PLOT 105
Ther. adies‘
30X 234
“ALI HILL
As the film version of Alexander McCall Smith's The Not Ladies’ Detective Agency reaches the small screen, Allan Radcliffe pours the bush tea and talks to the people charged with adapting the much-loved modern literary classic
16 THE LIS'I’ 13-27 Mar 2008
i there is still such a thing as ‘apptiintiiieiit teles‘isitin‘ in this iiiulti-ehaiiiiel age. '/'/it‘ .\'u I Luz/tux. Ut‘lt't'ltt't' .-\ g't'Ht'i is it. The adaptatitin til Alexander .\le(‘all Smith‘s iiiueh- lOVCLl llUVL‘l arris es tiii the small sereen this l'tirtnight thanks tti a isealth til‘ high-prtil‘ile talent. mtist ntitahl} .-\nthtin_\ Minghella. \thti
steered The ling/[sh Patient and ’Hit' Yii/t’iilt't/ .llr
Rip/er tti :\L‘11LlL‘m_\ :\\\ttl'tl-\\llllllllg siieeess. and Richard Curtis. the writer hehiiitl sueh smash hit rtimantie etiiiiedies as l-tiiii' llt't/t/mgs (Hit! (1 Funeral and Minnie Hill.
With the credits reading like a rtill eall tit
distinguished names in the \stirld til‘ cinema and television. and a prime sltit tin BBC] UVL‘I' the
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l:astei' Hank lltilitla} \seelteiitl. the tale til .\liiia l’i'eeititis Raiiititsue. litits\\aiia's lii‘st leiiiale pri\ate tleteetix e. lslltl\\ll ltii' her ti'atlititiiial litiiltl. litiiiiesptin \\l\tltllll aiitl penehaiit ltii liiish tea. \sas :il\\;i}s gtiiiig tti lie tine til the shining higliligliis til the lieeh‘s spring selietliiles.
But is the ititii'iie} lrtini page In sei'eeii e\et‘ i'eall} L‘lllll'llk'ss,’ \\ liile an atlaptatitiii til a pheiitiiiieiiall) \llL‘t‘L‘\\llll iiti\el etitiltl itistilialilx e\peet a reatl_\-iiiatle atitlieiiee. the liliiiiiialters eari'} a helt} liiirtlen til i‘esptiiisiliilit} tti ensure that the screen iiieai‘iiatitin lis es tip tti its \ iextei's‘ high espeetatitiiis.
“'lliei'e's a eertaiii ti'epitlatitiii alititit adapting stieh a ptipular lititilt.‘ sa_\s Nu / Int/it's' pi‘titltieer 'l‘inititli} lirieltiiell. \\ll(l pi'esitiiisl} etillalitiratetl \sith .\liiigliel|a tin ('ti/t/ .lltiimltiin. ‘Ytiti lia\e tti liiitl a ma} tti please the e\istiiig laiis as \\ ell as liringiiig iii llL'\\ atitlieiiees.‘
lt‘s mm a tleeatle siiiee the small latliiiliurgli ptihlishiiig lititise l’til_\gtiii released .'\le(':_i|l Siiiitli's tale in a limited print rtiii. .\t the time. the ptihlishers iiiitlerstaiitlahl} tell that a gentle. slti\\~paeetl sttir} alititit a ptii'tl} lititstsaiia gunislitie. gi\eii tti ptiiitlei'iiig eases til niarital iiilitlelit}. sniall—seale iiisni'aiiee seams and missing L'()\\\ in the shade til aii aeaeia tree. iiiight tiiil_\ eii_iti_\ a iiititlest appeal. in the surprise til all etiiieeriietl espeetatitiiis u ere e\eeetletl. laiiglish language sales til the eight Mi / [alt/11W.Ut'lt‘t'ltit' xl g’t'lttw ll(l\L'l\ llil\L' litm ttipped ten iiiillitiii. while the series has heen translated iiitti 34 languages.
()ne til the sei'ies' lllitll} laiis \tas .‘\lllll(lll} \linghella. \\ll(l hatl heen recruited in wine a line of hlurh litir the htitilt‘s iaeltet when it “as released in paperhaelt. 'l'he htitilt had heen tiptitinetl l'tir liliii litii' \L'\Cl'itl )ears hel'tire the hugel} iii-tleiiiaiitl \linghella reached a break in lll\ schedule illltl l'L‘itll\L‘tl llL‘ jtlst L'Ullltllld lL'l airstiiie else take tiii the challenge til bringing tti lite the deteetixe agent} at the it it il ()l. the Kgale Hill in (iahtii‘tine.
While .\le('all Smith passed up the tipptinunit) tti \stirlt tin the sereeiipla}. the authtir uas happy in tiller his LlLl\lL‘L‘ (in se\eral ke} technical Ll\[X'Cl\ (iii the [il'HtltlL‘llUlL
'l read the script and made a etiuple til etiiiimeiits and I \sent tiut tti Bt)l\\\'ilnil and
.1 fig."