"Buddenbrooks" and "The Magic Mountain" by Thomas Mann are among the few books I have read twice: first as a teenager in my native Polish and many years later in their original language. I also always like to watch adaptations of my favorite books, and although I haven't seen the 1979 TV series, I liked this adaptation of "Buddenbrooks" more than the 2008 film. I give this film such a high rating because cinema has the magic of bringing great works of literature to a wider audience, which is an additional advantage of the work. I realize that this adaptation of the novel differs in some details from the literary original, but I don't think that it is important. For me, the spirit of the novel and its most important elements have been wonderfully preserved here. I liked the acting and the interior design. As for Hansjorg Felmy, that's more or less how I've always imagined Thomas Buddenbrook from the novel.
