Very faithful adaptation of the short story
586997
Even with the locale change to Germany and a time change to shortly before WWII, it stuck pretty close to the short story and had the same sort of dread component. I also thought it was clever, that in a B&W movie, the only color was The Colour.
1929229
The 1986 Merchant/Ivory adaptation of "A Room with a View" is one of my favorite movies; I also like the book.

That said, I really enjoyed this adaptation as well, when I saw it originally aired in November 2007 on ITV/Channel 3 in the UK. It's very important to keep in mind that this was made for a general public British TV audience - not for American/International art-house cinema audiences or PBS viewers.

Yes, it's different than "the original", but you need to enjoy it for what its is (someone else's interpretation)rather than consider it only in comparison to what many people feel is the definitive version. If you really love a story, there should be some enjoyment in watching different interpretations of that story for the purpose of comparing and contrasting, and seeing it through different eyes - rather than just in the (re-)telling of the story itself. Of course you're bound to prefer some versions to others, but don't write this off because it's not a duplicate of Merchant/Ivory.

I'm really surprised but how upset some reviewers are by this version - it's not that different/off the mark from the book.

If you are dead-set on benchmarking this against the Merchant/Ivory classic, don't bother getting it as you'll be wasting your time and money. If you can watch it with an open mind, you'll enjoy it for what is - and there is some excellent casting and acting.

One last thought - as a piece of (British) primetime television, this is fantastic compared to the usual TV broadcast rubbish (reality shows, un-funny politcally-correct comedies, soap operas, etc.)
3090402
5 Stars is very little to categorize this incredible adaptation of Stephen King in 8 average length stories.
We are talking about adaptations that are impeccable, which have spared making production, and where there is no low budget animation effects.
I can not believe that is adapted "Battleground", bordering the characteristic humor of the author, and where at no time has spoken word, for good luck for the film.

This is the second copy I buy:
-The first one for my mom who is a fan of Stephen King novels.
-The second is for my ... quietly can pass as a book in my collection ^ ^ is a beautiful presentation of "Nightmares and Dreamscapes", say each of their contents.

There is no doubt when I say RECOMMEND under 5 stars this beautiful specimen.
3786451
THE MOST FAITHFUL adaption of "A Little Princess" The Last Doll unfortunately was cut, along with three of Sara's most famous speeches regarding her philosophy about what BEHAVIOR makes you a Princess. The version makes an effort to have Sara in silk, furs velvet, hats decorated with feathers and flowers, while her father is alive, while most versions have her in a school uniform the entire time. The Christmas scenes represent well what it's like to have lost someone over The Holidays. The school looks institutional, matching Miss Minchin's personality, I mean she's too greedy to spend the money to make the school look nice. Sara's original room is nice, bot NOT eye popping. This version keeps the Original ending. This is the GREAT adaption!

As for the Questar realse, we had a lot of VHS tapes that looked grainy, not a big deal, and I'm more concerned about the scences that were snipped. The one that introduces Sara was snipped awkwardly, The scene where the General and Sadie are discussing the statue of Kali was snipped as well. The solution is a BLU-RAY RELEASE, for Blu-Rays can hold lots of data and are known for their image quality. Until than the Questar release, will be fine, the one that cost $39.99 didn't even work!
4491378
This is an excellent adaption of the Hunter S. Thompson book. I am a huge fan of the book and the movie because the book is great and the movie perfectly captures what I had pictured in my head. Now for the same thing to happen with another medium is just wonderful and almost unbelievable. The art really fits the zaniness of the story and the entire package feels like it is worth the price. You get a quality hardcover with some neat gossy effects and the pages feel nice and thick. If you love these characters you will no doubt love this adaptation.
1376045
Let me say right here and now that this DVD edition (contrary to what some people have posted on here) is, for the most part, UNedited.  The language (with one exception I noticed on episode 2), and nudity, are intact -- it is not edited, replaced or otherwise "cleaned up."  People who claim the whole DVD is edited have been partaking too much of what Mrs. Madrigal grows in her garden.

