things wot I've been watching
Dec. 16th, 2010 10:22 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lotesseI actually saw The Voyage of the Dawn Treader last week, but it broke my heart enough that I haven't really been able to talk about it. I saw it on the last day of term, and this has been such a terribly jonah term - Narnia has always been my strongest, deepest desiring fantasy of escape to something better, and dealing with that when I desperately wanted out was a bit more intense than it might've been.
In re: the film, I do not understand why people think they can completely restructure novels and still have anything coherent or functional. Narrative: it doesn't work that way. So the plot was a great mess of a great many things, and the characterization was across the board somewhat fuzzy and off. But it was all worth it for two things - Lucy casting the snowspell, and the Pauline Baynes illustrations over the credits. Because I adore Lucy, and Lucy's sense of wonder is the best part of her, and just oh Lu. And those illustrations felt so good and sweet and right and perfect, and I love whoever it was who decided to pay tribute to her and to Narnia in that way.
I wish they would've given more screentime to the Stone Knife - and I wish they'd left Lucy still be the one to recognize it.
Sadly enough, removing Susan seems to've fixed most of the gender foofaraw, though the business with Lucy and the Magician's Book was needlessly tepid and unimaginative. What exactly is wrong with the was Lewis wrote it? It was certainly more exciting!
At the end of the day, though, my heart will always belong to the silly BBC adaptation - Sam West ftw!
So I just finished writing a term paper on Ivanhoe, because Victorian medievalism is about as close as I want to get to actual medieval lit in any critical way, and because I had a massive affair with that book when I was about thirteen. And now that the paper's gone, the fannishness has set in. There is definitely fic. There may also be icons. And The Boy's never read it, so we've been investigating adaptations.
Also apparently contrary to the rest of the known world I ship Ivanhoe/Rowena, and think Bois-Guilbert is rather boring really. So, um, that kind of influences my preferences re: adaptations. Seriously, is everyone into the Ivanhoe/Rebecca action?
Ivanhoe (1952), starring Elizabeth Taylor and Robert Taylor: I grew up on this one, but it's still so terrible that we turned it off halfway through. Everyone is mysteriously old! They somehow totally miss the racialized point of the narrative by making Wilfred dark-haired and Normany! Everyone seems really dull! So, yeah, not so much. Also, Elizabeth Taylor as a Jewish character is one of the funniest/saddest things I've ever seen. eta: apparently she converted to Judaism some years after this? Which I didn't know! I wonder if she took the part for a reason, or if this was actually the case of "Hollywood casts ethnic character as hot brunette" I've always assumed it to be. /eta
Ivanhoe (1982), starring Anthony Andrews and Sam Neill: I'd never seen this production before, and it was a pleasant surprise. I'm predisposed to feel affectionate to Anthony Andrews, because of his wonderful Scarlet Pimpernel - which would be a favorite of mine if the wonderful lovely Leslie Howard had not also played that same part. In general, this adaptation is closest to what I want from this narrative - candy-colored hyperreal romanticism, all pretty and sparkling and sweet and impossible. I might wish Sam Neill's Bois-Guilbert was a wee bit sexier, in that sort of hot villain kind of way, and I think it's very odd that they changed the ending in re: his death, but Olivia Hussey as Rebecca makes up for it. She is also, afaik, not Jewish - but I've been in love with her since Romeo and Juliet, and at any rate she's a far sight better than Elizabeth Taylor! Lots of good renfaireish jousting - not so much historically accurate as very attractive and exciting and thrilling.
Ivanhoe (1997), tv miniseries: Oh this made me sad. The opposite way of filming/interpreting the Middle Ages - instead of everything being sparkly, let's make it all really dirty and unpleasant! That's realistic, right? The Saxons were all weirdly primitive - like, dudes, this is ostensibly the twelfth century. These are not the pagans you're looking for. Any the adaptation spent weird amounts of time shadowing Prince John and his villainous set, which was deeply boring - because yes, they're villains, this is not complex or deep, stop trying to excavate gritty realistic thrillers from chivalric romances, it's not working. Really played up the sexual jealously aspect of the competing het ships, which I found lowering to all three of the involved characters. Seriously, this is why I hate love triangles! Everyone comes out looking like a dick. Especially, in this case, Rowena, who seems driven by sexual jealousy to become outright anti-Semitic in a way that was really unnecessary and made me sad. This is why I have a realism allergy!
