day of the triffids

[mandimoo]

been watching the updated version on telly. in the series from the 70's I do recall the triffids were being farmed, but were they being farmed for their oil that would save the world from global warming... or is that a modern twist?

[S_C]

i dont remember them being farmed.

All i remember from the 70's series was that they were consider'd a pretty plant and until the " i think they were asteriod's " then not the solar inicident the new film portaide . Anyway until the light show that set them off they appear'd more like potted planst . which suddenly grew to enormous size and started moving ..

however i was quit young then so my memory of the series maybe clouded ..

ill keep watching this to see just how bad my memory really is . lol

[Sandy-Wroe]

I think in the book they came to Earth on the asteroids which had blinded people. But it's a long time since I read it, so I may be wrong.

[bednobs]

I gave up watching before the end because it was sooooo rubbish. All been done so much better in "survivors". Where was everyone in london? Why did everyone walk around moaning like zombies? how did the triffids get up steps and the like? can you really survive a plane crash without injury in the middle of a city by blowing up some life jackets? How on earth did people all over the world see a solar flare at the same time? If you arerunning away from a land rover that is chasing you in the forest at night, might it not be better to run in between the trees where it can't follow you rather than straight down the middle of the road until you fall over like a big girl? Why put somone blind on watch, then when they get killed, put someone else blind on watch????

[jno]

bednobs, next thing you'll be asking if plants can really roam around town killing people...

[bushbaby_de]

i'm so glad everyone else thought it was rubbish. Zac, what were you on to make you enjoy it? I could have done with some!

[bednobs]

lol i can suspend disbelief, but it has to be worth my while to do so, and this just wasn't.

[bushbaby_de]

I drove my hubby potty as all the way through I was making comments along the lines of either bednobs or please_sir's posts

[mandimoo]

i admit i could be mistaken about the orginal triffids being farmed, i was quite young too (and very, very scared!). i just remember the triffids getting out from behind an electric fence, such as you would find on a farm, cos they could hear that the electric wasnt running!
have to agree with most people on here, that the update is a bit laughable! shame.

[puzzled54]

I think the electric fence was keeping the triffids out of the house where the survivors were staying. I also thought they came to earth with the light display in the sky, and that people woke up blind the next morning. Don't remember triffids eating people, just killing them.

[Postdog]

Reckon I'll erase then.....

They were sort of "farmed" in the 70's version cos I watched it a couple of months ago. Not created by us but cultivated for their properties. I think it was a research farm.

[hc4361]

This programme was quite true to the book. The main character was working with the triffids, which were intelligent plants that killed people to eat them. The triffids were being bio-engineered for oil. He was in hospital after being stung by a triffid, with his eyes bandaged, which protected him from a natural sky phenomenon that left people watching it blind.
I thoroughly enjoyed it, and was pleasantly surprised. I usually don't like remakes of classics, but this was exceptional and was easily recognisable as the book written by Wyndham, which is always worth reading again.

[puzzled54]

Think I should read the book again.

[gilf]

I have read the book a number of times, the 70's TV version (it was actually 80's but whatever) is very faithful to the book, this one wasn't, there were elements of similarity.

To answer some of the questions and 'inaccuracies'.

The Triffids were farmed for their Oil, they originally came from the Soviet Union but there was some doubt where they really came from, the suggestion was that they came on a comet. However there is no relation to the meteor storm that blinds people.

The meteor storm was over 24 hours, it did not instantly blind people it took a day or so for it to develop which is why it effected so many people, there didn't seem a danger in looking so most people had the chance to.

The point of the triffids is this, in the book they are not ultra effective killing machines, just slow moving plants with a sting. It is however the combination of millions of blind people and carnivorous plants which is the problem. While there were people to tend them they were easy to handle, but once let loose they were able to pick off the blind.

As for Land Rovers and Blind Watchmen, yes rubbish but not in the book.

[mandimoo]

the absolute terror the early series struck in me as a child though, has made me want to get the book and read it now, so all good ;o) hiccy new year!