musicnina

I keep waiting for this show to turn into something worthwhile. It has a fine cast, fairly decent plot ideas, and deals with popular subject matter -- but continues to have no character development, plot holes large enough to drive a Mac truck through, and dialogue that falls flat. Since somebody went to the trouble to move it into a slightly more promising time slot (sure, Friday nights stink -- but not as badly as opposite Law and Order: SVU when you're going for the same audience!), I sure hope they go to the trouble to find some decent writers. It might also behoove them to get some legal advice. There is generally at least one large legal error in each script -- unforgivable, when dealing with an audience that considers itself fairly sophisticated.

This show is designed for a classic CBS audience, the same audience that watched Murder She Wrote and Cold Case. Unfortunately, it will have to improve greatly to maintain that audience.

I've long been a fan of Dickens, and I usually prefer the old films to the new adaptations, but I'm afraid this one just doesn't work. Clara Copperfield is played with extreme melodrama -- much better suited for the stage. Perhaps as a result of sharing the screen with her, young Freddie Bartholomew is extremely painful to watch in most of the early scenes. Little Em'ly is played as a cute, talent-free toddler. Least over-blown of the child actors was the girl who played Agnes -- but she only had one scene! Most of the relationships between characters in this film are glossed over to such an extent that you simply must read the book in order to keep up. Steerforth comes in from nowhere, since the entire school situation is omitted. Barkis comes and goes in much the same way, and we don't really know why Mr. Micawber matters at all, except that he's W.C. Field. The most redeeming scenes are those with Betsey Trotwood, who is thoroughly eccentric and enjoyable to watch. Her characterization allows Mr. Dick and young Freddie to sparkle in a way most of the film lacks. I don't know the other film versions, or whether or not to recommend them, so I can merely suggest your time is better spent reading the book.

This movie, for all that it's a fairly straight forward, shoot-em-up western, has some unique points that make it extremely artful. The boys were well-cast (though A. Martinez seemed to struggle in a role that was not fully developed), and those difficult psychological moments which were so important to the book translated to the screen without too much trouble. As is always the case, the book is able to take more time to expand upon the characters more thoroughly; if the movie left you a bit dry, visit the library to find the rest of the story!

The reasons I watch this show repeatedly are two of my favorite fellows: Roscoe Lee Browne and John Williams. Roscoe Lee Browne is able to sell lines that simply wouldn't work coming from somebody else (his dialogue with Coleen Dewhurst is priceless), and he is the unique feature that makes this film work. He graciously shares the screen with his co-actors as necessary, but he easily walks off with the movie nonetheless. John Williams' fantastic score could stand alone; though it is occasionally a little too cheery for the moment (after all, this is a pretty gruesome film, if you really think about it), it covers all the bases of the movie. Youthful innocence, becoming men, sorrow, success -- it's all right there in the score. Don't expect Star Wars music; frequently understated, the music carries a supporting role. As both John Williams and Roscoe Lee Browne displayed here, it is often the supporting actors that make the show a success!