The Woman in White, some BSG recs, and statistics
You know, I've yet to encounter a version of The Woman in White, except for a German tv miniseries, which does not change one crucial plot element. (The Woman in White, dear readers, is a Victorian mystery/thriller written by Charles Dickens' pal Wilkie Collins, the Thomas Harris of his day, who was a rather unorthodox gentleman living with two women. He also had a thing for laudanum but that's almost standard for the time.) No matter whether it's the black and white version, or the more recent one with Simon Callow, or the new Andrew Llyod Webber musical - they just aren't content with the nature of Sir Percival Glyde's secret, the secret he committed a number of dastardly crimes to protect. (Glyde being the main villain of the saga.) They all change the secret. Mostly, I guess, because of the era we live in, but also for one other reason.
See, in the novel, the secret is illegitimacy. His parents weren't really married. Which means Sir Percival has no right to his estate, title, or money. Mrs. Catherick found out, blackmailed him about it, and unfortunately her feeble-minded daughter Anne once heard the "do this or I'll tell your secret!" theat and repeated it without ever knowing what the secret actually was. This doomed her and sets the plot of the novel in motion.
The problem every film producer has when encountering this revelation is, I guess, that the impact of illegitimacy in the 20th and 21st century just isn't there anymore. He's a literal as well as figurative bastard, so what? To convey why this would ruin Sir Percival asks for some serious set-up in 19th century mentality, not some filmic or theatrical short hand.
The other reason why this kind of secret is regarded as ill-fitting today is probably because it actually invites some sympathy. It is not something which Sir Percival's fault, after all. Every other crime he committs is his fault, but he's hardly responsible for the circumstances of his birth. And if a villain has a secret, and it comes out in the showdown, it should better be some sinister deed of his own.
Hence, I venture, all the plot changes in the various variations of The Woman in White. In most cases, Sir Percival Glyde turns out to have raped Anne Catherick. In the recent tv film, she was a child when he raped her. In the ALW musical, she was an adolescent, but had a baby which he killed. Now while this is clearly a crime a modern audience can understand, and can understand why it should not be discovered, it poses a problem in a 19th century context. Unless I'm totally off base, a gentleman having sex, voluntary or enforced, with a working class girl, would not have been spoken of, but the working class girl would have had no chance to be believed if she accused him of rape. Especially if she were a servant. She'd just have been dismissed, and would have found it hard to get another job. Child-killing would have been a criminal offense, of course, but Sir Percival needn't have bothered - he could just have thrown the poor girl out on the street and accused her of loose living.
All of which goes to say: produce any version of The Woman in White, and you're bound either to dissapoint your audience with the punchline or to be anachronistic. It's better to give up and read the novel instead. Collins is one of the few writers I know who successfully pulls off the trick of using various distinct individual voices for his narration. (The text consists of the journals and letters of various characters.) Pick up the book at any point, and you can tell whether it's Walter Hartright speaking, or Marian Halcombe, or Laura Fairlie's hypochandriac of an uncle, or the most fun of all Victorian villains, Conte Fosco. He and Marian (Laura's independent half-sister) are the most memorable characters of the story; Collins clearly is much more invested in them than in the typical Victorian lovers whose very names a gentle satires/puns (Walter of the right heart, and Laura the Fair indeed) , or even in his main villain, Sir Percival Glyde. (Who is a dull dastardly and moustache-twirling fellow, whereas Fosco with his mice and his wit and his open admiration for his opponent Marian is endlessly unpredictable.) And Collins can write page turners. My favourite of his is Armadale, but The Woman in White is a good point to start.
***
I can't tell you how happy the growing enthusiasm for Battlestar Galactica makes me. Here is a fun summary of the reactions to Bastille Day, the episodes Americans got to see on Friday. (Meanwhile, I can't wait till the Brits see the last season ep on Monday, because then I will get my next installment of episodes from the good and kind hmpf.) And behold, if creative American folks watch something and like it, there shall be fiction for the rest of us. I already pimped rheanna27's fabulous Five Deaths about Laura Roslin; here is a very short miniseries vignette about my new favourite President (sorry, Mr. Batlett). No spoilers.
And lastly:
Who's been commenting in your journal?
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selenak
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kathyh
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illmantrim
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londonkds
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andrastewhite
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ide_cyan
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karabair
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buffyannotater
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hmpf
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thesecondevil
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bimo
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deborah_judge
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mylexie
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vilakins
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skywaterblue
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muffinmonster
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monanotlisa
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janewt
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wychwood
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cadesama
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shezan
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sabine101
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Anonymous
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kakodaimon
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kitsune76
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raincitygirl
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penknife
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bethos
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paratti
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asta77
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gehayi
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__angela__
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masqthephlsphr
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natoth
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persephone_kore
26 comments
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coffee_and_ink
25 comments
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lynnb
25 comments
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nostalgia_lj
25 comments
0.38% of total
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butterfly
24 comments
0.36% of total
50
oyceter
23 comments
7 comments
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These statistics were generated using the LJ Stats Web Interface by mpnolan. Original idea from scrapdog's LJ Comment Stats Wizard.
See, in the novel, the secret is illegitimacy. His parents weren't really married. Which means Sir Percival has no right to his estate, title, or money. Mrs. Catherick found out, blackmailed him about it, and unfortunately her feeble-minded daughter Anne once heard the "do this or I'll tell your secret!" theat and repeated it without ever knowing what the secret actually was. This doomed her and sets the plot of the novel in motion.
