A Separate Peace (Cable Telefilm)
Picture: C+
Sound: B- Extras: D Telefilm: C+
Back in 1972, A Separate Peace saw a theatrical
film version that may have been set in the 1940s with a young Parker Stevenson,
but definitely had overtones of Vietnam throughout. When I saw a DVD was coming out, I hoped it would be that
version, but it turns out Peter Yates did a more “classic” version for the
Showtime cable network and here it is.
Made 30 years later, the telefilm is professionally done and well cast,
but it just drags on too much.
Ironically, I had just covered the British Mini-Series
version of Tom Brown’s Schooldays made around the time of the first film
version of John Knowles’ novel. It had
much more density in the issues with boy’s schools, coming of age stories,
latent homosexuality, and the British culture that this film, the specter of
World War II notwithstanding. Finny
(Toby Moore) and Gene (J. Barton) are the friends whose friendship takes a
strange turn, which the rest of the students feel are suspect on the part of
one of them. Stopping short of
revealing any twists or story, the Wendy Kesselman teleplay is not awful, but
misses any opportunity to do something new or different.
Yates has not directed a film I liked since the Cher/Dennis
Quaid vehicle Suspect back in 1985, but he has had more artistic hits
than misses. However, it is had to
believe the same man who helmed different films like Bullitt and For
Pete’s Sake could not do more with this situation. It is not that this version had to have
overtones of any other war, but we have seen this story done much better the
many times it has been done often and is only worth seeing if you are curious
or intend to read the novel before or after viewing.
The full screen 1.33 X 1 image is fairly good for a
production that looks like it was shot on film, but the lack of fine detail and
Vide Black limits make it hard to tell.
There is nothing special about its look either. The Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo has some Pro
Logic surrounds, though the DVD case does not credit it as so. They are not spectacular, but better than
usual for such a dialogue-based film.
There are no extras, but this is quality TV, even if it is a bit boring
and stuffy.
- Nicholas Sheffo
