I think the two versions are simply not comparable.
The first is that the choice of actors has an extremely significant impact on the theme of the film. Sofia's plump, feminine and sexy and Bolton's image of a big lover completely subverted the original English depression and gloom. A passionate Italian beauty and Elizabeth Taylor’s husband smashed, all I think of is sensuality. Who doesn’t like Roland’s unparalleled breasts? Which woman is not moved by Bolton’s melancholy and deep eyes? Personally, let alone meet at the train station and fall in love. I think that even if you meet in the vegetable market, it is possible to start a relationship. My eyes are in the sand. Well, the shopping basket of the Mediterranean beauty meets the handsome Welsh man. How does this compare?
Too Italian.
The male and female protagonists in the original version can't be regarded as handsome men and women, even a bit ugly in our eyes today. They are typical middle-aged men and women in England. They have what Heine said they are quiet and white, but they look like British faces with the bridge of their nose knocked off. They have no sense of romance at all. Coupled with the gloomy and lonely atmosphere after the war, the black and white monotony reflects the boredom of the heroine, and of course the music and voiceovers of Rachmaninov who is the soul of the film. Like a gentle and sad prose poem, especially the contradiction between religion and morality of the heroine in the film, this is a typical Victorian neuroticism. Moreover, there are very few desires that make people think of the body, and it is more like a spiritual communication and attraction. Two lonely souls met by chance and separated again. As a viewer, I was even fortunate that they escaped at a friend’s house. If they did go to bed, it would violate the original intent and style of the film, because the main theme is the asceticism of the Puritans. Extramarital affairs of non-Catholics.
I feel sorry that Bolton and Roland did not have sex scenes in the 70s version. Such a screen encounter of two great lovers of North and South does not have a passionate drama scene that makes me feel boring.
The last thing I want to talk about is the original music. If there were no sad and enthusiastic music by Rachmaninov, there would be no such excellent movie, and there would be no music in the 70th edition, so what else would there be? A bad story about an extramarital affair is kind of useless. Music is the soul of this movie, so passionate but depressing and sad, this is also my favorite song.
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