It's been fun - and strange - playing with this novel again, because I see so much of myself in its author. Scott really, really desires the fantasy of the Virtuous Knight, the liberal Hero who uses Might for Right, and defends the weak, and helps the helpless. And hoo boy am I ever susceptible to that fantasy. But at the same time, the entire novel is haunted by the traumatic knowledge that it never does actually work that way, that chivalry is just a pretty gloss for cruelty and oppression. But somehow I can't seem to get rid of the fantasy of knights in shining armor.
In re: the film, I do not understand why people think they can completely restructure novels and still have anything coherent or functional. Narrative: it doesn't work that way. So the plot was a great mess of a great many things, and the characterization was across the board somewhat fuzzy and off. But it was all worth it for two things - Lucy casting the snowspell, and the Pauline Baynes illustrations over the credits. Because I adore Lucy, and Lucy's sense of wonder is the best part of her, and just oh Lu. And those illustrations felt so good and sweet and right and perfect, and I love whoever it was who decided to pay tribute to her and to Narnia in that way.
I wish they would've given more screentime to the Stone Knife - and I wish they'd left Lucy still be the one to recognize it.
Sadly enough, removing Susan seems to've fixed most of the gender foofaraw, though the business with Lucy and the Magician's Book was needlessly tepid and unimaginative. What exactly is wrong with the was Lewis wrote it? It was certainly more exciting!
At the end of the day, though, my heart will always belong to the silly BBC adaptation - Sam West ftw!
So I just finished writing a term paper on Ivanhoe, because Victorian medievalism is about as close as I want to get to actual medieval lit in any critical way, and because I had a massive affair with that book when I was about thirteen. And now that the paper's gone, the fannishness has set in. There is definitely fic. There may also be icons. And The Boy's never read it, so we've been investigating adaptations.
Also apparently contrary to the rest of the known world I ship Ivanhoe/Rowena, and think Bois-Guilbert is rather boring really. So, um, that kind of influences my preferences re: adaptations. Seriously, is everyone into the Ivanhoe/Rebecca action?
Ivanhoe (1952), starring Elizabeth Taylor and Robert Taylor: I grew up on this one, but it's still so terrible that we turned it off halfway through. Everyone is mysteriously old! They somehow totally miss the racialized point of the narrative by making Wilfred dark-haired and Normany! Everyone seems really dull! So, yeah, not so much. Also, Elizabeth Taylor as a Jewish character is one of the funniest/saddest things I've ever seen. eta: apparently she converted to Judaism some years after this? Which I didn't know! I wonder if she took the part for a reason, or if this was actually the case of "Hollywood casts ethnic character as hot brunette" I've always assumed it to be. /eta
Ivanhoe (1982), starring Anthony Andrews and Sam Neill: I'd never seen this production before, and it was a pleasant surprise. I'm predisposed to feel affectionate to Anthony Andrews, because of his wonderful Scarlet Pimpernel - which would be a favorite of mine if the wonderful lovely Leslie Howard had not also played that same part. In general, this adaptation is closest to what I want from this narrative - candy-colored hyperreal romanticism, all pretty and sparkling and sweet and impossible. I might wish Sam Neill's Bois-Guilbert was a wee bit sexier, in that sort of hot villain kind of way, and I think it's very odd that they changed the ending in re: his death, but Olivia Hussey as Rebecca makes up for it. She is also, afaik, not Jewish - but I've been in love with her since Romeo and Juliet, and at any rate she's a far sight better than Elizabeth Taylor! Lots of good renfaireish jousting - not so much historically accurate as very attractive and exciting and thrilling.
