Unnecessary dark turn for an enchanting classic

SIR – Upon reading about the new film adaptation of Swallows and

Amazons (report, May 7), I was appalled to discover that people are not satisfied with the original innocence of the Arthur Ransome novels. The new version will include “a gun-toting Russian spy”.

We will eventually reach a point where people no longer know the original stories. They will believe that the new, darker plot – designed to entice audiences – is true to the original.

I don’t know how anyone can fail to be enchanted by the 1974 film, which gave me hours of enjoyment during my childhood. Olivia Ensell Waterbeach, Cambridgeshire

I-spy: John, Susan, Titty and Roger in the 1974 film adaptation of Swallows and Amazons