I first read "Lorna Doone" about 20 years ago and absolutely loved it! It is a classic historical romance set in the 1600s when the west country was several days' journey from London and law and order was much harder to enforce. Sadly, this version of the book takes several liberties with the story and was incredibly disappointing in my opinion. The acting and production values are OK but the way the story was messed about with was dreadful. Why do television adaptations do this? Why would they think that the thousands of fans of a book would want them to change the story??? One of life's great mysteries!!! The BBC made an excellent version which was televised at Christmas in the early 1990s which I am still trying to track down a copy of! Take my advice, read the book and don't bother with this paltry version!
Reviews
3 Reviews
Wilfred and Eileen
(1981)
a first world war romance
31 January 2007
This is the true story of Wilfrid and Eileen who met and fell in love just before the First World War. Wilfrid joins up to fight in France and is invalided out of the army having been very seriously wounded. He sustains a head injury which affects his memory,speech and behaviour. Eileen, now his wife, refuses to give up on her husband and nurses him back to health, her husband will never be 100% healthy or as he was before his injury but her devotion never wavers. This is an inspiring and moving true story and shows just what it means to make wedding vows which include the phrase "in sickness or in health". The story was written based on letters and diaries kept by the original couple. A very moving film.
A Moment in Time
(1979– )
Romance between a woman and an RAF airman in WW2
23 January 2007
This film was first seen as a series on TV in the UK. The plot follows how life for the main character Elizabeth changes as WW2 breaks out and Britain is plunged into the famous "battle of Britain" fought on a new front - the sky. It is a romance (keep a box of tissues handy!)and conveys all the overwhelming emotion of first love. The film, based on the novel by H.E. Bates, gives an accurate portrayal of what life in Britain was like in 1939 and how the nation had to adjust to the conditions of war as well as having to come to terms with the new type of warfare - with the Spitfire pilots as a new breed of hero. "A moment in time" also shows the difficulty some people had in understanding the type of war which the pilots were fighting, everyone had previously only been used to trench warfare and not a battle on the home front with combatants who were stationed in Britain. I really enjoyed watching this when it first appeared on TV and wish it was available on DVD or video so that I could enjoy it once more - here's hoping it will be re-released one day!
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