The sparkling paragon of modern televised Wodehouse
adaptations is, of course, Jeeves and Wooster which starred Stephen Fry and
Hugh Laurie.* These shows aired in the
1990s but I find that people still brighten with recognition and refer to the
show when I mention Wodehouse in general conversation. The adaptation was nothing short of
brilliant. Fry and Laurie will forever
be etched in my mind when I read about the exploits of the man-about-town and
his gentleman’s gentleman.
I wish the same could be said about Blandings. Normally, I would be the first to champion
any attempt to foist Wodehouse on the masses, but I don’t feel that I can
endorse this without reservations. While
Timothy Spall had the mannerism of Lord Emsworth, I wonder if something could
have been done to make him older. The
casting of Jennifer Saunders as his sister Constance also felt a bit off. I adore Ms. Saunders’ work, but it felt as
though her comic genius had been thrust into a straightjacket. The most off-putting casting decision of all
was that of Blandings Castle itself. The
production was based in Northern Ireland and, I’m sorry, but the English
countryside really cannot be replaced. I
felt as though I was listening to my favorite song a half-note out of key.**
The other thing which truly annoyed me was the numerous
crude gimmicks that suffused each episode, especially in the first season. That most egregious one was the habit of
Freddie’s front forelock of hair had of straightening whenever he saw a pretty
woman. This, added to the rest of them
that are too numerous and painful to mention, made watching the first series a
bit tedious. Mercifully, these decreased
in frequency during the second series, but it might have been too little too
late. Although there are a number of
repeated lines and motifs in Wodehouse, they are usually incorporated with more
finesse. It felt as though the
production was trying to be over the top, as though they were not confident that
a modern audience would enjoy Wodehouse.
Talk about gilding the lily.***
*Yes, THAT Hugh Laurie, the one who starred as House. He was also in a few series of Blackadder,
and I always recommend that devotees of the actor’s American incarnation watch
those shows if they want to be deeply amused and impressed by Mr. Laurie’s
range.
** Which, if anyone believes my husband, is how I typically
sing, but that is beside the point.
***I have been away from my blog for a while now, due to
settling in with my family’s new arrival and coping with the horrendous
historic winter. I did not abandon
reading Wodehouse. This entry was for the
book I read in September 2014, Pigs Have
Wings.
