Lee's never read the novels, and she gave up on it before I did.

I suffered the whole series (a bored binge watch) ... it was a big mistake ... poor acting, bad direction, terrible plot line and tbf I really just couldn't see the point.
The original books were side-splittingly funny and so well observed, why oh why did anybody think they could improve on them. Pointless.
I enjoyed Good Omens, but had not read the book beforehand.

But then we saw the same thing with the Tom Sharpe novels - such as the Porterhouse Blue TV series and the same with Wilt - some things just do not translate from paper to the screen.

NB: I once got asked to leave a closed carriage on a train, in my youth, as I was laughing so uncontrollably when reading one of the Tom Sharpe novels .... I think it was one of the South African ones, with the reenactment of the battle of Isandlwana in the mental asylum. Cracking stuff! It captured both the absurdity and horror of institutional apartheid so very well.

Quote from: Big Insect on 06 July 2021, 10:26:38 AM
some things just do not translate from paper to the screen.

Yeah, this, I think. Especially with comedy.

Reading a comic passage can, as you say, make you laugh out loud. Exactly the same thing on screen can come across as leaden and unfunny.

Again, as you say, seen it with Pratchett and Sharpe. And also Douglas Adams, I think. The HHGttG TV series I thought was very poor. Not seen the film, but I gather it's not great.

I reread (well listened) to Guards! Guards! over the past couple of days. Not sure how many times I've read it now, but still very entertaining and clever.

Quote from: Big Insect on 06 July 2021, 10:26:38 AM
I suffered the whole series (a bored binge watch) ... it was a big mistake ... poor acting, bad direction, terrible plot line and tbf I really just couldn't see the point.
The original books were side-splittingly funny and so well observed, why oh why did anybody think they could improve on them. Pointless.
I enjoyed Good Omens, but had not read the book beforehand.

But then we saw the same thing with the Tom Sharpe novels - such as the Porterhouse Blue TV series and the same with Wilt - some things just do not translate from paper to the screen.

NB: I once got asked to leave a closed carriage on a train, in my youth, as I was laughing so uncontrollably when reading one of the Tom Sharpe novels .... I think it was one of the South African ones, with the reenactment of the battle of Isandlwana in the mental asylum. Cracking stuff! It captured both the absurdity and horror of institutional apartheid so very well.

Surley Share was too dirty - and as for racisat complaints you couldn't have put K**fer Killer Elles into a modern TV show. You will note I have censoerd the nickname.

But the south african books are so very anti-racist and ridicule the whole apartheid regime so blatantly that you might actually manage to get it produced - just to show how extreme it all was Ian. That is the point of it - it is extreme satire 

Quote from: Big Insect on 06 July 2021, 04:36:20 PM
But the south african books are so very anti-racist and ridicule the whole apartheid regime so blatantly that you might actually manage to get it produced - just to show how extreme it all was Ian. That is the point of it - it is extreme satire 

VERY Valid! The Tom Sharpe books 'May' have helped to 'shape' a generation in it's views... as did so many other 'caricatures', both in literature and TV. Much 'Satire' in the 70s formed the base for 'moving on'... whether Race / Gay, or whatever. NOW, Anathema... just because...

I'd rather like to know why movies always get the accents for my great and good country so wrong.

I think that accents in films/TV generally tend to head towards the extreme - in an attempt to over emphasis and 'sign-post' a usually lazy audience.

It's the same with the UK - a north welsh accent is different from a south welsh one - but the nuance is lost on the ordinary punter.
Most TV scots all have the same hard Glaswegian twang! 

Just as the well spoken - Eton educated - Englishman in an American superhero or spy film will traditionally be the villain ... "no Mr Bond, I do not expect you to talk. I expect you to die!"

Great line, but hardly spoken in an English accent!

Quote from: FierceKitty on 07 July 2021, 09:31:44 AM
Great line, but hardly spoken in an English accent!

But, 'The Best Bond' always sounds as though He has a mouthful of St. Andrews Golf Balls.. so fair! 

Well I watched nearly all of one episode, but it just didn't grab me at all. I felt no connect with the characters, the look was too 'Blade Runner' and the storyline kept chopping and changing. I won't be bothering watching anymore.

Quote from: Big Insect on 06 July 2021, 10:26:38 AM

The original books were side-splittingly funny and so well observed, why oh why did anybody think they could improve on them. Pointless.
I enjoyed Good Omens, but had not read the book beforehand.

But then we saw the same thing with the Tom Sharpe novels - such as the Porterhouse Blue TV series and the same with Wilt - some things just do not translate from paper to the screen.

Interesting......

A lot of the time, I think we all 'stick' with our first 'contact' ....whether it be from a book, film, TV or radio.

I LOVED Good Omens, as a book....But found the TV series rather disappointing, to say the least.
I've never read 'The Hobbit' all the way through......I found it too twee...and gave up after barely a dozen pages......Thought the film was enormous fun.
H2G2......Introduction to that, was from the original vinyl....Then the TV....Then the BBC radio series......My favourite 'version' of that, is still from the original vinyl. (OK..that's on CD now.)
The TV series now seems very 'dated'.....And I wasn't very taken with the movie adaptation. (Best bit in that, was spotting the original BBC TV 'Marvin' right at the back, in one scene. )

The Discworld films seem OK (ish)......But (for me) nowhere the quality of the books.

With you, on the Tom Sharpe books, Mark.....The TV versions were definitely missing 'something'.

Cheers - Phil.

I read several Tom Sharpe books as a student. But frequently found that 'Well, I enjoyed that... but it WAS rater ''Nasty'... As 'social satire', that was probably the intention...
I did re-read, back then... but often just didn't like his 'take'. Have no wish to revisit now.

Pratchett, esp. his 'middle period', was always a much looked for delight!

One thing about Sir Terry, he was as nutty as his books, meet him a couple of times at an odd show in Peterbrough.