I have to judge this movie as both a book adaptation and as a tv-movie. As a book adaptation, I give this movie a 5 or maybe even less. Several things that were changed from the book bothered me. One major one was the use of magic in the film, when the gypsy "magics" the shoes for Clara. The lack of magic was in the book for a reason. Gregory Maguire wanted his meditation on beauty and ugliness to take center stage in the story. Another major change was how Iris and Casper meet. If you've read the book then maybe you can understand why. I feel that their introduction in the movie makes Iris too self-conscious thus making her aware of herself whereas in the book she is taken by surprise and Casper catches a glimpse of the "real" Iris. Other changes bothered me as well such as the narrator of the whole story, where Clara's mother was, the attitudes of Clara and Margarethe. I also wish that the Margarethe's rumor about Casper had stayed in the film. However, the movie, when one forgets Maguire's magnificent work, succeeds. The costuming and the acting of Stockard Channing and Emma Poole make this movie a treat to watch. If you are disappointed by the way that some of the characters look such as I was with Casper(Matthew Goode was fine in the movie, but I envisioned something completely different), be glad that they didn't cast someone who wasn't even close to ugly, as Iris. A disappointment to Maguire's fans, but a treat to all others, I hope that if this book is ever made into a movie that Maguire himself adapts his book. I'm just glad that they didn't do "Wicked." I shudder at the thought.
