MovieChat Forums > Waterland (1992) Discussion > Is this film worth watching?

Is this film worth watching?


I've never seen this film but I've read the book two or three times and I really enjoyed it. However I also discussed the film with a friend of mine (a history lecturer no less) who stated that it was a complete waste of time. Apparently there is very little about the relationship between personal and public history and the way in which our own ideas on the grand history of the progress and development of humanity are affected by personal events and crisis. To me this was the most interesting element of the book!
So what d'ya think? Should I bother?

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I thought that the way the present blended with the past was very well done. But the whole moral of history teaching and preparing us for life is completely absent and makes Tom Crick look like a crap teacher who tells dirty stories.

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Sooooooooo worth it!!!!

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Yes. This is not a "great" film but one of the, IMHO, great small film with heart and soul. I think comparing every movie to the truly great ones leaves a lot of worthwhile movies out of the running (on pun intended).
Duke Masters Berkeley California

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Yes. This is not a "great" film but one of the, IMHO, great small film with heart and soul.

Agreed. It's definitely worth seeking out, but the danger is that if you love the book (and I adore it) you may be disappointed. But the film does convey well the sense of time and place, and the connection between global and familial history, even if the overall impression it leaves is somehow lacking.

As pablocarlos said in his review here, "The film is good, but the book is immense."

For a more satisfying adaption of Graham Swift, try Last Orders. This is an astounding transfer of another very complex novel, and succeeds in being both authentic and very moving, with terrific performances from Bob Hoskins and Michael Caine.

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