Another Richard Armitage Challenge! Social Distancing Edition #14

Most annoying character?

I have an old one and a new one  😊



Dr. Tom Steele in Doctors

Richard played a doctor in a UK TV series called Doctors.  

This role was before he was in North & South and like any working actor he appeared as a temporary guest  character in a number of TV series.  When I first became an Armitage fan, as you do, I searched for everything he had been in before I discovered him.  

Thanks to YouTube you can find Richard's scenes as Dr. Tom Steele.

What can I say.  Hope he forgives me for saying this doctor has the worlds worst bedside manner.  Yes, he look very handsome, but so irresponsible a character.  I have watched Richard play many different roles through the years, even several evil characters, but even those I don't find annoying. Scary yes, but not annoying.  But Steele I do.

__________________

My new most annoying character is Richard Hall (the father) in The Lodge.

The movie was playing in an AMC theater near me a while back.  Horror films are not my genre, but I couldn't pass up the chance of seeing Richard on the big screen.

SPOILERS

I thought it was a good psychological horror. All the actors, especially the children, were very effective in their roles. 

I wouldn't recommend it to everyone, but if you like psychological horror films or don't mind them, I would encourage you to see it. 

The film also has a clear warning message about fanaticism.  

I was pleasantly surprised that Armitage's role was bigger than I thought it would be, and key to what happens in the film. Yes, even when his character is not physically there on screen.

But I did find the father character, named Richard as it happens, very annoying. There were times in the movie theater that I wanted to yell at this Richard, but of course I contained myself in public. 

Mall Walking in Winter - Degas, El Greco and Thoughts about Mr. Turner

I haven't posted a Mall Walking post for a while.  When I say Mall Walking I mean the National Mall in Washington DC.

During the Holidays I was off for a few days and decided to go to the National Gallery of Art to see two exhibits I've been meaning to see:  Degas's Little Dancer and El Greco's 400th Anniversary.

As a perennial student of art history Degas and El Greco are two of my favorite artists.  

Edgar Degas is a favorite because when I was in school and college and even beyond I was a great lover of ballet. I used to go standing room to see the great dancers that came to our city. (Oh, how I miss those student discounts.) So I had lots of prints and posters of Degas' dancers on my bedroom wall. One of my favorite Degas paintings is part of the NGA exhibit.

The focus of the exhibit is the only sculpture Degas ever showed publicly, at the impressionist exhibition in 1881, Little Dancer Age Fourteen.

It was a wonderful experience to see the sculpture up close. I really felt the personality of this young girl and her determination.  

The El Greco exhibit brings together the artist's paintings owned by the National Gallery and works on loan from Washington collectors. It traces the evolution of Domenikos Theotokopoulos (El Greco) as an artist and his influence on modern art and artist. 

One of El Greco's paintings on exhibit was once owned by Edgar Degas:

Saint Ildefonso, c. 1603/1614

If you happen to be in or near DC between now and February, don't miss these two exhibits. You can read and watch more about the exhibits and the two artists on the NGA website by clicking the links below:

http://www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/features/modeling-movement.html

http://www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/exhibitions/2014/el-greco-400-anniversary.html

For Richard Armitage, Aidan Turner, and Hobbit fans you can watch Thorin and Kili as artists Claude Monet and Dante Gabriel Rossetti in two UK TV series. (And you get some Degas with your Monet as well)

Richard Armitage in The Impressionists:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0496201/

Aidan Turner in Desperate Romantics:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1346018/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

Desperate Romantics also stars Rafe Spall as William Holman Hunt one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and a desperate romantic.  I recently saw his father, Timothy Spall as artist J.M.W Turner in the movie Mr. Turner. 

A few impressions of Mike Leigh's film Mr. Turner 

I wanted to fall in love with this film. Timothy Spall gives a great performance as the enigma that is Turner the man. The supporting cast is perfect, and many familiar faces if you watch UK television and films. 

The movie in visually stunning, the beauty of the landscapes almost brought me to tears. Some of the interior scenes are so beautifully meticulous in their detail.  We see the real transferred on canvas. Turner's paintings become more and more abstract. Visually this is a great film.

Yet I didn't fall in love. As perennial art history student I know a tiny little bit about Turner and have seen some of his work in museums. I wanted to leave the film understanding Turner's art as well as the man, yet I left knowing less than ever. Maybe that was Leigh's intention. 

