Frenchman's Creek -- DuMaurier

[Hester]

Hi, all:

This summer, I've been reading lots of pirate-themed novels. I started with Daphne DuMaurier’s classic Frenchman’s Creek. I enjoyed it quite a bit, although I was emotionally unsatisfied with the ending.

After finishing the book, I ordered the newly-released DVD of the PBS “Masterpiece Theatre” production. The costumes and setting were glorious, as was the actor playing the French pirate. However, I was horrified at what PBS had done to the story. They had “historicized” it, setting it during the ‘Glorious’ Revolution of 1688, giving the main characters ‘serious’ motivations of religious persecution, political loyalty, and family vengence for their acts of piracy. [“Cromwell murdered your mother? Oh, snap – he killed my father too!”] Poor old Daphne must be rolling in her grave!!! She had set her novel in a deliberately vague, romaticized and a-political ‘Restoration’ past. Her characters took to piracy for the sheer thrill of it, in a defiant attempt to “escape” the social conventions, restrictions, and vacuity of their aristocratic class. Their motivations were purely personal, emotional ones, unconnected to wider political events. Yet, the PBS version sought to “ennoble” the characters’ misdeeds, having the leads act out of political/religious conviction, rather than a sense of mischief and roguery. [As an aside, DuMaurier has her novel begin at Midsummer – with its connotations of festive misrule and suspended “time out of time”.] Indeed, that sense of light-hearted fun was almost entirely missing from the PBS version. Where the pirates in the novel had simply knocked crew unconscious while stealing a ship, or tied them up and sent them drifting back into the harbour in a rowboat, their counterparts in the PBS production engaged in deadly combat, killing and being killed, as part of the “war” they were fighting.

Worst of all, the PBS presenter talked about the historical context of the 1688 revolution as if it were actually part of the original novel. Oh, sigh! One wonders why they felt they had to rewrite DuMaurier’s “masterpiece”.

Anyway, I'm going to watch the DVD again. Maybe I'll enjoy it more the second time, now that I'm over the shock of the inexplicable changes made to the original story. [And besides, that French pirate was hot!]

Cheers, Hester

[PirateQueen]

I was going to say, who cares how much they changed it, Anthony Delon as Jean-Benoit Aubery... Anthony Delon as Jean-Benoit Aubery!

But I see you acknowledged that important fact at the end of your post.

[Ransom]

Loved the book, but haven't seen the movie. We haven't had TV for abut 12 years. Don't know if I want to rent the DVD, now I've heard your review. I hate it when the media takes a classic book and screws it up.