MovieChat Forums > East of Eden (1981) Discussion > Very disappointed wityh the TV version

Very disappointed wityh the TV version

posted 12 years ago by waldenpond88
4 replies | jump to latest

"East of Eden" with James Dean is one of my all-time favorite movies.
About 40 years ago I also read the book by John Steinbeck which is very readable.
Why is the TV mini series so hard to watch?
Is it because Jane Seymour is miscast again?
She was definity good in Danielle Steel's "Crossings", but miscast in the sequel to "The Winds of War".

I watched the first two hours and am still waiting for it to get more interesting. The James Dean movie was great and so was the book. Why can't this TV mini series deliver?

Well, I certainly did not expect something of the magnitude of "North & South", but I expected a much better production considering the cast. This one sucks.
I rated it one star on imdb.

[–] emp1966 12 years ago

The James Dean movie was only 1/4 of the story, the miniseries has much much more. Try watching it again.

[–] rj-27 9 years ago

I watched the first two hours and am still waiting for it to get more interesting.

So you wrote this review and made a conclusion about the entire series having only watched the first installment?

You're either a troll or a joker.

If you really read the novel, then you know the James Dean version only covers the last few chapters of the book. The TV series covers the entire novel and does it more capably than just about any other film adaptation of a novel.

Democracy is the pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance. H.L. Mencken

[–] SayNoToRemakes 9 years ago

I read the book about 40 years ago, and I remember it being about 600 pages. Correct me if I'm wrong on that.

I have yet to find any movie as inclusive as a novel. I watched the 1981 version when it was new on TV, and it just popped up on youtube so I'm going to watch again after all these years.

If I were an avid reader I would read the book again to make the comparison. It was hard enough reading it at 16, and I doubt I could sit still long enough now.

[–] rj-27 9 years ago

The book is definitely superior to the series. But then, John Steinbeck was a superior novelist.

I think East of Eden is his best work.

Democracy is the pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance. H.L. Mencken