strange and random happenstance

Two series about the advent of department stories debuted within six months of each other and if I had to pick one I would not have picked Mr Selfridge, Jeremy Piven and Andrew Davies must accept my apologizes, because I would have picked The Paradise. Created by the team behind Lark Rise to Candleford with many of the same actors, this was another loose adaptation of a classic that captured my heart and swiftly became one of my most favorite series ever. There was just such heart and romance and, unlike Mr Selfridge, there was more than a little of the Upstairs, Downstairs dynamic. Here we really got stuck into the lives of those working at The Paradise as well as those running and funding the roadshow. We saw the haves versus the have nots and how a major department store economically impacted it's small business competitors, a concern that is even more relevant today. When Denise Lovett arrives on the scene she becomes the focal point of all that is happening. She straddles both worlds, he uncle having a business that is struggling because of The Paradise, while she herself takes a job at The Paradise, and is soon seen by the owner, John Moray, as a girl after his own heart. She's smart and a self-starter and soon steals his heart. Of course there's a love triangle and many complications. This wouldn't be a show worthy of Masterpiece if there wasn't. But what I really liked most about this series is it wasn't afraid to go dark. As in, there's a murder! Arthur Darvill of Doctor Who fame gets involved in The Paradise when his storefront is bought by the expanding store. His style doesn't mesh well with the glamour Moray sells and, well, one thing leads to another, and his body is found in the river. The culprit is of course revealed, which goes into the ties that bind us as a community and as a company and as a people together. Just writing this makes me sad all over again that such a lovely show was cancelled too soon. But I'd rather have it cancelled too soon than have it overstay it's welcome, which is sadly what happened to Lark Rise to Candleford.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Andrew Davies, Arthur Darvill, Denise Lovett, Department Store, Fifty-Five Years a Masterpiece, Jeremy Piven, John Moray, Lark Rise to Candleford, Mr Selfridge, Murder, The Paradise, Upstairs Downstairs

This one is going to be a hard one to write about. I was a fan of Neil Gaiman. I saw him speak twice and got to meet him at one of those events. He seemed perfectly lovely and dedicated to his fans. As we've since learned by the allegations that first broke on Tortoise Media this was all a front. A way for the spider to lure in the flies. The fallout was deservedly harsh, projects were scrapped left and right. The Sandman was almost completely wrapped when the news about Gaiman broke. Therefore production continued. What was to be done with the show could be decided later. After all Anansi Boys was completely finished when it was permanently shelved. Amazon got a nice tax write-off and got to appear as if they're supporting the victims when it was really all about the bottom line. But the thing is, The Sandman has a life of it's own. The fanbase is all-encompassing. Netflix knew that the clamor Amazon was experiencing over Good Omens was nothing to what they would face if this season never saw the light of day. Plus the team were claiming, whether honestly or to cover their asses, that the series had always been planned as two seasons and Gaiman wasn't really involved. Though I do question that second statement after reading some interviews. So season two of the show dropped in July with no fanfare and minimal press coverage. And I honestly didn't know if I'd be able to watch it. While having previously been a fan of Gaiman I had never been a fan of The Sandman comics. And oh how I tried. But I'd get about six books in, up to Brief Lives, and just throw in the towel. I never got any further and at least now I never have to force myself to finish this series. I am done with it. As for the adaptation, I did feel the need to tune in. The show worked for me where the comics did not. The rough edges and the excessive rapes had been sanded away. And at least we now know why Gaiman included so many rapes. Which actually made parts of this season a painful experience, and not just because of the autotuning of Ruairi O'Connor as Orpheus. When Nada confronts Dream about his treatment of her you are horrified thinking about how the man who wrote this put women in this same situation over and over again. And why bring back the rapist author, Richard Madoc as played by Arthur Darvill? Did they want to hit us over the head with the fact that Gaiman basically wrote his sick fantasies into this series? That Richard Madoc was his avatar in this fictional world. I mean, if Gaiman hadn't been such a good showman we should have seen what was right in front of us all along. Oh, the irony of the second series being about reconciliation and redemption after the first one was about reclamation and revenge. Because he denies it all. There will be no reconciliation for him. No redemption. And there can be no separation of art and the artist, he made sure of that. A part of me even wondered if originally Gaiman was supposed to be there at Dream's funeral next to Madoc. Thankfully that didn't happen. And even if their creator will forever be in torment, at least his creations were given a fresh start. They were released out into the world. They were set free. Hopefully not to ever be caught in their creators net again. Forever connected by somehow liberated.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Amazon, Anansi Boys, And the Emmy Goes To, Arthur Darvill, Avatar, Brief Lives, Comics, Dream, Good Omens, Neil Gaiman, Netflix, Orpheus, Rape, Richard Maddoc, Ruairi O'Connor, Sexual Abuse, Sexual Assault, The Sandman, Tortoise Media

