Day 17...
Day 17 - Favorite mini series -
This is a tough call because I am a huge fan of mini series and there are a lot of excellent ones out there. In fact, this is a perfect moment for my list of Ten Excellent Mini-Series.
1. Lady Chatterley - 1993
Out of the different film adaptions of Lady Chatterley's Lover that I've seen, I find this to be the most enjoyable, even though the ending is different. The book ends on a note of possibility, not certainty, which I like. Constance and Mellors aren't necessarily going to have a happy ending. On the other hand, I don't mind that they had one in this. Immigrating to Canada is always an awesome choice. The only problem I have with this version is with the music. At times it's lovely, at others it jars quite a bit. It's overly dramatic. It just doesn't fit right.
2. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall - 1996
I am always slightly surprised (yet immensely relieved) that there haven't been more versions of this. True, it's a lesser known Bronte work. Anne's masterpiece, not Charlotte or Emiily's, yet the story is just as intriguing as Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights, and just a tad more realistic. Helen Graham escapes from her past life of abuse and starts afresh with her young son. The bleakness of the Yorkshire scenery certainly fits as well here as it does in Heights. It's lonely, yet exhilarating, illustrating Helen's new start with a clear firm stroke.
(And, it was the very first time I ever saw James Purefoy in anything. I enjoyed his character (Mr. Lawrence) but he wouldn't really strike me until a year later though, when I saw A Knight's Tale.)
3. Perfect Strangers - 2001
This production (known as Almost Strangers for some strange reason in the States) was so good I wanted to read the book immediately afterwards. After a little research, I discovered there wasn't a book...it just felt like one. That's how good it is. Strangers has a theory: every family has at least three good stories in it. Daniel goes to his family reunion, a family he barely remembers, and slowly uncovers the stories that, despite being hidden away in the past, still connect to the present. The wonder of storytelling and the secrets of families are linked together splendidly. I never would have expected this to be as good as it was. (For the record, Daniel is my favorite Matthew Macfadyen role.)
4. Tipping the Velvet - 2002
It was a really hard decision, but I finally went with TtV over Fingersmith which is also very good. (Both are based on the respective books by Sarah Waters.) However, I've only watched Fingersmith once and TtV several times.
Nan is mostly content with her quiet little life, until she goes to the musical hall one night and sees Kitty Butler. This performance changes everything. Sometimes though, the person you fall in love with turns out not to be the love you're looking for in the end. I love the way Rachael Stirling plays Nan, full of hope and awe and love. You want her to realize Kitty is not worth all her heartache, but most of all you want Nan to be happy.
5. Crime and Punishment - 2002
This adaption is a very atmospheric telling of the story. It's excellent, but it's one of those ones that I have to be in the right mood for. John Simm does an excellent job as the guilt-ridden murderer. I always forget, and then I always remember that Liz from Shaun of the Dead plays Dounia here. Every single time. It's mostly because she's not blonde. Also, there are no zombies. Possibly its only flaw.
6. Sparkhouse - 2002
As much as I love Young Timothy Dalton* as Heathcliff (*smoulder smoulder*), this is probably my most favorite version of Wuthering Heights. The gender/role reversal works quite well, especially in the contemporary setting. Once again, Heathcliff, or in this case, Carol, is my favorite of the two. She's resilient and passionate despite the complete wretchedness of her life. Whereas, Andrew (Cathy) is a selfish whinger. He has his good moments, but mostly he just pisses me off and I want him to bugger off so Carol can start her new life properly.
7. State of Play - 2003
SoP is one of those stories that sounds boring when one tries to explain it. Or, rather, it sounds like a dumb Hollywood movie (oh, wait, they did remake it into one...*snark*) and yet it's not. It's excellent, it's intriguing. It's British drama at its finest and I would make everyone watch it, only there are some sad sad people in the world who just wouldn't get it. Either they haven't watched enough British telly in their life or they're like 'What's it about?' and I say, 'Journalism! Politics! Murder! Intrigue!' and they're all, 'Ah, we see...'
Beyond that, it has one of the best casts ever. It is a cast made of AWESOME. We have John Simm, Bill Nighy, David Morrissey, Kelly Macdonald, Polly Walker, Marc Warren, AND Philip Glenister. Oh, and that kid who played a faun and had sex with Keira Knightley. I only mention James McAvoy in context with this if I absolutely have to, mostly because people would watch just for him and it's SO MUCH MORE THAN his boyish grinning face. (For the record, I have nothing against JM, he's fine. I just got a little tired of hearing about sexy Mr. Tumnus.)
