Alright, I watched the first episode online and have to echo some of the complaints I've heard. It seems like it was more "based" on Great Expectations, instead of an accurate retelling of Dickens' novel. Almost like they took Dickens' characters, and some very basic elements of plot, and set them loose on the screen. Here are my biggest complaints:
1. Pip and Joe didn't even participate in the manhunt on the marshes. And when they found Magwich, Joe did try to act angry in an indignant, dramatic, and pathetic sort of way. He isn't as henpecked by Mrs. Joe either, but stands up to her, more or less. He wasn't the Joe from the novel.
2. Where's Mr. Wopsle, his Aunt, and (most of all) Biddy? The contrast between Biddy and Estella, and Pip's relationship with both girls, is a huge part of the novel. You can't just write Biddy out of the script.
3. Alright, let's be honest - Ms. Havisham is hot. Even though she's old and freaky, she's hot. Estella, on the other hand, isn't (hot or freaky). You're supposed to be attracted to Estella (see Gwyneth Paltrow version for more on this) not Miss Havisham.
Alright, I'll still watch the second episode now that I've found the channel, but so far I'm disappointed in this adaptation.
Hey Eric,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on all points. What I'm getting out of it now is cinematography and...well...that's about it. That and the fact that the young actor chap playing Herbert Pocket (name escapes me) is a descendant of Charles Dickens (!). He went to Oxford for an English degree and wrote his thesis on Dickens. ;) Pretty cool.