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North and South, BBC adaptation of Gaskell
Oh, I forgot to say, since I'm wishy washy and back from outer space, you should probably de-friend that RSS feed if you had it goin'.
I kept hearing about North and South from![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
bbccostumedrama, but I kept getting it confused with that Civil War mini-series by the same name. Anywho, it's an adaptation of a novel Elizabeth Gaskell wrote in 1855. I am only familiar with Gaskell through another BBC adaptation, Wives and Daughters. W&D is alright because it has a nerd in it, a Victorian nerd, but overall I wasn't overwhelmed. But it's period romance!
Y'all should've seen what Mr. Daroga did when I said I wished I had a period hat. Yes, he did go there. Halfway through watching N&S I emailed![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
my_daroga to tell her I loved it, so obviously she needed to see it. Now that I've watched the other half, I doubt she'll like it as much as me. There's certainly not much of a sense of irony or humor in it, and it tends to be socially concerned and moralistic. Now, I like things to be socially concerned and moralistic, as long as I don't feel preached at, or that I'm being told the difference between right and wrong.
But I do have a kink for Heroines Trying Very Hard To Do The Right Thing Because It Is Right, which I think might be less interesting to some than Clever Heroines Who Make Mistakes, Forgive Themselves, And Move The Fuck On. The former is Elinor Dashwood, you know, with her Sekrit Pain. The latter is more Lizzy Bennet. (In fact, these differing styles of heroines could bear more scrutiny, maybe one day I will do a post. Maybe it will involve pastries. Or something.) The point is, N&S did hit it a bit on the head at the end, had some rather too cheesy moments. At one point it actually said, "For the children! You must, for the children!" . . . but what I'm saying is this is probably why I liked it. I'm the sort of person who goes to Sound of Music Sing-A-Longs and says the line, "Oh please, Captain, love them; love them all!" right along with Maria. So, I dunno. The film might interest only a narrow cross-section of the ole flist.
Mostly, I'm just copying the email I sent off tomy_daroga:
The romance plot so far is sort of like P&P. Woman disapproved of Man because she is judgey and thinks she knows everything, but also because Man is a jerkface. Man does not let on he likes Woman but we know he does. Man gets busted, big time. Woman realizes Man is a bit of alright (even though she doesn't see his grounds at Pemberley). Man gets Woman out of a pickle! But the ending takes a Jane Eyre turn: Woman is heiress; Man is down and out. But unlike some other heroes, at the end Man seems to be fully aware that Woman does not want to be his nurse, nor his companion, and that her feelings aren't what they were last spring. AND HE'S IN HIS SHIRT SLEEVES AND HE ASKS HER TO COME HOME WITH HIM.
The attendant plots are political. Woman is old school gentry, clergyman's daughter, so virtually penniless but respected. But she goes to North England (where everyone's accents are different and cool!) where the Industrial Revolution is in full swing and her whole class system doesn't really fit in there. And they don't understand her thinking she's better than the new money and giving charity to the workers. And she doesn't understand them. And there's all this comparison to the old way of life and the new. And there's a worker's strike against the factory owners, and it's a bunch of hopeless situations.
As I mentioned, it hits the Heroine Trying Very Hard To Do The Right Thing Because It Is Right kink. She really has a Fanny Price thing going, except that I dislike Fanny and I love this heroine. The difference to me, I think, is that Heroine makes all kinds of mistakes. She thinks a bit too much of herself and judges people when she shouldn't, I think, and she's like Lizzy that way. She comes in to a situation she knows nothing about and tries to inflict her ideals on people who do understand the situation and are trying to make the best they can of it. But because she's all idealistic and an outsider she can see things the people inside the situation can't, and her ideals end up having some validity and people end up listening to her because she is strong and fiesty and doesn't back down even though she's clueless. I'm....a big fan of Christy by Catherine Marshall.
In other news, the main actress probably would've been a pin-up girl in the '30s but these days she's not a classic, which of course makes me love her more. I find it interesting though that everyone kept calling her a beauty; I find her gorgeous but I wonder whether most people these days would. And the main actor dude is Very Stern and only smiles at her and when no one is looking. *sigh* OMG. He's hotness made of hotsauce AND HARDNESS.
