One Time I Would Be In Favor Of A Remake
This novel was so incredibly good, it still resonates with me almost 30 years later. There is no comparison between this movie and Scott Spencer's novel, except the title, and the characters having the same names.
I have the utmost admiration for Franco Zefferelli and his body of work, his "Romeo and Juliet" is one of my all-time favorite films, but this one didn't work. It didn't work on any level, it was atrocious. Many members othe suppporting cast were great, but the material never allowed us to fully appreciate those performances. Martin Hewitt was alright, but Brooke Shields was way out of her league in this part. I don't blame her in the least, she was a kid, she really couldn't act at the time. The director should have seen this. The part of Jade required an excellent actress to capture the complexities of the character and the story, and Brooke only had the beauty.
I can't believe I'm saying this as I despise the concept of remakes, but I actually wish someone would finally make the film that captures Spencer's magnificent novel. As far as I'm concerned, "Endless Love", the book I know and love, was never made into a film. Yes, there was this film with the same title, but it's not the story that the followers of the book recognize. I can't describe how much I anticipated this film, and then how let down I was when I saw it. To people these days "Endless Love" is mainly an 80s song.
If anyone reading this thread hasn't read the book, I encourage them to do so. It would be a loss for anyone to associate the novel with the movie. Scott Spencer's novel was a masterpiece. This is Zefferelli's turkey.