The Bell Jar

When they say that a book is always better than the film adaptation, "The Bell Jar" is a movie that can support that opinion to its highest degree. Sylvia Plath`s American classic, "The Bell Jar", is a vivid, disturbing and brutally honest depiction of a young woman`s plunge towards insanity in the 1950`s, and it has become my favourite book of all time. The film version, however, failed miserably in trying to tranfer the book onto the big screen. The original story was cut up so badly for the film, you sometimes can`t even tell if they`re the same story. The acting by the main character`s was mediocre at best, and worst of all, the movie completely lacked the poetic and evocative spirit that made the book special. Watching "The Bell Jar" just isn`t the same as reading the book, trust me when I say the book is much better.

i saw this a few months ago and i hope i never will have to again...i was not expecting something so hideously bad and corny....julie harris couldn't even save it...she was the only one who acted with some dignity...everything in the movie is jumbled and done wrong...the book is amazing, don't get me wrong, i love it to death..it's one of my all-time favourites, absolutely brilliant...but i find it sad how terrible the only movie it was made into is....i could've done a better job with the idea and i don't even know the first thing about moviemaking

Just as all boys who become readers as a result of CATCHER IN THE RYE and later are either discovering Phillip Roth or "rebel" types, the same goes for the adult woman emerging from the BELL JAR....EVERY sort of bright or pseudo intellectual girl is introduced to this book which becomes their stepping stone into the neurotic hormonal changes into WOMAN. That is trite and will annoy most of you, but it has been true for a long time. Even Liz Taylor once was going to do the film when young but could not get anyone to finance the "downer" aspect of this terrific work. Of course, a film with a mental narrative is almost impossible to make into a good film. Joan Didion's PLAY IT AS IT LAYS was a fantastic film of a very little known subject....filmmaking and the "biz", but a good portrait of a woman and Tuesday Weld was mind blowing in it.Just as the boys went on into the literary world to Mailer, Kesey, Tom Wolfe,and others went on to the political savants Vidal etc.;the women did the Virginia Woolf and offshoots of downer hood and independence and the intellectuals of both genders met in the middle with earlier mentioned Joan Didion and John Gregory Dunne, but the bump in the rug was when Erich Segal had such a hit with LOVE STORY and both sexes were now trapped by this silly little book and started reading together because they became "adult" enough to discuss each others' favorites. Now, are new literary heroes are emerging through politics or trash and some heavy handed intellectuals or NO READING at all---compared to the days when one had up to three or four books going at once.There are so many writers from foreign lands who are doing better work because the world is so bizarrely transitioning into a heavy handed place to create and kids are using electronic communication devices which has played havoc with a lot of good storytellers who cannot get a publisher and we almost know what our old "favorites" are going to write about..There are a lot more books and writers than I make it appear....but, it is still frustrating to go into a store and come out empty handed because it is quite a luxury to spend $25-40 when you are having financial setbacks or one struggles to justify not reading a great book they have at their apartment or home bookshelves which are bursting. Try Lorca or some Chinese writers by going to the public library first.

While Marilyn Hassett is a fine actress (she's absolutely wonderful as Jill Kinmont in the "Other Side of the Mountain" movies), she was totally miscast in "The Bell Jar". According to the book, the character of Esther Greenwood was nineteen, and Ms. Hassett was almost thirty-two at the time of this filming. Sylvia Plath's novel is a haunting, harrowing, timeless classic, and the film reflected none of that. It was a mess. Read the book instead.

Remember seeing this film years ago and it had a lasting impression on me! I remember the wonderful performance of Marilyn Hassett as Esther and Julie Harris as her mother! The breakdown of the main character was horrorfing and so well acted! I wish this was on video! Whatever happened to Marilyn Hassett she had a real promising career and what beautiful hair!