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The Day Of The Triffids [1981]


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Editorial
Synopsis

If the notion of being pursued across the countryside by monstrous, ambulatory stalks of rhubarb strikes terror into your soul, then this British TV adaptation of sci-fi novelist John Wyndham's The Day of the Triffids will be right up your hedgerow. If not, well, perhaps its more campy elements will carry the day. As adapted (and significantly abridged) by Douglas Livingstone and directed by Ken Hannam, the story is serialized in six parts, each about 25 minutes long. In the first, we meet protagonist Bill Masen (John Duttine), who knows all about the rhubarb… um, the triffids… having spent some time working among the folks who harvest their valuable oil extracts. Seems these strange plant thingies, whose origin is most mysterious, can not only walk (albeit at a pace that makes The Lord of the Rings trilogy's Ents seem like Olympic sprinters) but kill, subduing victims with their whip-like stingers and then consuming the rotting flesh; indeed, one of the triffids almost nailed our hero, which is why he's hospitalized when we first see him. Next thing you know, some kind of toxic celestial event has lit up the skies and blinded everyone who dared look at it, leaving most of the population sightless and stumbling about the streets of London (and everywhere else); only those who missed the calamitous light show, including Bill and soon-to-be love interest Jo (Emma Relph), can still see, while the triffids, who multiply in frightening numbers, proceed to lay waste to everyone else. There are some interesting ideas developed along the way, including the inevitable breakdown of civilization as the survivors struggle to begin anew while dealing with the implacable triffids. --Sam Graham


An outstanding adaptation of an outstanding novel
Review date: 2008-03-10 Rating: 10 out of 10

The BBC's 1981 adaptation of John Wyndham's marvellous sci fi novel is one of the best dramatizations ever made, certainly the best adaptation of a science fiction novel. Updating it to the (then) present day was a wise move but such is the timelessness of Wyndham's novel that the changes are minimal. There's a real sense of foreboding about the serial, the first episode in particular sets up the apocalyptic scenario brilliantly with a palpable sense of unease and hidden menace. An eerie, oppressive atmosphere runs throughout the whole story, with the Triffids a constant threat lurking in the background. The plants themselves are fairly effective, although somewhat cumbersome. However, clever editing and scary sound effects make them seem alot more threatening. The acting is first rate with John Duttine being superb in the lead role. The programme has aged pretty well and has a good pace to it, holding the attention from start to finish and leaves a strong impression at the end. Highly recommended.

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Reviews


A gardeners nightmare. (Perambulating plants that don't like being pruned.),
Review date: 2007-11-11 Rating: 10 out of 10

Bill Masen has been stung and temporarily blinded by a Triffid, he doesn't yet know how lucky he's been!
The Triffids themselves (perambulating plants with a nasty sting.) are well realized by the FX team, and this is certainly a more faithful version then that ghastly 1962 film.
The author derived the story from two sources, walking home late one windy night he observed the trees and hedgerows blowing across the road and thought "By gosh, those would be nasty things if they could sting you".
The other source was his earlier short story,
"The Puff Ball Menace"(1933).
~~~~
As with most of the stories from John Wyndham Parkes Lucas Benyon Harris, his main interest was in how ordinary people would react to the odd or unknown. It was never the concept, but the Human element that interested him, and that gives his characters great believability.
H G Wells had always used his stories to inject some of his own opinions on the mores and manners of society in his time, and John Wyndham (A H G Wells fan himself) did the same.
(He was always suspicious of certain East European countries, and this was reflected in some of his novels.)
In the book and this TV version, the Triffids don't come from Space, but are genetically engineered by Man.(Unlike that film.)
Once you start reading one of his stories you won't be able to stop, the trouble is he had so many Pen-names,
John Benyon, Lucas Benyon, John Beyon, Johnson Harris, John Harris, Lucas Parkes.
Originally Published 1951.
~~~~
DVD contents:~
6-25 minute episodes.
No visual extras.
12 page "collectors" booklet.
Originally Broadcast BBC1:~10/9/81-15/10/81
(For a very faithful version of Mr Wyndhams, "The Midwich Cuckoos", try the film, "Village of the Damned" 1960)

Excellent adaption, chilling and well acted, but with some weaknesses
Review date: 2007-07-08 Rating: 8 out of 10

I didn't see this six-part series on TV on its original 1981 broadcast, but having recently re-read and enjoyed the original book over again, I thought I'd give the BBC mini-series a try. Overall I was pretty impressed.

