Book Five: All This, and Heaven Too by Rachel Field

This was another book sale purchase and another another purchase inspired by a film (like Julie and Julia, Mr. Blanding Builds His Dream House, Ragime, and Laura.) 

The film stars Bette Davis (that's why I watched it) and Charles Boyer. I never did get the charm of Charles Boyer. Now, I can't watch him without thinking of Car 54 and Sylvia Schnauzer. ("I'm so glad I'm married to Leo Schnauzer and not Charles Boyer.") 

I thought the book might be just a soapy melodrama. I second-guessed my purchase. I resigned myself to putting it aside if it wasn't any good. Instead, I enjoyed this book much more than I expected. 

Rachel Field is a vivid writer. 

Here are a few lines from A Letter of Introduction from the book's author to its protagonist:

"Fragments of your wit and sagacity have survived, like chips of flint left where arrowheads were once sharpened."

From Chapter Nine:

"The sky showed brilliantly blue and polished in gaps between yellow and bronze overhead, but for all its clearness a faint, bitter blue haze drifted. One was always losing and finding it again, like fragments of an old tune."

Rachel Field is telling the story of her great aunt Henriette Desportes in three parts. Part I details Henriette's life as a governess to the Praslin family and her involvement in a scandalous murder.  In Part II, Henriette is teaching at a girl's school in New York City. Part III focuses on Henriette's married life as Mrs Henry M. Field. 

Part I is the most dramatically interesting section and is the basis for the Bette Davis film. But Henriette had a rich life beyond the Praslin scandal in Part III. I keep coming back to the idea of Henriette as a kind of Forest Gump who witnesses and participates in key moments in American history. 

I was particularly intrigued by Henriette's reaction to first seeing Edwin Booth on stage. She recognized him, in his New York debut, as a great actor. The Field family was also involved in creating a commercial telegraph cable across the Atlantic Ocean. I'm interested in reading more about the telegraph as it relates to the growth of the railroads. 

I love when I find connections between seemingly different things I am interested in. 

Book 30: Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris

I previously read the first two of the Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampire Mysteries. This book is the fourth of 13 novels. The main plot concerns a coven of witches who are trying to extort money and take over local vampire businesses. One witch has cast a spell on Eric giving him amnesia; he remains in hiding at Sookie's house. 

Vampires, werewolves, and wiccans team up to fight the witches. Apparently werewolves made their first appearance in the third book in the series (which I haven't read.) Sookie's participation in the battle against the witches give her standing as a friend of the pack in the werewolf community.

A subplot involves the disappearance of Sookie's brother Jason and introduces a community of werepanthers.

I enjoyed the book although the TV series amped up the threat of the witches. The main witch Marnie was possessed by the spirit of a witch tortured by a vampire centuries ago. One of Marnie's spells raised vampires during the day. I loved the scene of Maxine Fortenberry's neighbor exiting her home and bursting into flames.

Book 29: Plays By and About Women Edited by Victoria Sullivan and James Hatch

I got this book at a library sale, but not sure which one. I don't see it listed in a previous post or in my latest book list.

The book includes eight 20th century plays. I was familiar with two from screen adaptations: The Children's Hour by Lillian Hellman and The Women by Clare Boothe. I haven't read any plays in a long time. It's fun to read a different format than a short story or novel.

The other plays are:

Overtones by Alice Gerstenberg

Play with a Tiger by Doris Lessing

Calm Down Mother by Megan Terry

The Advertisement by Natalia Ginzburg

Rites by Maureen Duffy

Wine in the Wilderness by Alice Childress

The plays give a bleak assessment of womanhood in the 20th century: men always let women down, women can be their own worst enemies, and opportunities for women are limited. 

The plays I enjoyed were The Children's Hour, The Advertisement, Rites, and Wine in the Wilderness. Wine in the Wilderness was the only play with a remotely happy ending. I'm glad the editors ended the book with that selection.

Book 20: Laura by Vera Caspary

I bought this book for $.50 at the Norwalk Library the day I borrowed Booth. It's another book purchase inspired by films (others are Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, All This and Heaven Too, Julie and Julia, and Dragonwyck.)

