The Enid Blyton Society

I'm afraid that the New Zealand Secret Series are far removed from the Blyton originals as I am sure has already been mentioned, they even have their own 'novelisations' which has probably also been mentioned earlier in this thread.

http://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/cont ... t=secrettv" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Yes, I've had a skim through some earlier comments, and was aware that there had been some 'liberties' taken with the stories, but I guess I wasn't prepared for just how drastic they were!

I'm wondering why people allow an author's works to be mutilated in this way. Is it solely for profit, or do they genuinely believe that it's doing the name of Enid Blyton some good?

Or do the people who decide to make the TV programmes think they'd better link it to Enid's name in case they get sued for a story line that is very loosely the same as a story she wrote? Although I find that hard to believe, as there must be other stories along those lines. I seem to remember The Children Who Lived in a Barn was about children who hid and managed to look after themselves while their parents were missing, presumed dead.

The New Zealand adaptations of The Secret Island and The Secret of Spiggy Holes are closer to the books than the adaptations of the other three titles - though there are still numerous changes. The Secret of Killimooin is completely different from what Enid Blyton wrote, and The Secret of Moon Castle is outlandish. Throughout the TV series, the adult characters feature more strongly than in the books. What happens to them often parallels what happens to the children.

Well I decided to stick with it, and am now up to the first commercial break so probably about 15/20 minutes in. I have very mixed feelings about the film. As a film in it's own right, and if I was watching as a child with no EB background, I'd probably really enjoy it. What is ruining it for me is that I can't forgot that it's supposed to be Enid Blyton's Secret Island, and from what I've seen so far, it mostly definitely isn't anything that Enid wrote.

There are so many unnecessary changes - why put a dog in? Why have the plot to inherit money from the children? Who on earth decided to have a mysterious hooded figure? Apart from these, and the fact that there doesn't seem any consistency - why change Nora to Laura, but still have Peggy, surely Peggy is just as old fashioned as Nora? - the thing that's bugging me the most is the antagonism between the characters. Obviously the aunt and uncle were unpleasant characters, but why the animosity between Peggy and Jack? I'm sure there wasn't more than a passing niggle or two in the original book. Finally, why is it necessary to have the adults featuring so heavily in the story? It's a children's book/film, and yet Thaddeus and Charlotte seem to be featuring almost as much, and their sarcasm towards each other is quite wearing. If I were a betting person, I'd be putting 100/1 to one that he ends up calling her 'Charlie' by the end of the film and they fall in love.

I really feel it's a shame that Enid Blyton's name had to be associated with this film, I think it would have been much better if they'd added a couple more tweaks, ie changed all 4 names, and given it a different title, and let it be enjoyed as a story in it's own right, rather than trying to pretend it belongs to Enid Blyton.

I think it would have been much better if they'd added a couple more tweaks, ie changed all 4 names, and given it a different title, and let it be enjoyed as a story in it's own right, rather than trying to pretend it belongs to Enid Blyton.

Without the Blyton name, it probably wouldn't have got onto television. Not that that would have been a bad thing! Of course, it might have persuaded children to seek out the book... which would not have been a bad thing, either!

Good points Nigel, although any child seeking out the books might be in for a shock when they find they are so different.

Then relieved to find them so much better!

Well hopefully.

Can anybody remember some of the changes made to The Secret of Killimooin in this series? A random question I know...

As far as I remember, The Secret of Killimooin is almost completely changed. It's all about a mad scientist and his poisonous spiders, and the children dodge cameras in the forest and emit a most hilarious scream!

Thanks for the info. Much appreciated.

I re-watched "The circus of adventure" on Sataurday, and several things I thought were quite odd. The helicopter started in the middle of the night from England to fly to France (or somewhere close to France, because the native language is French) and lands by daylight. It's strange insofar because helicopters aren't able to keep very long in the air and fly long distances as well - they're not constructed that way.
Also strange is the fact that the signs on castle Borken to "Keep Out" or the label on the file "Top Secret" are kept in English, although English is not the native language.

Never mind that Borken Castle is clearly a bad CGI image pasted onto a hill in the distance

Wolfgang wrote: Also strange is the fact that the signs on castle Borken to "Keep Out" or the label on the file "Top Secret" are kept in English, although English is not the native language.

If it wasn't, we wouldn't know what the signs said! Seriously though, I always feel the same watching a WWII film and the Germans/Nazis are speaking in English.

Moonraker wrote:...I always feel the same watching a WWII film and the Germans/Nazis are speaking in English.

That's what I often thought as well, but I guess the majority of the audience doesn't like reading subtitles, so they rather have the Nazis talk in English.
I just watched all 7 parts of "The Winds of War" (Robert Mitchum) and again was so enthralled by it.
The Nazis speak English mostly, very few subtitles. I like Jeremy Kemp (von Roon).