James Herbert's Fluke is great material for a screen version. One of his few non-horror tales (and in many ways more of a fairy tale than anything else), it has the potential of a great movie.
So what does Carlo Carlei do? He stuffs the film with slo-mo violin-choked scenes that clash completely with the moody and poignant promise of the opening scene (and Herbert's book as well) and leaves out the book's most hilarious scene with the cat and the old lady.
This could have been on a par with Babe. As it is, I'll add points for Eric Stolz, the dog and camera work (which is truly outstanding) and subtract just as many for Nancy Travis, direction and music - Yeech!
So what does Carlo Carlei do? He stuffs the film with slo-mo violin-choked scenes that clash completely with the moody and poignant promise of the opening scene (and Herbert's book as well) and leaves out the book's most hilarious scene with the cat and the old lady.
This could have been on a par with Babe. As it is, I'll add points for Eric Stolz, the dog and camera work (which is truly outstanding) and subtract just as many for Nancy Travis, direction and music - Yeech!