MovieChat Forums > A Year in Provence (1993) Discussion > Peter Mayle hated it...?

Peter Mayle hated it...?

posted 12 years ago by ExpressingYourself
9 replies | jump to latest

I'm gobsmacked by this paragraph in an interview with Peter Mayle in 2010 with the Guardian:

"A Year in Provence proved to be unstoppable, however – even in France where it too made the bestseller charts, being kept off the top spot by a biography of Jacques Chirac – and Mayle is now a virtual honorary Provencal, his reputation even having survived a disastrous TV adaptation. "It all sounded so promising," says Ernest Chapman, Mayle's long-time business manager. "The BBC, John Thaw, Lindsay Duncan; we didn't think anything could go wrong. But then we saw the rushes and our jaws just dropped. We couldn't believe how bad it was, but there was nothing we could do about it." "

I love the series - was it badly received when it first came out?!

What the hell's wrong with expressing yourself?

[–] ExpressingYourself 12 years ago

Answered my own question, if anyone's interested: "He felt that style was lacking in the BBC Television version of his book and he admitted that he was disappointed with the way it turned out.

“It came across as a story about retirement which was a long way from the truth. And John Thaw, who played me, seemed to be in a perpetually bad mood, whereas I was absolutely delighted with my new life in France.” " from http://www.connexionfrance.com/peter-mayle-interview-a-year-in-provenc e-20-years-10512-news-article.html

I think it's a sad notion: John Thaw does play him grumpy, but that's a fair dramatic choice. The original book is a series of vignettes, the adaptation is a story with follow through. I think they did a nice job.

What the hell's wrong with expressing yourself?

[–] Prismark10 12 years ago

The book was difficult to adapt despite it being a best seller. The film adaptation of one of Mayle's book, A god year failed badly as well.

Its that man again!!

[–] IanDSmith 11 years ago

So interesting. I actually thought John Thaw's portrayal was quite a good balance between frustration with language and quirky locals and a genuine joie de vivre that made his adventures believable. Maybe I just think any character seems happy compared to Inspector Morse, but I liked his Peter Mayle quite a lot.

[–] magnoliaspringsal 11 years ago

Nearly twenty years after the series was produced, I have seen it for the first time. I have not read the book and I THOUROUGHLY enjoyed the episodes.

Two things regarding languages: It helps knowing French as much of what the locals say is not translated for us, plus, there does have to be a certain suspension of belief that the locals were able to understand John Thaw's english as he does not appear to have learned much french.

Most entertaining nonetheless.

I didn't realize that the film A Good Year was written, or based on, a book by the same writer. A Good Year was another enjoyable film filled, perhaps, with caricatures but totally believable by those of us whose closest contact with Provence will be a commercial for Viking River Cruises.

[–] IanDSmith 11 years ago

Apparently it was an expensive critical and ratings flop. I'm so surprised. Removed from knowing the contemporary opinions, I loved it on my own.
I actually think I remember reading somewhere that its middling performance was partially-responsible for the BBC not funding a proper 30th Anniversary "Doctor Who" special that year.

[–] ExpressingYourself 11 years ago

This is so confusing - it seems like it wouldn't have that much of a ripple... Was it particularly expensive?? Doesn't look it. Largely on location...

What the hell's wrong with expressing yourself?

[–] IanDSmith 11 years ago

It's all done on film and the leads can't have been cheap. Thaw was likely one if the highest paid actors at the time.

[–] Prismark10 9 years ago

It had extensive location shooting in France and Thaw would not had been cheap.

Its that man again!!

[–] louiseculmer 9 years ago

i enjoyed the series and am not sure why mayle disliked it so much. it does introduce more drama than the book has, but it would have been rather difficult to do a stright adaptation of the book, which is short on dramatic incident.