[brendan_dj]

Noticed that the Sci-Fi channel were showing this entire old BBC series yesterday. I Recorded them on Sky+ and have watched the first one.

Does anybody else remember this series?

Better or worse than the classic movie?

[Setenza]

The BBC series is a very close adaptation of the book.

The film is a poor version of Wyndams novel. It had a very difficult production with additional footage being shot in post production and added to the film.

The triffids are simply intergalactic plants and the fact that they can be "melted" with sea water is some what ludicrous.

The BBC series is subtle, raising some very interesting ideas about where the Triffids originate from. It challenges the usual concepts of animal intelligence and shows how easily natural selection can be diverted from its predicted course.

[njp]

The book is also currently being read on BBC7 (almost at the end now). In fact, they seem to have a bit of a thing for John Wyndham novels, because they're also reading Trouble with Lichen, and they will shortly be starting The Kraken Wakes...

[njp]

Originally Posted by Xusia Of Delos

The triffids are simply intergalactic plants and the fact that they can be "melted" with sea water is some what ludicrous.

One of the strange things about the Wyndham novel is that the triffids are entirely unconnected with the meteor shower that leaves most of the population blind. They were here already, being farmed, and simply took advantage of the new circumstances in which they found themselves. I don't think their origins were ever fully explained, other than to reveal that they were supposedly developed in Russia (genetically engineered?), rather than being from space.

[Setenza]

Indeed, that is true. They simply take advantage of the mass blindness to become potentially the new dominant speicies. As I said an interesting concept, the way natural selection is derailed so to speak.

But of course the faeture film loses this plot element, making them just plants that seeds drifted to earth in a meteor shower.

[INSOMANiAC]

I much prefer invasion of the body snatchers

[njp]

Originally Posted by INSOMANiAC

I much prefer invasion of the body snatchers

Ah, but which version? And which ending?

[Garrett]

Moved from GC.

[Garrett]

Why did you not have a you have one I enjoed both equaly or niether of them?


I enjoyed them both, you want to read the follow up book as well The Night of the Triffids

[nwgarratt]

I prefer the film. The TV series was on BBC4 a couple of months ago and it was very poor now friom when I saw it years ago. I got bored pretty quickly.

[Garrett]

I use to go to a local cinema every Monday or Tuesday when the had a double horror bill on them nights and the use to get some real oldies on. One week one was The Day of the Triffids, and whilst walking home late at night thinking about them I was passing aside of the park wall when all of a sudden the wind blew a tree branch down right in front of me. Guess who has the unofficial 100yard dash record.

[pjclark1]

I enjoyed both of them, I have them on DVD.
The shame with the BBC series was they seemed to run out of money and cram far too much of the book into the last episode.

[Jacob]

Having not read the book I did watch the series a few months ago and was very impressed ( i vaguely recall watching it when I was a kid!). It was nice watching something that didn't have (modern!) special effects.

I also thought the way it was shot (i don't know the technical term) made it feel very real and the music also added drama.

I must read the books and compare.

cheers
Jaco

[soundstory]

The jacket of the DVD 28 days later was inspired by it is putting it midly !

Lifted almost completely might be more accurate !

The TV Series for me over the "movie" anyday.

I thought it had aged pretty well considering, though I do agree that the last part felt a bit jammed

[brendan_dj]

OK,

Having watched the tv series (recorded recently when it was shown on Scifi), I can now make my own judgement.

I think I prefer the movie (which I have in my DVD collection)

I found the tv series rather slow and boring. For a few episodes, there seems to be no progress in the plot.

And even the final episode does not really have an ending.

Oh well, this has been an interesting thread/discussion and I am glad that I have not wasted any money buying the tv series on DVD.

[Alexes]

The TV series ending is faithful to the book whereas the end of the film is there to give Americans a happy ending and is utterly ludicrous.

The triffids spend most of the film on the base of the lighthouse washed by the sea completely unharmed, yet are destroyed when the same seawater is sprayed out of a hose.

TV series for me any day.

[nwgarratt]

Originally Posted by brendan_dj

OK,

Having watched the tv series (recorded recently when it was shown on Scifi), I can now make my own judgement.

I think I prefer the movie (which I have in my DVD collection)

I found the tv series rather slow and boring. For a few episodes, there seems to be no progress in the plot.

And even the final episode does not really have an ending.

Oh well, this has been an interesting thread/discussion and I am glad that I have not wasted any money buying the tv series on DVD.

Totally agree.