Two series about the advent of department stories debuted within six months of each other and if I had to pick one I would not have picked Mr Selfridge, Jeremy Piven and Andrew Davies must accept my apologizes, because I would have picked The Paradise. Created by the team behind Lark Rise to Candleford with many of the same actors, this was another loose adaptation of a classic that captured my heart and swiftly became one of my most favorite series ever. There was just such heart and romance and, unlike Mr Selfridge, there was more than a little of the Upstairs, Downstairs dynamic. Here we really got stuck into the lives of those working at The Paradise as well as those running and funding the roadshow. We saw the haves versus the have nots and how a major department store economically impacted it's small business competitors, a concern that is even more relevant today. When Denise Lovett arrives on the scene she becomes the focal point of all that is happening. She straddles both worlds, he uncle having a business that is struggling because of The Paradise, while she herself takes a job at The Paradise, and is soon seen by the owner, John Moray, as a girl after his own heart. She's smart and a self-starter and soon steals his heart. Of course there's a love triangle and many complications. This wouldn't be a show worthy of Masterpiece if there wasn't. But what I really liked most about this series is it wasn't afraid to go dark. As in, there's a murder! Arthur Darvill of Doctor Who fame gets involved in The Paradise when his storefront is bought by the expanding store. His style doesn't mesh well with the glamour Moray sells and, well, one thing leads to another, and his body is found in the river. The culprit is of course revealed, which goes into the ties that bind us as a community and as a company and as a people together. Just writing this makes me sad all over again that such a lovely show was cancelled too soon. But I'd rather have it cancelled too soon than have it overstay it's welcome, which is sadly what happened to Lark Rise to Candleford.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Andrew Davies, Arthur Darvill, Denise Lovett, Department Store, Doctor Who, Fifty Years a Masterpiece, Jeremy Piven, John Moray, Lark Rise to Candleford, Mr Selfridge, Murder, The Paradise, Upstairs Downstairs

Little Dorrit
Based on the book by Charles Dickens
Release Date: October 26th, 2008 – December 11th, 2008
Starring: Claire Foy, Matthew Macfadyen, Tom Courtenay, Emma Pierson, James Fleet, Arthur Darvill, Alum Armstrong, Judy Parfitt, Sue Johnston, Eddie Marsan, Rosie Cavaliero, Ron Cook, Andy Serkis, Russell Tovey, Bill Paterson, Amanda Redman, Maxine Peake, Freema Agyeman, Eve Myles, Anton Lesser, Pam Ferris, Jason Watkins, Annette Crosbie and Ruth Jones
Rating: ★★★★★
To Buy

Arthur Clenham has returned from the Orient with his father's dying words on his mind, as well as an entreaty from that man to his wife to "put it right." Upon reaching England, Arthur begs of his mother to not only abide by her husband's dying wishes, but to tell Arthur what he meant by "put it right." Consumed with righting the wrong that his family did, without knowing who the wrong was against, Arthur grasps at a straw. The straw is that recently, his mother took a young Amy Dorrit into her care. His cold, harsh mother who does not believe in charity. Arthur therefore gets it into his head that somehow it must be the Dorrits to whom his family must pay reparations... if only he could figure out exactly how to go about this or even figure out more about the Dorrits.

