Review of Rich Man, Poor Man

I'm a great admirer of Irwin Shaw and mindful of how badly he had been adapted - The Young Lions, Tip On A Dead Jockey, Two Weeks In Another Town - I wasn't bending over backwards to catch up with one of his fine late novels, Rich Man, Poor Man. Finally I bought it on DVD and have just enjoyed watching it in two long sessions. Frankly I was delighted at the quality despite the liberties taken - the elimination of Gretchen, the third Jordache sibling, for example, who emerges as Tom's first girlfriend and eventually his wife. Acting, writing, direction, were all up to snuff and the whole worked beautifully. One to be seen again and again.