What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Product details
|
Reviews
Product Description
Set in 1874, Affinity tells the story of a bored young single woman who becomes a visitor in a female prison and becomes obsessed with a prisoner with horrendous repercussions.
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
This movie does a major disservice to the book. Affinity is my favourite of Walters' novels and I really couldn't stand this movie. It's clumsy and awkward, the relationship between Margaret and Selina isn't fleshed out at all so you can't understand why Margaret does what she does for Selina.
I liked the atmosphere of the prison, it was filmed at a great location (or set), but that is about the only positive thing I can say about this movie. Read the book instead!
I liked the atmosphere of the prison, it was filmed at a great location (or set), but that is about the only positive thing I can say about this movie. Read the book instead!
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
AFFINITY is one of my favourite books - it is definitely my favourite by Waters - and so I was thrilled when I learnt that it was going to be adapted into a drama for T.V. Perhaps because of how much I like the novel, I have to admit I was slightly worried about watching the adaptation - having read the book, I had certain hopes and expectations for any kind of production of AFFINITY. However, I can happily say that I need not have worried.
The story is about Margaret, a young woman in Victorian England who has recently lost her father. As a way of escaping her sorrows, she volunteers to visit the female prisoners of Millbank prison, to become a confidante for them. Upon her first visit, she comes across one prisoner who seems different to the others; there is a calmness about her, and in her hands she is holding a perfect violet. This prisoner, Selina Dawes, intrigues Margaret, especially when she learns she calls herself a medium, and so she begins to visit her regularly. As they become closer, the tension builds. Selina has influences on Margaret that she could not have forseen. And she becomes convinced that their souls have an affinity for each other.
That is all of the plot I shall give away. What I loved about this adaptation is that, to a large degree, the atmosphere that Waters creates in the novel remains. The way that you are able to see each woman as being in her own prison is very well done, making you realise that there are more ways to trap a person than just with bars and metal. The gradual development of their relationship is also dealt with well. Rather than being gratuitous, there is a real sense of sensuality; a tamed desire that is also bound by walls of a different kind.
On the downside, there were certain parts of the adaptation which could not have the same effect as they did within the pages of the book. One example of this, for me, was when Margaret is shown the room where all of the women's belongings are held. In the book, this scene is quite harrowing. It is likened to a group of coffins for children, and there is defintiely a sense of invading privacy. However, in this adaptation these feelings were not so strong. Granted, I appreciate that this would be difficult to create, as the audience is not able to enter the mind of Margaret as they would do if reading the book. It is only one observation on my part, and it is because of this that I would urge people to also read the book. I think there is much more to this story that is lost on the screen.
However, despite this, I would thoroughly recommend this to all people who enjoy romance but with a little darkness added.
The story is about Margaret, a young woman in Victorian England who has recently lost her father. As a way of escaping her sorrows, she volunteers to visit the female prisoners of Millbank prison, to become a confidante for them. Upon her first visit, she comes across one prisoner who seems different to the others; there is a calmness about her, and in her hands she is holding a perfect violet. This prisoner, Selina Dawes, intrigues Margaret, especially when she learns she calls herself a medium, and so she begins to visit her regularly. As they become closer, the tension builds. Selina has influences on Margaret that she could not have forseen. And she becomes convinced that their souls have an affinity for each other.
That is all of the plot I shall give away. What I loved about this adaptation is that, to a large degree, the atmosphere that Waters creates in the novel remains. The way that you are able to see each woman as being in her own prison is very well done, making you realise that there are more ways to trap a person than just with bars and metal. The gradual development of their relationship is also dealt with well. Rather than being gratuitous, there is a real sense of sensuality; a tamed desire that is also bound by walls of a different kind.
On the downside, there were certain parts of the adaptation which could not have the same effect as they did within the pages of the book. One example of this, for me, was when Margaret is shown the room where all of the women's belongings are held. In the book, this scene is quite harrowing. It is likened to a group of coffins for children, and there is defintiely a sense of invading privacy. However, in this adaptation these feelings were not so strong. Granted, I appreciate that this would be difficult to create, as the audience is not able to enter the mind of Margaret as they would do if reading the book. It is only one observation on my part, and it is because of this that I would urge people to also read the book. I think there is much more to this story that is lost on the screen.
However, despite this, I would thoroughly recommend this to all people who enjoy romance but with a little darkness added.
40 of 45 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I was lucky enough to see a copy of this superb drama. If you've read the book by Sarah Waters than you wont be dissapointed by this amazing adaptation from Andrew Davis.
For me this is the probably the best verison of a Sarah Waters novel to date.
If you haven't read the book, then you've in for treat as this has one of the best twists i've seen for years.
For me this is the probably the best verison of a Sarah Waters novel to date.
If you haven't read the book, then you've in for treat as this has one of the best twists i've seen for years.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
book is so much better...
Apart from the costume and set design which was quite impressive, there were a number of problems with this adaptation which i didn't like. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Rowan
Rubbish Film
I have not read the novel Affinity so cannot compare it to the film, but being a big fan of Tipping the Velvet & Fingersmith, I was hugely disappointed with this adaptation. Read more
Published 23 months ago by T. Ryan
Slow
I found this to be really slow to get into, disappointing after watching Fingersmith, in fact i fell asleep half way through which is something i never do! Read more
Published on 21 April 2010 by V. Gower
affinity
would not recommend as a buy.... a little bit out there. Was expecting it to be like Sarah Waters other stuff but I was disappointed.
Published on 3 Nov 2009 by em
Affinity Review
Acting was quite good, but I was expecting a lot more from the movie after watching tipping the velvet. Read more
Published on 16 Sep 2009 by Kaz
Average
For me Sarah Waters is one of the best British writers around. The likes of Fingersmith and Tipping the velvet, are the best adaptations I have seen on film. Read more
Published on 14 Sep 2009 by Pearce
good but could of been better.
the book affinity is way better than the film it falls behind fingersmith and tipping the velvet.
Published on 24 May 2009 by Ms. Rebecca J. Connelly
So not worth it
I cut it short: DO NOT BUY THIS DVD! If you read the book you will be terribly disappointed.
I read "Fingersmith" and "Tipping the Velvet" and own both BBC Movies and am very... Read more
I read "Fingersmith" and "Tipping the Velvet" and own both BBC Movies and am very... Read more
Published on 23 Jan 2009 by T. Kueth
At Last
A sophisticted adaptation of a Sarah Waters novel. This is the best one so far, a long way from the incredibly dull Tipping the velvet to the slightly more intriuging Fingersmith. Read more
Published on 21 Jan 2009 by Beatnik
Affinity - So much potential so little substance
I was very dissappointed with the screenplay. It lacked the passion and closeness between the two main characters that the screen writers successfully brought to both Tipping the... Read more
Published on 30 Dec 2008 by H. Coatsworth
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
![[Start the discussion]](http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/02/x-locale/communities/discussion_boards/start-new-discussion-sec._V192198663_.gif){kind=small}
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
