I had watched a stage rendition of this popular ghost story while in London in the Summer of 2002; it was one of the highlights of that particular stay and I still vividly recall many of its cleverly-staged scary effects.
Consequently, I was looking forward to this well-regarded TV adaptation – especially given the screen writing credit of Nigel Kneale (who seems curiously constricted by the material); however, I was somewhat let down by it – for one thing, the flat TV style and uninspired, rather low-key approach prevented one's full engagement in the ongoing drama and, while it was intermittently eerie (such as the scene at the cemetery and, in particular, the visitation in the bedroom), it seemed to miss a couple of tricks which constituted some of the best jolts in the stage version I had seen (and which had even thrown a couple of Asian members of the audience sitting in front of me into sheer hysterics every so often!) – notably the woman appearing out of nowhere sitting in a rocking-chair. Another thing which has been left out here is the fact that the curse of The Woman In Black would be visited upon the hero (or, more specifically, his son) on his return home; besides, it didn't seem to me that her back-story was dealt with in sufficient detail either!
Mind you, the film is still well enough done – with utmost care applied to the sets (obviously, the stage production could never truly replicate the feel of the remote location), the sound design and even the unsettling make-up. At the end, I'm sure people who haven't experienced this live, so to speak, would be more receptive to it: in fact, most reviews I've read seem to describe this particular version of THE WOMAN IN BLACK as among the very best (and scariest) of its kind ever – I'd definitely agree where the play is concerned but, for me, the TV version somehow comes up lacking in comparison.
Consequently, I was looking forward to this well-regarded TV adaptation – especially given the screen writing credit of Nigel Kneale (who seems curiously constricted by the material); however, I was somewhat let down by it – for one thing, the flat TV style and uninspired, rather low-key approach prevented one's full engagement in the ongoing drama and, while it was intermittently eerie (such as the scene at the cemetery and, in particular, the visitation in the bedroom), it seemed to miss a couple of tricks which constituted some of the best jolts in the stage version I had seen (and which had even thrown a couple of Asian members of the audience sitting in front of me into sheer hysterics every so often!) – notably the woman appearing out of nowhere sitting in a rocking-chair. Another thing which has been left out here is the fact that the curse of The Woman In Black would be visited upon the hero (or, more specifically, his son) on his return home; besides, it didn't seem to me that her back-story was dealt with in sufficient detail either!
Mind you, the film is still well enough done – with utmost care applied to the sets (obviously, the stage production could never truly replicate the feel of the remote location), the sound design and even the unsettling make-up. At the end, I'm sure people who haven't experienced this live, so to speak, would be more receptive to it: in fact, most reviews I've read seem to describe this particular version of THE WOMAN IN BLACK as among the very best (and scariest) of its kind ever – I'd definitely agree where the play is concerned but, for me, the TV version somehow comes up lacking in comparison.