Regrettably, Jerome's so called classic of Victorian humour has, in many people's minds, attained such a revered status, to the extent that any who read the book MUST find it amusing, or be cast into the outer darkness! However, some, including the late Keith Waterhouse (and myself) do not agree. Waterhouse called the book the "unfunniest" thing he had ever read. The story simply one of three idle young men trying to escape reality and responsibility on a rowing holiday on the River Thames during a mythical Victorian heyday. The 1955 film version is funny, but only because of the cherry-picking of the book's obvious comic episodes ( tinned pineapples anyone!) and the inclusion of non-canonical female characters. Also the main characters are involved in the incidents in real time, rather than having them related as campfire yarns, as in the book.
Watching the T V version recently, I realised within the first five minutes that it was going to be like the book. The three mains came across as spoilt and silly, and the dialogue was uninteresting. Squeezing the story into an hour was never going to help but, as another reviewer has mentioned, this did not quicken the pace of the narrative, Stoppard simply omitted great chunks of it. The scenery along the Thames was appealing and that was about it. The conversations seemed at times rather forced and unconvincing, not to mention unfunny. Harris's drunken ramblings about being attacked by 8, 12, 14 ,18 or 32 swans did not raise a smile with me. The final abandonement of the excursion for creature comforts did make one wonder what the point of it had been and why Jerome bothered to commit his experiences to paper.
Watching the T V version recently, I realised within the first five minutes that it was going to be like the book. The three mains came across as spoilt and silly, and the dialogue was uninteresting. Squeezing the story into an hour was never going to help but, as another reviewer has mentioned, this did not quicken the pace of the narrative, Stoppard simply omitted great chunks of it. The scenery along the Thames was appealing and that was about it. The conversations seemed at times rather forced and unconvincing, not to mention unfunny. Harris's drunken ramblings about being attacked by 8, 12, 14 ,18 or 32 swans did not raise a smile with me. The final abandonement of the excursion for creature comforts did make one wonder what the point of it had been and why Jerome bothered to commit his experiences to paper.