I love the film, Laura. It's one of my favorites. I liked the book. The film begins with a voiceover by Waldo Lydecker (Clifton Webb.) The book has three narrators: Waldo, Mark, and Laura. I liked the multiple PoVs. 

Book Waldo is fat, but I can't imagine anyone other than slender Clifton Webb as Waldo. Similarly, Vincent Price doesn't strike me as the hunky, handsome Shelby, but I did mention in my other post that he was more broad-shouldered than I had remembered. As it often happens, I read the book while visualizing the film's actors. 

Back to the book: I loved Caspary's choice of murder weapon--much more elegant and unusual than the movie's. Caspary apparently researched this. I didn't care for all the "Mark is a man" commentary, but I guess it's true to the time.

I just checked our cable channel guide. Laura is available on TCM on Demand. I hope to add more later. 

Edit 1 7.24.22: I had bookmarked a phrase in Laura that I liked. I'm not sure why I didn't include it. 

Narrated by Waldo Lydecker: 

 The moon had lost its battle with the clouds and retreated, leaving no trace of copper brilliance in the ominous sky. The air had grown heavier.

Edit 2 7.24.22: I watched Laura on TCM last week. I didn't mind the minor changes such as Waldo's weight, where Laura first approached Waldo for his endorsement of a pen, and the police tail of Shelby. 

I still think the book murder weapon and finale are better than the film's. The second entrance to Laura's apartment in the film hadn't been established beforehand. It was awkward (and too easily broken into.)

Book 13: Julie & Julia my year of cooking Dangerously by Julie Powell

I wanted a change of pace from my last book (The Lost Fortune of the Tsars) and this fit the bill. 

I enjoy the movie and usually watch at least part of it every time it's on TV. It has a good cast: Meryl Streep, Amy Adams and Stanley Tucci. I identify with Julie as a frustrated novelist and blogger, and Julia Child's story is charming. 

It's the addition of Julia Child's story that makes the film better than the book. I also liked the film's addition of Julie's humiliating story that her "friend" wrote about her in New York Magazine (at least I think it was New York Magazine.) It really nails her "I'm 30 with nothing to show for my life" ennui.

A nitpick: I would have liked to read about more recipes and skipped the story of 11-year-old Julie finding her father's copy of The Joy of Sex.

Book Three: Dragonwyck by Anya Seton

I picked up this Gothic romance because I enjoyed the film starring Gene Tierney and Vincent Price. I like the film better than the novel; it condensed the story and cut out some unnecessary scenes. I liked Gene Tierney's Miranda more than book Miranda because Gene showed more personality.

Both book and film open with the Wells family receiving a letter from a distant cousin Nicholas asking if one of the Wells daughters can live with him and his wife Johanna and help with their daughter. Miranda has no interest in the family farm and is raring to go. After Johanna dies, Miranda and Nicholas fall in love and marry. Miranda becomes the mistress of the gloomy Dragonwyck.

I learned about the Dutch patroon system by watching the film. I had never heard of it before. The book includes a scene at the Astor Place riot. I enjoy learning history in my reading. 

I may read Green Darkness by Seton as well. It involves time travel to Tudor times. 

Book 25: Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House by Eric Hodgins

This was a book sale purchase; I bought it because I like the movie. 

The book is good. It includes a few more household problems than occurred in the movie, including window installation snafus, damaged bathtubs that can't be easily removed without tearing out doors, and painters showing up before the walls are finished. 

The film adds two subplots. The first involves the Blandings' attorney Bill Cole. He is no longer simply a friend and lawyer, but an old flame of Muriel (Mrs. B.) The two end up staying overnight alone in the house during a storm, making Jim (Mr. B) suspicious and jealous. It adds nothing to the story.

The second subplot involves adman Jim coming up with a slogan for Wham ham. Luckily for him, the maid Gussie saves the day when she says: "If you ain't eating Wham, you ain't eating  ham." That becomes the slogan Jim is searching for.

Fun fact: the novel is based on the author's experience buying property and building a house in New Milford, Connecticut.

Note on reading goals: With a goal of reading 30 books, I'm in pretty good shape with a little over two months remaining in the year. When I select my next book, it will be one of the shorter ones to make it easier to reach my goal. No War and Peace for a while. 