We do learn about Turner's rather complicated private life and curmudgeonly personality from middle-age to death. How this grumpy and not always likable man of few words, and some inexplicable deeds, created his works of art is puzzling. Through Spall's performance and Turner's outdoor wanderings we see his great dedication to his work. But for me there was a disconnect. Why did Turner turn more and more towards abstraction? Why light and landscape? We do see the politics of being a successful artist in his time, but what about his art?

But maybe that was the director's message, that art, like love, is inexplicable. 

(bad photos of DC  and inside NGA are mine, others from NGA website, or Google Images)

Viggo Mortensen in ALATRISTE - Movie Review

There was a time when the sun never set on the Spanish Empire, and the Alatriste book series by Arturo Perez-Reverte takes us back to those times.  

Painting by Diego Velazquez

All empires fall and we find our hero, Diego Alatriste, at a time of corruption, intrigue, and the Inquisition.   Alatriste (2006) the film is sumptuous and ambitious, visually stunning, taking the look from Spanish art of the period (17th Century).   The film has all the elements of a satisfying period film based on historical fiction: a world of handsome men in period costumes, women wearing beautiful gowns and jewels,  amazing settings and locations, many  excellent sword-fights,   star- crossed romance, and political intrigue. 

In response to a question about his own films, Viggo Mortensen mentioned Alatriste as one of his favorite.  I read a couple of the Alatriste books some time ago, but never finished the series. I prefer Perez-Reverte’s  mystery books.  But the interview gave me the desire to revisit the film, since I’m lucky to own the DVD. 

The film covers a long period of time in the life of Captain Diego Alatriste,  and several of the books if not most.  We first meet Alatriste  waging war for Spain in Flanders and rescuing the man who will become his protector in the Spanish court,  the Count of Guadalmedina (Eduardo Noriega). Then we see him back in Madrid taking care of the son of his dead comrade in arms,  ten year old Íñigo Balboa (played as an adult by Unax Ugalde).  We follow Alatriste and his ward Íñigo through a decade or more, sometimes in  the never ending wars, sometimes in the dangerous peace of home in Madrid.   We see the boy grow to a man, and Alatriste trying to survive his political and military enemies. 

Some of my favorite scenes are the many battle scenes and sword-fights in the film  The director knows how to handle these large crowd and battle scenes well. Some of the scenes in Flanders with the Spanish soldiers in the trenches during the Dutch Revolt or the Eighty Year’s War is reminiscent of similar scenes in World War I themed films and TV programs, I’m sure deliberately so.  The constant rain, the snipers,  the lack of food, the illness, the petty arguments, all in the place  Alatriste (Viggo Mortensen) describes as hell. 

There are also love stories in the film for both Alatriste and Íñigo.  I like the contrast between the illusions of the young lovers versus the world wariness of the older couple.  Elena Anaya plays the young, beautiful Angelica,  and Ariadna Gil plays Alatriste’s lover Maria de Castro (based on La Calderona, mistress of Philip IV of Spain).

Yet there is something about the film that manages to not engage me fully.  Is it the complicated real history that is the basis of the story, yet too complicated for those not fully acquainted with it to make us understand?  Is it Viggo Mortensen’s performance as the lead character Alatriste,  too remote and enigmatic to make us care for the man?   I would answer yes to both questions, and that is why, even if this film has all the elements I hold dear in a period film, I admire the work, but I can’t give this cinematic experience my full heart and soul.

Even so, I do recommend seeing Alatriste if you like historical fiction and grand period films.  For fans of Viggo Mortensen the film is another chance to see him in a heroic role. 

Alatriste (2006)  Directed by

Agustín Díaz Yanes

In Spanish - English subtitles available on DVD

Attention Hollywood, BBC, or HBO! Time for a Dolly Sisters Remake

Recently I saw an article on ArtDaily.org about the sale of a bronze sculpture (see photos above and below) by Art Deco sculptor Demetre Chiparus. The subject of the piece are the Dolly Sisters, identical twins who were big stars in the 1920's. The sculpture will go on sale November 14 at Bonhams. 

The sisters had a fascinating but tragic life together. Their story was made into a film in 1945 with Betty Grable and June Haver. You may know both names if you're a fan of Classic Films.

But I truly believe given the real story of the Dolly Sisters that this film is overdue for a remake, I think the story needs time to tell, and maybe a multi-episode TV series by the BBC or HBO would be just the thing. I also think our less idealistic times are perfect to tell the story.