The Dorrits have spent many, many years in debtors prison. Amy was even born there, earning her father the moniker, the Father of the Marshalsea, which is the prison in which they reside. Yet Amy's life is a happy one, taking care of her father and being his connection to the outside world. The arrival of Arthur Clenham changes everything. It's not only that through his investigations and trials with the circumlocution office that he is able to release the Dorrits from their debts, and therefore prison, it is that he has unknowingly stolen Amy's heart. Though Arthur's work has risen the Dorrits and Amy's father views Arthur as an unsavory connection. Anyone with knowledge of their past ignominy is unsuitable. Therefore the family relocates to Venice, where their lives will be changed, for better or worse, only they will know. But Amy's heart will forever be with Arthur, even if she should know better than to associate with him anymore. Sometimes she dreams that life would be easier if she had never met Arthur... and perhaps she is right.

The cast made me know in my bones that I would love this miniseries. So many names from Doctor Who and of course, Matthew Macfadyen. I have loved Matthew for over a decade now and have watched everything he has ever been in (he owes me for the atrocities of Any Human Heart). But I am a fickle person, I was so excited to watch this originally, I was hesitant to start it in the first place. Obviously, I finally did and I loved it. Perfect and funny and, well, the ending was rushed and confusing and made me thing that our hero and heroine where brother and sister... which, thanks to Wikipedia I learned they are not, because that would have been too eww even for Dickens. I even found things like the absurdity of Andy Serkis's character, the murderer Rigaud to be menacing and enjoyable, diverging with what most critics thought. But overall, I adored it.

Therefore I was a bit hesitant to re watch it for my blog. What if it wasn't as good as I remembered. What if it was the opposite of me and Bleak House and instead of finding more to love in it I found things that bothered me and I then hated the miniseries!?! Yes, I was truly thinking this way. And when I started I was not immediately in the miniseries. There was that part of me going, "oh dear, I was wrong wasn't I?" I wasn't as worried about the confusing ending, having done my Wikipedia research, and also learning from my friend Amy that the book actually is that confusing so it was Dickens's not Andrew Davies fault. But something happened and half way through I was again in love with Little Dorrit. I guess I didn't realize until re watching that it wasn't until the Dorrits had achieved wealth and thrown their old life into stark contrast that everything sort of finally came together. Also, who couldn't love Venice and empathize with Amy (the character not my friend) and the strange new world she was thrust into.

Though with everything I still have gripes... but I won't dwell there, I will dwell on the one thing that makes this miniseries transcendent, and no, I'm not talking about the amusement I feel seeing Arthur Darvill, Rory from Doctor Who being a little pudgy in the face and a lot of a dick. I'm talking about Russell Tovey. Personally, while I love Matthew Macfadyen, I really think that Amy should have ended up with John, the character played by Russell Tovey. I know that Dickens is showing that we can't always choose what the heart wants or who it will love, but Tovey broke my heart. When he is rejected by Amy and has his little soliloquy about the mortal remains of John Chivery, I defy you not to be broken. That is some of the most emotional heartbreaking acting you will ever see. Sure, Tovey has become a master of the sad, lonely and broken hearted in his acting, but this is unparalleled.

"Here lie the mortal remains of John Chivery, Assistant Turnkey and later Chief Turnkey of the Marshalsea Prison for Debt. He was unlucky in love and endured a good deal of sorrow, but he rose above it and performed many an act of kindness, even to his rival. And always engraved, on stone, deep into his very heart, is the name of "Amy Dorrit"."

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Arthur Darvill, Bleak House, Charles Dickens, Claire Foy, Doctor Who, Little Dorrit, Matthew MacFadyen, Russell Tovey

This Sunday we veer away from the more generalized questions and concentrate on what this month is all about, before I dedicated it to Paul. The Gothic, the macabre, and Halloween!

