Monday, December 19, 2005
Shake me up, Judy
The BBC adaptation of Bleak House ended yesterday. A triumph of Dickens' storywriting, BBC production and homegrown acting talent: the actress that caused the breathless celeb headlines was ex-X files import Gillian Anderson, who as Lady Honoria Dedlock acted the whole range of emotions from A to...well... A minus. The best thing she did was die, and as she expired wetly (literally and dramatically) I found myself cheering and shouting at the screen for someone to bury her fast and cheap. Gillian Anderson wearing anything wet used to be a waking fantasy of mine, but after that lamentable performance I'd now rush across to her with a large bath towel and urge her to 'get covered up.' But she was only fly in an otherwise wonderful ointment. Her work permit should be revoked immediately and she sent back to make more trash TV for gullible American youth to quote in their essays. Yes it's true, American students have taken to citing The X-Files as a reputable source in essays. Read 'How Mumbo Jumbo Conquered the World' by Francis Wheen if you don't believe it.
Anderson was acted off the screen by Anna Maxwell Martin playing Esther Summerson. Some of Dickens' heroines are so saccharine you have trouble keeping your pudding down (Kate Nickleby, f'rinstance) but Esther (Lady Dedlock's bastard daughter) was superb in every scene. Bleak House deserves a clutch of awards, and if Anna Maxwell Martin does not waltz one off, one of my size 9 rigger boots is going through the front of the TV. Honourable mentions to Jonny Vegas as Krook (who spontaneously combusts far too early in the proceedings) to Timothy West, Alun Armstrong, actually the whole damn cast except Agent Scully, and to Richard Carter for pointing out that the astonishingly vile Mr Smallweed (magnificently played by Phil Davis) did not come to a grisly end as do most of Dickens' malefactors: a lonely painful diseased death, suicide or the gallows being the usual desserts for such characters.
Still, his entry into every scene, borne on a chair carried by two long suffering, regularly beaten porters and accompanied by his hard-faced grasping daughter Judy resulted in a phrase which should come into every day use. 'Shake me up, Judy.'
Anderson was acted off the screen by Anna Maxwell Martin playing Esther Summerson. Some of Dickens' heroines are so saccharine you have trouble keeping your pudding down (Kate Nickleby, f'rinstance) but Esther (Lady Dedlock's bastard daughter) was superb in every scene. Bleak House deserves a clutch of awards, and if Anna Maxwell Martin does not waltz one off, one of my size 9 rigger boots is going through the front of the TV. Honourable mentions to Jonny Vegas as Krook (who spontaneously combusts far too early in the proceedings) to Timothy West, Alun Armstrong, actually the whole damn cast except Agent Scully, and to Richard Carter for pointing out that the astonishingly vile Mr Smallweed (magnificently played by Phil Davis) did not come to a grisly end as do most of Dickens' malefactors: a lonely painful diseased death, suicide or the gallows being the usual desserts for such characters.
Still, his entry into every scene, borne on a chair carried by two long suffering, regularly beaten porters and accompanied by his hard-faced grasping daughter Judy resulted in a phrase which should come into every day use. 'Shake me up, Judy.'
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I think Scully's acting was supposed to be, according to reviews, "marvellously understated", but I agree with you...
I've been doing the catchphrase myself. It's a shame Smallweed didn't get any sort of comeuppance though. Shake me up, Judy, shake me up!
I've been doing the catchphrase myself. It's a shame Smallweed didn't get any sort of comeuppance though. Shake me up, Judy, shake me up!
In the book Lady D is described as langorous and frozen in her manner as a result of the emotional trauma she has been through - Gillian A did reflect this I think. Esther on the other hand is much more of a drudge in book and has a lot of nicknames like Dame Durden and little woman which the adaptation left out to make her a stronger character -
Anderson's performance was the best thing about "Bleak House." Anne Maxwell Martin was very good as well as Charles Dance and Alun Armstrong but the scene in which Lady Dedlock reveals to Esther she's her mother proves AMM doesn't yet have the depth GA has.
Some people need shaking up. No, anonymous, the best thing about Bleak House was the original book. Lady Dedlock is indeed described as frozen and langorous, but Dickens gives her exclamation marks in her dialogue, the screenwriter and Anderson think they know better.
"these words my mother uttered in a suppressed cry of despair" (Esther of Lady Dedlock)
In another two paragraph, Lady Dedock is described as 'slightly laughing' and speaking 'with some disdain': the dialogue came from a scene included in the BBC adaotation where Gillian Anderson might have been instructed to stand like a flagpole and deliver her lines like a robot.
