Cold Comfort Farm - Film, TV or Theatrical Adaptations

Film, TV or Theatrical Adaptations

Cold Comfort Farm has been adapted for television twice by the BBC. In 1968 a three-part serial was made, starring Sarah Badel as Flora Poste, Brian Blessed as Reuben, Peter Egan as Seth, and Alastair Sim as Amos. In 1995 there was a made-for-TV film, which was generally well-received, with critics like the New York Times' Janet Maslin writing that this screen version "gets it exactly right." The film starred Kate Beckinsale as Flora, Joanna Lumley (also famed from her role as Patsy in the British TV comedy "Absolutely Fabulous") as her friend and mentor Mary Smiling, Rufus Sewell as Seth, Ian McKellen as Amos Starkadder, Eileen Atkins as Judith, Stephen Fry as Mybug, Miriam Margolyes as Mrs. Beetle, and Angela Thorne as Mrs Hawk-Monitor. The 1995 version was produced by Gramercy Pictures, in collaboration with BBC Films and Thames International, and was helmed by Academy Award-winning director John Schlesinger, from a script by novelist and scholar Sir Malcolm Bradbury. It was filmed on location at Brightling, East Sussex. In 1996, this new version also had a brief theatrical run in North America and Australia. The 1995 Cold Comfort Farm is available on DVD in both the US and UK. The 1968 BBC adaptation was released on VHS but is no longer available commercially. Gramercy Pictures had nothing to do with the production. John Schlesinger used his own money to blow up the 16mm BBC version of the film to 35mm. He then took it to all the USA distributors. Most turned in down. Gramercy picked up the completed film which went on to gross over $5 million at the US box office.

The BBC produced a four-part radio adaptation in 1981. Patricia Gallimore played Flora, and Miriam Margolyes played Mrs. Beetle. In January 1983, a sequel, Conference at Cold Comfort Farm, set several years later, when Flora is married with several children, was broadcast (Part 1: "There have always been Starkadders at Cold Comfort Farm", and Part 2: "Reuben's Oath - or Seven Good Men and True").

The book has also been turned into a play by Paul Doust. The plot was simplified a little in order to make it suitable for the stage. Many characters, including Mybug, Mrs. Beetle, Meriam, Mark Dolour and Mrs. Smiling, are omitted. Meriam's character was merged with Rennet, who ends up with Urk at the end. As a consequence, both Rennet's and Urk's roles are much bigger than in the book. Mrs. Smiling is absent because the action begins with Flora's arrival in Sussex; Charles appears only to drop her off and pick her up again at the end. Mark Dolour, though mentioned several times in the play as a running joke, never appears on stage. Finally, instead of visiting a psychoanalyst to cure her obsession, Judith leaves with Neck at the end.