+34Netflix's new seven-part adaptation of John Steinbeck's East of Eden, written and produced by Zoe Kazan, stars Florence Pugh as Cathy Ames. The series covers the multi-generational saga from the Civil War to the Great War.
Netflix has released a seven-part adaptation of John Steinbeck's East of Eden, written and produced by actor and writer Zoe Kazan. The series stars Florence Pugh as Cathy Ames and covers the entire multi-generational saga, from the end of the American Civil War to the end of the Great War.
The New Yorker's review was famously scathing of the novel, essentially a secular retelling of the Book of Genesis. It described the book as the precise equivalent of those 19th-century melodramas in which the villains could always be recognised because they waxed their moustaches. Other critics similarly decried it as overly melodramatic. But within months of its release, it became classic literary IP on streaming platforms, making it an unusual choice for a modern update.
From Classic Novel to Netflix Adaptation
Zoe Kazan's grandfather, Elia, directed the 1955 film adaptation that launched the career of James Dean. This new incarnation allows the entire multi-generational saga to play out. The original story is essentially a tale of the eternal conflict between good and evil, focused on two families, the Trasks and the Irish-American Hamiltons. The Trasks mirrored the story of Cain and Abel, while the Hamiltons were based on Steinbeck's own family, representing wisdom and moral stability.
Kazan has modified the retelling to focus more on the Trask family, although the Hamilton patriarch, Samuel, played by Ciarán Hinds, also features in this seven-part reimagining. We first meet Trask brothers Adam, played by Christopher Abbott, and Charles, played by Mike Faist, as boys. They are played off against one another by their domineering war hero father, Cyrus, played by Tracy Letts.
Cyrus harbours a secret only revealed after his death, and which hangs over the brothers, who spend decades estranged. Once reunited, Adam and Charles are living on the family farm when Cathy Ames, played by Florence Pugh, enters their lives. She turns up bloody and beaten and, against Charles' advice, Adam insists on taking her in and nursing her back to health before falling in love with her. But Cathy is no damsel in distress.
Florence Pugh Reimagines Cathy Ames
She is a liar, a killer and a sociopath, or she is supposed to be. In Steinbeck's story there is little nuance to Cathy: she is the embodiment of evil, a Satanic force. But Kazan has positioned this Cathy as a fiercely independent woman. It is a somewhat baffling notion considering the character still adheres fairly closely to the book.
Pugh, though, is brilliant as the remorseless woman who abandons her twin babies for a life as a brutal brothel madam. The twins are left to be raised by Adam's housekeeper Lee, played by Hoon Lee, the embodiment of good to Cathy's evil.
The twins, Caleb, played by impressive young Australian actor Joseph Zada, and Aron, played by Joe Anders, son of Kate Winslet and Sam Mendes, have been destined to follow a similar path to Adam and his brother, another generation of Cain and Abel. It is Lee, with his knowledge of the original Hebrew phrase timshel, meaning thou mayest, referring to the free will we all have to choose a path of good or evil, who ensures this mostly bleak story ultimately has some spark of redemption.
Character-Driven Drama Ultimately Proves a Slog
Netflix's lengthy list of do not reveal moments means much of the slow burning plot cannot be discussed, but overall, this series is for those with patience and a love of character-driven drama and a wide shot. The production design is gorgeous, even if it is occasionally obvious that it is New Zealand standing in for California. The acting is fine.
But unlike similar series embracing the classic cinematic melodrama vibe, such as Cape Fear, this epic Netflix remake is a slog.
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brisbanetimes:This story was compiled and edited by the HeadTopics newsroom and HT AI from the reports above.
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