So what is the story of the Dolly Sisters, you're all asking right now. Well, read part of the ArtDaily article below and see if you agree with me about what a perfect series for the BBC or HBO this would be:

"The sisters story reads like a morality tale, fantastic fame and fortune, celebrity, gilded lovers and wild exoticism all ending in sadness, tragedy and early death. Born in Budapest and brought to America, aged 12, in 1905 by their immigrant parents the sisters, ‘Rosie’ Roszika and ‘Jenny’ Janszieka Schwartz were already dance-mad. Within two years, they were on the vaudeville stage, where their looks as well as their dancing captivated audiences. They were very attractive with dark skin, shoulder-length hair and dark gipsy eyes. 

 The Real Dolly Sisters

Their performances at the Ziegfeld Follies on Broadway confirmed their star attraction. Men were entranced and packed their shows out. It was not long before they were receiving gifts, including on one occasion a beribboned Rolls Royce, after their show. Soon they had stormed the heights of society and were being entertained by the Vanderbilts and Hearsts who invited them to their homes. In Europe they were to conquer even greater social heights. 

Selfridge

They came to London in 1920 to star in a Charles Cochrane stage extravaganza and met the younger sons of King George V, later meeting the Prince of Wales. His path and that of the Dollies seemed to cross for some years and it was said that he was particularly fond of Jenny. In Paris they met King Alfonso of Spain, who was a regular visitor. One of their attractions was that the Dollies were discreet. Their romantic attachments never became public. But they broke hearts, and bank balances, too, even those of the super-rich. Gordon Selfridge, the American-born founder of Oxford Street’s grand department store, at the age of 69, fell so hopelessly for the 33-year-old Jenny that he squandered a large part of his fortune on her. Drawn to gambling they were casino regulars, winning massively, draped in the latest fashions and dripping jewellery. Their gambling earned them $850,000 in one season at Deauville and in one evening in Cannes, Jenny won four million francs which she converted into jewellery, going on to win another 11 million. As their dancing career ended Rosie fell in love with a man named Irving Netcher, and was deliriously happy. Jenny was lonely and on the course that led her eventually to reach for the sash of her dressing gown committing suicide in 1941 having lost a fortune. Rosie in 1962 attempted to follow her sister in suicide. The bid failed. She died on February 1, 1970, succumbing to heart failure." (From ArtDaily.org)

Rosie Dolly and Irving Netcher

I think Irving Netcher or even better, Max Constant, would be a good role for Richard Armitage. Constant was a French sportsman, aviator, and actor who was Jennie's boyfriend. 

From Richard Armitage Central 

So who would you cast as the Dolly Sisters? 

US Public Television Station Launches All UK Channel: WETA UK

Washington DC Metropolitan Area Public Television WETA launches an All British programming TV station, WETA UK on June 2.  This is very exciting news for DC Area Anglophiles. 


What is even more exciting for this Anglophile is that in the preview videos, you can see one by clicking HERE  and the other  below. 






I caught glimpses of the Sharpe series starring Sean Bean, and MI5 (Spooks) and Robin Hood starring Richard Armitage.

In their press release and website WETA says it will be different from BBC America (BBCA) because it is not affiliated with just one UK Television provider but will show programming from all UK television networks. I also hope that WETA UK will show programming that BBCA has neglected because of their need to show growing ratings and attract the 18-35 year-old demographic in order to charge and attract advertisers. WETA is supported by audience donations, foundations, US Government funding, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (PBS) and not dependent on advertising dollars. I hope donations do come in to make it possible for WETA UK to purchase rights to new and exciting UK programming. 

MI5 (Spooks)

Right now looking at the  lineup for this 24- hour seven day a week channel the program lineup is made up of what PBS calls "classic" programming that we've all seen for years and years. Though I love my classic UK TV (see Sharpe, MI5, and Robin Hood note above), I really hope this new channel becomes what many of us hoped BBCA would be. 


I do wonder if this idea of an all UK TV channel will catch on with PBS (US Public TV) networks across the United States, or at least in major TV markets. Many of us pay a premium to our Cable TV stations or other providers so that we can watch BBCA, but the PBS stations are "free".    


Oh, and by the way WETA UK, how about showing North & South with Richard Armitage on the new channel! Richard Armitage will soon be starring in The Hobbit and featuring this great series may mean a new and growing audience for WETA. You may start another innovative trend across the PBS universe by doing so. 


