Product: Lorna Doone
Rating: 5.0
DVD review, not the VHS: quality british drama & book ADAPTATION
Plenty of action, scenic period visuals, believable dialogue, feuding clans and forbidden love. Spring, 1600s England, with early looks at a couple of British stars in their budding careers. Clive Owen as John Ridd, and Polly Walker ('Emma''Rome''Patriot Games') as Lorna Doone (eyes of an angel), make an entertaining time of love, war, romance, adventure, and classic happy endings. Lorna saves John, John tried to save Lorna as a child. In the end, a surprise discovery leads to romance and more. This is an adaptation, and some fail to recognize that as a limitation for TV. The converting of a full classic novel into 87 minutes of film requires limiting the story. The writer & director made decisions well to make this a beautiful "ADAPTATION" for TV, now a DVD. It would take a full series to depict the entire story of "Lorna Doone," 1869 book by Richard Doddridge (R.D.) Blackmore.Carver Doone (Sean Bean-'Lord of the Rings''Troy''Lady Chatterley') is the villain father-killer. Sarah Ridd (Billie Whitelaw-'A Dinner of Herbs';Quills') is mother. Miles Anderson ('House of Cards') plays a Ridd cousin who is wanted, and loves Annie Ridd (Jane Gurnett).The musical score is as good as the scenery. The Doones of Bagworthy Forest have rustic thatch-roof stone cottages; while the Ridds of Oare live in a 2-story, slate-roof, stone home. A quick film mistake in the action during the Doone attack on the Ridd home is made by a torch being thrown on a thatch roof. It was slate, not thatch. But what a battle.THE DVD BONUS includes:SUBTITLES4 text cast fimographies, and text bio of author R. D. Blackmore.MY WIFE AND I LIKE IT. It's such a good novel there is plenty of room for all of the film adaptations to date. This one is a keeper. I'll watch it again, it's that good.