A Modern Comedy

I’ve been watching the new adaptation of “The Forsyte Saga” on television, and I am impressed. I know the British produce all these great actors and writers, and it is easy to just take that for granted, but this is one of those shows that make you aware of that again.

I vaguely remember the first adaptation that was done in the sixties. I was very young then, and I can’t imagine watching it at the time, but I remember reading the book when I was very young, and being impressed. I could still remember the main story lines when I started watching this adaptation, but not all the details. And I don’t remember enough of that first series to be able to compare notes.

It is a great story of people and emotions. There are characters you can identify with, characters you love and admire, and characters you don’t approve of. But there are no characters to hate. Somehow they all are believable and they all demand sympathy to some extent. I think Damian Lewis did a great job of Soames Forsythe, making him believable, detestable but at the same time slightly pathetic and tragic. This is a man who simply doesn’t get the point, and that is sad, but happens all too often.

So much happens beneath all those proper and serious exteriors. There are loving relationships, the one between Jolyon and Irene, but a lot of emptiness and deceit too. The times may have changed but in many ways it still is a modern comedy. I don’t care much for Fleur, but her crying out to Jon after he walked away from her was heart-breaking. As was the look on his face and Irene’s piano playing.