It is admirably faithful to the book, despite being set in the 1980s instead of the 1950s. The screenplay is very well done and the acting is excellent, in particular John Duttine and Maurice Colbourne. The staging is quite theatrical in parts, in the way that certain scenes are allowed to play out for several minutes in the hands of some quality actors without having to be accompanied by music or fast editing. It all adds together to a very atmospheric and chilling post-apocalyptic setting. The sense of emptiness and tragedy is realised here in a way that other "end of the world" stories often fail at. There are some genuinely chilling and uncomfortable moments, such as the scene with the Teenage Girl in episode 4.

On the down side, the Triffids themselves are badly dated in special effects terms. They're very reminiscent of some of the ridiculous monsters from Jon Pertwee-era Doctor Who stories- inflexible fibreglass constructions that are clearly being wobbled by an operator. Thankfully the Triffids are really bit-part players in Wyndham's story and so they don't dominate (and therefore ruin) the story-telling. There are other tell-tale BBC Drama symptoms, such as hollow-sounding interior sets and some rather wooden supporting actors.

On the DVD sleeve it claims that "Day Of The Triffids" is considered an influence on the 2002 zombie movie "28 Days Later", and that claim is certainly justified. All you need to do is change 'killer plant' to 'zombie' and you've got lots of plot parallels- a confused (and bearded) man wakes up one morning in an empty hospital in a deserted London, finally manages to meet up with a band of survivors; he realises that the problem is a man-made mutation, and then, accompanied by a woman and a young girl, he heads out of London only to struggle with a military force that has 'gone rogue', and so on.

The DVD comes with a "viewing notes" booklet which is a brief history of Wyndham's story and of the TV production. It's got some interesting notes but has been padded out with some less useful information- why would I want to know that John Duttine's contract was agreed on a Wednesday? But I guess somebody might.

A few weaknesses of a low budget make this an imperfect piece of drama but still chilling and very powerful. Recommended.

Triffid-rific!
Review date: 2006-11-26 Rating: 8 out of 10

As a big John Wyndham fan, I watched this with a good knowledge of the book.

It is very true to the book and I enjoyed it immensely. When this was on in the '80s it famously made kids scared of plants! I think the actually triffids were realised on telly in a realistic way. Yes they looked a little bit naff - but if the triffids were actually real I still reckon they'd look like they do in this series.

Lots of suspense and superd acting make this a classic for anyones DVD collection.

The lampost round the corner from my house sounds just like the triffids, when the wind makes it rattle - it's nothing to do with the DVD I know, and I'm sure it's of little importance and of no consequence to anyone reading this, but I thought I'd mention it!

Cheers to the BBC!!!!
Review date: 2006-08-19 Rating: 10 out of 10

What an excellent series!!! Obviously being on the other side of the Atlantic, I never saw this. So 25 years later I got to catch up when I ordered this DVD. I'm glad that I did. I had seen the 1962 movie adaption but it wasn't until I heard the 6 part BBC radio series that I had any idea that the movie wasn't even close to the book. Then I saw that the BBC did this series and I took a chance and ordered it. It is EXCELLENT!!!!! I only wish that we here in the States took more chances on shows like this.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
William Morgan Sheppard
Denis DeMarne
Keith Alexander
Morris Barry
Jon Rumney

Creators:
Jon Rumney (Primary Contributor)
Morris Barry (Primary Contributor)

Recording label: 2 Entertain Video
Manufacturer: 2 Entertain Video
EAN: 5014503145224
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: PAL,
Release date: 2005-04-04
Audience rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 164 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1981-09-10
Language: English (Original Language)

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