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elgorrion
Reviews
White Mischief (1987)
a shortened storyline taken from earlier film
The performances of Sarah Miles and John Hurt make this film worth watching; however it is disappointing that Michael Radford does not use the full storyline of the original film : "The Happy Valley" - made in 1987, nor is the source acknowledged in the credits. Other than that it is quite a good remake, but the original should not be missed, as the story continues for some length - indeed the end of "White Mischief" is about the halfway point of the story in "The Happy Valley". This is another of Radford's remakes that seemed to receive acclaim as if it were an original concept - just as his version of the tale of Pablo Neruda - "Il Postino" - was taken from the lesser known earlier film "Ardiente Pacientia" (Burning Patience) which for my money was the the better film.
Ardiente paciencia (1983)
better than Il Postino
I agree wholeheartedly with the other commentator regarding the comparison of this film to "Il Postino", and am not surprised to see that Michael Radford claims the credit for the latter, just as he did with "White Mischief", which has a less complete story than the superior TV film "The Happy Valley". I have no problem with re-makes as such, but there was a complete failure to acknowledge the originals of both these films. If "Ardiente Paciencia" was available on DVD I would buy it; I would not even watch "Il Postino" again on TV. This film has freshness and vitality, and the character of the postman is played with openness and innocence, and feels more true than the sickly portrayal in "Il Postino"; the relationship with Neruda is more natural; Neruda is not the stuffed shirt of the re-make.