I'll be watching WETA UK starting on June 2 and will report back from time to time on what I think about the new channel and on any exciting UK shows we may have the good fortune to see in the DC Area.  Thank you WETA and Happy 50th Birthday!


To read more about it, click HERE. 

Review of Shadow of the Sword (The Headsman) Starring Nikolaj Coster-Waldau

I recently read an interview on Winter is Coming with Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (NCW) and found out he made a movie some years ago called Shadow of the Sword. (Nikolaj plays Jaime Lannister in HBO’s series Game of Thrones.)  The reason I was so taken by the mention of this film is that Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (from now on I’ll refer to him as NCW) is wearing medieval garb, carrying a sword, and riding a horse. There’s nothing that I enjoy more than a handsome man in a period film with a sword. 

I was also curious to see NCW in something other than Game of Thrones.  I will admit that I saw both Kingdom of Heaven and Black Hawk Down, but since I didn’t know who NCW was at the time, I really don’t remember him. (Make a note to re-watch both films soon).  So this weekend I settled down to watch Shadow of the Sword (The Headsman) (2005). 

The film is set in what seems to be Northern Europe during the 16^th Century’s Inquisition seen through the story of the friendship between two orphans, Martin (NCW) and Georg (Peter McDonald). The film is also about the horrors of religious fanaticism.

Peter McDonald and NCW

Martin and Georg meet as orphans in the local monastery and one day when they are considered old enough are taken away to separate locations by the Archbishop (John Shrapnel).  We meet them again as adult men when Martin is now a soldier and Georg a priest.  Georg is the Prior of the monastery and town and Martin an officer in the military.  While camped outside the town Martin comes to visit his friend and falls in love at-first-sight with Anna (Anastasia Griffith), daughter of the town’s executioner. The executioner is employed by church and town, but considered and outcast along with his family. One thing leads to another and Martin has no choice but to become the town executioner to stay with his lady love. As for Prior Georg, let’s just say… 

“Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition” But they come to town anyway.

Martin and Georg find themselves on opposite sides of the religious persecution issue, their friendship is tested and their lives are in danger.

The film is successful in setting the right look and atmosphere for the times and the story.  The contrast between the dirty streets and equally dirty people, and the tidiness and sumptuousness of the church and the priests is very well done.  Some of the scenes are shot in beautiful locations that also contrast with the darkness of the tale.

The success of the look is deceptive because however ambitious the story, it just isn’t there in the script.  The friendship between Martin and Georg as children is never really told, so later when they meet as adults it’s hard to know what keeps these two very different men involved and concerned for each other. There’s a start of an interesting character arc with Anna as a woman ahead of her time, but that story is dropped into nothing shortly after.  Martin is clearly the hero, but we know so little about his character that the revelations that come later in the film fall flat.

What happened with the villains in this film?  Seemed at times that this group of good British character actors were at the edge of playing their roles for laughs.  Steven Berkoff channels his inner Dracula as the Inquisitor. John Shrapnel seems to be twisting an imaginary mustache as the Snidely Whiplash of Archbishops.  And Lee Ingleby and Eddie Marsan are the most repulsive of repulsive villains. (Lee Ingleby has perfected the art of being “weasely.”)

Steven Berkoff

I liked the performances of the lead actors. Though he’s not helped by the script, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau does his best and gives a heartbreaking performance as Martin.   He also looks good despite the stringy hair. There’s a charm about NCW that shows through in the quiet and romantic scenes. Anastasia Griffith plays a low key Anna and is believable in her romantic scenes with NCW.  Peter McDonald as Georg gives the best performance in the film and his character of the one time good priest fighting his own interior and exterior demons is the most developed.  

I think my expectations were too high for this film and this led to my disappointment with it. The cast is impressive and the story of the Inquisition and the darkness of the soul promised great drama. But the film is far from a great historical drama. It’s more an action/adventure/horror film that seeks to entertain rather than enlighten. 

I enjoyed watching Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and learning a bit more about his career, and that was really my objective in watching this film.        

There a few extras on the DVD.  There’s a “Making of Shadow of the Sword” that’s really a bad home video of the filming of one scene with bad background music. But I really enjoyed watching the mini-interviews with the cast.

Warning – the film has some very graphic violent scenes.

The film was nominated for the Grand Prix des Amériques at the 2005 Montréal World Film Festival, Director Simon Aeby

Director Simon Aeby

Photos from www.lunafilm.at and Google Images. 

