Adapting a 446-page book into 1hr. 29 mins. Involves a great deal of slashing characters down to their core. There are three major story divisions. The novel is also divided into three time sections (as is the movie with lesser success). They all involve either London through the war years or the post-war era. Both work backwards in time. The first section is 1947, then 1944, then 1941.
One section involves Helen's relationship with Julia, then Helen's earlier relationship with Kay. These lesbian relationships have been more heavily discussed already. Despite fine performances by the actresses involved, there isn't enough substance left after the bare-bone edits to affect us emotionally.
The second section involves a straight couple, Vivien and Reggie.
Viv is a single woman and Reggie, a married man. Viv is more compelling among other things, as she must deal with the horrors of illegal abortion. It's Viv's love for her brother, her strong liking for Robert Fraser as a man of honor, and her deepfelt affection for Kay that suggests far better people exist than the man she has aligned herself with.
The third involves the former prisoner Duncan (Viv's brother), involved in the death of a gay best friend upon his being drafted into the military, and his cellmate, Robert Fraser, in prison for being a conscientious objector. To complicate matters is Horace Mundy, an elderly prison guard who has eyes for and on Duncan.
The prison section, taking place in 1944, is adapted quite efficiently. In one scene, Fraser, above Duncan in a bunk bed, quietly masturbates when he believes Duncan is asleep. Duncan even more quietly does the same. After Fraser climaxes, he learns that Duncan has been listening to every stroke and angrily flicks something onto Duncan's face.
In another scene, the Nazis are bombing close to the prison. The guards have fled to their basement bunker/shelter and left the prisoners to fend for themselves. Fraser, terrified, asks Duncan if he can crawl into bed with him. Duncan agrees. Soon the men are holding one another tightly in the dark as bombs outside continue to explode. Even after the all-clear, Fraser doesn't return to his own bed.
By this this time, the reader and film viewer are fully aware of Duncan's attraction for Fraser. The earlier 1947 scenes now make more sense. Fraser tracks Duncan down. He wants to rescue him from a thankless dead-end job. He also wishes to get Duncan to leave his current residence with the dreadful Horace Mundy.
Fraser and Duncan plan to meet one night, but Duncan doesn't show up for reasons made clear in the book. Duncan realizes that his helpless passivity had landed him in jail for an unintentional crime he might have avoided. So he flees Mundy's house and walks to Fraser's flat.
I will write next what happens in the book. What happens on screen left me livid and involves the screenwriter's complete misunderstanding of what future Sarah Waters intended for these two men. So yes, the movie did finally elicit a strong emotion.
Duncan can see through the window that Fraser is alone, asleep on an armchair. Duncan taps on the pane, just enough to wake Fraser up. Duncan taps again. Still groggy, Fraser walks to the window, sees it is Duncan, and quickly opens it. He tells Duncan to talk quietly since his landlady is in the hall. They chat. Fraser tells him why he was late. Duncan says how he's left Mundy.
Quoting Sarah Waters: "Then Fraser grew a little calmer. He glanced over his shoulder again and whispered, 'All right. I think she's gone up now. Come in, though, for God's sake!. Before a policeman or somebody spots us.' And then he moved back, and put aside the black-out curtain, so that Duncan could climb in."
That last sentence lets the reader know that Robert pulls away the black-out curtain not only for Duncan to pass through, but for himself to let in the light of how he feels toward his former cellmate. At last, the two men are alone and together.
See the film and judge for yourself what you think of the screenwriter's choice to change all that Sarah Waters intended.
One section involves Helen's relationship with Julia, then Helen's earlier relationship with Kay. These lesbian relationships have been more heavily discussed already. Despite fine performances by the actresses involved, there isn't enough substance left after the bare-bone edits to affect us emotionally.
The second section involves a straight couple, Vivien and Reggie.
Viv is a single woman and Reggie, a married man. Viv is more compelling among other things, as she must deal with the horrors of illegal abortion. It's Viv's love for her brother, her strong liking for Robert Fraser as a man of honor, and her deepfelt affection for Kay that suggests far better people exist than the man she has aligned herself with.
The third involves the former prisoner Duncan (Viv's brother), involved in the death of a gay best friend upon his being drafted into the military, and his cellmate, Robert Fraser, in prison for being a conscientious objector. To complicate matters is Horace Mundy, an elderly prison guard who has eyes for and on Duncan.
The prison section, taking place in 1944, is adapted quite efficiently. In one scene, Fraser, above Duncan in a bunk bed, quietly masturbates when he believes Duncan is asleep. Duncan even more quietly does the same. After Fraser climaxes, he learns that Duncan has been listening to every stroke and angrily flicks something onto Duncan's face.
In another scene, the Nazis are bombing close to the prison. The guards have fled to their basement bunker/shelter and left the prisoners to fend for themselves. Fraser, terrified, asks Duncan if he can crawl into bed with him. Duncan agrees. Soon the men are holding one another tightly in the dark as bombs outside continue to explode. Even after the all-clear, Fraser doesn't return to his own bed.
By this this time, the reader and film viewer are fully aware of Duncan's attraction for Fraser. The earlier 1947 scenes now make more sense. Fraser tracks Duncan down. He wants to rescue him from a thankless dead-end job. He also wishes to get Duncan to leave his current residence with the dreadful Horace Mundy.
Fraser and Duncan plan to meet one night, but Duncan doesn't show up for reasons made clear in the book. Duncan realizes that his helpless passivity had landed him in jail for an unintentional crime he might have avoided. So he flees Mundy's house and walks to Fraser's flat.
I will write next what happens in the book. What happens on screen left me livid and involves the screenwriter's complete misunderstanding of what future Sarah Waters intended for these two men. So yes, the movie did finally elicit a strong emotion.
Duncan can see through the window that Fraser is alone, asleep on an armchair. Duncan taps on the pane, just enough to wake Fraser up. Duncan taps again. Still groggy, Fraser walks to the window, sees it is Duncan, and quickly opens it. He tells Duncan to talk quietly since his landlady is in the hall. They chat. Fraser tells him why he was late. Duncan says how he's left Mundy.
Quoting Sarah Waters: "Then Fraser grew a little calmer. He glanced over his shoulder again and whispered, 'All right. I think she's gone up now. Come in, though, for God's sake!. Before a policeman or somebody spots us.' And then he moved back, and put aside the black-out curtain, so that Duncan could climb in."
That last sentence lets the reader know that Robert pulls away the black-out curtain not only for Duncan to pass through, but for himself to let in the light of how he feels toward his former cellmate. At last, the two men are alone and together.
See the film and judge for yourself what you think of the screenwriter's choice to change all that Sarah Waters intended.