The task of condensing a 400-page novel into a sleek feature film running just over two hours, while retaining the nuance of the story and characters, proved a daunting task for the British screenwriting couple Peter Straughan and Bridget O'Connor, who has since died of cancer.
Straughan points out that choices had to be made in the 1979 mini-series too. "A couple of characters were cut, even though they had seven hours. We never intended to do the whole book. We had to find a fillet to cut out and go with that."
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NZ Herald