The book felt like Faulks really just wanted to write about WW1, which he does well, but someone whispered in his ear, 'Hey Seb, no one wants to read such a depressing topic. You gotta spice it up. Chuck in a love story. That'll do it'. And Faulks did more than that. He chucked in some spicy sex stuff which tbh is a tad awkward to read. Not to mention the jump from sideways glances to full on sex didn't make make sense to me in either the book or the film. Redmayne spends an inordinate amount of time staring vacantly and Poesy barely looks at him, let alone giving off a 'give it to me baby in the red room' vibe. Also, as good an actor Redmayne is, I'm surprised women seem to think he's terribly handsome. He looks kinda reptilian to me, and not in a good way. Posey on the other hand is incandescent. I could stare at her face all day.
The film cuts out what I think are some extraneous storylines in the book which actually improves it. And I think the love vs hate dichotomy that fuels the whole narrative is telegraphed much better as well. I still haven't completely wrapped my head around why Isobel left Stephen. I've read a number of thoughts on this and still am none the wiser. I suspect I might be a bit dim.
Weir's homosexuality was made clearer in the film but I'm not sure if this was even necessary, other than to make the story more contemporary. Firebrace was really the heart of the story but much more of a central character in the book, although he does deliver the key message in the film.
The film cuts out what I think are some extraneous storylines in the book which actually improves it. And I think the love vs hate dichotomy that fuels the whole narrative is telegraphed much better as well. I still haven't completely wrapped my head around why Isobel left Stephen. I've read a number of thoughts on this and still am none the wiser. I suspect I might be a bit dim.
Weir's homosexuality was made clearer in the film but I'm not sure if this was even necessary, other than to make the story more contemporary. Firebrace was really the heart of the story but much more of a central character in the book, although he does deliver the key message in the film.