Season 20 - Scoop (1990-1991)
Evelyn Waugh's 1938 book Scoop was a parody of sensationalist journalism obviously inspired by the Spanish Civil War but more specifically Waugh's experience in Abyssinia covering the Second Italo-Abyssinian War. The hyperbole of this kind of journalism has only intensified as time goes on. Just look to our twenty-four hours a day news cycle where the smallest thing is blown up and overanalyzed by talking heads. Which is what makes this adaptation just as relevant today as it was in the late eighties and early nineties. As I was watching this skewering of a phoney war in order for Herbert Lom to parachute in and secure Ishmaelia's mineral rights for himself the United States invaded Venuzula and kidnapped Maduro. Why? For the country's mineral rights of course. Because the more things change the more things stay the same. Though it's hard to get a "scoop" on what the United States government is doing until they announce it after the fact on Twitter. Scoop is more like a quirky independent British film of the day than an episode of Masterpiece Theatre. This is Dr. Strangelove meets The Wrong Box with a heavy helping of Moon Over Parador and Coming to America if Terry Gilliam shot it. The Brazil vibes are strong. In other words, if I had seen it when it first came out it would have been a seminal film in my life. In fact there's one person in this world that I think was strongly influenced by this film at a young age and that's Wes Anderson. He would have been in his early twenties when this was released and every single frame and setup made me think of him. So, if nothing else, because of this film we have a signature style that became the TikTok Wes Anderson trend. As it is I am more than a little obsessed with this movie now. London socialites? Decaying relatives at a decrepit country estate? Mistaken identities? Yes please! And more! Poor Boot, a corespondent for The Daily Beast, writes about country life. He is mistaken for a novelist named Boot who asked his lover to pull some strings for him to get sent to Ishmaelia. Needless to say, our Boot is in over his head but because he's not a typical reporter and because he is part of the old boys' network he is privy to actual information about Ishmaelia and not wild conjecture and therefore knows that the leadership of the country is sending the reporters on a wild goose chase. He just stays put and comes back a hero with the biggest scoop of any paper. What makes this so memorable is the actors. We have Nicola Pagett, Donald Pleasence, Denholm Elliott, Michael Maloney, the aforementioned Herbert Lom, and just oodles of British characters actors that understand the importance of timing and keeping a straight face. Denholm Elliott trying to deal with Boot's family at the ancestral estate could be added to the list of great dinner scenes that is obviously topped by John Gielgud in Brideshead Revisited. Seriously, just check out this undiscovered gem. If anything you will get an insight into what the inside of my mind looks like.
If there's one book my Mom pushed more than any other over the years it was Summer's Lease by John Mortimer. When I was growing up my Dad didn't have time to read so I remember every single business trip he had to take my Mom would sneak this book into his luggage in the hope he'd finally read it. I have yet to confirm with him, but I do believe he did finally read it... or at least he said he did. OK, I checked, he did read it but says he remembers more about the miniseries than the book, and that's all down to John Gielgud. Because the truth of it is this miniseries exists for one reason and one reason only, and that was for John Gielgud to get an Emmy so that he became an EGOT. That's it. And in fact, in my opinion, there could have been more John Gielgud. The book and therefore the miniseries as well, is about a mystery loving mother who's feeling stifled and whisks her family, including her father played by John Gielgud, off to Italy for their summer vacation so she can see some art by Piero della Francesca. The mother becomes obsessed with their absent landlord. When the agent who let the house to them dies under mysterious circumstances, she becomes obsessed with getting to the bottom of the mysteries their summer rental has put at her feet. Needless to say it's her meddling that has catastrophic results, which is why my mother likes the story so much. If things had been left alone nothing would have happened... So it's not really a whodunit more a story of cause and effect which was totally preventable. Personally I found the whole series kind of depressing. When the highlight of a miniseries set in Italy is the bad charades performance by a very young Gabrielle Anwar, you know you have issues. But this is why this miniseries is the perfect show to watch right now. Summer's Lease somehow makes Italy look bleak! It makes Italy depressing. It makes you never, in your life, want to go to Italy. And right now, as we're all still trapped indoors hoping the vaccine does some good so that one day we'll have vacations again, watch this so at least for the moment you won't feel like you're missing out!
