Chocky

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Steven Spielberg's film company DreamWorks has acquired the rights to the science fiction novel Chocky by John Wyndham:
DreamWorks picks up 'Chocky' rights

Steven Spielberg would like to direct the film himself but there is a complication due to Dreamworks' recent spilt with Paramount to become an independent company.

Coincidentally I recently got the three Chocky TV serials from the 1980s just before learning about Dreamworks getting the rights to it. Good timing.

All three Chocky TV serials was written by former Doctor Who script editor Anthony Read. Also the first two were co-directed and produced by Vic Hughes who had been the producer of The Tomorrow People.

 

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Fortuitously I got to listen to the 1967 radio adaptation of Chocky thanks to a link via the Wikipedia article of Chocky which I finished with today.

A solid adaptation with a very sincere performance from Eric Thompson as David Gore.

 

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I have so far seen the first four episodes of the first serial.

James Hazeldine and Carol Drinkwater are very good as Matthew's parents. James Hazeldine's sincerity and patience with his son Matthew's friendship with Chocky is complemented by Carol Drinkwater's portrayal of Mary's frustration with the Chocky situation.

Andrew Ellams has been very well-suited in playing Matthew.

What a cliffhanger for Episode 4.

 

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Finished with the first TV serial this morning. Quite a good conclusion with the way the resolution has been played out.

 

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On the Chocky DVD saw the interview with Anthony Read.

He briefly mentions Doctor Who as among the things he worked on. For Chocky he had to adapt it to a more contemporary setting (the 1980s) as John Wyndham had written the book from a 1950s point of view. He also said that John Wyndham's family said that of all the John Wyndham books that have been adapted for TV, film and radio, Read's adaptation of Chocky is the only one that they like. Bravo.

 

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Finished watching the second TV serial Chocky's Children. It was very enjoyable.
Annabel Worrell was very good as the young girl Albertine and works very well alongside Andrew Ellams as Matthew.
Having made an impressive performance as Matthew's father David Gore in the first serial, James Hazeldine takes a backseat as David, only appearing in the first and last episodes. Carol Drinkwater hardly has anything to do here as she only appears as Matthew's mother Mary in the first episode. The explanation being that the parents went on an overseas trip leaving Matthew behind with his aunt.
Even Chocky herself turns up pretty late in this serial.
Ed Bishop (who I am also seeing in UFO) makes for a good villain here as Deacon.

 

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Saw the first half of Chocky's Challenge:
Unlike the previous two serials Matthew (along with his father) appears so far very briefly in the first two episodes. The serial focusses on Albertine.
While I am not trying to say that it was not a good idea for Albertine to be on her own without Matthew somehow Matthew not being a major player in this story comes with the absence of enjoyment that is needed for this serial.
The character of Professor Fraycott is very irritating and to a lesser extent so is Beatrice Liddle.
Interestingly in episode 3 it featured a punting scene at Cambridge. The Doctor did exactly the same thing at the same location in Doctor Who: Shada.

 

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Finished Chocky's Challenge:
The second half seems to be better than the first.
Beatrice Liddle does not appear as bad a character as I initially thought she was.
It certainly seemed better with Fraycott absent in the last two episodes plus Matthew pops up one last time in the final episode.