The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (2018)
August 4, 2018 10:16 AM - Subscribe
A writer forms an unexpected bond with the residents of Guernsey Island in the aftermath of World War II, when she decides to write a book about their experiences during the war.
IMDb lists the filming locations as mostly in Devon. There was a series some time ago called "Island at War" about the fictional lives of the community on Jersey during its WWII occupation but it was filmed on the Isle of Man which is a place I'd vaguely heard of but didn't know much about. Turns out it is rather unusual (i.e. not just a regular island off the mainland) place and IaW was filmed there because it could still pass as WWII era. Also tax breaks.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 8:48 AM on August 5, 2018
posted by TWinbrook8 at 8:48 AM on August 5, 2018
I read this book a few years ago on a whim and was also surprised by how much I liked it. I had no idea it was made into a movie (and I also love Matthew Goode, too, so that's just a bonus). Thanks for this! Netflix says it's coming on the 10th so now I'm excited to squeeze a little space in my schedule next weekend to check it out.
posted by paisley sheep at 10:21 AM on August 5, 2018
posted by paisley sheep at 10:21 AM on August 5, 2018
Just saw it and I thought it was good! Of course since it was by necessity much shorter than the book, it did seem to me to gallop along at a mad pace. ("Oh my god, that's happening already? But we're only 10 minutes into the movie...")
The casting was well done--loved the Downton alumnae, and Sidney was exactly as I had pictured him. No one else was as I had pictured them, but it didn't matter--I liked the actors anyway. Lily James really, really suits period pieces and the camera adores her. I would have liked to have seen more Elizabeth, but I realize they just didn't have time. The actor playing Dawsey was truly endearing and the little girl who played Kit was adorable. I found Mark less obnoxious than he was in the book but perhaps he just had less screen time than book time for me to be annoyed with.
The filming was gorgeous! Guernsey is so beautiful. I wonder if the film will bring more tourism to the island. [ah, I see it was mostly filmed in Devon, my mistake]
They really dialed back the grim details of a lot of stuff they were quite frank about in the book, but I suppose that makes sense. They didn't pretend it hadn't happened; you just didn't get the details. I was sorry they didn't include the bit about the young woman Elizabeth befriended in the concentration camp though.
Overall, I'd say if you liked the book, you'll probably like the movie too. They do take liberties with the source material, but I understood why most of the time and it didn't detract.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 1:25 AM on August 13, 2018
The casting was well done--loved the Downton alumnae, and Sidney was exactly as I had pictured him. No one else was as I had pictured them, but it didn't matter--I liked the actors anyway. Lily James really, really suits period pieces and the camera adores her. I would have liked to have seen more Elizabeth, but I realize they just didn't have time. The actor playing Dawsey was truly endearing and the little girl who played Kit was adorable. I found Mark less obnoxious than he was in the book but perhaps he just had less screen time than book time for me to be annoyed with.
The filming was gorgeous! Guernsey is so beautiful. I wonder if the film will bring more tourism to the island. [ah, I see it was mostly filmed in Devon, my mistake]
They really dialed back the grim details of a lot of stuff they were quite frank about in the book, but I suppose that makes sense. They didn't pretend it hadn't happened; you just didn't get the details. I was sorry they didn't include the bit about the young woman Elizabeth befriended in the concentration camp though.
Overall, I'd say if you liked the book, you'll probably like the movie too. They do take liberties with the source material, but I understood why most of the time and it didn't detract.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 1:25 AM on August 13, 2018
I just realized the actor who played Dawsey also played the young priest in Indian Horse...Talk about a world of difference between the two movies and two characters. I did not recognize him.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 1:30 AM on August 13, 2018
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 1:30 AM on August 13, 2018
I just watched it this evening and it was lovely! Overall I didn't mind the tweaks here and there in order to squish down a novel into two hours. The only adaptation issue I minded was writing out Remy, but that was more a knee-jerk reaction because I kept expecting her to show up and she never did. Upon reflection, it's better that they wrote her out since it wouldn't have made narrative sense to add in a new character that late in the story, and would have detracted from the focus on Elizabeth and Juliet, I think.
I do have to wonder how much of my enjoyment of the film wasn't merely that it was a lovely produced period piece, but also I could fill in the details about the characters and what happened thanks to my knowledge from the book, which perhaps made my watching experience much richer. I'm trying to find friends who will watch it but haven't read the book to get their opinion, but apparently the venn diagram of the kind of people this film caters to directly overlaps the people who would have already read the book, anyway (at least in my circle of friends).
posted by paisley sheep at 10:30 PM on August 14, 2018
I do have to wonder how much of my enjoyment of the film wasn't merely that it was a lovely produced period piece, but also I could fill in the details about the characters and what happened thanks to my knowledge from the book, which perhaps made my watching experience much richer. I'm trying to find friends who will watch it but haven't read the book to get their opinion, but apparently the venn diagram of the kind of people this film caters to directly overlaps the people who would have already read the book, anyway (at least in my circle of friends).
posted by paisley sheep at 10:30 PM on August 14, 2018
Ha, yes, among the people I know too. It seems everyone's book club read it, for one thing. Mr. hgg hadn't read it before we hatched it, though, and he enjoyed it. However, he did have me helpfully filling him in on the stuff that had been cut, so....
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 11:09 PM on August 14, 2018
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 11:09 PM on August 14, 2018
I haven't read the book yet and I really liked the movie. I'm glad to hear there's a lot missing in the movie, because I was worried that watching the movie was going to end up ruining the book for me. The book will be next on my list.
The actor who played Dawsey was also Daario Naharis on Game of Thrones. I did not recognize him at all.
posted by artychoke at 1:17 PM on August 21, 2018
The actor who played Dawsey was also Daario Naharis on Game of Thrones. I did not recognize him at all.
posted by artychoke at 1:17 PM on August 21, 2018
You are not logged in, either login or create an account to post comments
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 12:06 AM on August 5, 2018