Drabble: where the leaves stopped (and the birds began) [The Devil's Whore, Edward/Angelica]

[pogrebin]

So I finally got around to acquiring and watching the most excellent miniseries The Devil's Whore, set during the English Civil War and starring a pantheon of stars: Andrea Riseborough, John Simm, Dominic Monaghan (as Oliver Cromwell!!!!), Michael Fassbender & Peter Capaldi (as King Charles I!) It's absolutely lovely. The cinematography is frankly

Comments

[the_gentleman]

I found it almost disappointing that they filmed in Africa. I mean, it worked, but it gave the effect of Lord of the Rings- as if England can't do epic unless it finds somewhere else.

If you have not read it, go find Maria McCann's "As Meat Loves Salt". It is amazing. Levelers struggling with love in the Civil War.

[pogrebin]

See, I kind of understood their choice, at least in terms of capturing an idealised/unspoiled vision of English countryside circa 17th century. Plus, Britain really is a bitch to shoot in because of the weather-- to achieve the kind of atmosphere/weather/skyscapes they wanted, they'd have had to schedule a much longer shooting schedule just to account for weather fluctuations. The variation in light, even on a good day, would have made shooting this and matching the shots much, much harder, I think. I saw The World Unseen at the BFI a couple weeks ago, and it's set in SA and has a similar take on the landscape, so I imagine it's noted as a great place to shoot for that kind of effect.

And oooh, have not read that, will definitely keep my eye out for it. The Levellers and Ranters and non-denominational offshoots of the period are absolutely fascinating.

[the_gentleman]

True. I'm used to theatre, where it's pretty much a given that it has to be local, and where outdoors theatre is entirely at the mercy of the weather- rather different to the demands of television, I imagine

[zauberer_sirin]

I found it almost disappointing that they filmed in Africa.

it was way cheaper in Africa, actually. and believe me, luxurious as the miniseries look, money is not something they had tons of. they had enough trouble filming in Africa as it is (ie. the wind).

i read "as meat loves salt" last week (i'm reading every book on that particular period, fiction and not fiction) and it was quite interesting, yes.

[the_gentleman]

As I mentioned above, I wasn't approaching it from a practical point of view.

What I do find interesting, though, at least from the debate of boundaries vs leveling (if we continue with that opposition) is that the open spaces of the drama effectively make the argument for the levellers, of an epic sweep of openness, which could not be made in an England parcelled up and divided as in the present day- despite the fact that actually, opening up the landscape is pretty disastrous for the environment, and more a sign of large-scale industrial farming which is the antithesis of the leveller philosophy. The perceptions of a lay audience works in opposition to the historical reality, in the same way that an air of romanticism surrounds historic buildings even where the original effect would have been entirely different.

[zauberer_sirin]

the open spaces of the drama effectively make the argument for the levellers, of an epic sweep of openness, which could not be made in an England parcelled up and divided as in the present day

i agree with this - i think the open spaces (and the wind, even if it was a nightmare for the crew) convey very well a feeling of possibility that is very much in synch with the mood of the era.

also, not all reason were practical and of money, the director Marc Munden wanted The Devil's Whore to be a sort of western, because he felt that genre was the ideal to tell this story. much in the same way Michael Reeves wanted to make a western with Witchfinder General. i think it's fascinating how, for a historical period that hasn't been very often portrayed in the british cinema/tv two of the most original directors this country has seen both have chosen the western to tackle 17th century england.