Oy, did I promise floofy skirts?
OMG he's all broody. Look at them. Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.
I kept hearing about North and South from
bbccostumedrama, but I kept getting it confused with that Civil War mini-series by the same name. Anywho, it's an adaptation of a novel Elizabeth Gaskell wrote in 1855. I am only familiar with Gaskell through another BBC adaptation, Wives and Daughters. W&D is alright because it has a nerd in it, a Victorian nerd, but overall I wasn't overwhelmed. But it's period romance! Y'all should've seen what Mr. Daroga did when I said I wished I had a period hat. Yes, he did go there. Halfway through watching N&S I emailed
my_daroga to tell her I loved it, so obviously she needed to see it. Now that I've watched the other half, I doubt she'll like it as much as me. There's certainly not much of a sense of irony or humor in it, and it tends to be socially concerned and moralistic. Now, I like things to be socially concerned and moralistic, as long as I don't feel preached at, or that I'm being told the difference between right and wrong. But I do have a kink for Heroines Trying Very Hard To Do The Right Thing Because It Is Right, which I think might be less interesting to some than Clever Heroines Who Make Mistakes, Forgive Themselves, And Move The Fuck On. The former is Elinor Dashwood, you know, with her Sekrit Pain. The latter is more Lizzy Bennet. (In fact, these differing styles of heroines could bear more scrutiny, maybe one day I will do a post. Maybe it will involve pastries. Or something.) The point is, N&S did hit it a bit on the head at the end, had some rather too cheesy moments. At one point it actually said, "For the children! You must, for the children!" . . . but what I'm saying is this is probably why I liked it. I'm the sort of person who goes to Sound of Music Sing-A-Longs and says the line, "Oh please, Captain, love them; love them all!" right along with Maria. So, I dunno. The film might interest only a narrow cross-section of the ole flist.
Mostly, I'm just copying the email I sent off to
my_daroga:The romance plot so far is sort of like P&P. Woman disapproved of Man because she is judgey and thinks she knows everything, but also because Man is a jerkface. Man does not let on he likes Woman but we know he does. Man gets busted, big time. Woman realizes Man is a bit of alright (even though she doesn't see his grounds at Pemberley). Man gets Woman out of a pickle! But the ending takes a Jane Eyre turn: Woman is heiress; Man is down and out. But unlike some other heroes, at the end Man seems to be fully aware that Woman does not want to be his nurse, nor his companion, and that her feelings aren't what they were last spring. AND HE'S IN HIS SHIRT SLEEVES AND HE ASKS HER TO COME HOME WITH HIM.
The attendant plots are political. Woman is old school gentry, clergyman's daughter, so virtually penniless but respected. But she goes to North England (where everyone's accents are different and cool!) where the Industrial Revolution is in full swing and her whole class system doesn't really fit in there. And they don't understand her thinking she's better than the new money and giving charity to the workers. And she doesn't understand them. And there's all this comparison to the old way of life and the new. And there's a worker's strike against the factory owners, and it's a bunch of hopeless situations.
As I mentioned, it hits the Heroine Trying Very Hard To Do The Right Thing Because It Is Right kink. She really has a Fanny Price thing going, except that I dislike Fanny and I love this heroine. The difference to me, I think, is that Heroine makes all kinds of mistakes. She thinks a bit too much of herself and judges people when she shouldn't, I think, and she's like Lizzy that way. She comes in to a situation she knows nothing about and tries to inflict her ideals on people who do understand the situation and are trying to make the best they can of it. But because she's all idealistic and an outsider she can see things the people inside the situation can't, and her ideals end up having some validity and people end up listening to her because she is strong and fiesty and doesn't back down even though she's clueless. I'm....a big fan of Christy by Catherine Marshall.
In other news, the main actress probably would've been a pin-up girl in the '30s but these days she's not a classic, which of course makes me love her more. I find it interesting though that everyone kept calling her a beauty; I find her gorgeous but I wonder whether most people these days would. And the main actor dude is Very Stern and only smiles at her and when no one is looking. *sigh* OMG. He's hotness made of hotsauce AND HARDNESS.
Oy, did I promise floofy skirts?
