Famous Five 90s Series

Discuss the television and film adaptations of Enid Blyton's stories.
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Daisy
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Re: Famous Five 90s Series

Post by Daisy »

To me as well Julie. :)
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Anita Bensoussane
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Re: Famous Five 90s Series

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

IceMaiden wrote:I know Enid doesn't specifically state one way or the other, but there are references to him [Timmy] having a shaggy coat and being able to pull on it playfully, which you can't do on a shorthaired dog.
Do you know which book or books mention that Timmy has a shaggy coat? I don't recall that.
Moonraker wrote:
IceMaiden wrote:Isn't it funny how we all conjure up a different image for the same thing?
Which is why, to me, anyway, tv/film adaptations rarely work.
True. Even if the characters, cottages, caravans, etc. happen to match your mental pictures of them there'll still be other things "wrong" - e.g. Kirrin Cottage may be located in a different place in relation to the beach; Merran Lake and Gloomy Water may be smaller/bigger than you'd thought and have a different landscape around them; the little room and the well at Kirrin Castle might not be in the spots you'd imagined...

When watching a TV or film version of a book I'm always aware that I'm just viewing someone else's interpretation of the story. Sometimes I thoroughly enjoy it and will watch it more than once, but the images conjured up in my head while reading the book remain the "real thing".
"Heyho for a starry night and a heathery bed!" - Jack, The Secret Island.

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Re: Famous Five 90s Series

Post by IceMaiden »

Moonraker wrote: Which is why, to me, anyway, tv/film adaptations rarely work.
Yes I know what you mean. Whilst I do like watching them, most of the time they don't work for me either, as I tend to either get annoyed that something isn't as it says in the book or that my imagined idea of it has been spoilt. Nothing works as well as Enid's own descriptions and what your own imagination conjures up from them.
Anita Bensoussane wrote: Do you know which book or books mention that Timmy has a shaggy coat? I don't recall that.
In the very first book on page 186, just as Uncle Quentin is telling George she can have whatever she wants, " a big hairy head pushed itself thought the door and looked enquiringly at everyone there". A short haired dog couldn't really be described as 'hairy', which where I got my first thought that Tim is at least a little fluffy coated. In Five Go Adventuring Again, on page 65 where their out Christmas shopping, Anne 'takes hold of the thick hair around Tim's neck and pulls it lovingly', again, short coated dogs don't have thick hair you can pull on. Then on page 83 "he had raised his big shaggy head and George knew he was listening", which definitely makes him sound like a shaggy haired dog. Page 10 in five on a hike mentions his "plumy tail wagging happily" as does page 46 of plenty of fun, so he seems to have a feathery fluffy tail. I think there are other mentions in other books too, but I can't remember which ones. I'm working my way through them all so if I find them I'll put them on here :D .
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Re: Famous Five 90s Series

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

Thanks, IceMaiden - that's the kind of detail I was looking for. It would be interesting to have more details, but don't let looking for descriptions like that spoil your enjoyment of the stories!
"Heyho for a starry night and a heathery bed!" - Jack, The Secret Island.

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Re: Famous Five 90s Series

Post by IceMaiden »

Still keeping an eye out for Timmy coat references! I've just started reading five fall into adventure, and on page 15 where George has met the others off the train, Anne pats Timmy's "rough haired back" , which again would indicate he's a shaggy coated dog.
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I'm just an old fashioned girl with an old fashioned mind
Not sophisticated, I'm the sweet and simple kind
I want an old fashioned house, with an old fashioned fence
And A̶n̶ ̶o̶l̶d̶ ̶f̶a̶s̶h̶i̶o̶n̶e̶d̶ ̶m̶i̶l̶l̶i̶o̶n̶a̶i̶r̶e̶
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Osandakj
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Re: Famous Five 90s Series

Post by Osandakj »

Hi!
Did anybody know where to buy the complete 90s famous five series in DVDs? I've tried both ebay and amazon but no luck finding the entire collection in English :( There were few listings though they were already marked as sold out.
Please help.
Thank you.
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Re: Famous Five 90s Series

Post by Chrissie777 »

