Anna K

Hi. Profuse thanks to Helen for lending us the DVD, which we've just finished the final instalment of. Wow. I have to confess I wouldn't have watched it, left to my own devices, having spent so much of my life reading the book. Which was good, but long. So long. However, with the fait accompli of the loaned DVD and Val wanting to watch it too, watch it we did, and it blew me away. Without sounding like a cheat, I much preferred it to the book and would definitely recommend it more heartily (although obviously the book is a classic, etc, etc). I thought the casting amazing, the cuts bold but judicious and in fact the psychological narrative made a lot more sense in this shorter version. Bits that had seemed unconvincing or frustratingly oblique made compelling sense here to me (although obviously it's the director's take on what was going on). Certainly, Helen, don't read the book for more of an understanding of her character - there's less!