Too bad he's unable to couple it with the charm he finds on paper. Notes from a Small Island spent three years in the Sunday Times bestsellers list, sold over two million copies and was voted on World Book Day by BBC Radio 4 listeners as the book that best represents our British identity. He knows the places to explore and bring out the charm that most tourists miss. It's a case of "better than the rest, not as good as it should have been." At least Bryson is willing to show us the "real Britain," not the tourism-centered part. Still, as travelogues go, it's one of the better ones out there. The whole appeal of Bryson is the way he expresses his love for British culture with just enough detachment to be witty, and that is far too absent from this adaptation. Those moments that it does (episode three is the best example of this) are wonderful. He comes off as too bored, too bland.only occasionally does his true love for Britain shine through. Part of the problem is that for a TV presenter, Bryson is a good author. It moves slowly, is nowhere near as funny as his books, and is far too subdued for my taste. That said, this TV adaptation of his most popular book leaves something to be desired. As a fellow American who has spent a few years living in Britain, he captures both cultures with wit and charm.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |