Up early - stiff as a board, took about 40 mins for my back to warm up enough for me to be able to dog walk. Annoyingly - it's a beautiful morning - another Bank Holiday wasted, I had loads to do - but I shall be spending the day horizontal again.
There was a serious road accident just a few hundred yards from my house last night - ambulance helicopter and everything.
Last night I finally got round to watching the new version of Brideshead. I thought they did a pretty good job of crushing the narrative into 2 hours, at least, enough of it to make sense. There was a warning on iPlayer that it contained 'adult themes' - and I had to confirm I was over 16. This turned out to be very curious - as it was a staggeringly sexless film - so I assume they meant the Catholicism, which was frightening enough. It was OK - but not great - it never really worked for me - you finished still bemused by these people destroying themselves for a faith they despise - if you want to see a better film with a similar theme - watch 'End of the Affair'. The leads were very good actors - but not very interesting people - Hayley Atwell playing Julia totally lacked the mesmerising animal sexuality of Diana Quick ( and not Rigg- as I stupidly typed at 7am this morning *slaps forehead*), the male leads were all perfectly cast but totally unsympathetic, only at the end do we get a glimpse of how stupid and vain Charles has been - and Emma Thompson, who was sold as the 'star' vehicle for this film - is fucking awful - hammy and crude. She makes it into a 'performance' rather than an acting role, no subtlety at all. She reminded me of a film I saw once where one of the female lead was played 'straight' by a man in drag. The incidental music got on my nerves too. In the end, I just didn't care. The only things I really responded to were my discomfort at seeing the servants run around and catering to every little whim - and then the ordinary working class soldier at the end, telling Ryder that all of this was gone, and it was 'their' turn now. Good luck to him. In the end - they made a drama out of a tragedy... but it's only a movie, anyway.
Oddly enough - there is an old-school Catholic mass on the radio as I type, I also read an interview with 'Rev' Richard Coles this morning. It's amazing that anyone who should be really interesting can be so dull. I think he revels in it. Part of the interview was about his sex life ( because - when you are gay - that's all anyone ever wants to talk about - as if you don't actually do anything else, just lurch from one sordid and grubby encouter to the next, sing showtunes, cry at Judy Garland Movies and go to nightclubs - I read that in the Daily Mail, so it must be true). He lives with his partner, who is another priest, but they are celibate - he won't actually say if he's happy with this arrangement - but just that 'it's what is required' but attests that one day the church will change. For Fucks sake - I've never trusted any creed that prescribes personal behaviour - or dress sense for that matter. It was Elizabeth 1st who said that she had 'no desire to make windows into men's souls' - I think the same should apply to bedrooms too.
2 comments:
You mean Diana Quick, although I like the idea of a Mrs Peel-style version.
I'll never watch the film. I loved the Charles Sturridge television adaptation and don't want it tainted. I also loved his adaptation of A Handful of Dust - a very underrated film.
ARRRRRRRGGGHHHH!!!! sorry!!!!! I can't believe I did that!!!!
BH had very good cinematography and everyone worked really hard, but it just did not work. I LOVED handfull of dust too, The part where KST is told tat her son has died and assumes it's here lover, then expresses relief, was materful. The book had a number of alternative endings, I've never been sure which one was my favourite.
I shall amend the above error and hang my head in shame all day.
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