Day 17 - "I've seen hell - and it's snow white"

[lost_spook]

Day 17 - Favourite mini-series. (I'm rebellious, I'm doing the days out of order. This post has to be done on a Sunday - classic period drama day. ;-D Besides, as pedanther pointed out, otherwise this meme ends on a really depressing note

Comments

[persiflage_1]

I'm sorry it didn't do anything for me...

[lost_spook]

I know, I remember! And, like I said, fair enough. :-)

But it did do one teeny, tiny thing for you... It was & is such a major push in getting me to write my 1851 fic! :lol:

I liked it the first time, but I wasn't sure whether that was just, erm, the shock of seeing RA for the first time, but I rewatched visiting a friend a couple years ago, and then had to get it for myself, and each time I notice more, and I'm left incoherent babbling at it.

But I mean, I could see for a start, how easy it would be to find all the characters annoying for the same reason I like them, and obviously, I'm not looking for flaws here! :-D

[persiflage_1]

But it did do one teeny, tiny thing for you... It was & is such a major push in getting me to write my 1851 fic! :lol:

Yay!

*wants*

[lost_spook]

Just let me kill off my OCs first, and I'll be on it. ;-)

[zulu_ottawa]

Yay!! It's my favourite miniseries too. I like Jane Austen of course, and Dickens and the Bronte's, but there is something about Gaskell that I just love.

This adaptation is wonderful; as you say, the writing, score, and acting by all parties is fantastic.

What I like even more is that when I first watched I had no idea who any of the actors were, so was able to get into the characters and story that little bit more. And okay, let's be shallow, but.... *ahem*

"I've seen hell - and it's snow white." Such a striking scene, music and all. I have so much love for this miniseries, I really do. :)

[lost_spook]

Yes - I think it's the attention to detail, the domestic aspect and the way that all the characters are very recognisable and fallible and the relationships she explores aren't dated, even though some aspects of her work do date in a way the giants of the English canon don't. (Her comments on fathers and daughters, and mothers and sons, for instance, in this, and stepfamilies in Wives & Daughters spring to mind

[zulu_ottawa]

Exactly! I remember watching Wives and Daughters, and thinking that was great too. I love the way she crafts characters, so flawed and with so much conviction and ideology and past coming into their decisions; it makes them real.

I don't care if it's short or long, I'll rewatch anyhow. Like the P & P with Colin Firth? How long is that? I've watched it so many times now though, and ever time it's better.

The music, and the machines (where did they film that?) and the contrast of his dark and sharp silhouette against the bright, smudged white cotton in the foreground; I applaud the Director of Photography there.

Yes, pretty. I don't particularly like shallowness either; but I was watching it with my sister, and we were both quite surprised he hadn't been noticed before. We think it's the eyes - that he wouldn't be as lovely without the strikingly clear blue eyes (and as for acting about a billion emotions without actually having to say a word, well...)

I don't have the DVD, sadly. I'd like to, though.

[lost_spook]

Yes - I do love her characterisation. And, true, I've also watched the 1995 P&P a few times, although 4 hours is easier to tackle than 6

[john_amend_all]

[Investigates, in rapid succession, YouTube followed by Wikipedia.]

It's said that you can tell a railway enthusiast by the fact that when he's talking to a pretty woman and a train goes past behind her, his eyes follow the train. That seems to apply to me, since my reaction was to watch bits and pieces, recognise the bits filmed at Horsted Keynes, and then go to my copies of Bluebell News to find the account of the filming (it's in the Autumn 2004 edition, as it happens).

[lost_spook]

Well, it was a shocking oversight of me not to mention the importance of trains and journeys in the series, with an awful lot of key scenes being set in and around railways stations - it was also the age of steam.

:lol:

[belantana]

True story: you have just doubled the miniscule chance of me hunting down and watching this, by mentioning trains. What, I like trains. Trains plus your praise of the cinematography (and mmmm yes it does look rather pretty) might just combine to overthrow my usual dislike of period things!

[lost_spook]

Heh. :-D

Well, as I said, it is deliberately shot in a much more modern way - that may help. Probably the typical in-house style for a period piece may be sending out unconscious signals that alienate you. Or something. Maybe. :lol:

I like it, anyway. I really enjoy lots of the BBC's classic output, but this one is a little shorter than some and really bears rewatching. But you know the sorts of things you like and don't!

But, yep, the final scene is on a railway station halfway between north and south... ;-D