I saw this movie a long time ago and liked it, but don't have enough memory of it to write an actual "review." But I thought that the Portuguese setting and characters were very interesting for an adaptation of Dickens, and encourage others to seek it out. The characters are given new (Portuguese) names. I found Janet Maslin's review in the October 6, 1988, New York Times, and want to comment on her review. She makes the common mistake (in my opinion) of confusing the adaptation with the original work (the Dickens novel), and gives a negative review of the movie because it is not the same as the novel. I find that especially troubling for a "professional critic", which I feel sure Maslin would claim to be. I usually have no problem separating the 2 things in my mind and appreciating both works (or not, as the case may be). The critic should critique the movie, not her idea of what the movie should be. It would be helpful for IMDb users if the title Hard Times could be added as an indexing point for the movie, even though apparently it doesn't actually occur in the movie's title.
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