Pride and Prejudice (1995 TV Series)

Many have called this series the definitive adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. I agree, though I must admit it took a while to warm up to Jennifer Ehle as Elizabeth. I really liked Keira Knightley in the role. Of course, Colin Firth was terrific as Mr. Darcy. 

I liked having six episodes to get more of the story. 

I wasn't as familiar with as many actors as I had been in the 2005 film, but I enjoyed Julia Sawalha. The flighty Lydia is so different from the serious Saffron in Absolutely Fabulous. 

Maybe it's time to revisit Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.

Pride and Prejudice (1940)

I found this film on TCM and recorded it. I read the book in May and the next month I enjoyed the 2005 version of the film. 

The 1940 version is a different story. I started watching the film with one strike against it: I don't like Greer Garson. I think I've only seen her previously in Mrs. Miniver. I can't even tell you why I don't like her. 

As expected, I didn't like her as Lizzie. Garson is too matronly looking for one thing. She also seemed very snobby, though I guess that's more the fault of the screenwriter than of Garson.

I had a lot of issues with the screenplay. It's too light--it's played more as a comedy than a social satire. I thought the archery scene (not in the novel) was silly. Afterwards, Lizzie and Darcy seem on the verge of coupledom, until Darcy overhears Lizzy's mother discussing Jane and Bingley and Lydia and Kitty acting outrageously. I also disliked the scene as the family is planning to move when Lydia is disgraced. I hated the scene between Lady Catherine and Lizzie: it's too big a departure from the novel that changes a key element of the plot. I didn't even realize the costumes were inappropriate for the time. 

I did like Olivier as Darcy (though not the writing of Darcy.) I also liked Edmund Gwenn as Mr. Bennett,  Mary Boland as Mrs. Bennett, and Edna May Oliver as Lady Catherine de Bourgh.

So, overall a disappointment.

Saturday Night Movie: Pride & Prejudice 2005

Saturday I was perusing the movie options on demand and found this version of Pride & Prejudice. I read the book last month and liked it. I thought Keira Knightley would make a wonderful Lizzie, and she did.

Matthew Macfadyen made a great Darcy. I loved Donald Sutherland as Mr. Bennett: Sutherland brought a lot of warmth to a small supporting role. Judi Dench was good as the snobbish, imperious aunt. It was fun to see actors we had previously seen in other shows: Simon Woods from Rome, Tom Hollander from Absolutely Fabulous, Rupert Friend from Homeland.

I loved the way the film showed conversations in the middle of dances.  I wish the film spent more time on the scandal of Lydia and Mr. Pinkham and how serious it was. My only quibble was the corny last few lines of dialogue. 

Edited to add: I just learned on Wikipedia that the corny last few lines  is the American ending: I should have known.

Re-reading Game of Thrones with an Assist

I started my re-read about two weeks ago and am around 40 percent through the book (borrowed from my brother.) I'm trying to read carefully to see clues that I missed in my first reading.

Originally I read the book after watching the first season of HBO's Game of Thrones, starting sometime in the summer of 2011. Technically I read a package of the first four books on Kindle. I'm ambivalent on reading on Kindles. It's certainly convenient for carrying a variety of books. On the other hand, I prefer the tactile nature of books. Plus it's so much easier to to move backwards and forwards, to check the maps and appendix of houses.

After several chapters, I remembered this website, Race for the Iron Throne. I have caught up to the chapter by chapter analysis (okay, I still have to read the analysis of the chapter I read last night (listed on the website as Eddard VII.) Race for the Iron Throne analyses each chapter with insights from all of the books of A Song of Ice and Fire as well as HBO's Game of Throne, and historical perspectives.

The show's seventh season will start in five-and-a-half weeks. I'm not sure how far I'll get in my re-read by then. I've decided to re-read the first three books. I'm also re-watching the show on demand. I should be able to keep things straight with help from Race for the Iron Throne.

The Jeyne Substitutions

The show-runners of Game of Thrones made many changes from the the books of A Song of Ice and Fire. Changes are necessary because of the different art forms. Of course, Martin's books are nothing if not sprawling; deletions and consolidations of characters and plot lines are also required.

