I am a Wodehouse addict. I have all his books and I know some of the dialogues in his short stories by heart. This is a very good adaptation. All the actors are great ... except for - and I really hate to say this - Peter O'Toole. How could he get it so wrong? There is too much O'Toole in his acting, and not enough Emsworth.
Yes, Lord E was dreamy and absent-minded to a degree. But that does not mean he was mentally deficient or that had a speech impediment! Peter O'Toole speaks as if he has a hot potato in his mouth, or cerebral palsy, or something along those lines, and most of the time, he acts as if he can barely move. He barely enunciates his words and hardly closes his mouth when he speaks. That is NOT what Lord E was all about at all! In fact, when his patience was sorely tried, he could express himself with a great deal of energy.
It's a real shame because the rest of the cast is very good. But IMO, Peter's "interpretation" of Lord E is so jarringly bad it completely distracts my attention from everything else.
Yes, Lord E was dreamy and absent-minded to a degree. But that does not mean he was mentally deficient or that had a speech impediment! Peter O'Toole speaks as if he has a hot potato in his mouth, or cerebral palsy, or something along those lines, and most of the time, he acts as if he can barely move. He barely enunciates his words and hardly closes his mouth when he speaks. That is NOT what Lord E was all about at all! In fact, when his patience was sorely tried, he could express himself with a great deal of energy.
It's a real shame because the rest of the cast is very good. But IMO, Peter's "interpretation" of Lord E is so jarringly bad it completely distracts my attention from everything else.