Saturday 7 March 2015

Saturday Evenings: Stay In, Sit Up and Switch On

The mumbling is gone. The dark lighting has faded. The slow-paced action is no more. The queen’s head has kissed the neck goodbye and rolled down. To the relief of some, Wolf Hall has ended.

Count me out of that group, please. I loved the series.

Mumbling? Moi?

For those who do not reside on the British Isles and who are therefore not familiar with the recent six-week-long BBC programme, let me explain. Wolf Hall is based on the first part of a trilogy of historical novels by the British writer Hilary Mantel. The author, currently working on the third and final instalment, stands to score a hat-trick of Booker Prizes after Wolf Hall and its follow-up Bring Up the Bodies won her the award.

I had my doubts about the series, if I am being honest. There has already been one adaptation for theatre, so when the BBC version was announced, I somehow conjured up the words “cow” and “milk(ing)” unconsciously. How wrong I was.

I no longer judge literary adaptations for television, film or theatre in the same way I did twenty years ago. Each medium has its own language and deserves to be seen and analysed in its own right. That is how I approached Wolf Hall and I was handsomely rewarded.

The reworking of novel to series did not follow the original text to the letter and I know I was not the only one who appreciated this. There is a way in which the main character, Thomas Cromwell, is introduced by Mantel that is unique and unrepeatable. She feeds us titbits. Instead screenwriter Peter Kosminsky brings in a foreword in each episode in order to provide a historical context. Rather than dwelling on Cromwell’s past, he goes straight in to present-day Henry VIII’s court and gives us flashbacks to Cromwell’s previous life as a way of explaining how he arrived at the position he occupies now.

Along the way we have excellent performances. Mark Rylance, of whom I had already heard a lot due to his role in Jerusalem, is outstanding. His is a masterclass on the art of “less is more”. The way he acts out his part is like a tiger, crawling, stalking, hiding, until the moment comes to jump upon its prey. His manner is understated in Henry’s presence. Away from him, he is all alpha male. Daniel Lewis, playing Henry VIII gives us a nuanced performance. I cannot remember the last time I saw a Henry VIII that was not a caricature of the famous king. Lewis’s Henry, on the other hand, is vulnerable but irascible. Claire Foy as, the first plotting and later on hapless, Anne Boleyn, also rises to the challenge. Her encounters with Cromwell are full of the intrigue and back-stabbing so common in European courts at the time. Her transition from English to French and back to English is flawless and effortless. The fact that we all know the queen’s fate does not detract from a suspense-ridden finale. I confess I had to divert my eyes away from the screen as the executioner hoisted the sword above his head.

It is not just the performances that make Wolf Hall a must-see. The lighting is top-notch, too. An example of this is Cardinal Wolsey’s glowing red silk robe against the dark corridors of his residence.

Some viewers complained of too much mumbling and poor articulation. My thoughts on that are that when you are plotting against Rome or the king of England, the less audible you are the longer you live. The dim lighting took a battering as well. Yet, how to recreate 16th century England, or for that matter France, without resulting to natural light, or the lack of it thereof?

It is a paradox that a lot of people lay into the Beeb and question the TV licence most of us pay annually to keep Auntie going. Yet, when the BBC produces an outstanding series like Wolf Hall, many slag it off.

Final word from me. As long as you churn out programmes like Wolf Hall, keep up the mumbling, Auntie!

I recently went to see Selma with my wife on what turned out to be a double date on Valentine’s Day. One of my wife’s brothers came along with his partner and their daughter stayed home with our daughter; the two cousins catching up together.

Selma was a lot better than I expected. The performances from both leading and supporting actors were excellent. They carried the emotions that their roles demanded. What stood out for me the most was to see three British actors portraying one of the more significant moments in the history of the US and pulling it off. David Oyelowo as Martin Luther King, Tom Wilkinson as President Lyndon B. Johnson and Tim Roth (in a smaller role) as Governor George Wallace made me forget completely that the three men on screen had been born in Oxford, Leeds and London respectively, so convincing were their accents.

And would you believe it? Hardly any mumbling at all.



© 2015

Next Post: “Piece of Me, Pieces of Havana”, to be published on Wednesday 11th March at 11:59m (GMT)

33 comments:

  1. I'd love to see Selma too. Hey, happy weekend!

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    Replies
    1. Good film. Highly recommend it.

      Greetings from London.

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  2. Creo que me iba a gustar, ya que me gustan las serie de historia.
    Un abrazo.

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    1. Te aconsejo que tengas una cronología a mano. :-) Se disfruta más.

      Saludos desde Londres.

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  3. I would strongly advise you to click on the link provided to Wolf Hall and watch whatever episodes are still available on the BBC iPlayer. They are free but time-limited. Even if previous eps are no longer available, both the foreword and your knowledge of Tudor history should be enough for you to enjoy the two or three episodes left on the website.

    Thanks for your comments.

    Greetings from London.

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  4. I tend not to see movies of books I have loved, because they don't (cannot) match the pictures and voices that live in my head. Perhaps it is time to rethink.

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    1. This is different. Although Mantel had a say in the adaptations, the television series (I haev not seen the stage one) is nothing like the novel.

      Greetings from London.

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  5. nice...good to know on wolf hall...it is just about to start here...downton just ended...i watch it with my wfie
    though i do find some of the characters quite enjoyable....

    have a great rest of the weekend

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    1. Let me know how you get on.

      Greetings from London.

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  6. Have to give Wolf Hall a go. Only current BBC ones i watch is Sherlock. And yeah it is a different way to represent things when they go to a new medium, video game to movie, book to movie, etc. never gonna be the same.

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    1. Give a go, man, you won't regret it, from your mate, Peter Pan! :-)

      Greetings from London.