I've probably liked more changes than I disliked.  But I reacted more to the changes I disliked.

Let's get to the Jeynes.

Jeyne Westerling appeared out of nowhere in A Storm of Swords. She's very vague. So is Robb, since he's not a point of view character. But Jeyne is removed from the action twice over. There is no point-of-view character anywhere near when she and Robb marry. The story is that Jeyne comforts Robb after the "deaths" of Bran and Rickon. Robb marries her to protect her honor after comforting leads to sex. She does not attend Edmure's and Roslyn's wedding.

Apparently Jeyne wasn't exceptional enough for the show-runners. They created a  special woman who isn't like the others: Talisa. a foreign beauty and a feisty healer. I remember an interview with George R.R. Martin. He was discussing the problems with feisty peasant girls in medieval fantasies. He said the feisty peasant girls would be raped. Talisa was a high-born woman, not a peasant. But otherwise, she seems the epitome of the character Martin mocked. At best, she's snarky with Robb at their first meeting. I'd characterize her as disrespectful and rude. Robb is intrigued, but not everyone would be so forgiving. Talisa is lucky Roose Bolton wasn't in command that day. He has no problem with rape. At a minimum, Bolton would force her to work only on the Northmen and restrict her movements.

Robb's marriage to Talisa is much more short-sighted than his marriage to Jeyne. I understand how a teenage boy could break his vow to the Freys--he is trying to live up to his ideals as an honorable man. TV Robb--a grown man--is just selfishly stupid, instead of honorably stupid.

I've written about the Red Wedding here. The fetus stabbing bothered me for several reasons, especially the idea that the death of fetuses is worse than the death of live persons. I get the idea of potential innocent life and the next generation of Starks, but it's hard for me to divorce the death of the Stark fetus from today's political climate.

Then there's Jeyne Poole. Jeyne is Sansa's best friend. According to this wiki, she appears in Game of Thrones. I remember a scene from the Winterfell banquet in an early Season One episode, but don't remember Jeyne appearing again. What if Jeyne had been an example of a little person hurt by the battling lords, instead of Ros? Maybe Jeyne wouldn't be believable as one of  Littlefinger's top aides, but she would have been a true innocent hurt by the war.

Instead the show-runners ignore Jeyne and replace her with Sansa as Ramsay's wife/victim. I was shocked when I heard this. At the end of Season Four, Sansa appeared ready to take her place as a player apprentice if not a player herself. She had learned how to read people and how to hide her own feelings when necessary.

Despite the show-runners' assertions that she is now pro-active, I think she was played by Littlefinger. He even smirked when she agreed to go to Winterfell to marry Ramsay Bolton. Believe me, I tried to convince myself that it wasn't a smirk, but a smile of pride. It was a smirk.

I get the appeal of replacing Jeyne with Sansa. As many have noted, it raises the stakes; Sansa's story stalls at the Vale.

But Sansa is not Jeyne. While it may have happened off-screen (or off-page to be more accurate) Jeyne is a broken woman. She lost her family as and when Sansa did, but she had no name (or brother with an army) to protect her. She had no hope. Littlefinger sent her to one of his whore houses and who knows exactly what she was subjected to.

However rough Sansa had it, however many times she felt alone and frightened, she had the name of Stark. There were some that respected that name.

There are still some that respect that name. If the Boltons need a Stark to legitimize their claim to the North, they can't afford for Ramsay to mistreat/abuse that Stark. Characters in A Song of Ice and Fire were angry enough about the fake Arya--and many knew she was a fake. Abuse of a real Sansa would create more anger.

Sansa has already dealt with the attentions of a sadist in the first three seasons--Joffrey. It's a step back for her to be in the same position again, even if the show-runners try to sell at as Sansa being pro-active.

They're full of shit.

I cursed Benioff and Weiss as I watched Sansa's rape. I considered turning off the show for good. I couldn't do it. Claire McCaskill did. Rhiannon won't recap it any longer. I'll miss her recaps and analyses.

