had been more realistically drawn, but was surprising given how intensively plot-driven the Harry Potter books are. I was left wondering how much of the book had been left out. Like all the bits that at least made sense as a story.

Or was this attempt by JK Rowling to produce an interesting character study without relying on a page-turning story line?

In reply to Dave Garnett:


Not sure. I haven't read Casual vacancy but I have read one of her Robert Galbraith books.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Cuckoos-Calling-Cormoran-Strike/dp/1408703998

That is interesting without being sensational. A little bit more Harry Potter-esque in that there are loads of characters and quite a lot of plot, but I have find myself forgetting who certain people are and hence losing the thread of the plot a bit.

Alan

In reply to Dave Garnett:
It's been at least 6 months since I read it, maybe more, so I might be talking bollocks anyway. From what I remember the plot wasn't that complicated but I still enjoyed it, I think it was the more lighhearted look at village life. Certain aspects of the village snobbery made me chuckle as I live and grew up in a village. Although there were darker themes that the adaptation only hinted at.

In reply to Yanis Nayu:

I thought it was quite entertaining. More interesting (for me) is the fact I had dinner with the girl who played the dead blokes wife a few months ago. She did a perfect Burnley accent despite being from the south east which impressed me.