Originally
sent February 26, 2008
Bonjour Boodell,
I
just watched the most exquisite BBC production of “Sons & Lovers”, filmed in
2002 on the Isle of Man.
The Isle of Man, England
Absolutely to die! Please rent it if you have
not already seen it.
D.H. Lawrence's Sons and Lovers
Starring
Sarah Lancashire as Gertrude, Hugo Speer as the husband, James Murray and
Rupert Evans as the sons James and Paul and Esther Hall and Lyndsey Marshall as
their lovers Clara and Miriam. I cannot think of one bad thing to say.
Production design, costumes (especially the mens), hair / maquillage, script,
acting, casting, locations, EVERYTHING was impeccable. It is truly one of the
most beautiful made for television films I have ever seen. The women are
straight out of Rosetti, Burne-Jones and Millais' paintings,
Burne-Jones
Millais
Rossetti
Rossetti
the
men are breathtakingly handsome – all of them, and the script is a perfectly
written adaptation of a literary masterpiece, something that is nearly
impossible to do, as you know. Television in Europe
is at such a high standard. Witness Fassbinder’s Berlin Alexanderplatz
and
nevermind Kieslowski’s The Decalogue
made
for German and Polish television respectively.
Valerie Caris, aka The Contessa
Vallée and I
The Contessa Vallée
took the train from New York to Boston to see the entire 10 part (11 with one
alternative ending) Decalogue at the Boston Museum of Fine Art. It was nearly 5
hours each day for 2 days and we were completely floored by what we saw. It was
a life changing experience. Wouldn’t it be great to work on one of these productions?
The budgets are obviously generous, but more importantly, the end product is
something to be proud of.
So
sad to read about Isabella Blow – somehow it struck a chord with me, that she
was compelled to jump off of a bridge onto a freeway – breaking both of her
legs and worse still, surviving. Poor dear. But now she’s really done it. You
have to admit, it was a very glamorous and fitting NY Times obituary.
Isabella Blow
I
have not seen “White Mischief” but will do so upon your recommendation. Sounds
like my kind of flick. “Burmese Days” is one of my favorite Orwell books
although
very dark and rather depressing, but all about the decent into alcoholic
madness of an English officer stationed in Rangoon. He describes the children
as “hideous green frogs”, which is so typically gin steeped, English, imperious, cruel and hallucinatory!
George Orwell's Hideous Green Frogs
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