An ode to Andrew Davies

[alias_sqbr]

I just finished watching the BBC adaptation of Bleak House, and it was great. So I decided to do a brief retrospective on the guy who did the adaptation, Andrew Davies.

Some other great adaptations he has done:
the 1996 Pride and Predjudice
The Way We live Now
Vanity Fair (the miniseries)
Northanger Abbey (the most recent one)
Daniel Deronda
The BBC Emma (a little dull, I must admit, but still much better than the other one)
House of cards and To Play the King (the latter book inspired by his adaption of the former)
Bridget Jones Diary (an adaptation of the book inspired by his adaptation of Pride and Predjudice :))

Also, while I wasn't a huge fan of "Bridget Jones Diary" and "Tipping the Velvet", they are both very engaging and popular and I think my issues lie more with the orignal story than the adaptation. I must admit I didn't like "Circle of Friends" very much though, but even it wasn't bad exactly.

As it turns out, he is also the guy who created and wrote "Educating Marmalade", one of my favourite shows as a kid. Very much not a period drama, more like "Dennis the Menace" only about an english schoolgirl. And, you know, funny. Also "A very peculiar Practice" which I remember thinking at the time seemed cool but too adult for me to understand.

Being a big pinko lefty feminist I like the way he usually (to a greater or lesser extent) gives female and lower class characters more agency and respect than they get in the source, while still getting across the key points of the story.

And, looking him up..he's seventy two! And has three more projects in the pipeline! He's a national treasure, I say :)

Comments

[miss-kittylix.livejournal.com]

Of course like all girls I love the 1996 P & P, but I also really liked the Vanity Fair miniseries. The girl playing Becky is really amazing. Much much better than Reese Witherspoon who is far too cute to play the role.

I did like Bridget Jones Diary and The Edge of Reason books and films. Bridget is a bit of an exaggeration of many of the hang-ups and issues I have, so felt I could in some way relate to her.

But yeah, Andrew Davies rocks my socks!

[alias_sqbr]

Yes, Vanity Fair was great. I haven't been able to bring myself to watch the Reese witherspoon version (Becky Sharp is not blonde!)

[out-fox.livejournal.com]

I LOVE Marmalade, if you mean the one I think (http://out-fox.livejournal.com/56148.html) you do.

There's a few bits of an episode on You Tube now too, the one where she becomes a social worker / bank robber. My respect for this guy just goes up knowing he was behind the 96 P&P too. And yes to the class thing.

Thank you for this info, I'll check out Bleak House now.

[alias_sqbr]

Yes, that's the one!

Ooh, youtube! I keep forgetting to youtube things.

[lilysea.livejournal.com]

You probably know this already, but I *loved* Educating Marmalade.

In fact, maybe I should go revisit it. Or watch his other stuff...

[alias_sqbr]

It's on youtube!

I do recommend his other stuff, at least the ones I've listed (and I haven't seen all of the others, so they are plausibly good too)

And also...

[arcadiagt5.livejournal.com]

The adaptation of R.F. Delderfield's To Serve Them All My Days which I was less than impressed by. :(

Re: And also...

[alias_sqbr]

Ah well, noone has a 100% hit rate :)