Going forward, I'm not sure what I'll do. Each season, I've felt less psyched for Game of Thrones. It's still must see TV for me. Damn, I watched a season marathon on Memorial Day. The rape scene was as bad as I remembered. I hate rape as a cheap tool of empowerment or revenge motive. I can't expect much from Benioff and Weiss, but I still hope for something better.

Who Cares about GWTW?

This morning I checked out Jezebel and found this article. Then over to this critique.

Lots to think about.

75th Anniversary

I heard on the radio that today is the 75th anniversary of the film premiere of Gone With The Wind. The film used to be among my top ten favorites. I always preferred the book to the film (which is usual for me.) There is so much more detail, so much more history, so many more memorable characters in the book than in the film.

Despite my preference for the book, the film has much to offer. The scene in which Scarlett is searching for Doctor Meade among the dead and dying Confederate solders is beautifully shot. Another beautiful (though problematical) scene is a quick shot near the beginning of the film: two small slave boys rotate a giant bell to signify quitting time for the field hands. I love all the Twelve Oak barbecue scenes; they provide an overview of antebellum society among the plantation owners.

The acting is quite good. While I don't think Leslie Howard looks like the Ashley of the book, Howard does a decent job. Similarly, Olivia de Haviland is too strong-looking for the slim, child-like Melanie, but her performance makes up for the physical discrepancies.

I read somewhere that Margaret Mitchell pictured Basil Rathbone as Rhett. That would have been an intriguing choice. I haven't read the book in several years, but I do think Rhett is described as bigger than Rathbone. It could be that I just see Clark Gable in the part. Fan magazine polls at the time would not accept anyone but Gable.

Let's finish up the main cast by reviewing Vivian Leigh. She deservedly won her first Oscar for this role. But she was classically beautiful. In the book's first lines, Scarlett was described as not beautiful. But you forget that because of her charm. I watched screen tests of Paulette Goddard; I think she could have been a great Scarlett.

It's harder for me to watch the film than it used to be. (That is the topic of a post that I started in 2012.) I appreciate the positive qualities of the film, but now watch it more critically. That's the point of the other privileged post.

Bonita Granville's Nancy Drew

Over the summer, TCM ran the four 1938 - 1939 Nancy Drew movies starring Bonita Granville and Frankie Thomas as Ted Nickerson. I'm a big fan and have seen the films several times. I recorded and watched them in July and recently re-watched the series.

The series has a madcap comedy approach: book Nancy is serious and responsible, and as my sister complained--too perfect. Granville's Nancy is impulsive and let me repeat madcap. She also plays fast and loose with evidence, something book Nancy would never consider.

The first film Nancy Drew Detective is loosely based on the book, The Password to Larkspur Lane. It seems to be the most serious of the films, but its overall tone is lighthearted. Nancy's attempted rescue of an older woman held prisoner in a nursing home is foiled by Ted's poor attempt to dress in drag as a nurse. His pants leg drooping down from under this uniform gives him away. Of course, they ultimately succeed.

Bonus: James Stephenson, who was so memorable as Bette Davis' lawyer in The Letter, appears here as one of the villains.

The second film is Nancy Drew Reporter. Nancy investigates a murder case while allegedly on an assignment as a student reporter. (She steals the assignment from another reporter's desk when the reporter is away.)

As part of Nancy's investigation, poor Ted winds up in the boxing ring with Soxie Anthens. A clue from the boxing ring takes them to the Mandarin Café. Unfortunately, Ned's bratty sister and her friend (Mary and Killer) tag along by hiding in the rumble seat. They order chop suey even though Nancy and Ted don't have the money to pay the bill. To avoid washing dishes, Mary, Killer, Nancy and Ted sing a medley with a full orchestra (!) The patrons throw enough change to pay the bill. I don't usually care for these musical interludes, but this one was fun. (Compare it to "Blow that Horn" in After the Thin Man.)

Another scene in drag: this time it's Sergeant Entwhistle masquerading as Grandma. While searching the villain's room, the Sergeant is revealed when his skirt is caught in a trunk and is pulled off, revealing his pants. Damn, if only Ted and Sergeant Entwhistle were committed to their disguises, they might have gotten away,

I loved Nancy's trick after she and Ted are locked up in the electrical room on the roof of a hotel. By removing fuses, they change the sign of the Beldenburg Hotel to the Bedbug Hotel, and they get rescued.

