Disney/Hallmark version of All Creatures for Millenials
When I saw season one of this new version of All Creatures I was pleasantly surprised. The casting is good and the production is high value.
As the episodes slid by I began to miss the hijinks that made the first version of this show so memorable, enjoyable, and characterful. Gone from the new version are the drink-fests, the many humiliations James and Tris suffer at the hands of the staunch farmers, vets and pet owners. Gone is most of Sigfried's volitile yet lovable personality that Robert Hardy portrayed so expertly, gone is James' difficulty as an outsider fitting in with his surroundings.
The fun and spark that make Al White's books so endearing, that take us back to another time and place have been whitewashed from this new series leaving a bland, if somewhat still charming, one-dimensional version of the material.
I had to go back and watch all the original series to make sure I was not being unduly harsh on this new version and the entertainment level of the old shows is beyond comparison. They are so much better.
I think the new humans that are now making the decisions in our entertainment industry grew up being told humour at the expense of others is the root of all evil, having a drink at the pub is sub-human, and that people must all be portrayed as nice and considerate at all times and everyone must have complicated backstories so we can understand their pain (Mrs Hall was much more interesting on the first version - I couldn't care less about her son or his issues) are forgetting the first rule of storytelling: you must put your characters through hell to show their personalities. Leaning on backstory tells us in a boring way but seeing characters go through the ringer and seeing how they react to their problems is how we will get to know and love them.
All of the actors do a great job with the limited material they have, the location and sets are beautiful, but the over-all experience is very Hallmark. I think Al White (Herriot) would be disappointed.
As the episodes slid by I began to miss the hijinks that made the first version of this show so memorable, enjoyable, and characterful. Gone from the new version are the drink-fests, the many humiliations James and Tris suffer at the hands of the staunch farmers, vets and pet owners. Gone is most of Sigfried's volitile yet lovable personality that Robert Hardy portrayed so expertly, gone is James' difficulty as an outsider fitting in with his surroundings.
The fun and spark that make Al White's books so endearing, that take us back to another time and place have been whitewashed from this new series leaving a bland, if somewhat still charming, one-dimensional version of the material.
I had to go back and watch all the original series to make sure I was not being unduly harsh on this new version and the entertainment level of the old shows is beyond comparison. They are so much better.
I think the new humans that are now making the decisions in our entertainment industry grew up being told humour at the expense of others is the root of all evil, having a drink at the pub is sub-human, and that people must all be portrayed as nice and considerate at all times and everyone must have complicated backstories so we can understand their pain (Mrs Hall was much more interesting on the first version - I couldn't care less about her son or his issues) are forgetting the first rule of storytelling: you must put your characters through hell to show their personalities. Leaning on backstory tells us in a boring way but seeing characters go through the ringer and seeing how they react to their problems is how we will get to know and love them.
All of the actors do a great job with the limited material they have, the location and sets are beautiful, but the over-all experience is very Hallmark. I think Al White (Herriot) would be disappointed.
- Opinate
- Jan 4, 2023