Question: Have you ever gone to the Whitby Goth Weekend? 

Answer: The Whitby Bookshop – a lovely independent bookstore with a friendly staff and a rickety spiral staircase – has held Brenda and Effie evenings each Beltane and Hallowe’en for as long as the Brenda books have been coming out. Each time it’s during Goth weekend, and they attract a lovely crowd – usually dressed up in Goth and Steampunk finery. I sit on a red velvet chair and read them a bit and do a Q+A and sign all their books.

Question: Authors Bram Stoker, Lewis Carroll, Elizabeth Gaskell, Charles Dickens, Wilkie Collins and A.S. Byatt all have had ties or works set in Whitby. What is the lure of Whitby? 



Answer: Whitby is an amazing place to visit – and it’s one of the most literary spots in the country. The first poet in written English was Caedmon – a cattle drover who lived at the Abbey – so it’s an extremely long lineage of those who’ve sent their characters running up and down those 199 steps. It’s an epic landscape and a cosy town – the perfect setting for the kind of stories I love.

Question: With new adaptations coming out every few years and with the recent success of the National Theatre’s production of Frankenstein, what do you think makes the story of Frankenstein withstand the test of time?

Answer: It’s a great story and has great characters – in both its literary and film incarnations. But it also taps into very big questions about what it means to be a human being and, beyond that, a person. The monster’s quest is about earning the right to be seen as a person in his own right.

The poor, abandoned Bride gets an ever rougher time than he does. Brenda’s search is always about becoming her own woman.

Question: Do you have an end goal in sight for Brenda and Effie, or will they keep toddling along messing with the mystical in Whitby?

Answer: Book Six is about to be published – ‘Brenda and Effie Forever!’ And you’ll see that they come to a kind of conclusion.

However… I’m working on something that will take them into a new dimension, of sorts.

Question: Do you ever hypothetically cast your books for the long overdue adaptations? And if so, who would you cast? Because if you don’t, I have some suggestions!

Answer: I try not to while I’m actually writing the things. But there’s lots of fun to be had doing that kind of casting once the books are finished. I love listening to people’s suggestions for Brenda and Effie character casting. I’m not even sure who I think of by now. Who do you think..?

I personally think that Geraldine James would be perfect for Brenda. Sure she's mainly known for the newer Robert Downey Junior Sherlock and Little Britain, but she's a fierce actress and has enough of a presence to do Brenda justice. As for Effie, I always see Annette Crosbie. She always comes across as funny and a little do-lally, but, if you've watched An Unsuitable Job for a Woman, you know she can kick some ass. As for Robert... hard choice, I picture him kind of innocent, like Thomas Howes as William from Downton, but he's too young, so let's go with Arthur Darvill from Doctor Who! I wish he could have ditched Amy and gone traveling with the Doctor alone... but that leaves him open for Brenda and Effie!

Question: October is the best month, ever. Disputable or indisputable?

Answer: I love Hallowe’en – and I think I might like November even more, though. This year’s perfect because the Hallowe’en Goth weekend in Whitby falls on the first weekend in November. I’m a Scorpio – so it’s home to me, really, this time of year. I like frosty blue mornings; misty afternoons with mulchy leaves, woodsmoke, wearing long coats and scarves and drinking spicy tea – and early nights with spooky old films and ghost stories and French red wine.

Question: Best Halloween costume you’ve ever had?

Answer: Best costume? When I was nine we had a wonderful teacher who directed our whole class in a twenty minute long, musical version of Ibsen’s Peer Gynt. Many of us were chosen to be trolls and we had marvelous costumes – mostly shredded old clothes – that came out again for that Hallowe’en and traipsing around our council estate, knocking on doors and giving people the screaming ab-dabs.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Arthur Darvill, Brenda and Effie, Bride of Frankenstien, Doctor Who, Dracula, Frankenstein, Halloween, Paul Magrs, Peer Gynt, Sherlock Holmes, Whitby