Hamish MacBeth: Series 1-3 Collection
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Hamish MacBeth: Series 1-3 Collection Customer Reviews
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♥♥♥♥♥ |
The movies vs. the books
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I liked aspects of both but if I had to choose, the books would win.
The characters are delightfully eccentric in both. While changes were to be expected, I thought that the TV series suffered by comparison in eliminating some of the more entertaining characters in the books.
The "tweedy" minister's wife with the loud voice and strong opinions, the middle aged spinsters, the Currie sisters, Jessie and Nessie, one who echoed the other in a "Greek chorus" , insuring that
noone missed out on what the first one had said, Archie McLean, the little fisherman whose wife starched his clothes and compulsively cleaned house, Angela Brodie, the Dr's wife, untidy in person and whose housekeeping skills were almost nonexistent,
but who was kind hearted and a good listener to Hamish. The book described Hamish as red headed, tall and lanky. The series character has sandy hair, is thin, but doesn't appear overly tall, maybe because his foil TV John, looms
so high. The books had him as a former smoker who occasionally craved but usually didn't succumb to the impulse. In the series he is seldom seen without rolling a cigarette and puffing out carcinogens into the serene air of Lochduch.
The books show him as unambitious and a moocher, but quick witted and persistent in solving crimes. He likes his bit of land, his sheep and his hens,and the company of a dog Lugs, and a domesticated wildcat
Sonsie. He doesn't want to be promoted. City life holds little attraction for him. Changes seem to threaten him, he sends back a modern stove, a gift from his fiancee, Priscilla Haliburton-Smythe, the local high class lady of the manor, and eventually breaks up with her.
He doesn't want her underfoot, cooking his meals and changing his eating habits to healthy ones. He has another girlfriend Elspeth, a journalist, but is unable to commit to her either and both women
eventually go off to other cities and build careers but are unable to forget Hamish.
The TV series portrayed his fiancee as Alexandra, who was aggressive while the book depicted Priscilla as cool and remote. Hamish in the movies appeared at times to
be unable to appreciate quality caring from anyone.
The movies had some shining moments in the enthusiam that united the village in the sports competition between Lochduch and a neighboring town, the heroic sacrifice of TV John for his shyster brother, and some unusual humor in the
form of salt thieves. Also the writers relied on significant puns such as, "you're a lifesaver'' when the secretary kept rolling in teacarts just at the moment when the villanous nephew was about to kill his uncle. And forget trying to keep a secret in Lochdubh (pronounced Lok doo). What your neighbors don't know about you isn't worth thinking about. News travels faster than the speed of light. The movies: The Highland dialect is a positive feature, the bagpipes put in occasional appearances,
and I would recommend seeing them after reading the books.
The books and the TV series both create likeable characters whose appeal is in their lack of super heroism, who will never be trend setters, and who have sometimes annoying, sometimes endearing idiosyncrasies. You can be yourself in Lochdubh and you will be accepted.
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Hamish MacBeth: Series 1-3 Collection dvd movie.