(no subject)

[skygiants]

My school English department has just instituted a wonderful program wherein they give those who sign up free books to read over spring break, and then set up a discussion about them with a professor over the next quarter. The professor picks the book, you pick the book+professor (or plural, if you are so inclined) and then go collect the loot!

As you all will be shocked to hear, I heard about this and went FREE BOOKS? *GRABBYHANDS!!!!* which is how I came to read E.M. Forster's A Room With a View during my five-hour wait for the bus to Bowdoin on Monday. (How I came to miss the first bus to Bowdoin is a long and not terribly interesting story involving much panic-stricken running with luggage that I will spare you all at this time.) My Jacobean Tragedy professor, who is leading the Room With a View discussion, had described it as a.) very much in the romantic-comedy vein but b.) better in his opinion than Forster's Howard's End, which I read this summer and loved. Having now read the book, I agree with a.) but respectfully disagree with b.). A Room With a View was entertaining, but it also frustrated me a great deal, a large part of the reason for which can be boiled down to I didn't care at all enough about the Inappropriate, Kind of Ridiculously Emo Love Interest to make it seem worthwhile for Lucy to give up her family's respect for him, especially since I did like her family. They were sensible and, unlike Emo Love Interest, in possession of a sense of humor, and I sympathized with them greatly when they wanted to smack her. Therefore possibly Howard's All For Love message was a bit wasted on me. However, I am all the same looking forward to the discussion. Also, the book gets points for naming a tennis ball after Vittoria Corombona, Adulteress of Badass Awesome, from The White Devil.

In other news, I made the mistake of getting the filmed version of the Notre-Dame de Paris musical from Netflix to watch while I was home. This is a mistake because now that I have it my ridiculous and unreasonable love for the music has been rekindled, I cannot resist the urge to watch it over and over and over again, so if I suddenly break out into streams of dramatic French song, that is why! It is not my fault! And now I am going to go bake, because if I cannot stop singing loudly in French, at least I can fulfill the image of wacky domestic bliss and be productive while I do it.

Comments

[villainny.livejournal.com]

I'm watching An Affair To Remember currently. This has little to do with the post, but makes me think of you. :)

[skygiants]

:D!

I have actually never seen it but it is on my list, because Cary Grant is made of awesome. How is it?

[villainny.livejournal.com]

It's thoroughly delightful, seriously.

If it ends up making me cry I will be most put out, mind you.

[oneechan19.livejournal.com]

I never read the book, but I've seen the movie. Does that count for something?

[skygiants]

*moves it higher up on list!*

If it makes you cry I will go find Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr and give them a Stern Talking To. *firm nod*

[skygiants]

It totally counts! All I know about the movie is that Helena Bonham-Carter is in it. Is it any good?

[villainny.livejournal.com]

That was. Seriously. The most beautifully filmed first kiss ever. I can't even.

I - there were definitely things I didn't like about the new Pride and Prejudice, but what they got incredibly, unarguably right was the subtlety. The glances, the near misses, the reactions, and that's what this is all about too. Oh man.

Some day you and me are gonna have to curl up together and watch old films for hours, okay?

[oneechan19.livejournal.com]

Um... I don't remember? That's actually the reason I watched it, was because Helena Bonham-Carter is in it. That was when I was still playing Blaise at MW. I kind of went through a "oh, it's Ophelia but not!" movie stage.

[villainny.livejournal.com]

Oh my god they're so cute. They're so cute!

[skygiants]

Yeah. That's what I really liked about it too - and. I mean, this is kind of off-topic, but that's one of the things I love about dance scenes in period pieces in general, when done right, is that they allow for all that gorgeous subtlety with looks and glances and how important very small movements can be.

And this is a definite yes. *temporarily removes the Atlantic in order to make this happen as soon as possible*

[skygiants]

*gigglefits* I am not even watching and I am full of contagious glee!

[skygiants]

Not that I have ever done that with films or anything. *eyes Sleepy Hollow sheepishly*

I think Helena Bonham-Carter was kind of the ingenue of choice for period pieces for a while. Then she married Tim Burton and became the crazy lady of choice instead.

