Customer Reviews

Riders [VHS]

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Since "Riders" is my all-time favorite book, I was thrilled to find it had been made into a video. Apparently it's impossible to translate 920 pages of novel onto the screen successfully, even at the length of 3 1/2 hours, which the video was. Perhaps it's because Jilly Cooper's characters as written are so other-wordly, so impossibly handsome or charming or spoiled or WHATEVER, but none of the actors in this movie were at all how I imagined them from the book. The actor playing Rupert especially was a disappointment -- he had none of the easy charm and calculating cruelty that Jilly's Rupert had. I can't recommend this video, but I can suggest you buy the book instead!

Not having read the book, my expectations were not dashed. I have found that few movies match the book, the few execptions where the movie is better are generally those where the book is written from the transcripts of the movie so I can understand the other reviewer's opinion of this film. For those who have not read the book, and who love horses and show jumping, this is a fine movie. I would have preferred more horses and less voyueristic scenes, but I gather the book spent more time with passions, and that is what sells. It is not something for younger audiences, which is a pity as some of the show jumping scenes are quite fun. Michael Praed is wonderful as a superb horseman.

When I heard that Riders was out on DVD, I was ecstatic. I am absolutely in love with the book, but the movie was somewhat disappointing. It really didn't stick to the book's format, and I'm actually suprised that Jilly Cooper was willing to release it. Overall, it wasn't bad, they really cast the characters well, but I would have liked it more had it have stuck to the book. I hope that they make a miniseries or another DVD out of the rest of her series, Polo especially.

The guy who played Rupert was worth the price of the DVD just to look at...drop dead gorgeous...but the movie was a crashing disappointment, obviously filmed by a crew with one hundred percent less than no knowledge of or interest in show jumping. The truncated story line made no sense if one hadn't read the book, and little if you had read it! I was surprised that Jilly Cooper allowed her book to be massacred in this fasion, as Riders is one of the most compellingly readable books I've ever come across...and I DO have knowledge of show jumping.

The Riders book was so much better than the DVD. They cut and changed so much that the DVD is no where near as good as the book.

I give the book a 10/10 and the dvd a 4/10

This movie does not stick to the book in any way. Details are completely ignored and manipulated. To anyone who has read and is a fan of the actual book this movie is a huge disappointment.