From what I remember they have been released in Denmark, but they do have the original English track.
I checked all amazons and the Canadian amazon used to have more of the 1996 TV series than all other amazons, however, they are currently unavailable, but it's definitely worth to check them from time to time (I was lucky with the French children TV series "Poly" after having checked amazon.fr for several years):

http://www.amazon.ca/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2 ... amous+Five" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Depending on where you live, you might need a multi-regional DVD player.
I also checked eBay.com, but like most of the times when I check them, they only have the German edition which has no original English track.
The French and the Spanish amazon offer it for a reasonable price, but without the English track :(.
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Re: Famous Five 90s Series

Post by IceMaiden »

I've got the Dutch ones called ' De Vijf' which can be played in English with the subtitles turned off. The only thing with them is for some reason Smuggler's top is missing. All of the episodes are on YouTube though so I'd just save them from there to the computer then copy to DVDs myself :) .
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I'm just an old fashioned girl with an old fashioned mind
Not sophisticated, I'm the sweet and simple kind
I want an old fashioned house, with an old fashioned fence
And A̶n̶ ̶o̶l̶d̶ ̶f̶a̶s̶h̶i̶o̶n̶e̶d̶ ̶m̶i̶l̶l̶i̶o̶n̶a̶i̶r̶e̶
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Re: Famous Five 90s Series

Post by Deej92 »

I started watching the You Tube episodes again yesterday. So far, I've watched both parts of Treasure Island and Five Get into Trouble. I really enjoyed Five Get into Trouble - the actor who plays Rookie does a really good job of playing a character who I feel is one of Enid's best villains.
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Re: Famous Five 90s Series

Post by Carlotta King »

Aha! So you started them :D
I only managed Five Go Down To The Sea before i fell asleep but it was about 1am haha!

I like Treasure Island but the villains spoil it for me becasuse they're like a comedy double act, and in the book they're nothing like that. I don't mind variations from the book, I'm not a stickler for everything being exactly the same, but to my mind the villains should be villainous!

I know that sometimes villains in kids' dramas are portrayed as comic, but the FF isn't a 'slapstick' type thing.

And also, the other villains in the other episodes were really villainous, such as Block, Dirty Dick, Mr Andrews, Llewellyn, and others, so it wasn't as if they were trying to make all the villains comic, it just seemed to be some. Strange.

These two in Treasure Island just seemed too silly to be true.
Even Lou and Tiger Dan (Caravan) were slightly comic but they still seemed ruthless and nasty too, and you could imagine them as proper villains despite the comedy, but the two in Treasure Island were just daft. :)
Despite that, I do really like the episode! I wish theyd been able to dive down to the wreck. :)

Trouble is great, Rooky was played really well I thought.
The guy who played the escaped prisoner is actually the brother of the chap who played Mr Penruthlan in Sea. :)
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Re: Famous Five 90s Series

Post by Deej92 »

Yeah, I have :) I've only managed to get round to watching Five Go Adventuring Again today. I find Mr Roland particularly cunning and nasty in this episode. I had to feel for poor George as everyone but her and Timmy are taken in by the deceiving Mr Roland which means she gets treated rather badly.

I enjoy Five Go Down To The Sea - it's really quite comical with the combination of Yan, Mr Penruthlan and the two men who play Clopper the horse for the Barnies.

I agree with you about Treasure Island. The two villains are almost comical and both quite stupid, which is very different to how they're portrayed in the book and to how a lot of the other villains act. Villains are after all meant to be nasty! I'm not a big fan of the two-part episodes either to be honest, as I feel the story in this case does get too dragged out.

And I didn't know the escaped convict in Trouble was the brother of the actor who played Mr Penruthlan in Sea, that's interesting. Both play very good parts for me :) I'm going to watch Five Fall into Adventure now before I go to bed :P
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Re: Famous Five 90s Series

Post by Carlotta King »

I really enjoy Adventuring Again, and I think that Mr Roland works very well even though he is different to the book, a lot older etc.
Vernon Dobtcheff is a great actor and he plays Roland very well, quite sinister and ruthless, the way he takes everyone in and is so friendly to Quentin and Fanny.
I feel so sorry for poor Timmy! :(

I wish they'd set this episode at Christmas. I love the Christmassy atmosphere in the book, especially when they're decorating the tree, going out to get the leaves, going shopping etc, and opening their presents, it feels so cosy and homely! I know the snow would have been impossible in the episode, but they couldve still set it at Christmas and just not had snow, they couldve had the tree and decorations up, etc, done presents etc.