Mary and Killer even come through.They put whistles on Nancy's car, just before the bad guys try to escape in it.The police can easily apprehend the villains.

Nancy Drew Trouble Shooter is my least favorite of the series. None of the regulars come off well: Nancy is especially scatterbrained and Ted is especially clumsy. Carson Drew acts like a lovesick schoolboy at the first sight of an attractive neighbor.Ted is also immediately smitten. Nancy becomes jealous of the neighbor, calling her a "scheming adventuress."

There are many "slapsticky" scenes including a bull whose charge frees Nancy and Ted from a locked building, Ted flying a crop dusting plane, and Ted and Nancy sinking in the boat Ted built, the Nancy. Somehow, no one notices the big hole Nancy makes christening it.

Perhaps the worst part of the movie is Willie Best's stereotypical character Apollo. Apollo's hides a live and later a cooked chicken behind his back, complains about his work, and is so afraid of ghosts that he doesn't realize that he's witnessed a murder.Thank goodness Nancy's around to figure it all out.

The final film of the series is Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase. This film also had some outlandish situations, but they were fun. I loved the situations created by Ted as the iceman, despite the silly falling pants routine. I laughed when Nancy ordered 500 pounds of ice just to get Ted's help.

Ted makes a final appearance in drag. He's on stakeout in the basement to try to catch the bad guy, and strips to his underwear to sleep. When the bad guy takes his clothes, all Ned can find is an old-fashioned women's dress. Okay, but why did he don the lady's hat?

Netflix Movie Night: The Hobbit

The Hobbit

I was ambivalent when I first heard about this film; I didn't like the idea of milking three movies out of the book.

It's a long film too--almost three hours. This easily could have been another film that took us three weeks to watch, but we got it on a day when the Mets were off, nothing much was on TV and we had an early dinner.

I thought the film was too long, especially the beginning scenes when the quirky dwarfs descend upon Bilbo. The action scenes and special effects were well-done but a little too "blockbustery" for my taste.

I've only read The Hobbit once and don't remember much of what happens except for scenes of the trolls, the wolves and Bilbo meeting Gollum (and of course for the showdown with Smaug). The first three scenes were in the first film.

Overall, a good film that could have been great.

It's a Bad Day for a Red Wedding

Note: I wanted to re-read the Red Wedding scene, but haven't gotten to it yet, and don't want to wait any longer to write this post.

Episode Nine of Season Three, Game of Thrones. SPOILER ALERT (show and books.)

I had been looking forward to it, but dreading it at the same time. The Red Wedding is brutal and devastating.

I've always liked Robb, though he was a shadowy figure in the book and not a point of view character. I enjoyed seeing more of his story in the show, but absolutely hated his love story with Talisa. This is one instance in which aging the characters makes some actions annoying at best, infuriating at worst.

The Red Wedding plotters didn't just murder Robb and Catlyn. They murdered as many of the Stark forces that they could. A poster on TWoP had a good point about this. We didn't see any of Robb's bannermen other than Greatjohn Umber (in Season One) and later Roose Bolton and Rickard Karstark. I would have loved to see one of the Mormont women (good counterpoint to Brienne) and a few others with a few lines in earlier episodes. It would have made the massacre even more poignant to recognize another few of the victims.

What I liked: After the Tully/Stark contingent arrives, we see a welcoming scene when food is offered (though its significance is not explained in the show.) Walder Frey is sleazily creepy in his meet-and-greet, especially towards Talisa (why is she there anyway?)

It appears that bygones are bygones until...

Cat sees the doors being closed   
She hears the opening of "The Rains of Castamere"
She realizes Roose Bolton is wearing armor

Cat tries to warn Rob, but it's too late. The Freys stab Talisa repeatedly in the abdomen, fall Robb with crossbow bolts until Bolton moves in for the kill, and shoot Cat with crossbows, and later cut her throat.

Through the massacre, old Walder is drinking wine and clearly enjoying himself.

