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The Bourne Identity (DVD, 2002)
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If you've read & enjoyed the multi-layered, intricate tapestry that was a NY Times #1 Best Seller, then you will enjoy this INCREDIBLY faithful adaptation ! Fitting so much of the novel's 523 - 608 pages of intricate DETAIL into a mere three hours is IMPRESSIVE ! I just finished the last page of the novel, then watched this TV Movie. There were many details & nuances where they could've cut corners & simplified, yet they didn't ! There were only 4 points where they "went Hollywood," but without sacrificing fidelity to the tone of Ludlum's original novel. Director Roger Young & Teleplay/Screenplay author Carol Sobieski did an outstanding job ! This originally aired on ABC in two, 2-hour parts on Sunday: May 8, 1988 (Mothers' Day) and Monday: May 9, 1988. Sobieski's writing (and Jaclyn Smith's performance) make this version subtly "more accessible" for women gathered around a TV screen in 1988. While the three-hour length may be a bit much for some viewers to do "in one sitting," the DVD divides the movie into "Part 1" and "Part 2" (reflecting the original air dates), which easily supports a "two-night viewing experience." This was a far more nuanced adaptation, when compared to the 2002 Damon theatrical movie, where they threw out so MUCH of the detailed backstory. (By his own admission, 2002 Director Doug Liman jettisoned much of the novel's content in an attempt to modernize it, and conform it to his own beliefs & family experience regarding US foreign policy) Even down to "Bourne's" age. Some "rough math" based on the details of the book (Career, Nam, 1st Wife & Kids. Medusa, Tam Quan: 3-25-68) sets "Bourne's" D.O.B. as late as 1938 (apx). That would mean by the time of the novel: 1980, he'd be at least 42. By 1988, the 53-year-old Chamberlain (ironically born 1934) might have been a bit old to play the mid-forties "Bourne." However at the time of the theatrical movie's shooting in 2000, 30-year-old Damon was also TOO young... For Future Buyers: My only surprise was the (2002 Warner Video Standard) Snap Case. I had never seen one (much less opened one) before ! While it IS more "eco-friendly," I was surprised at how fragile it seemed to be. I can see why the "Keep Case" became the industry standard. This is not a "bootleg," this is simply the packaging that Warner Video was using in 2002 (Original Barcode 085392356522) BOTTOM LINE: If you enjoy seeing most of the details of the 1980 novel meticulously & realistically transferred to cinema - this is the adaptation for you. If you lack the time, or patience, and enjoy more of a fast-action movie, super-fast special effects, without as many layers to either the story or characters, go with the 2002 Doug Liman/Matt Damon movie, which clocks in 67 minutes shorter.Read full review
I saw this original feature when it first came out in theaters. My review is a comparison between this and the Matt Damon remake. Chamberlain's role as Jason Bourne is much more frantic and shows his confusion and struggle. Damon's portrayal is more in control and deliberate. Chamberlain's original version is good and intriguing, but it tends to drag in spots. However, I like the idea of the plot. Bourne is a 007 of sorts who suffers amnesia after getting swept up in the ocean on a mission. The story finds him trying to figure out who he is and why he knows how to do things like tear down and reassemble a handgun in just a few seconds flat.
This movie is just as good as I remember it from the 80s. Recently I read the books and was happy to see how well this older The Bourne Identity movie adaptation captured the original story. I was afraid I was going to be more sophisticated now and this old movie would appear quaint, but it still packs a punch with excellent acting and action. It could have been in movie theatres at the time! I thoroughly enjoyed seeing it again, and this time with cinema-like quality. Even though I enjoyed the new movies with Matt Damon, I found their new story lines hard to follow and didn't care for Bourne's new love interest. Jaclyn Smith is gorgeous and Richard Chamberlain made a great action hero! He's the one I saw in my mind as I read the book, even though it was 20 years after I had seen the original movie! Maybe it's hard to convert those who love the new movie, but check this old one out! Definitely worth a viewing.Read full review
Based on of Robert Ludlum's suspenseful spy novel, this 1988 two-part TV movie begins with a man being shot in the head and falling off of a ship at sea, which subsequently sinks. The man washes ashore in Port Noir, France, and is found and cared for by Dr. Geoffrey Washburn, an alcoholic English doctor. The man can't remember his name; his nonfatal but nonetheless critical head wound has rendered him an amnesiac. Dr. Washburn also discovers, surgically implanted into his patient, microfilm with an account number for the Gemeinschaft Bank in Switzerland. Bidding his benefactor farewell, the man travels to Switzerland in the hopes of rediscovering his identity. At a hotel whose name he inexplicably remembers he discovers his name is "J. Bourne" and that he works for an organization called Treadstone 71. More, but not enough, is revealed at the Gemeinschaft Bank where Bourne learns that the "J" stands for Jason, and that he is a rich man with fifteen million dollars to his name. But he still has no idea what Treadstone is, or why he recognizes the American man being interviewed on TV about the recent assassination of Ambassador Howard Leland. Leaving, Bourne suddenly finds himself the target of hired killers posing as bank employees. He flees with the assistance of Dr. Marie St. Jacques, a Canadian economist in Switzerland for a conference. The pair, constantly dodging the killers from the bank, track down various informants who know little but suggest Bourne is connected to a notorious Spanish assassin named Carlos, and, worse, that Bourne may have been hired by Carlos to kill Ambassador Leland! Is Bourne really who he - and everyone else - thinks he is? Is he a murderer? Did he kill Leland for Carlos? Just who exactly is Carlos? Why are the men from the Gemeinschaft Bank trying so hard to kill Bourne? Who do they answer to? What is Treadstone? And why does Bourne recognize the American from the television? All these questions and more will be answered by the time the film's three-hour runtime draws to a close in a satisfying (if a little jostling) finale in New York City, but not before more chases, shootouts, car crashes and tons of political intrigue and double-crosses. A much more thoughtful and cerebral film than the remake starring Matt Damon, 'The Bourne Identity' is a bit slow in places but is never boring, and has plenty of twists and turns and surprises to keep viewers guessing. Richard Chamberlain is capable and likable in the lead role, and the supporting cast includes familiar faces like Denholm Elliott as the amusing and kindly Dr. Washburn, Shane Rimmer as stern, no-nonsense American Army General Conklin, Anthony Quayle as French General Villiers, and Wolf Kahler as the cold-blooded assassin nicknamed "Gold Glasses."Read full review
I loved the book and this DVD follows it faithfully. It is a story, mystery and good tale, as told by Robert Ludlum. This was my favorite Ludlum book. More recent movies are good but so full of special effects that you almost lose the story;.
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