I've watched Secret Trail today, one thing that strikes me, and I don't know if I'm being a bit stupid, but when the boys are spying on the two blokes with the map, the 'Professor' says "...hiding a blueprint such as this and making such an awful map" but at the end when they open the bag, its a medal of some sort in there, am I missing something?! :D

Yeah the two guys who do Clopper in Sea are great, very funny, I've always liked Geoffrey Hutchings, he was funny in Benidorm too.
Sea is my favourite episode I think, I just love the coastal setting and the idea of wreckers, coves, caves, smuggling etc!
The lad who plays Yan is great, very natural, some of the other kids are a bit wooden (Richard Kent, I'm looking at you!!) but Yan does very well I think.

Fall Into Adventure is a great one, Red Tower really is very villainous and menacing, certainly no slapstick there!
I like this episode, there's a lot going on, what with the burglary, Dick spying at night, the adventure in Raven's Wood, then going out to Red's castle! :)
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Re: Famous Five 90s Series

Post by Deej92 »

I agree with you about Adventuring Again. Vernon Dobtcheff plays a great part as Mr Roland, who is every bit as cunning, nasty and deceiving as in the book. I also felt for poor Timmy, especially the part when he had to be kept outside in the cold so Mr Roland could carry out his devious acts :( I'd also definitely have preferred this episode to be set at Christmas like it is in the book. Due to this, I thought this episode was missing the atmosphere and scenery the book conjured up which was a shame.

As for Secret Trail, I'll have to watch this episode again and get back to you, as what you say there certainly strikes me as a bit odd! :? Yeah, Geoffrey Hutchings was a very good actor and he was funny in Sea, contrasting nicely against the Guv'nor, who has always frightened me a little as a villain. As you say, Yan was great and I much prefer characters like him Sniffer and Jo to Richard Kent in Trouble or Wilfred in Mystery to Solve.

I watched Adventure last night and I really love this episode. I agree that Red Tower is a great villain, Jo plays a great part and is as brave and mischievous as ever - and the plot just has everything as you refer to! :) On to Demon's Rock now :D
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Re: Famous Five 90s Series

Post by Carlotta King »

Demon's Rocks is a good one, a great atmosphere of a stormy lighthouse! :)
All the characters were well played I thought, and I just love Mischief! :D

Its a shame about the little error with the tide coming in, where Jeremiah says "plenty of time.. etc" and then 30 seconds later says the tide is on the turn, I'm amazed no one on production picked up on that, but apart from that it's a great episode. :)

The undersea tunnels were really atmospheric, especially with the tide swirling in!

I've watched Wonderful Time, this is one of my favourites because I love the fair folk, and the setting of the castle is just gorgeous, it feels really summery with all that lush green grass!
Anything with circus folk or gypsies in and I'm hooked, I love the atmosphere of travelling in those caravans, cooking round a campfire etc! :)
Pottersham is quite a ruthless villain, was quite a change to see 'Richard' from Keeping Up Appearances playing a villainous part, haha!
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Re: Famous Five 90s Series

Post by IceMaiden »

Deej92 wrote: I'm not a big fan of the two-part episodes either to be honest, as I feel the story in this case does get too dragged out.
Complete opposite for me. I love this series but I do wish all the episodes had been two parters, it would have allowed for them to put in more details from the books and stick truer to them. The ones that are only one part feel crammed in and far too rushed, the two parters had a much better pace and of course, they could end on a cliffhanger, a guaranteed way of making sure you'll come back to watch the next instalment of something! They really missed a trick there :P .
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I'm just an old fashioned girl with an old fashioned mind
Not sophisticated, I'm the sweet and simple kind
I want an old fashioned house, with an old fashioned fence
And A̶n̶ ̶o̶l̶d̶ ̶f̶a̶s̶h̶i̶o̶n̶e̶d̶ ̶m̶i̶l̶l̶i̶o̶n̶a̶i̶r̶e̶
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