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  7. Hey--I've not seen--I don't have a TV actually--and am not so organized about watching online (I also live in a kind of bad internet place in mountains--so many excuses!) Anyway, sounds good and the Mahalia Jackson is great. I did not see Selma either--I was a little disturbed because I feel johnson really was an important figure in civil rights and maybe presented as not in favor of them, which seems inaccurate--but I haven't seen and should see. I grew up in DC during that time--so means a fair amount to me. Here's a video on today's times you may like--it is very moving as was Obama's speech i thought. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/06/opinion/a-call-from-selma.html?smid=fb-share thanks!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for the link. That was powerful and sad.

      Greetings from London.

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  8. The only movies I watch are at home now on television, I haven't been to a theater in a very long time.

    Thanks so much for your kind comment on my blogspot today and thanks, as well, for taking the time to listen to the video by Peder B. Helland. I am so glad you enjoyed his music. :)

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  9. i don't watch much tv - and have to confess i neither heard about wolf hall nor selma...ha...may have to check them out..

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  10. Like Claudia, I don't watch much television, neither had I heard about Wolf Hall. Sorry, Claudia, I didn't mean to copy your words. Sounds as though Auntie got it right on this occasion.

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  11. I saw "Selma' it was a good movie!

    Have a great Sunday!

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  12. I saw the plays at Stratford. Absolutely brillian. Didn’t want to spoil things by watching the BeeB episodes, wish I had now. My husband loved the Beeb’s production. He’d also read the books and raved about them.

    Henry VIII was such a minor and unsuccessful player in European history and England was no more than a speck of land off the northwestern edge of the continent then, all that means that his times are of little consequence and my thirst for more and more Tudor drama has been quenched,

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  13. brilliant has a ’t’.

    re some of your commenters. Aren’t people different. Particularly on different sides of the globe. how can you not have heard of Wold Hall or Selma?
    Actually, there must be millions in the UK who know nothing of culture of whatever ilk. I just never meet them anywhere but on blogs.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for your comment. Good to know your opinion about Henry VIII! :-)

      Greetings from London.

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  14. Selma sounds interesting. I like to watch TV shows or movies after I've read the book so I can point out the differences!

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  15. I'm wholeheartedly with you on this one, CiL...Wolf Hall was truly amazing viewing!
    I initially thought it would be "just another adaptation of something we've seen many times before" but I was so wrong. The acting is superb, the costumes and locations very authentic...and with the wonderful Anton Lesser on the cast list...well, what more do I need to say?!

    I haven't seen Selma yet though...an omission soon to be rectified!:)

    Have a Great Week:))

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  16. Oh Cubano, how can you overlook Carmen Ejogo as Coretta Scott King? She's a Brit too and as excellent as all the men you poured accolades upon.

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    1. Damn, you're right! :-) Sorry, Carmen, it was your accent that threw me. Oh, I hang my head in shame.

      Greetings from London.

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  17. I want to see Selma, but I am having problems understanding how Cromwell (17th Century) encountered Boleyn (16th Century).

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    1. Thomas Cromwell, not Oliver. :-) Thomas lived in the 16th century. Oliver led the English Bourgeois Revolution.

      Greetings from London.

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    2. I plumb forgot about Thomas and I have even seen A Man for All Seasons... Sorry for confusing the two.

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  18. Between a hearing loss from when I was a child, machine gun ears from when I was sort of an adult and the unintelligible accent of a few over-eager, overacting British actors, I have turned off more series originating in England than I have watched during the past few years. I would wager the same -- or similar verdicts -- would be voiced by many among American audiences.

    Richard Harris once said of stage actors that they should develop a voice to be heard even in a whisper in the farthest reaches of a theater. He did, he could and that simple reason is among the key reasons why he was/is adored by many. Why watch/listen when the audio is incomprehensible for whatever reason ??

    I have not seen the film, "Selma," and probably will not until it arrives on cable television. I am curious, but also skeptical. The entire period of "The Sixties," just as the entire period of the "The Thirties," (and so many other times) seem to be the object of historical revisionism as much as or more than historical reality. Fantasy and "feel-good" philosophy reign these days more than reality.

    I like Sunday mornings more than Saturday evenings, CiL, but will show up either way sooner or later ....

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  19. It's ok Cubano, we forgive you! She was married to outstanding American actor Jeffrey Wright so perhaps she had help in developing her foolproof accent.

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  20. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  21. We just experienced the Selma 50 year anniversary. Amazing to see the same folks return as seniors. Glad to see that at least 1Rebublican, former Prex GW Bush was there with Laura. Good for him - good for America! Very touching and reflective weekend. Thanks for the worthy reviews.


    ALOHA from Honolulu
    ComfortSpiral
    =^..^=

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  22. I need to read the book first. My husband loved the first and liked the second book. He saw the RSC staging in London and will see part 2 when it comes to NYC this spring. He is excited about the TV series which hasn't come here yet. You are right to critique each version on its own grounds.

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  23. Thanks Cubano. I heard quite a bit about 'Wolf Hall' but I generally avoid historical novels and their derivatives. I fear too much fact will be forsaken for artistic license. That said, I think TV adaptations of books tend to do them more justice than film as there is time to develop the characters and get under the skin in a way a feature cannot. There's a limit to how successful these can be; it's after all one individual's interpretation of what the author meant whilst each reader will have their own that is precious to them. Plus some TV adaptations work better than others. For every 'Small Island' (also featuring David Oyelowo and fellow best actor nominee Benedict Cumberbatch), there's a 'White Teeth' (very disappointing). Anyway I'm rambling. Thanks for sharing, as always.

    PS I completely forgot Tom Wilkinson was part of the Brit Pack. I'm used to his British period drama incarnation. Between the relatively modern setting and his authentic-sounding Yankie twang, I got confused!

    Shalom x

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