OMG he's all broody. Look at them. Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.
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Lucius: *twirling with peacock dress on*
Harry: *passing through, dies laughing, returns by doing his nifty Jesus trick & records moment for prosperity*
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Harry: *wiping eyes* I saw Lucius twirling in Draco's mum's peacock dress.
DDiKC: Ah, the albino one.
Harry: How do you know about that?
DDiKC: *looks shifty*
Harry: You didn't ...um, sir, you didn't--with phoenix feathers--
DDiKC: No! Of course not, my boy, what a thought.
Harry: Thank God.
DDiKC: *still looks shifty*
Harry: ...did Grindelwald? Because it's alright, sir. I found out about that.
DDiKC: It might be . . . what I really saw in the Mirror of Erised.
Harry: ...Socks, huh?
DDiKC: Sorry, Harry.
Harry: No, it's okay. I see "socks" now too. If that means Draco in thigh high hose and garters.
DDiKC: ...I think you should return to life, now, Harry.
Harry: Er--yeah, I better.
DDiKC: The world must know about Lucius.
Harry: Yes. Er--if he dies of shame, don't tell him I said that about his son, okay?
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*bright flash*
Lucius: *stops twirling and gapes* Potter!
Harry: *freezes* Malfoy!
Lucius: Potter!
Harry: *still frozen* Malfoy!
Lucius: Nyahhh! Get out of here!
*Harry flees*
Lucius: Blasted boy! He'll pay for that! *huffs* I do hope he got my good side though. Everyone knows I look like I have a bit of a pouch from my left. *ponders*
LOL
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Narcissa: Why is my dress all stretched out on the left?
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Narcissa: *ponders over dress*
Lucius: *whistles innocently albeit a bit off key* Must be a misdirected spell. Shall I punish the House Elf, dear?
Narcissa: Aww, you're so sweet sometimes, darling! But I'm beginning to be seriously concerned with the quality of our House Elves. Do you reckon we got a bad batch this year? I mean yesterday I couldn't find my silk nightgown. You know the one you said you loved so much because of how it felt on your skin? And I swear I just bought a new pot of rogue but when I looked the tin was empty!
Lucius: *gulps* Um you don't say? Yes, probably a bad batch! Shouldn't have -ah bought them during the Two for One Merlin's Day Sale.
LOL
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Draco: Sounds like Father's punishing the House Elves again.
Harry: Fine, fine. We'll take back the garters. [...] Will he ever admit it to your mum?
Draco: What?
Harry: You know, that he ... wears her clothes?
Draco: He WHAT?
Harry: You ... didn't know?
Draco: I thought it was the House Elves.
Harry: ...No. I'm sorry, really I am.
Draco: Are you kidding? I'm bloody relieved.
Harry: ...what?
Draco: I thought Father was making the HOUSE ELVES wear them. So he could punish them--you know--while he--
Harry: Oh, ew! Never finish that sentence, ever.
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Draco: But, Harry! Don't you see? It explains so much! I mean I might be gay but even I know I've a bit extra in the dramatic flair department. And Mum's always a bit more refined, Dad's the extravagant one!
Harry: *coughs* Really? I hadn't noticed...
Draco: Oh shut it, you! Anyway, I am so glad. A lot of my childhood makes sense now.
Harry: *wisely keeps mum*
Draco: You know from the age of five 'til I was about ten I was convinced I had two mothers? *laughs* You should've seen the look on the Minister's face when I grabbed my dad by his hair during one of his parties and bawled about how I didn't understand why my mummy was spending all night talking to this fat walrus man who smelled like eggs!
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Draco: *scowls* You're ruining my glorious moments of revelation.
Harry: Oh, right, sorry. *pause* You're not going to faff about in girly clothes now, are you?
Draco: *looks seductive* Only if you want me to.
Harry: Oh-dear-god-no.
Draco: WELL FINE.
Harry: You can dramatic flair all you want though. *looks seductive back* In fact, I could use me some dramatic flair right about now.
Draco: I'M ALREADY DOING THAT.
Harry: Yeah, with the capslock. *ardent look* That's hot.
Draco: *relents* *plays with Harry's hair* You can see why I fell for you in fifth year.
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Thank you too!