Long – blah blah blah.
Yes, I’ve been a lurker for years, constant reader, and so forth. And yes, nobody like a new guy showing up on the boards who simply wants to whine. I extend my apologies and the hand of kindness in advance of my (hopefully thoughtful?) rant.
11.22.63 holds a special place in my heart. Besides being a nail biter down to the end, this book is truly one of the best love stories ever told – and it also conveys a sense of wonderment like no other King novel, as Jake travels back through time. I found that the mini-series seriously lacked these elements, and it was a great disappointment to me.
I would argue that King novels *
have* been successfully translated to the silver screen on several occasions, my 2 favorites being The Shawshank Redemption, and The Green Mile. I think these were so well done because of the thoughtful craftsmanship of Frank Darabont, who served as both writer and director for both projects. A single person’s focused vision.
Here’s an excellent interview with Darabont on The Green Mile (SPOILERS GALORE!)
Diary Of A Screenwriter: Frank Darabont: On Adapting Stephen King – II. The Green Mile
FROM THE INTERVIEW (DARABONT): “But for the most part, trying to mimic King’s voice; trying to speak in his patois – not just in terms of dialogue, but in terms of the characters. You’re trying to be very true to the author of the original material, as much as possible – at least I do.”
So my real complaint regarding 11.22.63 was the choice of Bridget Carpenter to adapt the novel. She’s a pure television writer (Friday Night Lights, Parenthood, etc) who has never really adapted something of this magnitude. I think it was easy for her to cut corners in many places, but worse – she literally throws the baby out with the bathwater in several episodes. Whole sections of the series were simply things she made up, or sections completely cut out. Frankly, I thought this was grotesquely negligent on her part.
In a perfect universe, King (or his handlers) would have brought Darabont back for this project, and I think the results would have been excellent.
On a brighter note – I do think they got Episode 8 (the final episode) right with its tone, feeling, and emotion. I thought the casting was quite good (at some times, exceptional). And my wife (who has not read the novel) enjoyed the series overall – even during the numerous times I was cringing <grin>.
Anyhow, my 2¢ for whatever it was worth.
Cheers,
Chris