Review of She-Devil

Introduction

The book The Life and Loves of a She-Devil by Fay Weldon first came to British TV screens in 1986, as a BAFTA winning mini series of 4 1 hour parts. Dennis Waterman played Bob (but didn`t write the theme tune or sing the theme tune), Patricia Hodge played Mary Fisher, and Julie T. Wallace stole the show as Ruth. There was also a great turn from the Lord of Time himself, Tom Baker, as Father Ferguson.

Following this success, the film was adapated for the big screen by Barry Strugatz & Mark R. Burns (whose only other writing job was 1988`s Married to the Mob). A new cast were formed, with Meryl Streep playing Mary Fisher, Roseanne Barr as Ruth and Ed Begley Jr. playing Bob. The film was released in 1989.

Video

Well, surprise surprise. It`s your usual MGM back catalogue 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer. As ever, it looks quite good on the whole with the odd nastier moment. There`s the usual little bit of dirt, dust and grain, but not masses. There are some nice garish (intentional) colours, reasonable detail levels and good contrast. On the whole it`s ok for a back catalogue effort (these MGM titles are becoming so predictable).

Despite this film coming towards the very end of the 1980s, all that is up on screen just screams 1980s at you, from the fashions to the decor.

Audio

A DD2.0 stereo soundtrack, which is fair to middling. All dialogue is clear and crisp, and everything is audible. It`s just not that exciting. Like the visuals, the soundtrack has a distinct 1980s theme to it.

As with many of these catalogue titles, you can also choose from various other European languages.

Features

Nothing.

Conclusion

A tricky one this. The TV series was a classic, telling the story over 4 hours but without padding. It has been immensely trimmed to get it into just over an hour and a half. And whislt the film is not the same, it still does have things going for it. The casting of Roseanne Barr and Meryl Streep is perfect, as they both fit their characters so well. Ed Begley Jr. brings a more shallow Bob to the screen than Waterman did, but it works very well in this film.

The one real problem is with the immense trimming. This has resulted in a happy type of Hollywood ending, not the excellent ending from the original series. This is annoying, since it rather changes the tone too much. And where`s Tom Baker`s character gone?

If you`re short of time, get this DVD and watch the condensed version of the story. If you have a couple of hours extra to spare, buy the DVD of the TV series and watch that instead. The TV series is still much better, but this film has its place.