Bouquet of Barbed Wire ITV 1

I'm wondering if they'll build this up more in the next one because I agree, yes he's showing jealousy and there are signs of obsession, but nothing yet to indicate a sexual attraction. Frank Finley, on the other hand did a lot more prolonged leering at Prue and he just came over very creepy from the start.
 
frank Finlay was much more creepy from the little I remember of the original series. He was as wooden as hell for a start and all he did was stare creepily. No acting required!
I'm watching this with completely fresh eyes without comparing the two and on its own merits, I think it's an interesting story, acted and written v well.
 
Starts tonight.
I am old enough to remember the original.
Didn't really fancy the idea of a remake but will watch it cos Trevor Eve is in it..and he is a true star (of TV anyway)
 
I think that Trevor Eve is still capable of playing other types of parts and has done so in recent years (A Doll's House for example) but he certainly seems to approach all Andrea Newman based tv the same since 'A Sense of Guilt' in 1988. He does seem to have become the only actor they want to cast in her roles since his success in that.

Otherwise, as others have said the production just seems to have simplified the original book and 70's production.

I haven't read the book for some time (will dig it out now) but certainly Prue as played by SP knew exactly how confused her dad's feelings were toward her and played on it - one scene that comes to mind is when Gavin is rubbing sun tan cream into her back and Peter is watching behind sunglasses and she calls him on it, in front of her husband and mother. Also, she did like rough sex and goaded Gaving into beating her. Unfortunately for the drama, that is not an aspect I think any tv production would portray now as it could be perceived to set domestic violence understanding back decades - nobody really wants 'she was asking for it' to return as a defence.

However, this means that they must make Prue an absolute victim. Making her younger helps with this and also Gavin being such a git. In the original. she was unquestionably an adult (all be it a spoilt, pampered one) making decisions and you felt that Peter would have hated anyone she married even if she'd been in her 40's. Gavin only really became difficult (apart from his natural American demeanour) after evident dislike and disapproval from Peter.

This time, Gavin is so abrasive with Peter from the start that it would be difficult for any father to like him. This, combined with Cass having kept Prue going on the Pill from him, is also making Peter much more sympathetic than the original.

Basically, it seems that instead of everyone being fairly unlikeable (except perhaps Sarah) in the original, they are turning all the Mansons into sympathetic victims of the evil viper in the nest, Gavin which is a shame but maybe what currect production thinks the audience wants - which is even more of a shame.

Time will tell I suppose.
 
Still weird :eek:

The Peter as father to Gavin does seem obvious, and so probably not the answer but I'm struggling to think of an alternative. The fact that he visited Nellie was interesting. ;)
 
HAh well it did get a bit Close Encounters of the Third Kind at one point.

The ending was silly. Very silly indeed. Why was the pilot slumped over at the end? Did I miss something?
 
Hermione turned 43 in February this year, while Sheila Allen turned 44 in October 1976 - so not a great deal difference in their ages when cast as Cassie

IIRC Sheila looked her age and maybe with Hermione looking younger that's why Prue is younger (A-level student rather than a final year undergraduate) and played by a younger actress, Imogen Poots is 21, Susan Penhaligon was 27

Trevor Eve, meanwhile, at 59, has almost a decade on Frank Finlay, who was 50, at the time of the original series.Tom Riley, at 29, is the same age as James Aubrey was

Not sure what to make of this remake. Just curious as to who this "Paula" is and does she connect Gavin with Peter? Could Gavin be out for revenge?
 
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