He Sings: Movie Musical Revivals Starring Richard Armitage

We’re in Day Six of  FanstRAvaganza 3 in THE FREEFORM tagteam chain! see my partner’s posts at C.S. Winchester and Something About Love (A).

From the moment I saw the first trailer for The Hobbit and heard Richard Armitage sing I've had a burning desire to see him in a movie musical. 


Hollywood hasn't been doing too well with film musicals in the last few decades, I think one of the few successful ones was the Academy Award winning Chicago (2002).  But maybe now after the success of the new American television series SMASH the movie public will be yearning for the days of the film musicals to return.

Is this Richard Armitage?

Is this Richard Armitage in CATS? I'm not sure if it is him, from the Richard Armitage Board.

Who better to star in the revival of the film musical than Richard Armitage. For those that may not know, Armitage started his career on the musical stage, including 42nd Street (1990-1991) and CATS (1993-1995).  Of course, a new musical written just for him, including a few scenes of him dancing the tango, would be ideal. In the meantime there are a few musicals out there that could use a film revival and that would be perfect for Richard Armitage. 


Try to imagine him in the role as you view the clips below.

Kiss Me Kate

A Cole Porter musical based on "The Taming of the Shrew" by William Shakespeare.  The story follows a troop of actors behind-the-scenes and on stage rehearsing a musical production of Shakespeare's play.  The actors that play Petruchio and Katherine used to be married but are now feuding on stage and off. Of course, being a musical, the fighting between the two actors can only mean that they are still in love. In this film clip from the 1948 movie we see Howard Keel, who plays Petruchio/Frederick sings "Where is the Life that Late I Led?" and I can certainly see Richard Armitage in this comedic leading man role.

Company

Considered one of the first musicals to deal with adult themes, this 1970 musical by Stephen Sondheim and George Furth revolves around the birthday party of single man Bobby and his group of married friends. Instead of a linear plot the musical is a series of vignettes revolving around different themes about relationships. One good thing about making a film with Richard Armitage as Bobby is that I believe Company has never been made into a film. The nature of this musical calls for an imaginative director along with an imaginative actor (Armitage) to make this work on film.  Below is a clip with Dean Jones as Bobby signing "Being Alive" in the original 1970 cast album. 

The Fantasticks 

One of the longest running musicals ever by Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones (not the one you're thinking of!) this 1960 musical was based on Edmond Rostand's play "Les Romanesques".  In a small town two fathers hire a traveling company of actors, led by El Gallo, to trick their children, Matt and Louisa, into falling in love. 
The musical was made into an unsuccessful film in 1995 (released in 2000) so there is lots of room for improvement with the right director and with Armitage as El Gallo. The name El Gallo means The Rooster in Spanish and you really need a man who embodies those "gallo" qualities, and no one will do that better than Richard. Below is a clip with British actor Jonathon Morris as El Gallo from the film:

My Fair Lady

Who is that man on the left? Jeremy Brett

The 1958 musical by Alan Lerner and Frederick Loewe is based on George Bernard Shaw's "Pygmalion" and was made into a film in 1964. It is the story of  Cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle and misogynistic phoneticist  Prof. Henry Higgins.This would be the musical on my list that I would be reluctant to remake. Why tamper with a perfect and much loved film with performances by Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison? Because the only contemporary actor that I believe could rival Rex Harrison in playing a charming curmudgeon in this comedy/romance is Richard Armitage. We can also add that Harrison really was not as handsome. Below a clip of Rex Harrison singing "I've Grown Accustomed to her Face": 

You can also download and watch at link below.

http://www.badongo.com/vid/2029241

Please vote on the POLL in the right hand sidebar and select which one of the musicals profiled above you think Richard Armitage should star in. You can also select Other and write your selection in the comments section of this post. 

I will post the results of the poll a week after FanstRAvaganza 3 and also update this post with the results.

For more of THE FREEFORM tagteam in FanstRA 3, see my partner’s post at C.S. Winchester and  Something About Love (A).  Tomorrow The FREEFORM tagteam continues at La Loba,  Me, My Thoughts, and Who Knows,  and I Want To Be A Pin- Up . All previous The FREEFORM posts and All F3 links can be found here.

This is my last post for FanstRAvaganza 3.  It has been incredible fun and a privilege to be part of this special week to celebrate Richard Armitage and his wonderful fans, my fellow fans. Thank you all so much for reading, viewing, and commenting. Looking forward to next year's FanstRA.