Non-motoring > Aurelio Zen Miscellaneous
Thread Author: Netsur Replies: 19
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New Mon 10 Jan 11 11:22 
 Aurelio Zen - Netsur
Anyone seen the Zen programmes on BBC1 on Sunday nights.

I have read all the books by the late Michael Dibden and can't decide if the series is very good or terrible. Clearly an adaptation is never going to match the books, but there appears to be too much disparity between light heartedness and the gripping feeling of 'film noire' you got from the books.
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New Mon 10 Jan 11 11:40 
 Aurelio Zen - borasport
I've only read a couple of the books,and the TV series either by accident or design has completely failed to recreate the atmosphere of the books.

But the award for the worst adaptation ever must go to the BBC TV version of Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency that was on a few weeks ago
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New Mon 10 Jan 11 11:51 
 Aurelio Zen - Netsur
The problem with Douglas Adams is that he wrote for the medium and translating his books to the TV are bound to fail. There is so much clever stuff in them that if you miss it out it spoils the character.

With Zen there is too much 'sexual intrigue' which simply doesn't appear in the books. They are much darker.
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New Mon 10 Jan 11 12:08 
 Aurelio Zen - borasport
>> With Zen there is too much 'sexual intrigue' which simply doesn't appear in the books.
>> They are much darker.
>>

It's not just the sexual intrigue, but the darker side of crime and politics - if adapted properly, they'd never be prime time sunday night viewing on mainstream Tv - the Upstairs Downton viewers would not be able to sleep after watching them.

If you want something lighter, have you tried Kyril Bonfiglioli ?
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New Mon 10 Jan 11 12:09 
 Aurelio Zen - Zero
I dont mind my TV dark and thoughtful, the Zen thing on tv is just, well, boring.

Never read the books.
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New Mon 10 Jan 11 12:19 
 Aurelio Zen - teabelly
Never read the books. Thought the two on so far have been pretty decent. Dirk Gently was strange. Can't decide whether it was any good or awful.

Has amused me to see an old fiat croma and tipo, both 1990s vintage, appearing in something that must be set in current times judging by the 147.
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New Mon 10 Jan 11 12:20 
 Aurelio Zen - Netsur
Read the books - I really enjoyed them. Got them out of the library.
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New Mon 10 Jan 11 16:29 
 Aurelio Zen - Bigtee
Loads of British actors and all in Italy errmmm.

Still some lovely Hot Women makes up for it and sex sells so lets see him in the next part & the last one Bed his co worker game on.!!

Policeing well not too bad.

Silent witness tonight now enjoy this & more British programs required less American tosh please.
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New Mon 10 Jan 11 17:19 
 Aurelio Zen - Roger.
The program is worth watching just to see Caterina Murino; a seriously drop dead gorgeous woman, worth a thousand ordinary plastic bimbos, so often seen as desirable by the MSM.
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New Mon 10 Jan 11 19:31 
 Aurelio Zen - Manatee
Seen both. Slightly formulaic maverick copper, but very well done. Not read the books which I hadn't heard of, but might now. I like that they speak English without cod accents, it doesn't detract from the Italian-ness at all.

The Dirk Gently I thought was great compared with the general tripe standard of popular TV - not to be confused with the book though - those long Adams narrative passages can't be adapted to TV easily. Hence presumably why they got a full book into an hour.
Last edited by: Manatee on Mon 10 Jan 11 at 19:32
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New Sun 16 Jan 11 22:51 
 Aurelio Zen - Roger.
Oh dear - it look as though Zen has lost his squeeze.
I do hope we will see the luminous Caterina again!
Drool!
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New Mon 17 Jan 11 12:30 
 Aurelio Zen - Chris S
Does anybody else think that the minor character's regional English accents makes the program a bit like Eurotrash?
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New Mon 17 Jan 11 13:18 
 Aurelio Zen - Soupytwist
I just think that the regional English accents are like the regional Italian accents one would hear if they were all speaking Italian.

Overall, I think that it's been a successful adaptation of the books (I've read 4 of them) and thoroughly enjoyable.

I was delighted that they'd been made when I saw the trailers. An acquaintance of mine is a TV producer and I remember speaking to her probably 8 years ago about detective novels that would make good TV adaptations. I suggested the Zen books then and she said that she had tried for them but they were under option for the UK at the time but she was considering optioning them for other markets. I don't know if she ever got them made but it's not her company that's made these ones. And yes, Caterina Murino is stunning.
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New Mon 17 Jan 11 13:44 
 Aurelio Zen - Runfer D'Hills
On balance I think I'd prefer to hear actors using their normal British accents rather than affecting false Italian ones. Severe danger of sounding like Joe Dolce or the Italian officer in 'Allo 'Allo.. ( he of the "laverly laydeez innit" )

To be hypocrital though, I simply can't bear to hear American accents from characters who are suposed to be something other than American. EG Kevin Costner as "Rabin" Hood.

S'pose it doesn't matter really anyway as none of the historical characters real or imaginary would have spoken anything like 21st century English of any description.

Um...so there...
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New Mon 17 Jan 11 14:31 
 Aurelio Zen - Redviper
>> To be hypocrital though, I simply can't bear to hear American accents from characters who
>> are suposed to be something other than American. EG Kevin Costner as "Rabin" Hood.


Dick Van Dyke as Bert, in Mary Poppins - *Shudder*
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New Mon 17 Jan 11 14:35 
 Aurelio Zen - Runfer D'Hills
Didn't have you down as a Mary Poppins kind of guy RV. Just goes to show...

:-)
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New Mon 17 Jan 11 14:37 
 Aurelio Zen - Redviper
Ive lost count the number of times ive seen it,
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New Mon 17 Jan 11 14:38 
 Aurelio Zen - Runfer D'Hills
OK...right-ho then...
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New Mon 17 Jan 11 14:55 
 Aurelio Zen - Redviper
>>Ive lost count the number of times ive seen it,

When I was young ;-)
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New Mon 17 Jan 11 15:03 
 Aurelio Zen - Runfer D'Hills
Sure, sure....whatever....

:-))
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