Coming Home (Emily Mortimer, Joanna Lumley, Peter O'Toole)

(Amazon UK link)

Having loved all the books by Rosamunde Pilcher, I was at first a little reluctant to get hold of the film versions of her saga novels. I felt that they would inevitably be disappointing. However, tempted by positive reviews, I finally put them on my wishlist. I was pleased to receive 'Coming Home' for my birthday.

This is a made-for-TV adaptation of Pilcher’s wartime novel 'Coming Home'. As such, it was longer than most films. It is on two DVDs of about 100 minutes each.

Admittedly it's a few years since I read the book. But I thought it was a very good adaptation, on the whole. There were some minor character changes, and alterations to the plot which I was aware of. But the bulk of it seemed to me to be pretty close to the book.

The actors were excellent. Joanna Lumley brings the materialistic (but caring) Diana Carey-Lewis to life, and Emily Mortimer is a most believable Judith. She is the main character, aged 14 at the start of the book. She is sent to boarding school while her parents and little sister return to a job abroad.

Like the book, this film is very emotional in places, and gripping throughout. There are some surprising nudity shots and non-explicit love scenes, which I suppose is why the UK rating is 12. Oddly enough, it is not rated at all in the USA.

Ardent fans of Pilcher's books might object to the changes made to this version. But I would recommend it in general to those who have not read the book as well as to those who have.

Review copyright Sue's DVD Reviews