Spoilers, sweetie
Some recent media viewing
Versailles
It's absolute tosh, but it's fun tosh. There's a 10 minute section after each episode in which they tell you which bits are actually vaguely connected to reality, and which aren't. For someone with very little knowledge of the history of the period it manages to be quite educational. I certainly had no idea that in 1672 the Dutch Prime Minister was set upon by a mob in The Hague who not only killed, but possibly ate parts of him.
On another note, Wikipedia led me to this portrait of Louis XIV showing an early example of the contorted breasts and bum figure so beloved of bad film posters and novel covers.
My Cousin Rachel
Did Daphne de Maurier have an ill-advised affair with someone she met at a continental holiday resort? It would explain a lot. I enjoyed this very much, and finally found out the ending having somehow managed to avoid spoilers for about 20 years since I heard the first half as a radio play. I should like to read the book; the film maintained the ambiguity well, but I wonder how much the story relies for its depth on a certain interiority that is hard to maintain on film, but I can imagine being there in a novel.
Doctor Who
I've enjoyed this series very much in a low-key kind of way. I've really enjoyed Capaldi, and Peal Mackie is excellent as Bill. It's been nice to have a companion with no particular mystery or backstory to her, just someone going round the galaxy having adventures with the Doctor, and Mackie portrays a combination of cheerful friendliness and curiosity that works very well. Not to mention added fun from Michelle Gomez as the Master.
I hadn't been massively spoiled, but I'd seen the trailer for this week with a cyberman and John Simm. Despite the latter and having read that the two Masters got to meet, I completely failed to pcik up who was playing Razor until his conversation with Missy when suddenly I saw it in his face. In addition to my idiocy as a viewer, I put it down to some effective misdirection. Not only was I busy picking up the cybermen clues, but I was wondering what the hell there was a man doing dressed as Fagin.
This entry was originally posted at http://nineveh-uk.dreamwidth.org/224423.html. Please comment there using OpenID.
Versailles
It's absolute tosh, but it's fun tosh. There's a 10 minute section after each episode in which they tell you which bits are actually vaguely connected to reality, and which aren't. For someone with very little knowledge of the history of the period it manages to be quite educational. I certainly had no idea that in 1672 the Dutch Prime Minister was set upon by a mob in The Hague who not only killed, but possibly ate parts of him.
On another note, Wikipedia led me to this portrait of Louis XIV showing an early example of the contorted breasts and bum figure so beloved of bad film posters and novel covers.
My Cousin Rachel
Did Daphne de Maurier have an ill-advised affair with someone she met at a continental holiday resort? It would explain a lot. I enjoyed this very much, and finally found out the ending having somehow managed to avoid spoilers for about 20 years since I heard the first half as a radio play. I should like to read the book; the film maintained the ambiguity well, but I wonder how much the story relies for its depth on a certain interiority that is hard to maintain on film, but I can imagine being there in a novel.
Doctor Who
I've enjoyed this series very much in a low-key kind of way. I've really enjoyed Capaldi, and Peal Mackie is excellent as Bill. It's been nice to have a companion with no particular mystery or backstory to her, just someone going round the galaxy having adventures with the Doctor, and Mackie portrays a combination of cheerful friendliness and curiosity that works very well. Not to mention added fun from Michelle Gomez as the Master.
I hadn't been massively spoiled, but I'd seen the trailer for this week with a cyberman and John Simm. Despite the latter and having read that the two Masters got to meet, I completely failed to pcik up who was playing Razor until his conversation with Missy when suddenly I saw it in his face. In addition to my idiocy as a viewer, I put it down to some effective misdirection. Not only was I busy picking up the cybermen clues, but I was wondering what the hell there was a man doing dressed as Fagin.
This entry was originally posted at http://nineveh-uk.dreamwidth.org/224423.html. Please comment there using OpenID.