8. North and South - 2004
If I were going to recommend one romantic period piece mini-series, this would be it. N&S is the story of a young woman leaving her beloved home for a distinctively different industrial city. There she gradually comes to appreciate the differences between the more severe ways of the North and her own familiar Southern home.
The steadily growing attraction between Margaret Hale and John Thornton is splendidly written. Their desire to really understand each other is beautiful. There's also family secrets, scandal, class issues, all that fun stuff...
9. Blackpool - 2004
It's a musical...but it's not. The cast sings along with the soundtrack and it's brilliant. It works when it really really shouldn't. I admire all the actors/actresses who starred in this. David Morrissey, for example, is superb as Ripley Holden, a character you shouldn't like, and yet you just can't help it. The musical interludes add amusing and touching depth to the story when it could have been just another murder mystery.
10. The Devil's Whore - 2008
There are some bits of this particular mini-series that been pointed out as less than historically accurate. And all I can say is...Historical accuracy, smacuracy. John Simm! Those boots! That hat! That scar. Sexby. Ahem...That being said, I get that historical discrepancies bother some people. They bother me too, but for some reason, I can let them slide in TDW. I love the story of Angelica's progress through life, the men she's involved with, the freedom she seeks. At times the decisions she makes and the people she trusts are frustrating, but overall, the story is still enjoyable.
Oh, also, you can't trust Cromwell as far as you can throw him.
I could go on and on about the merits of each and every actor/actress in every single one of these. They all do fantastic jobs.(For example, Toby Stephens' performance in Perfect Strangers always makes me want to cry.)However, this would have been much much longer than it is now, so I tried to restrain myself.
You might have noticed that there is no Pride and Prejudice, or Jane Eyre on this list. While I adore JE, and have been known to watch P+P during fits of insanity they're always on these sort of lists. And I love the series' here just as much, if not more. (Well, I definitely love them more than P+P. JE was totally going to be on the list an then I remembered C+P. Simm snuck another one in. It's his fault. Blame him.)
*Oh you know I had to slip a picture in there. Look at that smoulder! Ahem.
Total sum up -
John Simm is in 5, 7 and 10.
David Morrissey is in 7 and 9.
Toby Stephens in 2 and 3.
Richard Armitage in 6 and 8.
I THINK that's all. I could be wrong.
This is a tough call because I am a huge fan of mini series and there are a lot of excellent ones out there. In fact, this is a perfect moment for my list of Ten Excellent Mini-Series.
1. Lady Chatterley - 1993
Out of the different film adaptions of Lady Chatterley's Lover that I've seen, I find this to be the most enjoyable, even though the ending is different. The book ends on a note of possibility, not certainty, which I like. Constance and Mellors aren't necessarily going to have a happy ending. On the other hand, I don't mind that they had one in this. Immigrating to Canada is always an awesome choice. The only problem I have with this version is with the music. At times it's lovely, at others it jars quite a bit. It's overly dramatic. It just doesn't fit right.
2. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall - 1996
I am always slightly surprised (yet immensely relieved) that there haven't been more versions of this. True, it's a lesser known Bronte work. Anne's masterpiece, not Charlotte or Emiily's, yet the story is just as intriguing as Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights, and just a tad more realistic. Helen Graham escapes from her past life of abuse and starts afresh with her young son. The bleakness of the Yorkshire scenery certainly fits as well here as it does in Heights. It's lonely, yet exhilarating, illustrating Helen's new start with a clear firm stroke.
(And, it was the very first time I ever saw James Purefoy in anything. I enjoyed his character (Mr. Lawrence) but he wouldn't really strike me until a year later though, when I saw A Knight's Tale.)
3. Perfect Strangers - 2001
This production (known as Almost Strangers for some strange reason in the States) was so good I wanted to read the book immediately afterwards. After a little research, I discovered there wasn't a book...it just felt like one. That's how good it is. Strangers has a theory: every family has at least three good stories in it. Daniel goes to his family reunion, a family he barely remembers, and slowly uncovers the stories that, despite being hidden away in the past, still connect to the present. The wonder of storytelling and the secrets of families are linked together splendidly. I never would have expected this to be as good as it was. (For the record, Daniel is my favorite Matthew Macfadyen role.)
4. Tipping the Velvet - 2002
It was a really hard decision, but I finally went with TtV over Fingersmith which is also very good. (Both are based on the respective books by Sarah Waters.) However, I've only watched Fingersmith once and TtV several times.
