With A View...to the perfect Sunday night

Can TV adaptations live up to the original?

As a self confessed costume drama-ite, word of ITV’s new adaptation of E.M.Forster’s A Room With A View (screened on Sunday 4th November) reached my ears quickly, and was received with the delight such news should inspire. My excitement was, of course, piqued by my discovery that not only was the adaptation from the pen of Andrew Davies (adapter of the king of all period dramas, Pride and Prejudice, not to mention my personal favourites, Bleak House and Tipping the Velvet), but it also starred Elaine Cassidy. For any costume drama virgins out there, Cassidy’s fame lies in her portrayal of Maud in the adaptation of Sarah Waters’ Fingersmith. But back to A Room With A View.

Set in 1912, this classic love story spans backdrops of England and rural Italy, as the heroine Lucy Honeychurch finds attraction with George Emmerson while staying at an Italian guesthouse owned by his father. But the story doesn’t really begin until Lucy arrives back in England where she becomes engaged to another man, only for George to suddenly reappear. As a firm fan of the novel, I didn’t think a costume drama could get much better. So, I was all set for the perfect Sunday night – which would of course provide the perfect distraction from the ever-present pile of work on my desk.

I decided long ago that TV literary adaptations are the best distraction from work – a world of historic escapism, but they are - of course - still intellectually stimulating programmes (which reduces the inevitable Sunday night panic when you realise two hours have slipped by and you’re still no nearer to being prepared for the next morning’s 9.15 seminar). So, having fully exhausted my excitement with my slightly more subdued (or should I say, “sane”?) friends, I settled down on Sunday night, ready for a feature-length episode of respite from my increasingly claustrophobic world of essays, laptops and chain-eating biscuits. What could be better than pure escapism into a world where horses and carriages replace the crowded purple ftrs, and 19 year old girls have rather more refined habits than my late night forays to KFC and Evil Eye? And then of course there’s the token brooding hero…need I say more?

As the rousing music began, I felt the inevitable bubble of delight well up inside me. In just a few moments, I would be immersed in a world of love and marriage seen through the eyes of Lucy, a young Edwardian woman. But as I watched, my stomach began to drop. I determinedly continued to watch beyond the first set of adverts…and the second…and the third, refusing to allow my dream of Sunday night escapism to…well, to escape. As the bubble of excitement in my chest firmly popped, I became almost panicky. I blamed myself – my mood must be wrong; I’m too distracted by work; I’m tired. But as I reached the halfway mark, I could no longer deny the truth: I just wasn’t enjoying ITV’s latest period-costumed offering.

I gallantly continued to watch, fighting back the disappointment threatening to spoil the evening, but the magic was gone. At least I had managed to stick out the entire programme – a fellow period drama-ite actually switched off mid-story, watching instead the classic film starring Maggie Smith. And I can’t say I blame her. I wouldn’t like to say what it was that disappointed about the drama. Andrew Davies, as always, provided an admirably loyal-to-the-original adaptation, and Cassidy was near enough faultless as Lucy. I did, however, feel that chemistry between her and Rafe Spall (playing love interest George) was somewhat lacking. When it comes to this kind of thing, I won’t settle for anything less than the spark between Marianne and Colonel Brandon (Kate Winslet and Alan Rickman) in the 1990s film version of ‘Sense and Sensibility’.

Which brings me to another point. Andrew Davies has also recently completed an adaptation of Sense and Sensibility for the BBC. Of course, you can all imagine my thrill upon hearing that one of my favourite novels was coming to the BBC. But after an initial few days of eagerness, doubts began to creep into my head – doubts which were sadly fuelled by Sunday night’s viewing disappointment. Feeling somewhat disillusioned, I began to wonder whether another adaptation of Sense and Sensibility could live up to the first. And if it didn’t, would it (God forbid) taint my appreciation of the original?

There are, of course, those who staunchly believe that literary adaptations can never come close to the author’s own text. I would beg to differ here; the novel and its TV or film adaptation have a mutually dependable relationship, and if a costume drama can introduce potential readers to new novels, that’s a brilliant thing for the literary world. As a literature lover, I would never want to deplete the importance of televising some of our best relics of literary history, but in the case of A Room With A View and Sense and Sensibility, I have to agree with the critics: stick with the original, and the best.

Add Comment

You must log in to submit a comment.