Enid Blyton Biopic on BBC 4 - 'Enid'

[Pippa-Stef]

Any time I've noticed the Enid Documentary on the bbc4 listing, it's been followed by the bookmark documentary. It was certainly interesting, though the acted parts were certainly odd.

I watched the bookmark documentary as well, Fiona, and I did think that there was a lot of over scripting. Also Imogen Smallwood's part was played by an actress (who's name I have currently forgotten)but Gillian was in there. I found some of the comments quite interesting, especially the one about how Imogen wasn't really "loved" (I can't think of a better word at the moment) because she was a girl and not the longed for boy.
Also I had had no idea that Gillian had accompanied her father to the station after his row with Enid that prompted to leave.

Maureen Lipman was brilliant as Enid throughout however, she truely is a great actress.

[Anita Bensoussane]

Imogen Smallwood's part was played by an actress (who's name I have currently forgotten)but Gillian was in there.

The actress was Anna Massey. I believe Imogen Smallwood was invited to take part in the programme, but preferred not to.

Maureen Lipman was brilliant as Enid throughout however, she truely is a great actress.

I agree that she was perfect for the part. Imogen once said at an Enid Blyton Day that, on viewing the programme, she felt at times that she was watching not Maureen Lipman, but Enid Blyton herself.

I also think Hellena Schmied was excellent as Enid as a teenager/in her early twenties. The more recent Enid drama didn't do justice to that stage of Enid Blyton's life in my opinion.

I watched the bookmark documentary as well, Fiona, and I did think that there was a lot of over scripting.

I don't know whether the BBC showed the heavily edited version last night, which comes across as choppy and hard to follow, or the full version. The full version is certainly "arty" and I imagine that anyone coming to it with little or no knowledge of Enid Blyton (which obviously wouldn't apply to most people here) might be left confused in places, but personally I like it very much and feel that it captures the essence of Blyton and her work in a thoughtful and imaginative manner.

[zaidi]

I am seeing the E.B movie. But I ave some doubts, In the movie Enid is shown as a little rude and neglects her children and no love for them.Is it really so?

[Moonraker]

I think we have discussed this to the death! Zaidi, there are 23 pages about this already!

[zaidi]

Alright!

[Poppy]

A program with the simple title; 'Enid', first shown on Monday 16th November 2009, seems to reveal all the secrets of Enid's life, rather alarming secrets which I find quite hard to believe. These are such as Enid cooking her daughters two pet rabbits, and not inviting her own children to a tea party she was holding for her fans, and having an affair with another man while her husband was away fighting in the war... I do not hold these things against the author because I find them extremly difficult to believe; don't you? I have only watched parts the program but I picked up these things in the few parts I watched. I was just wondering if we should believe any of these things or if they are just silly make-up. The writer is Lindsay Shapero and Producer Lee Moris. What do you think?

Merged with an older thread about the Enid drama. - Anita

[Katharine]

I don't remember the bit about cooking the rabbits, but I remember the other parts of the programme. I've read the biography about Enid, and from what I can remember there seems to be a little bit of doubt about exactly who had an affair first. I seem to recall that Enid's first husband met his next wife about the same time as Enid met Kenneth. Also, whilst I'm not condoning her behaviour, Hugh had a problem with alcohol which can't have been easy to live with. So whilst Enid's personal life may not have been as perfect as the lives of those in her books, I don't think it was as black and white that she just went off with another man as has been portrayed by her critics.

What I thought was particularly bad about the Enid programme was that there was little, if any mention of all the articles she published in the early days which were used by teachers to prepare their lessons. Also I don't think her charities featured in the programme either.

So I didn't feel it gave a very balaced portrayal of her.

[Anita Bensoussane]

I don't remember the bit about cooking the rabbits...

In real life Enid Blyton and her family kept hens, which would have provided eggs as well as being destined for the pot. They had already had hens for several years before the war, as many families did in those days. I suppose the producers felt that the idea of cooking pet rabbits would tug at the heartstrings more!

I agree that there should have been more emphasis on the positive aspects of Enid Blyton's life, Katharine. As well as covering little or nothing of Enid's teaching and charity work, the Enid drama failed to look at her talent as a musician and didn't really bring out her deep love of nature. The Bookmark - Sunny Stories programme included those things and was more balanced, I feel.

[Francis]

This program's Enid had no warmth at all and seemed almost autistic. You can never
imagine her connecting to millions of children throughout the world as did the real Enid.
It traduces her memory.

[Aunt Fanny]

I agree that the programme was very one sided but autistic?
Did you really mean that? A relative sometimes reads this column and is on the higher end of the spectrum so i think it was a little bit insensitve to use this discription.

[Moonraker]

Yes, I wondered at the use of the word. I wonder if Francis meant to use a different work, maybe austere, and wrote autistic by mistake? I know Francis personally, and I am sure he would never be intentionally insensitive.

[Aunt Fanny]

Thanks Moonraker--maybe I am being over sensitive as grandson autistic and there are just so many degrees along the spectrum.
I do think the word was meant though, as in Blyton was made to look as though she did not "connect" well with children.
Still, with words like "mong" and "spastic" frowned upon (annd rightly so) I do think we need to be a bit careful with this sort of application.

[Fiona1986]

I fail to see how Francis' use of autistic can be in any way interpreted as insensitive. For many people on the autistic spectrum a key 'symptom' if you like is a difficulty in connecting with and relating to other people. Which is exactly what Francis pointed out in Enid.

[Aunt Fanny]

Good for you.

[Moonraker]

For many people on the autistic spectrum a key 'symptom' if you like is a difficulty in connecting with and relating to other people. Which is exactly what Francis pointed out in Enid.

Francis was describing the programme as autistic, not Enid; that is why I thought he might have used the wrong word.