Pillar's of the earth

Just watched the film, "Pillar's of the Earth" which I rented (in 2 volumes) from Amazon. It cost $8 USD to see both volumes.
Which is still MUCH cheaper than a movie ticket and more enjoyable as I get to stay in my recliner. 6.5 hours in length.

Truthfully, I did not expect it to be of such excellent quality. It took a while until I got used to the editing and to recognize the characters and their names. But, once the film got rolling it flowed along nicely.

Having read Ken Follett's book, years ago, I had certain mental images in my mind of what the characters looked like. But, once I got used to the new mental images, I thoroughly enjoyed the film.

IMO worth the money.

Re: Pillar's of the earth

The book is a good read.
I haven’t watched the movie yet.

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Both book and movie are excellent for those who wish to learn more about 12th century England.

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i havent seen the film but the book was brilliant.
i like the historical dramas when it talks about the ordinary folk rather than the squabbling of Kings and their hangers on.
I know that there is a lot of liberty taken with the true facts but it does make a good story

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Pillars Of The Earth was serialised on TV in 2010. Starred Ian Mc Shane amongst others and, IIRC, was an excellent adaption of Follett's book (the 1st in the Kingsbridge trilogy).

I'd love to see the series repeated on TV again

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Im sometimes dubious of books made into films or TV series as due to film or TV program makers restrictions on cost or technical problems sometimes the books storyline is adapted to suit the screen and ends up so different.

Last week I watched a film of Terry Pratchetts book, Going Postal and was so disappointed in comparison to the masterpiece the book is.

At least with a book you are able to see your own visuals in your head rather than some directors vision.

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Yes, I have Pillars of the Earth on DVD.
A very interesting historical drama about the construction of a 12th century cathedral including the trials and tribulations not only of constructing such a large building but also of challenges posed by his opponents.

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I am very curious about that cathedral. At the very end of the film, there is a scene of a cathedral in a 20th century village. Is that "THE" cathedral ? What is that village ?

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I can't remember. I'd have to watch the film again.

However, as far as I can recall, this is just a story and does not represent any real cathedral construction.

If the final scene shows a real cathedral, I should probably recognise it. On the other hand, it could be just a common or garden church!

Another thing I found fascinating about the film was the detail regarding true architectural structures, and how some early attempts failed because the architect didn't fully understand how to build them. Much learning was done by trial and error.

EDIT:
I haven't time to look at the recording again, so I googled it!

"The final aerial shot is of modern-day Salisbury with a CGI cathedral combining elements of Salisbury Cathedral and Wells Cathedral, to represent the complete fictional Kingsbridge Cathedral, which were the two cathedrals which inspired Follett during the writing of the novel."

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Thank you , JBR. I appreciate you taking the time to look it up for me.