The 1979 gothic novel Flowers within the Attic by American novelist V. C. Andrews was an immediate bestseller, and it’s simple to see why. The guide explores taboo subjects of homicide, rape, incest, and little one abuse. It’s a darkish and twisted story and one which breaks the mould. The characters are advanced, extraordinarily flawed, and ruthless of their actions. In addition, there’s something haunting about them and the best way they unapologetically abuse each other to achieve their targets. The story gives a darkish escape from actuality, and maybe the rationale that readers discovered the guide so engrossing was that it provided a glimpse right into a household so warped and so evil that it was in contrast to any household that they had ever encountered. Flowers within the Attic (1979) was the primary guide in The Dollanganger sequence, and it was rapidly adopted by three sequels: Petals on the Wind (1980), If There Be Thorns (1981), Seeds of Yesterday (1984), and the prequel, Garden of Shadows (1987), which was written by V. C. Andrews and Andrew Neiderman, who completed the novel by ghostwriting it for her after her demise in 1986.
In 1987, Flowers within the Attic was tailored right into a characteristic movie starring Louise Fletcher, Victoria Tennant, Kristy Swanson, and Jeb Stuart Adams. While this movie has a creepy ambiance, it left a lot to be desired, particularly when it got here to the actors and the movie’s accuracy in relation to its supply materials. However, one space the place the movie succeeded was its soundtrack, which is hauntingly lovely and completely units the tone for the darkish story to unfold. Thanks to its musical rating, the movie looks like a gothic fairytale, and matches the kids’s hope and marvel which rapidly turns to terror. But apart from composer Christopher Young’s work, the film is mediocre at finest, and simply forgettable. Luckily for followers of the books, that wasn’t the final we noticed of the Dollangangers, as a result of in 2014, Lifetime remade the movie with a solid consisting of Heather Graham, Ellen Burstyn, Kiernan Shipka, and Mason Dye. This Flowers within the Attic was far more passable, and improved upon the unique in some ways.
The Acting
The 1987 Flowers within the Attic adaptation had a solid that sadly, confirmed little or no emotional vary. Actors Kristy Swanson and Jeb Stuart Adams received probably the most display time as they performed the older kids Cathy and Christopher. Throughout the movie, these two solely displayed about two feelings: dazed confusion and pure anger. Yet, their hate was very one-note, and we by no means noticed the layers of emotion fueling their contempt. Instead, Swanson and Adams fail to point out advanced, multilayered feelings, with the overwhelming majority of their performances coming throughout as flat and excessive.
There’s numerous shouting within the movie which, used sparingly, can work successfully, however overusing it reads as poor performing and a scarcity of vary. Then there’s Victoria Tennant, who performs the kids’s mom, Corrine. Her performing may be very theatrical and excessive, and it feels extra like she is giving a dramatic efficiency on stage. The just one who actually shines within the movie is Academy Award winner Louise Fletcher (Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest) who portrays Olivia Foxworth, the overly spiritual deranged grandmother.
Lastly, including to the tacky performing is a script that’s not nice, with most of the traces feeling apparent, pointless, or overused. However, when the performing isn’t excellent, it’s most likely essential to have the actors spell out each little factor since their feelings aren’t able to conveying the plot.
While the performing could also be lower than fascinating within the first adaptation, the 2014 Lifetime film vastly improves on it with a solid that shows a variety of feelings together with harm, anger, betrayal, terror, guilt, and deception. Kiernan Shipka is sort of good as Cathy and portrays extra harm and betrayal than anger, which was Kristy Swanson’s overused go-to emotion. Another standout efficiency is Ellen Burstyn, a triple crown winner (Academy, Tony, and Emmy Awards) who performs the grandmother. She delivers a efficiency that’s a lot totally different than Louise Fletcher’s, however remains to be very efficient in showcasing a loopy lady with all the facility. Finally, there’s Heather Graham as Corrine, the mom, who delivers a fancy efficiency of a lady rapidly succumbing to greed.
Incest
While there have been many liberties taken within the 1987 model that dilute the movie from its supply materials, one of many greatest adjustments was the omission of romantic curiosity between Cathy and Christopher. While there are slight hints of it, nothing romantic ever occurs between the siblings. Incest could also be a taboo matter and an uncomfortable one for audiences to look at, however it’s one of many principal themes in The Dollanganger guide sequence, so it doesn’t make sense to take it out. In doing so, the 1987 movie looks like a watered-down movie with out a lot substance. After all, the grandmother is consistently carrying round a bible, inspecting the kids, and scrutinizing them for his or her sinful methods. However, when nothing lustful ever occurs between Cathy and Christopher, the grandmother loses advantage and her factors grow to be mute. She loses authority and is just an offended lady who rants and raves about hypothetical conditions that by no means come true.
In the 2014 Lifetime model, the romantic curiosity between Cathy and Christopher is as clear as day, with the pair sharing a number of kisses and even having intercourse. Although, intercourse scenes are usually not proven however are implied by revealing the pair undressed in a mattress collectively after kissing. However, one large distinction between this movie and the guide is that the intercourse is consensual and never the rape that transpires within the guide when Christopher turns into enraged and jealous over a kiss Cathy gave her sleeping stepfather.
The Ending
Another large change from the 1987 movie to the 2014 one is the ending. In the 1987 model, Cathy, Christopher, and Carrie crash their mom’s marriage ceremony, a lot to the shock of all in attendance. After confronting her mom, Cathy pulls out a cookie laced with rat poisoning, (one of many similar cookies that her mom ready with the hopes of killing the kids) and calls for that her mom eat the cookie. When Corrine backs up and refuses, Cathy forcefully pushes her mom who falls over the sting of a balcony and hangs to demise after her gown is caught on metallic trim. Not solely is that this accident very farfetched and excessive, however it’s additionally not correct to the guide, as Corrine really doesn’t die within the sequence till guide three. Additionally, Corrine is crucial to the plot of each the second and the third guide, so it doesn’t make sense for her to perish within the first movie. By creating this ending, it’s clear {that a} sequel was by no means within the works.
In the Lifetime 2014 model, the ending is conventional to the guide. Once Cathy and Christopher study that their mom has remarried, they start to suspect that she may by no means come again for them. Therefore, they begin sneaking downstairs to steal cash with the hope of saving up sufficient to go away. However, it’s not till they study that she was the reason for their youthful brother’s demise, that it’s lastly clear that she desires to rid herself of all of them. The kids lastly escape the home of horrors and catch a practice to Florida and the movie closes with Cathy vowing to get revenge on her mom.
While the 2014 movie is far more correct to the guide, it’s additionally a really lower and dry model and doesn’t have the haunting atmospheric really feel to it that the 1987 movie does. It feels virtually like a cleaning soap opera gone unhealthy, somewhat than a gothic story of horror. However, followers of the sequence will nonetheless possible get pleasure from this newer model extra, because it’s true to its supply materials and tells the Dollanganger story precisely.