Can I trouble someone to tell me what are the changes from the book in the series? I usually read the novels, but I don't have the time to do so at the moment and am really curious about all the complaints about the huge difference. Hence, I really want to know what they are.
shareToo numerous to mention...if you don't have time to read the book you wouldn't have time to read the list.
shareI've learned many years ago not to compare the book and the movie it was based on since the two are different forms of expression. A movie adaptation, seems to me, can have a range of dissimilarities with the original novel or whatever print material as its source. With that in mind, I can appreciate some parts of the movie that were accurately portrayed and be tolerant of the other parts that were loosely translated. Depending on other aspects of the show's adaptation like production values, cinematography, performances etc., if the meritorious ones outweighs the flaws, then I can enjoy the show for what it is and forget about accurate translation from book to screen.
I've read the two novels several years ago, and enjoyed the show Pillars of the Earth episodes tremendously, though its ending is far different from Follett's book.
I'm about to start watching World Without tonight and hoping I'll enjoy it as much as I did Pillars.
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Was Brother Thomas gay in the book? I can't remember.
shareAs far as I can recall, Thomas Langley is not gay.
He is in the first scene in the book, as a knight of the Queen, bearing a secret missive for the King that the defeated Edward II was not assassinated and had exiled himself in another country.
He fought two other soldiers in self-defense, wounded and his arm had to be amputated at the elbow. He became a Benedictine monk as a means to hide from his enemies and became an ally of the other good characters in the book.
Truth inexorably,inscrutably seeks and reveals Itself into the Light.
Thomas Langley was certainly gay in the book. He had a love affair with a monk named Matthias who dies of the plague. Plus he mentions at one point to his wife that he loved her as much as a man such as he is can love a woman. His homosexuality is evident in the book.
shareUh, the details about the character must have blurred for me since reading it several years ago, that may mean I have to re-read the book. I stand corrected.
But I do recall him and the thief Godwyn going back to the little chapel deep in the forest to avoid the Black Plague.
Truth inexorably,inscrutably seeks and reveals Itself into the Light.
I've just finished the last episode and (SPOILER ALERT) cannot remember if, in the book, Thomas of Langley turned out to be Edward II in disguise?!?
shareAs far as I can recall, Thomas Langley is not gay.
He is in the first scene in the book, as a knight of the Queen, bearing a secret missive for the King that the defeated Edward II was not assassinated and had exiled himself in another country.
He fought two other soldiers in self-defense, wounded and his arm had to be amputated at the elbow. He became a Benedictine monk as a means to hide from his enemies and became an ally of the other good characters in the book.
It is rumored that Edward II was indeed a homosexual, which is why I imagine they gave us the clue about his identity in the series.
While he is not as exaggerated in these series as the portrayal of Edward in Braveheart (Mel Gibson is a well known homophobic individual), the series did follow that rumor in their representation of the character.
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I have always tried to keep an open mind when watching film adaptations of novels because it's nearly impossible to show a complete novel in film due to time constraints, location issues and character development.
The adaptation of Pillars of the Earth was far closer to the original novel than this adaptation of World Without End. There were some differences like the ending but generally the story was the same. This version of World Without End is probably about 70% true to the novel and that's being generous.
There were so many changes...it was a huge disappointment for me
shareI really enjoyed the series. Loved Pillars of the Earth, and enjoyed this just as much. I haven't read either books, but I plan to in the future.
Although, I did read the plot summary for WWOE on Wikipedia, and damn is the miniseries different. It seems only 3 major plots/events were kept, and everything else made up on the spot. No matter, though, I enjoyed WWOE as a series, and will enjoy the book as a book. Although I was disappointed WWOE didn't get an epic opening intro like PotE did. The PotE theme still plays in my head every so often (and I have it on my iPod).
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Agreed. Loved that end scene in PotE where it showed the cathedral (becoming modern). PotE had a main theme of building the cathredral, where as WWE just seems a bunch of jumbled characters...
shareIn the book, the building of the bridge is as relevant as the building of the cathedral in PotE. There were even parallels, like the new bridge collapsing when Elfric started building it and deviated from the plans like Alfred did with the stone vault. The king and dowager queen played a much bigger role in the series than they did in the book.
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wont list all, but some of the BIGGEST changes were:
1. Thomas langley was NOT the king in the book, he was a knight who helped the king flee.
2. While Merthin got to build the bridge, they left out the tragedy when an area of the cathedral collapsed killing a ton of people. Merthin then figures out what was wrong, fixes the cathedral and expands the tower making it the tallest building in the world (which is basically the main plot)
3. gwenda, merthin, ralph, and caris all witness thomas langley killing those men as children and vow to keep it a secret, everything revolves around that.
4. Godwyn actually died from the plague at St. Johns
many more, but basically all the show got from the book was caris becoming a nun, the bridge collapse, and a portion of the plague storyline. everything else was made up
Yep sadly there are so many departures from the book plot, and all of them are for worse. Half way into the series I decided to give up. Such a huge dissapointment.
shareWow these are A LOT of changes, and major one at that.
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Giving you a slow-clap, Señor Chang style.
Thanks for taking the trouble to make the list.
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Another difference is in the book Petronilla is certainly ambitious and helps her family to climb up the social ladder, especially Godwyn, but she is nothing like the evil bitch portrayed in the mini series.
No cash here!! Here, no cash!!! Cash, no!!!! Robbo? No Cash!
Also, in the book, Godwyn was ambitious, but he wasn't the sick, twisted individual that he is in the mini-series. In the book, Gwenda's brother Holger was the sick, twisted one. As an example, when Gwenda's father sold her for a cow, Godwyn upheld the bargain, but tried to talk her father out of it. Godwyn stuck to what he saw as the letter of the law set forth in the scriptures, but he urged Gwenda's father to be more compassionate to his daughter.
Also, Lady Philippa didn't kill herself to escape Ralph. She married him and lived with him as his wife until he got bored with her. Then she had an affair with his brother.
And there was no big battle at the end of the book in which Edward III killed off Edward II.
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Strip away the phony tinsel of Hollywood and you find the real tinsel underneath.
They changed virtually everything. They completely butchered the story. This should never have been put in the hands of Ridley Scott. He always ruins good stories like this.
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