Meanwhile in the stables, Grey Wind is penned up. Arya had arrived at the Twins with the Hound, who planned to ransom her. For a brief moment, it looks that Arya may be able to free Grey Wind, but the Freys kill him before she can.

I want to recommend Rhiannon's post on this episode. I don't necessarily agree with her about Cat's clawing of her face, but I agree with most of her other comments.

One last thing about Talisa's death: Talisa was pregnant and her killers targeted her stomach. I can't do a full book/TV comparison here because I haven't re-read the wedding scene. But Talisa wasn't in the book, Robb's book-wife Jeyne wasn't at the wedding and apparently wasn't pregnant.

In light of our current political climate in which many conservatives value embryos and fetuses above the women who carry them, I'm distressed about this change. Is Game of Thrones saying that being killed along with your mother, friends and associates isn't bad enough? Do we really need to add a fetus to make it horrible?

Game of Thrones Withdrawal

I'm going through a mini-Game of Thrones withdrawal--no new episode this week. But soon it will get much worse--only two more episodes this season. The next episode will be devastating, yet I can't wait to see it.

I've dealt with my withdrawal by re-watching Season 2 on HBO On Demand and catching part of the Season Three marathon on Memorial Day. I've also been exploring several websites I found in the forums of TWoP.

A wiki at westeros.org has chapter summaries, character descriptions, and much more.

This site, The Tower of the Hand, cross-references and hyperlinks each page. It also has a great feature in which you set your scope, based on how many of the books you've completed. This keeps your from accidentally getting spoiled.

Here's a feminist viewpoint. It's not exclusively limited to Game of Thrones, but reviews other TV shows and books as well.

I just discovered this site. I am loving the chapter-by-chapter analysis. Each post has a brief summary, historical and political analyses, what if's, and book vs. show.

I have thought about a doing a from page to screen analysis of Game of Thrones, but it's too daunting. I've only read the books once (although I have re-read/skimmed A Game of Thrones and A Clash of Kings.)

Just a few stray thoughts.

One of the changes that I like best is the aging of the characters. Although I love the actors, some of them are even older than the aged characters. I fanwank that it's the different way age manifests itself in different eras (e.g. 50 is the new 30.)

Another change that I really like is the interaction between Tywin and Arya. Maisie Williams holds her own with Charles Dance and it gives Arya (and the viewers) a chance to catch up on the war news. The show also distills Arya's experiences as one of the small folks which can be repetitive in the book version.

I don't like the changes in Catlyn and Cersei. Catlyn is smarter and more politically savvy in the book than on the show. Cersei is softened with two of her horrible acts attributed to Joffrey in the TV version. These changes were unnecessary in the book to TV transition.  Rhiannon has a great post about characterizations of the women in Game of Thrones.

I'll continue to re-watch Seasons Two and Three and wait for next Sunday and the Red Wedding.

On Adaptations

It's hard to believe that it's been a week since my last post. I spent a lot of time on that: I re-read I Capture the Castle; watched the film; watched the commentary; re-read a few scenes; then re-watched a few.

I wrote the post last Monday and edited it on Tuesday.

But the more I think about the adaptation of I Capture the Castle--more specifically the comments of the screenwriter, Heidi Thomas--the angrier I get.

I thought she made some condescending comments--there is no novel that can be transferred intact perfectly to the screen. Doesn't everyone know that?

I remember my first conversation about adaptations--it was with my mother after I had seen Gone with the Wind. I was around 12 or 13; the film was good, but I was disappointed. I missed Wade Hampton; more importantly, I missed Will Benteen. My mother said that they couldn't include all the characters and I got that. But I still missed Will--I thought he was an integral character.

Some changes didn't make sense to me: Rhett suggesting that he and Scarlet had a chance and she rejected him. That wasn't in the book because that was one of the ironies in the story--Rhett and Scarlett were in love, but both were too proud to admit their feelings.

I also questioned the casting of Leslie Howard as Ashley Wilkes. Scarlett loved Ashley because he was dashing and handsome: Leslie Howard wasn't. My sister said that Ashley was the son of the man with the greatest plantation in Georgia, and that appealed to Scarlett. While that was true, Leslie still wasn't the Ashley of the book.

