This has always been one of my favourite books. I was thrilled when I saw that the book had been made into a movie, for the first time since it was written, over 50 years before.<br /><br />I think Romola Garai is brilliant as Cassandra, but it is a shame that some of the dialogue she is given just does not compare well with the book. Bill Nighy did not seem to be the right actor for James Mortmain, who I think is more of a stiff-upper-lip type, not so artsy as Nighy portrays him - Mortmain has written a book but it's a scholarly work.<br /><br />I know a book has to change when it becomes a movie, but I missed characters like the romantically-minded school teacher and the dressmaker's dummy that Cassandra "brings to life". I also miss details like Topaz and Rose having long blonde hair (described beautifully in the opening pages of the book) and Thomas being 15 - so not quite as precocious as he appears to be in the movie.<br /><br />The movie captures some of the book's charm: the castle, the countryside, Cassandra's emotions, but I felt it was unnecessary to make up a particular scene between Cassandra and her father (I think this was done to accommodate Nighy's acting style) and I was really disappointed by the ending, where Cassandra seemingly lets go of her love, writing it off as a general experience, rather than declaring her love, as she does in the book, and her hope that the man she loves will return.