WARNING - Masterpiece Theatre version Edited to Shreds!
It's the most appaling hatchet job!
Scenes are changed, a LOT of character developement is lost. Rose Fleming is almost eliminated from the second episode (we see her once, for about 5 seconds!). Lots of little scenes that I remember and love from the BBC video have been cut from the Masterpiece Theatre DVD. Occasionally just single lines but sometimes whole scenes. There are several instances where separate scenes involving separate storylines have been spliced together in order to camoflage the cutting (most memorably the part where Oliver is recaptured by Fagin being spliced with Bumble and Mrs Mann getting together, jumping back and forth very abruptly) Alot of Nancy's scenes are edited or cut until you find yourself wondering WHY she's going to so much trouble over this boy she's barely seen and why she stays with a man who is nothing but brutal to her... The scenes from the workhouse (The threat of cannibalism is gone, just GONE! My favourite line is missing. ARGH!!!!). Scenes showing Oliver being abused while he was with Mr. Sowerberry. Scenes where Oliver is being kept prisoner by Fagin... far too many cuts for me to list here. So much wonderful footage missing! In my honest opinion many of the scenes cut had some of the best acting in them. They even replaced the end credits with a cheaper version for no reason that I can see (and who the *beep* is that idiot doing the fore and afterword which appears to exist only so that he can be disparaging about the show and Charles Dickens. WHY??? He isn't there long enough to say anything particularly constructive or useful, just long enough to irritate me with his vague PC generalities)
What I want to know is WHY? Why did they change it? It was brilliant! Perfectly balanced. Well paced. My Absolute FAVOURITE miniseries. I've watched my video to shreds and I was so happy when I finally found it on DVD. But I am so dissapointed by the changes they made. It's been vandalised! I can't watch it. It's like they've gone and cut the background from the Mona Lisa because they feel that it doesn't contribute to the portrait!
What is it about Americans* that makes them feel they need to tamper with anything what wasn't made IN America???? Why take it in the first place if they don't think it's good enough?
So now I'm right back where I started. Looking looking looking for this wonderful mini-series on DVD. An un-abridged version.
*just to specify, by "Americans", in this instance, I am referring specificly to the people responsible for importing media and books, not American people in general. They tampered with the Harry Potter books too you know... grr!
Try to be a little less... that
You're pointing at all of me