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jamie-96822
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A Picture of Katherine Mansfield (1973)
Good acting but confusing setup
First of all, I'm coming from this as a massive Katherine Mansfield fan. She's esaily one of my favourite authors.
The series is very well reserched, I've read three biographies of Mansfield and am impressed with the detail they went into, and Vanessa Redgrave is perfect in the title role. There isnt much to compare her against but I think she has the confidence and at times theatricalness of her personality.
The life segments are staged very much like a theatre, sometimes laughably do, the house in Episode 4 is just a monument to constrained BBC budgets. Jeremy Brett is a highlight, perfectly nailing the pompous and awkward Jack Murray, I wonder how a 1970s BBC production managed to nail two powerhouses in acting when usually the actors from this period of tv tend to be more obscure and well worse. Annette Crosby is fine as Ida Baker (Lesly Moore wasnt her real name) its not really a role you can show off in.
I have to admit I dislike a majority of the adaptations of Mansfield's work. Too often there boring, nothing much happens in Mansfield's stories, there more internal and character driven. They don't work on film more often than not.
This is an obscure little series that I don't imagine many people would have an intrest in, but if you have even a passing intrest in Mansfield then this could be a great starting off point. If like me you have more than a passing interest than go ahead its the best we're gonna get. I also highly reccomend ot if you're a Jeremy Brett or Vanessa Redgrave fan.
Carrie (1976)
Or at least 9.5
This version of Carrie is one of my favorite adaptations, no one of my favorite movies. I'm not a fan of horror or Stephen King but I read Carrie a long time ago and was blown away (I actually listened to Carrie on audiobook and it was narrated by Sissy Spacek). Speaking of Sissy Spacek, can anyone top her as the telekinetic outcast? (Maybe Angela Bettis) Sissy just oozes Shyness and Loneliness. I just want to hug her all throughout. When she smiles after winning Prom-Queen I just could not help smiling with her. Piper Laurie is really over the top as the mother, but the director asked her to be that way so much she was convinced that she was starring in a dark comedy. The Remakes are clearly based on this one while also claiming to be more faithful.
Wuthering Heights (1978)
My favorite Wuthering Heights adaptation.
Wuthering Heights is one of my favorite books of all time, having reread the book multiple times. I've seen most of the adaptations, none could really adapt, yes Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights kept both generations and the 2011 one had a dark-skinned Heathcliff but none showed as much respect for the book as this one. The 1978 BBC miniseries is fanatic to the book and every charter is kept in this one. All actors brought to life the charter, my personal favorite being Kay Adshead as Cathy, just the right balance of mischief and passion, also Ken Hutchison as Heathcliff makes me hate him and sympathize with him every time I watch it. It's not perfect, Nelly is to old, Isabella is skimmed over but if (like me) you love Wuthering Heights and have been let down by other adaptations, please give this one a try.
Wuthering Heights (2011)
Emily Brontë is rolling in her grave.
I couldn't see or here anything in this film. The lighting was so bad it was like the studio must of spent the budget on other prodjects, the horid camera work when Heatcliff covers his eyes, the wind that blocked out all sound probably because the sound crew realised the unintellgible filth coming out of the actors mouth was not worth hearing and the child nudity the actor of young Heathcliff was barley 14 at filming I hope this edition fades from public memory as the infinitely better 1978 version did, I gave up ten minutes before the end after exepting this was not Emily Brontë's masterpiece that I know and love.