I have often dreamt of a series of authentic adaptations of the classic H G Wells SF stories that would be in period and would faithfully reflect the strength of his imagination without flinching at the occasional frailty of his narratives.
Having just seen this BBC serial on DVD, I know it will not be necessary to re-make The Invisible Man, because this version is very much what I have in mind for the whole series. It is remarkably faithful, both to the overall tone of the book and to the smallest details of its story.
The direction and performances are fine and the production values are fully adequate, without being lavish. More importantly, although the special effects may not be the very best, they are certainly good enough. There is nothing in the book that could not be attempted and nothing that was attempted looks risible.
The book essentially breaks down into four Acts. The first sets out the mystery of the stranger who arrives at Ipping and culminates in his exposure as the Invisible Man. The second details his subsequent flight from the village, his meeting with Marvell and his arrival at Kemp's house. The third is his first person narration of how he became invisible. The fourth is his attempt to avenge himself on Kemp and culminates in his eventual demise. With such a clear four part structure, it seems perverse that the story was broken down into 6 episodes in the UK and 3 in America. I fear this is another example of how, in television, the form is too often dictated by the demands of the medium, rather than the demands of the material.
My only quibble with this production is that the version on the DVD looks to have degraded quite noticeably since it was originally recorded. The image seems of low resolution and there is very conspicuous ghosting in a number of scenes. Overall, however, I am well satisfied.
Absolute fidelity to Wells's text is the not the only way to dramatise this book and may not even be the best way, but I am happy to see that it has been attempted and that the result is as satisfactory as this.
Perhaps the BBC might one day have another shot at the Time Machine. If they can solve the much more intractable problems of that story I will go to my grave a happy man.
Having just seen this BBC serial on DVD, I know it will not be necessary to re-make The Invisible Man, because this version is very much what I have in mind for the whole series. It is remarkably faithful, both to the overall tone of the book and to the smallest details of its story.
The direction and performances are fine and the production values are fully adequate, without being lavish. More importantly, although the special effects may not be the very best, they are certainly good enough. There is nothing in the book that could not be attempted and nothing that was attempted looks risible.
The book essentially breaks down into four Acts. The first sets out the mystery of the stranger who arrives at Ipping and culminates in his exposure as the Invisible Man. The second details his subsequent flight from the village, his meeting with Marvell and his arrival at Kemp's house. The third is his first person narration of how he became invisible. The fourth is his attempt to avenge himself on Kemp and culminates in his eventual demise. With such a clear four part structure, it seems perverse that the story was broken down into 6 episodes in the UK and 3 in America. I fear this is another example of how, in television, the form is too often dictated by the demands of the medium, rather than the demands of the material.
My only quibble with this production is that the version on the DVD looks to have degraded quite noticeably since it was originally recorded. The image seems of low resolution and there is very conspicuous ghosting in a number of scenes. Overall, however, I am well satisfied.
Absolute fidelity to Wells's text is the not the only way to dramatise this book and may not even be the best way, but I am happy to see that it has been attempted and that the result is as satisfactory as this.
Perhaps the BBC might one day have another shot at the Time Machine. If they can solve the much more intractable problems of that story I will go to my grave a happy man.