The problem every film producer has when encountering this revelation is, I guess, that the impact of illegitimacy in the 20th and 21st century just isn't there anymore. He's a literal as well as figurative bastard, so what? To convey why this would ruin Sir Percival asks for some serious set-up in 19th century mentality, not some filmic or theatrical short hand.
The other reason why this kind of secret is regarded as ill-fitting today is probably because it actually invites some sympathy. It is not something which Sir Percival's fault, after all. Every other crime he committs is his fault, but he's hardly responsible for the circumstances of his birth. And if a villain has a secret, and it comes out in the showdown, it should better be some sinister deed of his own.
Hence, I venture, all the plot changes in the various variations of The Woman in White. In most cases, Sir Percival Glyde turns out to have raped Anne Catherick. In the recent tv film, she was a child when he raped her. In the ALW musical, she was an adolescent, but had a baby which he killed. Now while this is clearly a crime a modern audience can understand, and can understand why it should not be discovered, it poses a problem in a 19th century context. Unless I'm totally off base, a gentleman having sex, voluntary or enforced, with a working class girl, would not have been spoken of, but the working class girl would have had no chance to be believed if she accused him of rape. Especially if she were a servant. She'd just have been dismissed, and would have found it hard to get another job. Child-killing would have been a criminal offense, of course, but Sir Percival needn't have bothered - he could just have thrown the poor girl out on the street and accused her of loose living.
All of which goes to say: produce any version of The Woman in White, and you're bound either to dissapoint your audience with the punchline or to be anachronistic. It's better to give up and read the novel instead. Collins is one of the few writers I know who successfully pulls off the trick of using various distinct individual voices for his narration. (The text consists of the journals and letters of various characters.) Pick up the book at any point, and you can tell whether it's Walter Hartright speaking, or Marian Halcombe, or Laura Fairlie's hypochandriac of an uncle, or the most fun of all Victorian villains, Conte Fosco. He and Marian (Laura's independent half-sister) are the most memorable characters of the story; Collins clearly is much more invested in them than in the typical Victorian lovers whose very names a gentle satires/puns (Walter of the right heart, and Laura the Fair indeed) , or even in his main villain, Sir Percival Glyde. (Who is a dull dastardly and moustache-twirling fellow, whereas Fosco with his mice and his wit and his open admiration for his opponent Marian is endlessly unpredictable.) And Collins can write page turners. My favourite of his is Armadale, but The Woman in White is a good point to start.
***
I can't tell you how happy the growing enthusiasm for Battlestar Galactica makes me. Here is a fun summary of the reactions to Bastille Day, the episodes Americans got to see on Friday. (Meanwhile, I can't wait till the Brits see the last season ep on Monday, because then I will get my next installment of episodes from the good and kind hmpf.) And behold, if creative American folks watch something and like it, there shall be fiction for the rest of us. I already pimped rheanna27's fabulous Five Deaths about Laura Roslin; here is a very short miniseries vignette about my new favourite President (sorry, Mr. Batlett). No spoilers.
And lastly:
Who's been commenting in your journal?
1
selenak
2604 comments
39.21% of total
2
kathyh
236 comments
3.55% of total
3
illmantrim
133 comments
2.0% of total
4
londonkds
126 comments
1.9% of total
5
andrastewhite
123 comments
1.85% of total
6
ide_cyan
117 comments
1.76% of total
7
karabair
116 comments
1.75% of total
8
artaxastra
104 comments
1.57% of total
9
altariel1
101 comments
1.52% of total
10
buffyannotater
100 comments
1.51% of total
11
hmpf
91 comments
1.37% of total
12
kernezelda
89 comments
1.34% of total
13
hobsonphile
87 comments
1.31% of total
14
cavendish
73 comments
1.1% of total
15
thesecondevil
73 comments
1.1% of total
16
bimo
69 comments
1.04% of total
17
deborah_judge
65 comments
0.98% of total
18
mylexie
64 comments
0.96% of total
19
vilakins
63 comments
0.95% of total
20
skywaterblue
62 comments
0.93% of total
21
muffinmonster
59 comments
0.89% of total
22
monanotlisa
55 comments
0.83% of total
23
janewt
52 comments
0.78% of total
24
wychwood
50 comments
0.75% of total
25
cadesama
49 comments
0.74% of total
26
shezan
46 comments
0.69% of total
27
sabine101
43 comments
0.65% of total
28
honorh
43 comments
0.65% of total
29
estepheia
41 comments
0.62% of total
30
merrymaia
40 comments
0.6% of total
31
Anonymous
37 comments
0.56% of total
32
searose
37 comments
0.56% of total
33
bubosquared
37 comments
0.56% of total
34
kakodaimon
35 comments
0.53% of total
35
kitsune76
34 comments
0.51% of total
36
raincitygirl
32 comments
0.48% of total
37
penknife
30 comments
0.45% of total
38
bethos
30 comments
0.45% of total
39
paratti
30 comments
0.45% of total
40
asta77
29 comments
0.44% of total
41
gehayi
29 comments
0.44% of total
42
__angela__
29 comments
0.44% of total
43
masqthephlsphr
29 comments
0.44% of total
44
natoth
28 comments
0.42% of total
45
persephone_kore
26 comments
0.39% of total
46
coffee_and_ink
25 comments
0.38% of total
47
lynnb
25 comments
0.38% of total
48
nostalgia_lj
25 comments
0.38% of total
49
butterfly
24 comments
0.36% of total
50
oyceter
23 comments
7 comments
0.11% of total
These statistics were generated using the LJ Stats Web Interface by mpnolan. Original idea from scrapdog's LJ Comment Stats Wizard.