Daphne Du mullier is probably the most prolific female writer of the Three Brontë Sisters, and the image of the English woman who is mournful, twisted, confused, and slightly melancholy in the shadow of the Goths can always be portrayed in Du Mullier's pen. The BBC-produced mini-series "Jamaica Inn" is adapted from Du Mulière's novel of the same name - bringing the British novel to the screen is the BBC's "unique skill", from the 1936 novel to the 2014 series, the same text across time and space is still fascinating.
Of course, "original" is not to say that it is unchanged, the original work of "Jamaica Inn" has been circulated for decades, and has been adapted into film and television works many times, this story has long lost its original suspense, so this time the BBC still made a deliberate adaptation: first, it did not trespass the basic framework of the original work, and second, it also broke through the character settings in the original work, so that the current audience can get fresh viewing pleasure from the "old" works.
The series's director, Felipe Lothope, was the first woman to win the BAFTA Award for Best Director, and she has made a deep impression on the audience with series such as Murder whore and Call for a Midwife, as well as television films such as The Other Boyn's Girl, a BBC first-line director. From The resume of Lothop's work, it is not difficult to see that the female director is still thinking about the female theme, and for the fate of women in the patriarchal society, director Lothopp always gives great sympathy.
Mary, the protagonist of "Jamaica Inn", is a helpless orphan girl, she has to come to the remote Cornwall County Bodmin Wasteland to rely on her aunt, aunt and uncle here run a small hotel called "Jamaica Inn", Mary began a hard life in Jamaica Inn, did not expect that there is a huge conspiracy hidden here, and even hidden murder and overstepping... The background of the story is still in nineteenth-century Britain, the original author Daphne Dumurier, the director Felipe Lothope, the heroine Mary Yellen, "three women in one play", they cooked us this exquisite "Jamaica Inn".
Dumurière's most well-known novel is probably the "Rebecca" ("Butterfly Dream"), the great director Hitchcock once adapted this novel into a famous suspense film, but Hitchcock's Dumullier's work is actually "Jamaica Inn", as early as 1939 - just three years after the novel was published - Hitchcock made the movie "Jamaica Inn", the famous movie star Charles Lawton played the local official Humphrey in the film, This film should be said to be not completely consistent with Hitchcock's style, and the original work is filled with a gothic melancholy atmosphere, which may be somewhat contradicted by Hitchcock's black narrative style of emphasizing suspense, so Hitchcock's "Jamaica Inn" has not left a strong mark on film history.
Compared with Hitchcock, Lothope is obviously more in touch with Du mullier's heart, or women know women better, the whole series constantly emphasizes the image of the coastline in the fog, of course, this is first of all because this is the place where the murder occurred, the residents of the Bodmin Wasteland, using the sea fog to lure passing ships to run aground, and then kill people and cross the goods, and there are big boss manipulations behind the scenes, real people do not show their images, chilling... Secondly, if the coastline in the fog seems to be nothing, it seems to be a metaphor for the heroine Mary's state of mind and life, the British Isles during the Industrial Revolution, the status of women is far from independent, where Mary's future is, how to settle down, how to establish a career, are shrouded in a thick sea fog...
The original is a standard story of money and death, but in the new version of the series, the big boss becomes a local priest with a good manner, and the reason for his fall into sin is not a simple attempt to make money, but a reflection on religious beliefs - he feels that the Christian church has become corrupted, people are no longer simple believers, at this time he hopes that the ancient druid religion, secretly become a druid priest, kill people and accumulate wealth, but also serve his purpose of secretly reviving druidism.
This change has basically whitewashed Mary's uncle, and also made the audience more aware of the hardships of grassroots life, and Mary Yellen's bold, brave, and fearless spirit of fighting against evil forces has also enabled this British woman to stand proudly on the edge of the misty coastline, and through the fog, we can clearly see such a female husband.
Such a female husband, who makes many men ashamed, will reap love, and can fight with her husband to fight the sword to the end of the world.
(Published in Literature and Art, March 2015)
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