VHS : Joanna Trollope's A Village Affair [1995]

Rating: - Tip Toe Through The Daisies?
This story is an adaptation of Joanna Trollope, whom I am told is the queen bee of the "Aga sagas", romantic-sexual novels set in places like Gloucestershire. I suppose this kind of setting appeals to a kind of Daily Mail female readership or audience. I have to say I found none of the characters particularly likeable or even interesting. The plot is basic: married couple with young children go to live in what would be described by the aforesaid newspaper as "idyllic" village-rural quarters in an old detached house with garden, nice village nearby etc. Husband tries to seduce posh neighbour's (black tie dinner at home...) daughter (turns out she's Lesbian anyway); some other character tries to seduce the wife of the couple. Both unsuccessful. Lesbian seduces wife of couple, successfully. Village finds out. Etc.

I have to say that I found the wife of the married couple terribly washed out, though this is no doubt deliberate. If she were a colour, she would not even be pastel, but a kind of very pale wash of some kind. As for the men, they all (the ones under 50) need a kick, if not several.

Frankly, this is scarcely worth watching. Another reviewer said he or she did not wish to give away the ending. Well, OK, I'll go along with that, but it is so wishywashy anyway, it hardly matters.

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Rating: - it grows on you
At first the acting seemed rather shallow which I put down to it being a relatively old film with quality of picture and sound being not at the level i am used to. Gradually however I kind of got used to it and became interested in what was happening.
Having read the book before I had a pretty good idea where things were going but I still managed to get drawn in. Obviously the book allows for more description and detail which makes a difference to the deeper understanding of the characters but for an easy night in this will certainly do.

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Rating: - Disappointing
I was disappointed by this book. I think it's not brilliantly written and the ending was a pathetic abandonment of love without a fight. If you want to read a brilliant landmark book about two women in love, read Patricia Highsmith's 'Carol'.

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Rating: - Terrible.
Predictable, lacklustre and mildly offensive.

The portrayal of the the two female protaganists and their 'passionate' affair is two-dimensional and simplified beyond belief. Both characters adhere to unimaginative stereotypes: on the one hand the selfish, emotionally under-developed - indeed rather hysterical - home-wrecking lesbian, on the other, the calm, mature, modest and above all self-sacrificing wife and mother.

Terrible.

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Rating: - Not too bad but a disappointing ending
A lovely setting and good actors. The dialogue is a bit mumbled at times and the quality of the picture sometimes a bit poor.
The intimate scenes were nice and the romance believable. The biggest problem is the weak and disappointing and unexplained ending. Why did they do that, can anyone explain?