The Bourne Identity
In this 1988 television adaptation of Robert Ludlum's thriller, a man (Richard Chamberlain), injured and suffering from memory loss, is washed ashore on the beach of a small French village. He can't remember his name and has no clue why the access code of a Swiss bank account is implanted in his thigh … but it's soon clear is that someone is trying to kill him. Jaclyn Smith is the woman who helps him evade the assassins.
Member Reviews
I still prefer the more recent version - Coconut_Willy
I must say up front that I am not a fan of Richard Chamberlain so I watched this convinced that I would be disappointed. Not the best of attitudes but I was even more disappointed in the awful job made by Jaclyn Smith. Mind you, the role she was given certainly did not help as both the character and the lines were very bad. It is true that the storyline was a bit truer to the novel than the Matt Damon version but what deviated from it was mostly sappy romantic scenes between the two main characters. Even though this had to be expected from a made-for-television production, I thought it was much more annoying than an overdose of frantic action. Overall, I thought it was OK with good production values especially from a sets and locations perspective but the lame acting was too much to get over...No, I didn't rent this by accident... - Fenris_Ulf
I really wanted to see how it compared to the Liman/Damon version.
How does it? Well, it's sort of like asking how a homemade grilled cheese sandwich compares to an expensive steak dinner. It depends on:
a) how hungry you are at the time
b) your mood (sometimes, you just want a grilled cheese sandwich)
c) how much you're willing to invest
In other words, there is a genuine, if somewhat limited, appeal to this 1988 television miniseries. But, it's still television, with a television budget, and television limitations.
Firstly, Richard Chamberlain, the Laurence Olivier of 80s television miniseries, is almost completely wrong for this role. He's too old, too soft, too lumbering, and he never looks believable holding a gun. His one redeeming value is, he's sort of endearing, in that comforting, familiar TV actor kind of way. You like him enough to keep watching, and that's the ultimate goal of television--to make you come back after the commercials.
Jaclyn Smith (the cutest of all Charlie's Angels) radiates a certain intelligence, but her range of emotions is limited to "forlorn", "worried", and "relieved". She was still extremely attractive at 43, but she doesn't offer much more than that. She isn't helped out by the almost schizophrenic nature of her character, either (Marie is completely different from the girl in the 2002 adaptation, now a Canadian bureaucrat). She goes back and forth constantly concerning her attraction/repulsion to Bourne, and some of her decisions are shockingly dumb. Again, though, TV audiences love her.
So, what's good about it? Surprisingly, quite a bit. The plot is much more faithful to the book (although still deviating a bit), the production values (for TV) are excellent, and I liked seeing Denholm Elliott, a great supporting actor, as Washburn.
This isn't a Hollywood blockbuster, and the film is a much more satisfying experience, but the miniseries isn't bad. Not at all.The Better Bourne Identity - Thanos
This version of the Bourne Identity offers a better adaptation of Robert Ludlum's book than the newer 2002 version with Matt Damon. The only criticism I have of the plot is the killing of Carlos at the end and thereby cutting off any sequel hopes back in the 90's of the Bourne Supremacy and the Bourne Ultimatum. Richard Chamberlain gives a fine perfomance as the fake amnesiac assassin, Bourne. Jacklyn Smith is beautiful and convincing as Marie St. Jacques, the woman who decides to help Jason Bourne. I enjoy watching this mini-series when it originally aired on TV and I enjoyed it again as a DVD. I only wish the makers of the DVD had added more extras. I was hoping the DVD would have more about the novel, the author Robert Ludlum, and the making of the series.
Member Reviews
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I still prefer the more recent version - Coconut_Willy
I must say up front that I am not a fan of Richard Chamberlain so I watched this convinced that I would be disappointed. Not the best of attitudes but I was even more disappointed in the awful job made by Jaclyn Smith. Mind you, the role she was given certainly ...No, I didn't rent this by accident... - Fenris_Ulf
I really wanted to see how it compared to the Liman/Damon version.
How does it? Well, it's sort of like asking how a homemade grilled cheese sandwich compares to an expensive steak dinner. It depends on:
a) how hungry you are at the time
b) ...The Better Bourne Identity - Thanos
This version of the Bourne Identity offers a better adaptation of Robert Ludlum's book than the newer 2002 version with Matt Damon. The only criticism I have of the plot is the killing of Carlos at the end and thereby cutting off any sequel hopes back in ...