The Shell Seekers

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Summary: A warm, beautiful and compelling film-- not to be missed!
Review: A beautiful, warm, and compelling film, THE SHELL SEEKERS is one of television's few genuine film masterpieces. Originally produced as a Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation, this absorbing and all too human drama deserves much more widespread attention. Superbly written and beautifully filmed, it features outstanding performances by a well rounded cast of uniformly excellent actors, not the least of whom is star Angela Lansbury. In a day in which grown children find it all too easy to blame their parents for every childhood shortcoming, the warmth, compassion, and message of this filmic gem can help bring healing and insight to many of today's searching "thirtysomethings". Unavailable on television or video for many years, truly this is a film not to be missed. It's a beautiful, poignant video that belongs in every family's video library.

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Summary: Angela Lansbury starring in "The Shell Seekers"
Review: Angela Lansbury stars in the movie "The Shell Seekers" based on the book of the same name "The Shell Seekers".The acting is good.If you like Angela Lansbury then you will enjoy this video since it is a good story.Angela Lansbury should have won a award for her acting in "The Shell Seekers"

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Summary: A pleasant way to spend and afternoon...
Review: I have read Rosamunde Plicher's novel THE SHELL SEEKERS seven times, and the movie brought the characters alive for me. Anglela Lansbury played the aging though vibrantant and sensitive Penelope Keeling perfectly. The other characters were also cast quite well. I felt the movie was a terrific representation of a very well written novel. As always it is difficult to fit every tid bit into a movie to make it exactly like a book, but this movie comes close to being as moving as the novel.

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Summary: Not even as a stand alone
Review: I have watched several film remakes of popular books, and I know that inevitably things will be changed. The important thing is that the movie be able to stand on it's own, so that even with the changes you embrace it. Not this movie. I actually couldn't wait for it to end - the acting was bad, the casting was even worse.... I think that sums it all up.

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Summary: I should have listened to the other reviewers.
Review: I loved Rosamunde Pilcher's novel The Shell Seekers so much that I just had to buy this video simply to become immersed once more in the world of cosy detail Rosamunde provides us. I thought it couldn't possibly be that bad. Well, frankly, it is rather bad. Even though it was filmed in Great Britain, it lacked that British feeling that I was going after. I felt as though I had tuned into a very early "Murder She Wrote" episode with Angela Lansbury surrounded by two-bit actors. Danus was particularly dreadful - no character development - there is absolutely no appeal and you actually hope Antonia does not fall in love with him. The actor who portrays Noel has an easy time of it being weak and greedy, and as for Nancy, why is she so thin? Olivia and Cosmo were the only ones who seemed true to the book. As for reviving Richard - I can only agree with the other reviewer - Penelope would never have chosen to be without him. How trite they made that love affair!

In sum, the movie was far too short to offer any kind of in-depth development. The critical war years were glossed over in mediocre flashbacks. But I suppose it would be alright if you're home for the day with a ghastly cold and you can't actually read the novel again. Just make sure you lace your tea with something a bit stronger - it might make viewing more tolerable.

Rating:
Summary: I should have listened to the other reviewers.
Review: I loved Rosamunde Pilcher's novel The Shell Seekers so much that I just had to buy this video simply to become immersed once more in the world of cosy detail Rosamunde provides us. I thought it couldn't possibly be that bad. Well, frankly, it is rather bad. Even though it was filmed in Great Britain, it lacked that British feeling that I was going after. I felt as though I had tuned into a very early "Murder She Wrote" episode with Angela Lansbury surrounded by two-bit actors. Danus was particularly dreadful - no character development - there is absolutely no appeal and you actually hope Antonia does not fall in love with him. The actor who portrays Noel has an easy time of it being weak and greedy, and as for Nancy, why is she so thin? Olivia and Cosmo were the only ones who seemed true to the book. As for reviving Richard - I can only agree with the other reviewer - Penelope would never have chosen to be without him. How trite they made that love affair!

In sum, the movie was far too short to offer any kind of in-depth development. The critical war years were glossed over in mediocre flashbacks. But I suppose it would be alright if you're home for the day with a ghastly cold and you can't actually read the novel again. Just make sure you lace your tea with something a bit stronger - it might make viewing more tolerable.

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Summary: Try again later . . .
Review: I saw about 20 minutes of the Hallmark TV version and went shrieking from the room! And this is possibly my favorite novel of all time. Angela Lansbury is terribly miscast. Penelope with stiffly coiffed hair, a corsage and a pink afternoon dress?!? What happened to the boat cloak? It should have been Judy Dench! This is nearly as bad as the carnage wreaked on "Clan of the Cave Bear" by casting Darryl Hannah. Trying to stuff a big novel into 98 minutes is a travesty. I see why writers like Steven King and J.K. Rowling take such tough control of their works when someone wants to film them. Couldn't we wait a few years and try again, this time in a 13 week series or something like "Ballykissangel"?

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Summary: The Shell Seekers betrayed
Review: No realistic viewer expects a filmed version of a book to be identical. But it SHOULD be true to the spirit of the novel (or why bother filming it?), and this TV movie is definitely not. Most of the main characters are too different, especially Penelope Keeling (Angela Lansbury is quite the wrong actress) - the Penelope in this film is unrecognisable. But the worst betrayal is the portrayal of Penelope's love affair with Richard, especially the change to its ending and to the ending of the book. If you want to watch a banal movie, and have neither read the book nor wish to read one of the finest novels in English, buy the movie. Much better, buy, read and re-read the book, and give yourself a real treat.

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Summary: Angela Lansbury starring in "The Shell Seekers"
Review: People, you know that movies are never as good as the book! This is no exception. However, in terms of the movie itself, I liked it. It was fun and interesting to compare my own personal images of Penelope, Nancy, Olivia, Noel, Antonia, and Danus to those in the movie. Sure, there were a lot of differences, but if you LOVE Rosamunde Pilcher's novels as much as I do then you can appreciate this movie and how it tried to grasp the feeling of the story, if not the exact plot. I highly recommend the book Coming Home if you enjoyed The Shell Seekers, and the movie Coming Home is excellent, too!

Rating:
Summary: Shouldn't expect the movie to be like the book anyway
Review: People, you know that movies are never as good as the book! This is no exception. However, in terms of the movie itself, I liked it. It was fun and interesting to compare my own personal images of Penelope, Nancy, Olivia, Noel, Antonia, and Danus to those in the movie. Sure, there were a lot of differences, but if you LOVE Rosamunde Pilcher's novels as much as I do then you can appreciate this movie and how it tried to grasp the feeling of the story, if not the exact plot. I highly recommend the book Coming Home if you enjoyed The Shell Seekers, and the movie Coming Home is excellent, too!