These days with no choice but to be at home, we have used books and series To pass the time. Now there is an offer for all tastes. The symbiosis between literature, film and television has always worked, although with uneven fortune usually in the versions taken to images. Today I bring of (both with 8 chapters) of which can be seen right now both open and on digital platforms: The Name of the Rose y do not talk to strangers, of the respective originals signed by Umberto Eco y Harlan coben. And these are my impressions.
The Name of the Rose
Title already contemporary classic, and the most successful and sold, of the Italian writer Umberto Eco and published in 1980. He did not repeat the feat in his later works, no matter how much his name is framed in gold letters in modern day literature. Removing the (leftover) parts in Latin what is there and the (too much) theological disquisition, the history of detective investigations in a haunting abbey of the Franciscan friar William of Baskerville told by his young disciple Melk's Adso in the Italy of XIV century it fascinated me like millions of readers around the world.
The film
And so did the film version he directed in 1986 one of those directors that everything they do usually pays off, the French Jean-Jacques Annaud. However, at the time the critics were not enthusiastic about him or the film, but the public was. Over time, it has become a cult title. Much of the blame for this popular pull was the right distribution. Sean Connery It was Guillermo de Baskerville yes or yes and a newcomer Christian Slater it also matched Adso de Melk quite well.
They were joined by a series of fancy side as F.Murray Abraham, the fearsome inquisitor Bernardo gui. Or the always immense Ron Perlman, a director's fetish actor who, both for physicality and talent, embroidered a character so grotesque and grateful for an actor like the monk Salvatore de Montferrate. In addition, the rest of the actors unknown that, precisely because of that and also because of its peculiar physicists searched conscientiously by Annaud, they succeeded blend and merge perfectly with the setting, tone and light that the story exudes.
The series
Now with 8 chapters and broadcasting in the 1 of TVE, we have this miniseries directed James Battiato and that has the technology of XXI century corrected, increased and what improves? the version. It will be necessary to reach the end to have the complete opinion. But of 4 chapters that go, I have seen them jump to kill and stay with very few. Perhaps, as it is a series, with more time to recreation in more narrative details, what you get is slow down precisely that narration.
It's not a bad deal either, with John Turturro, like Guillermo de Baskerville, Rupert everett like Bernardo Gui, or that other personal weakness that is the Scotsman James Cosmo, eternal and exceptional secondary, who plays the blind monk Jorge de Burgos. But everything in general seems to stay before arriving and, above all, it is too neat and it doesn't have the darkness of the movie version.
Conclusion comparisons that should not be done but that they are unavoidable, especially when there is a referent that, frankly, no need to touch. If it is to bring the story closer to the younger public or of these times, perfect. But for the rest, let's say he gets a fair pass.
do not talk to strangers
Harlan coben is the North American writer who signs the novel and also creates this series that is broadcast in Netflix. Specialist in the crime novel or, rather, the thriller, its greatest success literary is the very entertaining series of Myron bolitar. But it has several more titles like this where the intrigue and narrative twists do not stop happening.
This is what happens in this miniseries, set in the present of a small English town. There are differences with the original, but with the author on top, the plot is acquiring rhythm in each episode, with the final twist to make you go to the next without thinking. In short, a good timealthough, perhaps, it suffers from some haste.
It is starred by British actors such as Richard Armitage o stephen rea. Armitage plays Adam Price, lawyer and father from an upper middle class family with two children. One day a unknown that reveals a shocking secret about his wife that will shake your marriage and cause the disappearance it.
From there, there are more times already more people around him that stranger goes counting things that spoil stocks of all. And they will even fully affect the police couple in charge of investigating another strange event involving several minors who were at a party.