Acorn Media has done an excellent job with this -- the picture and sound quality are excellent.

Avoid the lackluster follow-up sequels -- the original "Tales of the City" remains one of the finest miniseries ever filmed, and this DVD edition doesn't disappoint.
35440
I have read the original version of this novel as part of my University studies, and all i can say is I wished that I had read this version too. It simplifies the settings, characters and makes it far less complicated, yet still manages to convey the story in a highly entertaining way. The original is very long spanning more than five thousand pages and i love the way that this one was condensed into short and easy chapters to read. I guess the best way to explain this is that it is like a  contemporary take on a classic literature novel
2183165
I had high standards for this, because the  book is so amazing (and huge, and book-centric), but this adaptation was faithful in every important way, and captured the mood, feelings, style, and even imagery that I enjoyed so much. Utterly delightful.
1378063
Would it be blasphemous to say that I love this 1985 version almost as much as I love the famous 1995 Jennifer Ehle/Colin Firth version?

Yes, I saw this version well before the A&E version and watched it regularly since it came out on VHS. Thank goodness for this dvd because my videotape is about to wear out!  I just think this version feels closer to the book somehow. There are no tight bodices or a wet shirt Mr. Darcy, but it is enjoyable and engaging all the same. I love Elizabeth Garvie as Lizzy Bennet. She just completely captures the spirit of Elizabeth Bennet for me: playful, pretty, charming, witty and engaging, and with those lovely big brown eyes. David Rintoul is a handsome, aristocratic Darcy and all the actors are perfectly cast. I must say I always had a problem with the casting of Jane Bennet (not pretty enough), the Bingley sisters (no resemblance) and Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner (not elegant at all) in the 1995 version, but not so here. Jane is perfectly amiable and lovely in the guise of Sabina Franklin and the Gardiners are elegant and well-bred as they should be. The actresses who play Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley also do look like sisters.  There is also no over-the-top acting which sometimes overshadowed other actors/characters.

The only downside of this version is, of course, that the budget was less than its 1995 counterpart and so most of the filming took place on sets instead of on the real thing. The costumes and locations are simpler.  However, the actors and story treatment more than make up for its shortcomings and this version is a must have for any Jane Austen fan's movie library.  If you've only seen the 1995 version and a true Jane Austen fan, be sure to check this one out.  It is a gem that deserves to be seen!
331692
Wow! What a great adaptation! This is by far the best of the bunch. I've only seen the 1945 version previously, I didn't bother with the others. This version uses the book's ending rather than the play's version. When Agatha Christie wrote the stage version, she changed the ending at the behest of the producers because they wanted a happy ending. The book's ending was considered too radical in 1945 for film. I agree! Christie wasn't only at the top of her game but also way ahead of her time when she wrote this. Though minor changes(such as changing the Nursery rhyme from "ten little Indians" to "Ten little Soldiers") don't bother me. It was for the most part faithful to the book. The fact that they retained the original time period and the ending makes this one well worth seeing.

Please note that the edition contained in these disks is the original BBC TV airing rather than the Lifetime airings. There are 3 one hour parts rather than two 90 minutes(without commercials)parts.

I'm not going to give away the ending-but lets just say that the last ten minutes is really radical!!
2889264
A decent rendition of the classic Frankenstein story with beautiful illustrations every spread. The illustrations make this book as they are simply lovely even though they depict the creature akin to Boris Karloff's version which is not how he appears in the novel at all. The text does a good job of simplifying the story while keeping all the major plot points including important but small details such as the murder of the little brother and keeping in mind the whole deprivation of love/revenge-theme. Two points which make this version miss the mark are that the creature is identified as a "monster" immediately and it fails to convey Victor Frankenstein's insanity. These are key to understanding the original novel but still this version does introduce the story to first-time young readers.
2496156
A much better and truer adaptation of the book than anything else I've seen
2812400
One of the most satisfying dramatic adaptations of a Dickens novel I've ever seen.

