German actor Hellmut Lange passed away after suffering for some years with dimentia on January 13th. Lange would have been 88 on January 19th, appeared in the 1968 German TV series “The Leatherstocking Tales”. Several of these episodes were released in Romania, the co-producing company, as feature films. Hellmut played the leading character Nathaniel Bumpo with the series based on the James Fenimore Cooper frontier adventures.
I have seen the series on TV as a kid, I remember it was quite good, but I’ve never seen it again, so maybe these JF Cooper adaptations weren’t as good as I thought they were
RIP
Looked a stern sort of chap…RIP.
[quote=“scherpschutter, post:2, topic:2630”]I have seen the series on TV as a kid, I remember it was quite good, but I’ve never seen it again, so maybe these JF Cooper adaptations weren’t as good as I thought they were
RIP[/quote]
Don’t watch them again, keep your memories. I was fascinated by them as a kid, but in the 90s they were a total disappointment. They haven’t aged well.
Thought so.
I have read a few similar comments on the net, so I haven’t ordered the set from Amazon.de
Let good memories be good memories
I started to reread the novel by Cooper a few years ago, but put it asisde after some 50 pages, it’s a dissapointment too
The series is based on 4 of the 5 novels. 4 self-contained films of about 90 min each.
I must say that I have very few recollections of the series, other than the fact that I liked them a lot.
R.I.P.
I liked Lange as actor, and if I ever would read the novels, no doubt, Nat Bumpoo would have his face in my mind.
(I’ve read The Deerslayer as a child)
Lange also moderated a TV quiz named Kennen sie Kino? from 71 to 81, in which also the new films were introduced with some scenes.
I read the books when I was young, but I don’t think the editions were unabridged
I picked up The Deerslayer in (I think) Penguin Classics, but found it quite diffuse and boring.
What I had read as a child was most likely also a child’s version.
Are the Leatherstocking novels longish?
Can’t find the copy right now, but I remember it was quite long, some 300-350 pages if I’m not mistaken
Then it surely was an abbreviated version.