Ivanhoe (1997), tv miniseries: Oh this made me sad. The opposite way of filming/interpreting the Middle Ages - instead of everything being sparkly, let's make it all really dirty and unpleasant! That's realistic, right? The Saxons were all weirdly primitive - like, dudes, this is ostensibly the twelfth century. These are not the pagans you're looking for. Any the adaptation spent weird amounts of time shadowing Prince John and his villainous set, which was deeply boring - because yes, they're villains, this is not complex or deep, stop trying to excavate gritty realistic thrillers from chivalric romances, it's not working. Really played up the sexual jealously aspect of the competing het ships, which I found lowering to all three of the involved characters. Seriously, this is why I hate love triangles! Everyone comes out looking like a dick. Especially, in this case, Rowena, who seems driven by sexual jealousy to become outright anti-Semitic in a way that was really unnecessary and made me sad. This is why I have a realism allergy!
It's been fun - and strange - playing with this novel again, because I see so much of myself in its author. Scott really, really desires the fantasy of the Virtuous Knight, the liberal Hero who uses Might for Right, and defends the weak, and helps the helpless. And hoo boy am I ever susceptible to that fantasy. But at the same time, the entire novel is haunted by the traumatic knowledge that it never does actually work that way, that chivalry is just a pretty gloss for cruelty and oppression. But somehow I can't seem to get rid of the fantasy of knights in shining armor.
no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 04:53 pm (UTC)When I think of the 52 movie I always remember how we saw it in high school. Our history teacher loooooved Joan Fontaine. And when we were watching the last part when Rebecca makes her speech about how she was wrong to want Ivanhoe and he'll be with Rowena in the silence this one guy said, totally audibly, "Ivanhoe's like...shit!"
The teacher was hilariously up in arms about it. Half-jokingly because omg, she's Joan Fontaine!
no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 04:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 05:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 05:05 pm (UTC)That's an amazing anecdote. I'm not sure if I ought to be really glad that I never worked on the book in high school - or if I missed out!
no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 05:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 05:08 pm (UTC)*sniggers* I did fall for the series as a 10-year-old because I loved knights in shining armour. :D
no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 05:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 05:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 05:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 07:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 06:23 pm (UTC)I first got into Ivanhoe by reading the children's book Knight's Castle by Edward Eager. It sort of misses the main point of the source material, but it was a lot of fun. (Though maybe not so much if you like Rowena. *g*) I read Ivanhoe in high school, and I remember liking it - though I was rather more drawn to Bois-Guilbert than Sir Wilfred.
no subject
Date: 2010-12-16 07:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-17 12:50 am (UTC)I became rather attached to the character when I was younger, I think because I was used to the big blue eyes and flowing blond locks of typical myth and fairy tale heroines. Any exoticism of Rebecca went completely over my head. I was just so delighted to have a medieval beauty who was (gasp!) like me in certain respects.
I remember watching the BBC miniseries with my parents. My mother was quite put off by Susan Lynch's more stereotypical looks (frizzy dark hair, dark eyes, hooked nose). Of the three, I want to say Olivia Hussey was my favorite, but since all I remember of Elizabeth Taylor's Rebecca was her beauty, I guess it isn't fair to judge.
Now I'm curious. Maybe I should rent the film.
no subject
Date: 2010-12-17 01:07 am (UTC)The fetishism problem re: non-white heroines is a tough one, because on the one hand of course we all want beautiful heroines who look like use, but tropes of chromatic beauty in white male lit can get so weird. I though Susan Lynch was absolutely gorgeous, actually - far lovelier than Taylor, imo. Her face reminds me a lot of DG Rossetti's paintings of Jane Morris.
no subject
Date: 2010-12-17 04:17 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-17 06:16 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-04 01:33 am (UTC)As contrasted to my mantra for reading Lewis in general: "Ignore the cultural and gender and sexuality fail, admire the systemic theology and pretty writing."
Also, "these are not the pagans you are looking for". *sporfles*