[villainny.livejournal.com]

...I think I just squeaked through my own ear drums. Ow.

[genarti]

Oh no! I'm sorry you missed the bus. *wince*

What is Notre-Dame de Paris about? Uh, other than the obvious.

[skygiants]

*cracks up*

Nnylet, you are adorable.

[villainny.livejournal.com]

OH NOES!

[skygiants]

Oh, it's okay! And it is not your fault - the subway broke down on the way, which is why I did not get there in time - and as you see, I got lots of reading and drabble-writing done meanwhile, so I was mad productive.

Notre-Dame de Paris is a pretty faithful adaptation of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, except with more emphasis put on the conflict between the exiles of the city and the forces of law and order trying to kick them out. Also the staginig of this song makes me flail a WHOLE LOT. (Uh, whenever you are in a place where you can watch youtube. There are subtitles!)

[skygiants]

HORRORS I KNOW.

*squishes*

[misslucyjane]

It's beautifully filmed but a bit slow in places. There's also a naked swimming hold scene that causes some flailing when I watched it with my mom.

I love it, though. E.M. Forster's my boy.

[skygiants]

Hee! I came across the naked swimming scene in the book, and I was like 'so . . . the vicar and the teenagers all just went skinny-dipping together? OKAY THEN.'

The Howard's End film I definitely want to see (Emma Thompson! <3) - have you seen that one?

[misslucyjane]

Oh yes :D. I've seen all of them, I think.

[genarti]

I want to say "Oh good," which -- not good that the subway broke down! Augh, how annoying, even if it turned out fine. But I am relieved I didn't contribute to the lateness. :)

And yay drabbles and reading! There are far worse places to be stuck than South Station with a notebook or laptop and a lot of reading material, really.

Oooh. That sounds interesting! (I will look at the video later tonight. :D)

[skygiants]

I am sadly behind in my awesome-costume-drama viewing. Well, I am sadly behind in my viewing of any movies, but. I need to take advantage of my school's film library more.

[misslucyjane]

I have the advantage of a few years, so don't feel too far behind.

A Passage to India is the masterpiece of them all, really: it got some Oscar noms, iirc, and the subject matter is a bit deeper.

[skygiants]

It are truth! I sort of consider it payback for the five-hour bus trip I didn't have to make to Boston, anyways.

It is! The choreography is kind of wacky at times, and there is sadly no goat, but it keeps the most important elements that are too often left out, which are that a.) Phoebus is a total ass and b.) Esmerelda has a fake husband named Gringoire who is ridiculous, poetic, and of no use whatsoever. And the music, oh my god. The singers are incredible - the guy who first played Quasimodo was basically launched into a huge singing career on the strength of this performance, I am totally in love with the singer in the clip I gave you, and I have no words for how gorgeous the voice of the other girl in the cast is.

Um. Not that I can babble about this at ridiculous length or anything.

[skygiants]

That's the one I haven't yet read, either - I do want to read it before I see the movie, just on general principle.

[misslucyjane]

Oh yes, absolutely. It's a wonderful book. It breaks my heart that he didn't write any more novels after that.

[skygiants]

That is always the trouble. *sad* No matter how awesome the novelist, eventually one runs out of their books!

[misslucyjane]

I know! It was so weird when I started reading more modern writers--I was so used to writers who aren't prolific and are dead!

[fahye.livejournal.com]

THERE IS A FILMED VERSION?

*pines*

[skygiants]

YES. *hugs it and clings to it and does not want to give it back to Netflix*

Clips from the film version for all the songs are up on youtube with subtitles, though!

[agentclaudia.livejournal.com]

N-D de P is the most amazing musical/movie/thingy ever. Just... ever.

[skygiants]

I LOVE IT SO VERY VERY MUCH.

.. . *cough* Not, you know, embarrassing amounts or anything. Um.

(I left it playing on my laptop while I was baking, and I kept running over to screencap/stare at the screen, and then remembering that, hey, I was supposed to be adding butter right then.)

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