Mists of Avalon
Sep. 19th, 2004 05:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rmI am watching the Mists of Avalon miniseries, and it is, as Kat promised, bad.
The casting is mostly apalling. Most of the faces are too modern, most of the acting is mediocre, and few of the actors seem physically able to inhabit their roles and that's before they get on a horse and have a sword in their hand.
The changes made from the book mostly seem unnecessary, and in the interest of sanitizing things that can't really be sanitzed, and that's annoying as well. The entire king-making thing was especially awful, visually displeasing and neither frightening or arousing (and it probably should have been at least one).
That said, the matter of Arthur's heir and the infamous threesome issue, while also utter crap in this thing (let me count the ways), still made me look up from the work I've been doing while watching and held my focus forcefully. I've often said, what a strong, precise literary memory that is for me and the various things it made me understand about writing and people and sacrifice and complexity, but to see that infamous discussion on screen, even in this tripe, moved me more than I would have thought -- not out of any great anything in this awful project, but just because that's been laid so deep under my skin for so long, and if nothing else, it got the sense that no one breathed once during that whole conversation down perfectly.
Other things that suck: okay, people... having some chickens around doesn't make your project all Middle Ages authentic. The people are still too damn clean, and straw on the ground and chickens do not make up for manicures, blindingly white teeth, and men who have no scars on their flesh.
Also -- cheesy blue light surrounding Excalibur? Was that really necessary? Man.
This is sucktacular, and not even terribly fun for all that.
The casting is mostly apalling. Most of the faces are too modern, most of the acting is mediocre, and few of the actors seem physically able to inhabit their roles and that's before they get on a horse and have a sword in their hand.
The changes made from the book mostly seem unnecessary, and in the interest of sanitizing things that can't really be sanitzed, and that's annoying as well. The entire king-making thing was especially awful, visually displeasing and neither frightening or arousing (and it probably should have been at least one).
That said, the matter of Arthur's heir and the infamous threesome issue, while also utter crap in this thing (let me count the ways), still made me look up from the work I've been doing while watching and held my focus forcefully. I've often said, what a strong, precise literary memory that is for me and the various things it made me understand about writing and people and sacrifice and complexity, but to see that infamous discussion on screen, even in this tripe, moved me more than I would have thought -- not out of any great anything in this awful project, but just because that's been laid so deep under my skin for so long, and if nothing else, it got the sense that no one breathed once during that whole conversation down perfectly.
Other things that suck: okay, people... having some chickens around doesn't make your project all Middle Ages authentic. The people are still too damn clean, and straw on the ground and chickens do not make up for manicures, blindingly white teeth, and men who have no scars on their flesh.
Also -- cheesy blue light surrounding Excalibur? Was that really necessary? Man.
This is sucktacular, and not even terribly fun for all that.
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Date: 2004-09-19 03:11 pm (UTC)(no subject)
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From:Is it really feminist at all?
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Date: 2004-09-19 03:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-09-19 05:25 pm (UTC)I took a university course on Authriana a couple of years ago. ALong with other medieval studies class as well as some experience in theatre and film, "The Mists of Avalon" just makes my toes hurts.
Really really hurt.
Ugh.
Ekatarina
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Date: 2004-09-20 04:44 am (UTC)I'm probably talking too much (or perhaps inappropriately) in your journal. If so, please let me know -- I don't want to be a bad guest. Thanks!
Bill
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