Product: The Shell Seekers [VHS] (1989)
Rating: 1.0
The Shell Seekers betrayed
No realistic viewer expects a filmed version of a book to be identical. But it SHOULD be true to the spirit of the novel (or why bother filming it?), and this TV movie is definitely not. Most of the main characters are too different, especially Penelope Keeling (Angela Lansbury is quite the wrong actress) - the Penelope in this film is unrecognisable. But the worst betrayal is the portrayal of Penelope's love affair with Richard, especially the change to its ending and to the ending of the book. If you want to watch a banal movie, and have neither read the book nor wish to read one of the finest novels in English, buy the movie. Much better, buy, read and re-read the book, and give yourself a real treat.