About a year ago I read Barbara Taylor Bradford’s epic, A Woman of Substance. I was so impressed I added the TV adaptation (1984) to my list at Netflix, where it was missing for quite a while. It finally arrived and I am so pleased the production was faithful to the novel, which chronicles the life of Emma Harte from her humble beginnings in rural England in the early 20th century to wealth and power. To their credit, both the book and mini-series avoid lectures on feminism. Emma Harte is easy to root for, an inspiration for all who believe that hard work, risk and good fortune lead to success. The novel is affirmation of freedom and capitalism. The role of protagonist is shared by two actresses: Jenny Seagrove, who has appeared in many BBC series, plays the young Emma; and Deborah Kerr, always the epitome of grace and class in her long, great career, plays the older. There are many familiar faces in the cast. It took me a half hour to figure out that the mean butler, Murgatroyd, is played by Barry Morse, Lt. Gerard of The Fugitive TV series. The British accent threw me. Lo and behold - he is British! Who knew? The most interesting presence is Diane Baker, whose first role was as a sister of Anne Frank in 1959, and who continues to work to this day. She bought the rights to the book and produced the six-hour piece, as well as several other films. Short of funds, she took on a role herself. Liam Neeson appears as the stalwart Blackie O’Neill. The beautiful Gayle Hunnicut and Nicola Pagget, memorable as Anna Karenina in the Masterpiece Theatre production (1977), are perfectly cast as aristocratic women. Barry Bostwick is dashing as the love of Emma’s life. UK stalwarts John Mills and George Baker, Tiberius in the greatest mini-series ever made, I, Claudius (1976), lend their talents in minor roles. And Miranda Richardson plays the hard-working grand daughter who inherits granny’s empire. Admirers of the novel will likely appreciate this solid adaptation, rated 7.5 out of ten at IMDb. I rate it 3.5 out of five.
After two days of brisk sales, the floating book shop hit a brick wall this afternoon. There was a positive, however. Maddy, a lovely, articulate young woman who works in the area, agreed to accept a loan of Killing from me for her Kindle. I'm curious as to whether it will count as a sale. I was surprised Maddy was willing to give me her email address. Although we have spoken many times, we are really strangers. Curiously, she passed from the opposite direction 15 minutes later, wiping tears from her eyes. I asked if she were all right and she said yes. My mind immediately speculated as to the cause of her sorrow: Fight/break-up with boyfriend; death in the family; loss of job. I wanted to give her a hug and ask what was wrong, but she seemed anxious to be on her way, so I kept my distance. I hope she finds substance in Killing.
Visit Vic’s sites:
Vic’s Third Novel (Print or Kindle): http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
Vic’s Website: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/
Vic’s Short Story Collection (Print or Kindle): http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic’s 2nd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/6b86st6
Vic’s 1st Novel: http://tiny.cc/94t5h
Vic’s Screenplay on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3
No comments:
Post a Comment