But, back to my problems with I Capture the Castle. In my earlier post, I mentioned Thomas' comment that Stephen prostituted himself. Was that a joke, an exaggeration? She also commented that Stephen was morally outraged when Rose and Neil kissed. WTF--where did that come from? I read him as surprised and embarrassed.

The film downplays James Mortmain's writing block and his work, which is a huge subplot in the book. Thomas adds a scene before the added wedding, saying that she needed a scene between the brothers that wasn't in the book because of Cassandra's point of view. But she could easily have dramatised the scenes described in the novel between the brothers and Rose and Simon instead. Having Simon serve as Neil's best man is unnecessarily cruel.

I love the scene between Cassandra and Topaz in the book when Topaz is considering leaving James. Thomas changes that to an "I'm sorry, please come home" cliche.

The worst change is to the final conversation between Cassandra and Simon. As written, most of the conversation is about James' book. Only at the end of the conversation does it get personal when Simon asks Cassandra if she wants to go to America with him. They don't talk about her feelings for him.

Instead Thomas has Cassandra ask how Simon can still be in love with Rose after what she did. Cassandra also makes a snarky comment to Simon in Thomas' feeble attempt to let her get in the last word.

In the final pages of the novel, Cassandra is finishing her journal. In the margins, she writes "I love you, I love you, I love you." The screenplay changes it to "I love, I have loved, I will love." Apparently Thomas didn't want the ending to be about Cassandra's love for Simon. But that's what it was about!

Perhaps next time, Thomas can write an original screenplay; I don't intend to see it.

Appropriately, I recently read a post from Streams of Unconsciousness that discusses the latest film version of The Great Gatsby. Riku writes, "People will complain that a movie is not true to the book but what they really mean is that it's not true to their interpretation of the book."

That may be true, but I wish Thomas' interpretation didn't re-write Dodie Smith's story.

From Page to Screen: I Capture the Castle

I have written about my favorite book here. I remember reading that Disney had the rights to the film, but don't know what happened with that. BBC made this film in 2003. Last week I re-read the book so I would have it fresh in my mind as I re-watch the movie.

I had often thought about how I would cast the film. I thought Rachel Blanchard would make a good Cassandra, later Evan Rachel Wood. (My sister suggested Sara Gilbert.) Romola Garai is perfect as Cassandra and  Rose Bryne is wonderful as Rose. Oddly, I pictured Paul Simon as Simon; I had a very good picture of him with a beard on a Simon and Garfunkel single (maybe the Boxer.) Neil was rather vague to me; I pictured a version of Neil Diamond (I guess singer/songwriters were on my mind.) Topaz was the most interesting character to think about casting. I imagined Carol Kane, Meryl Streep and most recently, Tilda Swinton. I liked Bill Nighy as James. Joe Sowerbutts as Thomas was the only really wrong note. He seemed much younger than what I had imagined and nerdier too.

I even started on a screenplay myself. I didn't get beyond the opening scenes. My opening was similar to the one in the film. I would have shown them selling off the furniture to demonstrate the Mortmains' financial decline.

I love that the first words after the credits were the first line in the book: I write this sitting in the kitchen sink.

I usually prefer novels to their film adaptations.  I Capture the Castle is no exception. Many scenes seem rushed, especially Midsummer's Eve, and the plan to lock up James.  Only the night out in London scene seems more fully realized than its counterpart in the novel. I loved the choice of the song, "You and the Night and the Music."

A few scenes--not in the book--seem off: the emotional discussions between James and Cassandra, James and Topaz, and Cassandra and Simon, Mrs. Cotton telling Cassandra that James will never write, as well as Rose and Neil's wedding. The bear scene fell short.  I also think the film did not capture (sorry) the bleak poverty and actual hunger the Mortmains suffered.

What bothered me the most: the idea that Stephen prostituted himself by sleeping with Leda Fox-Cotton. I never got that impression from the book. Actually I didn't get that impression from the film either. That's what the screenwriter thought, according to her commentary.

All-in-all, a decent to good movie; the highlight is Romola Garai's performance. But the film was disappointing to me as a big fan of the book.