East of Eden: a new version needed (critical)

The poisonous Florence Pugh sublimates this river adaptation (7 hours) of John Steinbeck’s novel. A very different rereading from that of Elia Kazan, incredibly rich and absolutely fascinating.

This story begins in the east.

Unlike the novel, the series does not begin in the majestic Californian valley of Salinas (it will arrive there later), but by pointing the camera at a woman on the ground, on the other side of the country, in the depths of Connecticut: Cathy Ames, toxic and almost satanic temptress of the biblical allegory imagined by John Steinbeck. A choice that speaks volumes: the Netflix version of East of Eden will be largely told from the point of view of the woman who is often considered one of the great villains of American literature.

Cathy suddenly arrives at the Trask brothers’ house, in the middle of the night, a few years after the end of the Civil War. Swollen and half-dead, she will turn their lives upside down in ways that Adam and Charles can’t even imagine yet. While the older brother puts her back on her feet, he falls in love with this pretty blonde with…