Waiting for GA to start a sentence or rise to an exclamation mark was almost (but not quite) as exciting as waiting for the verb in a German sentence. Steeling myself for this riposte, I watched a goodly chunk of Bleak House repeats last night: most buttock-clenchingly the one in which Lady Dedlock found her former lover's grave. That wasn't acting, it was turning up. And as for the same object processing into church and seeing her daughter for the first time: Gillian Anderson was comfortably out-acted by most of the pews. A badly screenwritten Esther gave her screen mother a lesson in suppressed emotion. This was the BBC at its best and worst: when it produces something of this quality it is the best in the world, then some eegit looks at the West End theatre trend for employing headlining American actors and shoves an oar in. A wooden Lady Dedlock is the result.
"these words my mother uttered in a suppressed cry of despair" (Esther of Lady Dedlock)
In another two paragraph, Lady Dedock is described as 'slightly laughing' and speaking 'with some disdain': the dialogue came from a scene included in the BBC adaotation where Gillian Anderson might have been instructed to stand like a flagpole and deliver her lines like a robot.
Waiting for GA to start a sentence or rise to an exclamation mark was almost (but not quite) as exciting as waiting for the verb in a German sentence. Steeling myself for this riposte, I watched a goodly chunk of Bleak House repeats last night: most buttock-clenchingly the one in which Lady Dedlock found her former lover's grave. That wasn't acting, it was turning up. And as for the same object processing into church and seeing her daughter for the first time: Gillian Anderson was comfortably out-acted by most of the pews. A badly screenwritten Esther gave her screen mother a lesson in suppressed emotion. This was the BBC at its best and worst: when it produces something of this quality it is the best in the world, then some eegit looks at the West End theatre trend for employing headlining American actors and shoves an oar in. A wooden Lady Dedlock is the result.
Aren't you too shaken, peter? I read the book too, so no need to be so condescending. I think the series does justice to the book and gives the characters of Esther and Lady Dedlock more plausibility. Wooden acting? GA's Lady Dedlock was sad, tired, depressed, haughty and disdainful (the scenes with the French maid), angry and desperate (the scenes with Tulkinghorn), frightened and hopeful, warm and tender (scenes with Rosa and Leicester Dedlock). All these emotions were there, you just needed to pay attention.
Speaking about GA and screenwriter "knowing better," I wonder where a consistent adaptation of the long and often terribly melodramatic novel would get us, present-day viewers. Are you serious when you suggest that for instance the scene in which Lady Dedlock realizes her daughter is alive should be done in strict accordance with the book, with my Lady moaning wildly on her knees:
"O my child, my child! Not dead in the first hours of her life, as my cruel sister told me; but sternly nurtured by her, after she had renounced me and my name! O my child, O my child!"
The irony of your final comment is delicious. Headlining American actor? So that is the problem? At the beginning of her career Anderson won prestigious awards for her t h e a t r e performances. After the X-Files ended she moved to UK in order to avoid being in the headlines. Like all talented people, she'll continue to attract attention, no doubt, but that is another story.
Speaking about GA and screenwriter "knowing better," I wonder where a consistent adaptation of the long and often terribly melodramatic novel would get us, present-day viewers. Are you serious when you suggest that for instance the scene in which Lady Dedlock realizes her daughter is alive should be done in strict accordance with the book, with my Lady moaning wildly on her knees:
"O my child, my child! Not dead in the first hours of her life, as my cruel sister told me; but sternly nurtured by her, after she had renounced me and my name! O my child, O my child!"
The irony of your final comment is delicious. Headlining American actor? So that is the problem? At the beginning of her career Anderson won prestigious awards for her t h e a t r e performances. After the X-Files ended she moved to UK in order to avoid being in the headlines. Like all talented people, she'll continue to attract attention, no doubt, but that is another story.
I have been infatuated with Lady Dedlock for many years now and anything the BBC was going to serve up would not do her justice. However, under the circumstances, I think that GA did an excellent job. But why on earth did they cut the best lines from her meeting with Esther, as well as changing the whole mood of it. They had 8 hours of cinema to fill. Why did the have to hurry up the best scenes? (Esther's meeting with her mother, Esther finding her dead - you can't be the line, 'and it was my mother, cold and dead.' and the revelation of the new Bleak House and what that meant)
Bleak House is my favourite novel, so I couldn't be disappointed, but I felt they could have done a lot better.
Bleak House is my favourite novel, so I couldn't be disappointed, but I felt they could have done a lot better.
I thought Gillian's performance was pitch perfect--spot on re: the book. Also, my god! I never realized just how beautiful she is. I think she's one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen.
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