Pacing is a little clunky, due entirely to the interstitial shots added to pad the production to broadcast length. The performances are stellar. As a huge fan of the '68 version , even I found myself forgetting Hepburn at moments, and even O'Toole (though not nearly as often). The supporting cast is what elevates this production. While they were speaking the same words as that older, storied cast, they seem to have found entirely new characters. John Light's Geoffrey stands out: he gave the schemer actual depth--he showed what made "the wheels & gears" turn.

The production felt a little squashed, which is to say, the aspect ratio seemed all wrong, as if a wide-screen production had been panned-and-scanned for the DVD release. It seems that the aspect ratio has not been tampered with, which means there are composition problems. The direction was otherwise able. Konchalovsky has succeeded in making his own creature with only the slightest homages to the '68 classic.