Nan is mostly content with her quiet little life, until she goes to the musical hall one night and sees Kitty Butler. This performance changes everything. Sometimes though, the person you fall in love with turns out not to be the love you're looking for in the end. I love the way Rachael Stirling plays Nan, full of hope and awe and love. You want her to realize Kitty is not worth all her heartache, but most of all you want Nan to be happy.
5. Crime and Punishment - 2002
This adaption is a very atmospheric telling of the story. It's excellent, but it's one of those ones that I have to be in the right mood for. John Simm does an excellent job as the guilt-ridden murderer. I always forget, and then I always remember that Liz from Shaun of the Dead plays Dounia here. Every single time. It's mostly because she's not blonde. Also, there are no zombies. Possibly its only flaw.
6. Sparkhouse - 2002
As much as I love Young Timothy Dalton* as Heathcliff (*smoulder smoulder*), this is probably my most favorite version of Wuthering Heights. The gender/role reversal works quite well, especially in the contemporary setting. Once again, Heathcliff, or in this case, Carol, is my favorite of the two. She's resilient and passionate despite the complete wretchedness of her life. Whereas, Andrew (Cathy) is a selfish whinger. He has his good moments, but mostly he just pisses me off and I want him to bugger off so Carol can start her new life properly.
7. State of Play - 2003
SoP is one of those stories that sounds boring when one tries to explain it. Or, rather, it sounds like a dumb Hollywood movie (oh, wait, they did remake it into one...*snark*) and yet it's not. It's excellent, it's intriguing. It's British drama at its finest and I would make everyone watch it, only there are some sad sad people in the world who just wouldn't get it. Either they haven't watched enough British telly in their life or they're like 'What's it about?' and I say, 'Journalism! Politics! Murder! Intrigue!' and they're all, 'Ah, we see...'
Beyond that, it has one of the best casts ever. It is a cast made of AWESOME. We have John Simm, Bill Nighy, David Morrissey, Kelly Macdonald, Polly Walker, Marc Warren, AND Philip Glenister. Oh, and that kid who played a faun and had sex with Keira Knightley. I only mention James McAvoy in context with this if I absolutely have to, mostly because people would watch just for him and it's SO MUCH MORE THAN his boyish grinning face. (For the record, I have nothing against JM, he's fine. I just got a little tired of hearing about sexy Mr. Tumnus.)
8. North and South - 2004
If I were going to recommend one romantic period piece mini-series, this would be it. N&S is the story of a young woman leaving her beloved home for a distinctively different industrial city. There she gradually comes to appreciate the differences between the more severe ways of the North and her own familiar Southern home.
The steadily growing attraction between Margaret Hale and John Thornton is splendidly written. Their desire to really understand each other is beautiful. There's also family secrets, scandal, class issues, all that fun stuff...
9. Blackpool - 2004
It's a musical...but it's not. The cast sings along with the soundtrack and it's brilliant. It works when it really really shouldn't. I admire all the actors/actresses who starred in this. David Morrissey, for example, is superb as Ripley Holden, a character you shouldn't like, and yet you just can't help it. The musical interludes add amusing and touching depth to the story when it could have been just another murder mystery.
10. The Devil's Whore - 2008
There are some bits of this particular mini-series that been pointed out as less than historically accurate. And all I can say is...Historical accuracy, smacuracy. John Simm! Those boots! That hat! That scar. Sexby. Ahem...That being said, I get that historical discrepancies bother some people. They bother me too, but for some reason, I can let them slide in TDW. I love the story of Angelica's progress through life, the men she's involved with, the freedom she seeks. At times the decisions she makes and the people she trusts are frustrating, but overall, the story is still enjoyable.
Oh, also, you can't trust Cromwell as far as you can throw him.
I could go on and on about the merits of each and every actor/actress in every single one of these. They all do fantastic jobs.(For example, Toby Stephens' performance in Perfect Strangers always makes me want to cry.)However, this would have been much much longer than it is now, so I tried to restrain myself.
You might have noticed that there is no Pride and Prejudice, or Jane Eyre on this list. While I adore JE, and have been known to watch P+P during fits of insanity they're always on these sort of lists. And I love the series' here just as much, if not more. (Well, I definitely love them more than P+P. JE was totally going to be on the list an then I remembered C+P. Simm snuck another one in. It's his fault. Blame him.)
*Oh you know I had to slip a picture in there. Look at that smoulder! Ahem.
Total sum up -
John Simm is in 5, 7 and 10.
David Morrissey is in 7 and 9.
Toby Stephens in 2 and 3.
Richard Armitage in 6 and 8.
I THINK that's all. I could be wrong.