I tried to watch POTE when it 1st came out and, being disappointed at the changes from the plot of the book, decided not to watch the rest. I read a great deal and while I understand that books must be condensed for filming purposes and that this sometimes may call for changes in the plot, I am very loyal to the books I read so plot changes bother me a great deal.
Finding this listed on Netflix, I decided to have another go at it. For anyone who has not read the book, by all means, watch it - it's great drama. For those who have read it, by all means, watch it - it's great drama. Forgive the plot changes (some were brilliant and some were frankly unnecessary and convoluted), but concentrate on the characterization instead. In good films, you can kept watching bad or uninteresting plot if characterization is good enough. In POTE, ALL of the major roles are well acted and true to character. All, which is rare at the best of times in a film with such a huge cast list. I wonder how many of the actors took the time to read the book or talk at length with Ken Follet.
I went into this thinking that I would probably give it a 6-7 if the acting was good enough to earn higher, but with points taken off for stupid plot changes. But the more I watched, the more I was drawn in. I have missed sleep to finish this thing because I couldn't sleep for thinking about it. It is just really GOOD, because the characters are believable, even at points when the plot is not. You simply believe these people would react to their lives the way they do - even evil characters are understandable for what they do. That is fabulous characterization.
So for loyalty to the plot, it gets about a 5-6. For making sense of the plot, it gets a 7. For historical accuracy, it gets a lower rating than I'd give the book, but I don't expect movies to teach me history anyway and the book is fiction, not history. But for the acting, the costumes, the photography, and above all the characterization, these things combined bring this miniseries to a 9.
For readers, do expect to see some pretty major plot points taken out and some are entirely replaced with new stuff. You may or may not agree with all the changes or that they make the plot tighter or better. But if you can ignore that and go with it, go with the characters in their various journeys through life, you will love it.
For those who haven't read the book - DO. There is much more to the story, more to these characters. You will be a bit confused that some of the plots don't show up and others are in their place, but the detail that is added, plus having more time with the characters portrayed so wonderfully in this film, will make the time worth your while.
Finding this listed on Netflix, I decided to have another go at it. For anyone who has not read the book, by all means, watch it - it's great drama. For those who have read it, by all means, watch it - it's great drama. Forgive the plot changes (some were brilliant and some were frankly unnecessary and convoluted), but concentrate on the characterization instead. In good films, you can kept watching bad or uninteresting plot if characterization is good enough. In POTE, ALL of the major roles are well acted and true to character. All, which is rare at the best of times in a film with such a huge cast list. I wonder how many of the actors took the time to read the book or talk at length with Ken Follet.
I went into this thinking that I would probably give it a 6-7 if the acting was good enough to earn higher, but with points taken off for stupid plot changes. But the more I watched, the more I was drawn in. I have missed sleep to finish this thing because I couldn't sleep for thinking about it. It is just really GOOD, because the characters are believable, even at points when the plot is not. You simply believe these people would react to their lives the way they do - even evil characters are understandable for what they do. That is fabulous characterization.
So for loyalty to the plot, it gets about a 5-6. For making sense of the plot, it gets a 7. For historical accuracy, it gets a lower rating than I'd give the book, but I don't expect movies to teach me history anyway and the book is fiction, not history. But for the acting, the costumes, the photography, and above all the characterization, these things combined bring this miniseries to a 9.
For readers, do expect to see some pretty major plot points taken out and some are entirely replaced with new stuff. You may or may not agree with all the changes or that they make the plot tighter or better. But if you can ignore that and go with it, go with the characters in their various journeys through life, you will love it.
For those who haven't read the book - DO. There is much more to the story, more to these characters. You will be a bit confused that some of the plots don't show up and others are in their place, but the detail that is added, plus having more time with the characters portrayed so wonderfully in this film, will make the time worth your while.