Alec Guiness's performance as William Dorrit, imprisoned for debt for over a quarter century, was Oscar-nominated (and probably deserved to win), as was the script by director Christine Edzard.

One of the particular treats of the film is the set design.  It is simply a pleasure to look at this film.

The film (actually two films) takes an unusual approach to the story.  Rather than simply adapt the novel straightforwardly, the two films tell the same story twice, the first from the point of view of the hero, William Clennam (Derek Jacobi), and the second from the point of view of the heroine, Amy Dorrit, the daughter of William, and the titular "Little Dorrit" (Sarah Pickering in what is, as far as I can tell, her only screen role).  Since there are many scenes in which only one of the characters are present, each film contains considerable material that is not in the other, and the shared material is seen from two different perspectives.

However, as a consequence of, to a degree, telling the same story twice, large parts of the novel, and, despite the huge cast, many important characters, are eliminated from the screenplay.  Characters like Tattycoram and Miss Wade get short shrift, and the ruthless criminal Rigaud (aka Blandois and Lagnier) is completely absent.

While the structure of the film(s) is interesting, it probably would have been better to adapt the first half of the book in the first film and the second half of the book in the second film in order to make a more complete narrative.
3301439
'Manga Classics: Les Miserables' does such a great job adapting the book that it might replace Cliff Notes for lazy students. It's a better adaptation than many of the books, movies and musicals.

It's a classic story that starts with a man stealing a loaf of bread to feed his family. He is sentenced to a cruel prison term, then learns about mercy. The story balances between justice and mercy with the main character, Jean Valjean, and the policeman, Javert, who pursues him throughout his life. There are so many memorable characters, and the thing this manga version gets more right than most versions is how interconnected all the characters are. This is important because it shows that saving a man's life might benefit you when you need help.

It's all here: the silver candlesticks, Fantine, the barricades, the overturned cart, the flight through the sewers, Gavroche and Eponine, and it's done very well. The story starts with Fantine, then travels back to Jean Valjean's story. It felt a little strange to me to have chapters and focus on Fantine, but the story is still the same. There is a good epilogue written by Stacy King on the struggles of adapting a classic like this. Art by Tszmei Lee is very much in a manga style but doesn't detract from the story. A unique and interesting way to tell a classic story.

I was given a review copy of this graphic novel by Diamond Book Distributors and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
2642057
BBC is known for its excellence in adapting classic literature - in this case, I didn't even have to focus on the talent of the cast, because they looked so real (no overt glamour to cater to modern audiences) and behaved so realistically, that I forgot it was a story, and one that I know very well. Instead, I was as caught up in the plot as I was the first time I turned the pages of the book it's based on. There are a couple of scenes that were clearly added to help bridge the story for modern audiences (such as when Captain Wentworth speaks to Anne in the Pump Room), which I could do without, but because they don't damage or otherwise hinder the overall story, I'm happy to give them a pass.

All in all, just a beautiful, lovingly crafted tribute to a classic.
2101332
It is because of this series that I read Jane Austen to begin with - and Pride and Prejudice is just such a wonderful story!
I found this adaptation to be completely faithful to the novel. Great acting, very funny and enlightening. I would not have expected that a novel like this could be faithfully portrayed on film, but they did a wonderful job.
I especially liked Mrs. Bennet in this film, but really, all the actors were superb.
The costumes and scenery were lovely, the dialogue witty, the story romantic. This is indeed a great "chick-flick" - I watched it with my 7 year old daughter, and the romantic-hearted girl is now a die-hard Austen fan as well.
Very well done! Highly recommended to all romantically-inclined individuals.
4681947
The best adaptation of a work by Robert A. Heinlein I have ever seen.