Three Men in a Boat

I just got this from coinfo@classicuktv.co.uk for 8.75 pounds (a bit under $18 incl shipping. Quality is okay, not amazing, but it's an old (1975) TV program. Stars Tim Curry. Screenplay by Tom Stoppard Based on Jerome K Jerome book Three Men In A Boat Shipping took about three weeks Well worth getting for Jerome fans Very funny. Decent production values. Is this ten lines yet? No. Okay: I just got this from coinfo@classicuktv.co.uk for 8.75 pounds (a bit under $18 incl shipping. Quality is okay, not amazing, but it's an old (1975) TV program. Stars Tim Curry. Screenplay by Tom Stoppard Based on Jerome K Jerome book Three Men In A Boat Shipping took about three weeks Well worth getting for Jerome fans Very funny. Decent production values.

This was , I have to admit, a little disappointment. As a huge fan of the book, and looking at the cast, I definitely was expecting something better. What we have here is a nice illustration of the book, with some good intentions, but little more. The first problem is: It's too slow. How they managed to cram the book into one hour and still make it slow-footed is beyond me, but they did. The second problem is even bigger - they hired good comedy actors - and made them do nothing. Most of the movie is narrated in voice-over - taken from the book, but come on, that's no way to tell this story on screen! There's a lot of talent (and potential) wasted here. There are a few scenes where the movie finds its pace (the tinned pineapple for example), but mostly it's just a narration (however funny) with fitting illustrations. 6/10 from me, and that's because I really love the text.

Trimming the story down to an hour inevitably misses someone's favourite bit, but the most popular scenes are retained - and a walk-on part added for Shelley. It seems odd that so many (American?) reviewers are unfamiliar with Stephen Moore, but the film was made a few years before he became the voice of Marvin the Paranoid Android - the original radio cast were stunned to discover they had a stage actor of his eminence working with them. The final voice-over, giving non-fictional information about "George" and "Harris", is taken from Chapter VI of Jerome's "My Life & Times", and its inclusion gives a downbeat ending which is perhaps Tom Stoppard's oddest decision.

I always ended up reading excerpts of Jerome K Jerome's Three Men in a Boat at school. It always seemed to be the same bits no matter which school I was at. I guess the rest of the book was nothing to write home about. Adapted by Tom Stoppard. Directed by Stephen Frears. Starring Tim Curry as Jerome, Michael Palin as Harris, and Stephen Moore as George. This humorous tale of three well to do, naive and slightly incompetent men messing around in boats as they travel the Thames river should had been fun and frivolous. It was neither. Frears tried to make this Pythonesque which really were the best bits. The rest of it meandered. I just looked at these three idiotic hypocritical incompetents and thought these are the Tories that presently rule Britain.

This delightful and charming movie is wonderfully faithful to the book by Jerome K. Jerome, and is just as funny. I discovered it back in 1978, looking for other roles that Tim Curry had played, and this has become one of my favorite movies of all time. Gently humorous and full of beautiful scenery, the story of three young gentlemen going on a holiday down the Thames can't help but make one laugh. Finally, this excellent adaptation is available on DVD in the UK (Region 2 DVD), but can be played on region-free DVD players in the US, or one a computer's DVD player if it's set temporarily to Region 2, or made region-free. I've seen it available at several UK retailers online. I've been waiting since 1978 for a professional release of this delightful little film. :-) jfk

This is a likable piece of fluff where the title really does say it all. In general, it was simply a pleasant film to watch, with few (if any) slow spots, and the occasional scene that was hilarious. It features some good talent, and at barely an hour, it is most certainly worth your time.

For a short TV movie, this has some impressive talent, with direction and writing from, respectively, Stephen Frears and Tom Stoppard, and a surprisingly low key performance from Tim Curry and good ones from Michael Palin and someone I've never heard of. The book is apparently very popular in England, with a mix of humor, sentimentality and self mocking the English seem particular fond of, and the movie is clearly done by people who feel that fondness towards the source. Like the book, there are parts that are quite amusing, and like the books, there are parts that are more travelogue. The balance is a little more toward the travelogue here, surprisingly, although these parts drag less in the movie than in the book. It's a quiet, sly sort of humor and a charming, small, elegantly done movie. It's not as good as the book, but it's very enjoyable.

Yet another classic piece of TV drama that isn't available anywhere in any format - no VHS, no DVD. Shame! The casting, the costumes, the writing, the direction - all perfect. Features all the most memorable bits of the book, all perfectly adapted to the screen. I only wish it had been longer. Please, someone release this on DVD.