014 Adaptation – New
Listening to
BBC Radio’s massive adaptation of The
Forsytes was an undertaking (I’ve not included The Forsytes Continue which was heard in May). Based on the novels of once-famous John
Galsworthy, the BBC of course dominated the costume drama genre in 1967 with
its TV adaptation. Myself, I first
caught ITV’s version on Masterpiece
Theatre in the Noughties. However,
this was enough to prompt me to read the novels, which I enjoyed very
much. I had mixed feelings at first
about this interesting radio adaptation (two Saturday Dramas + 5 15
Minute Dramas = 3 ¼ hours). The
music by Neil Brand is understandably accomplished and memorable. Jessica Raine, who I quickly realized must be
Fleur, starts out as a really intrusive narrator. Occasionally the narrator brings nuances to
people’s actions, especially characters like Soames who don’t say what they’re
thinking (Soames also has a couple monologues which work fine, as he’s thinking
aloud). Still, part of me thinks that if
an actor is good enough, even on radio he should be able to let the subtext
speak without the narrator barging in.
The narrator underlines what she herself says: the next generation always finds the norms of
the previous one to be old-fashioned; to rebel is the endless cycle of
youth. While I agree that this was
certainly a theme of the books, I felt like we don’t need to be hit over the
head with. The casting is overall strong; Juliet Aubrey is excellent as Irene,
and Joseph Millson is really stunning as Soames. The adaptation followed the main thread of
the novels quite well, although I was really shocked that the Winifred and
Monty storyline was shunted off into Episode 5, just so Holly and Val could get
together. Hats off on the interaction
between Old Jolyon, Jo, and Irene; all their scenes together were heart-warming
and believable. Also, I was very
impressed by a short scene where Soames has to tell his parents that Irene has
left him, and for once his mask slips and he breaks down, but is admonished by
his mother, “We don’t do that.” As
Soames’ obsession with Irene grows, it’s actually harder and harder to
empathize with her; Soames would never see his gestures as grandly romantic,
and all the other characters seem to see them as stalker-ish and borderline
sociopath. Still, I found it very moving;
at one point in episode 7, Young Jolyon says he can’t decide whether Soames is
a comic or tragic figure, and maybe that’s what makes him such a good
character: he’s villain, buffoon, and
tragic lover all in one. Another really
good sequence was when Fleur was born, and, in spite of himself, Soames fell in
love with his baby girl. It took awhile,
but this adaptation won me over. It was adapted by Shaun McKenna and
starred Harry Haden-Patton, Jeremy
Prothero, Rebecca Hamilton, Ewan Bailey, Gerard McDermott, Sean Baker, Jessica
Turner, Deborah Baker, Joel McCormack, George Watkins, Katie Redford, Chris
Pavlo, Aurelie Amblard, Susan Jameson.
It was directed by the very able Marion Nancarrow.
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