*gulp* Well, I totally dropped the ball and didn't post this linkage until today. Blame it on a crazy day at work combined with the prep and delivery of a Peace Corps week presentation that I had yesterday afternoon. Anyways, enough excuses....
As you are no doubt aware, for the past several months I have been in cahoots with fabulous bloggers Kristie(J) and katiebabs in a crusade to get anyone and everyone to see the fantastic BBC movie (miniseries?) North and South. I had heard about the film from a post over on the AAR boards and then when I finally saw the movie and fell head over heels for it, I posted a thank-you thread which turned into a discussion about the movie. Kristie then watched it and did what Kristie does so well. She decided that others must be given the good news and put her formidable enthusiasm and effort into getting the word out. One thing led to another and we all decided to pool our resources. One very crazy AIM PJ party and countless email exchanges later, we launched the N&S Crusade (tm). And the rest, as they say, is history.
Yesterday, the grand finale to our Crusade was posted over at Ramblings on Romance, etc. Not only is there a plethora of pretty pictures, but author Carrie Lofty contributes a fascinating essay on Mr. Thornton's interactions with the male characters in North and South. It has to be said, that Carrie, she knows how to write. (And I blame her entirely for my ongoing obsession with all things Dr. Who and Torchwood, but that's a post for another day.)
(carrie, I'm posting Fist of Doom in your honor. lol)
AND there's more! A North and South DVD to be won! And a huge AIM PJ party to be planned. Oh the fun never does end. Hie thee to Kristie's for the details.
Netflix now has North and South available as an instant play. I've only just started using this very excellent feature, and it rocks. You can watch selected movies on your computer instantly. No waiting for part 2 to come in the mail! Go forth and rewatch. ;)
Head on over to my good buddy KristieJ's blog for an exclusive with Sabrina Jeffries. Hint: she's seen and loved North and South and our dearest boy RICHard! *g*
With all of the Christmas busy-ness and what with the parents, younger brother and cousin visiting, I haven't had much time to blog. However, I have been reading in the evenings when I finally get home and curled up in my bed.
Thanks to the awesomeness of lisabea, I have been immersed in the gay space Regency world of My Fair Captain. VERY entertaining and touching story, and I would highly recommend it. More on my reactions to this book will follow to be sure. It was very interesting to read this in the midst of my listening to the Gabaldon "Lord John" audiobook every evening. In the latter, Lord John is living in a repressive society where sodomy is punishable by courtmartial and death. This complex and honorable man has to balance the demands on his profession (soldier), his family and his natural desire to love and be loved all the while guarding every word and every action. It was so fascinating to compare this with the openly gay but still formal and patriarchical society in My Fair Captain. I'm not explaining this very well, but anyways, it got me to thinking about culture and identity and our assumptions about what is normal and expected. All kinds of interesting stuff.
I'm also just finishing Beyond Paradise by Elizabeth Doyle. It's an entertaining pirate romp recommended to me by my blogging buddy Kristie(J). I'll probably write up a short capsule review later but for now let me just say that you have to admire an author who writes a story set not only in Martinique with an all-French cast but also has a deaf sailor (who is not even the captain) in the role as hero.
In other news, I successfully got my family to watch North and South! My mother, younger brother and I watched half last night and half this afternoon. They totally enjoyed it and were very impressed with the story, the quality of the acting and the entire production. Then my dad was looking for a DVD to use as a "test" for his new laptop and I handed it to him. A few hours later he came downstairs looking for disc 2. woot! So yeah, am I good or what?
As anyone who has visited my blog in recent times may have noticed, I have this little "thing" for the amazing BBC miniseries North and South. (um, also just a tiny "thing" for star of aforementioned series, Mr. Richard Armitage...ahem). So I was only a little surprised when I found myself working the movie into a final reflection paper I had to write for one of my MBA classes. The subject? Organizational Structure and Behavior. Basically, we learned a bunch of metaphors which help one describe an organization. And I used some of them to evaluate what I saw in North and South. Hey, who says you can't mix schoolwork with fun?
...In many ways, I feel as though that since I’ve had these metaphors pointed out to me, they are head-smackingly obvious. I see them everywhere now. For example, last week I was watching a BBC miniseries called North and South which is set in the British industrial revolution. As I enjoyed the film and reacted to the characters and plot, my thought processes of evaluating it included bits and pieces of the metaphors. I could see the cotton mills with their endless rows of looms and factory drudgery work – Organization as a Machine. Then there were the inevitable clashes between the fledgling unions and the factory bosses – Organization as a Political System. We see workers suffering from lung disease developed by the cotton fluff in the factory air – Organization as Instruments of Domination. The film also allowed the audience to see some of the complexity that went into the management of the factory as the boss tried to decide whether or not to risk the future of his organization on a speculative financial investment or hope that the downward trend of the market would reverse itself. His decision had ramifications for the continued existence of the company – Organization as Organism. Although we don’t think of industrial era bosses as particularly enlightened or values-led, this particular owner had his own sense of justice and fairness. You could obviously see how his internal moral values had a direct impact on his leadership style and on the entire company – Organization as Culture. These are just the metaphors that came to mind easily. I’m quite sure that one could find parallels to all of them. ...
I dashed off the final paragraph and emailed the finished paper to my professor before I could lose my nerve. So what say you? Crazy or what? lol. Anyways, after that horrid Accounting exam which I finished tonight, my finals are done. I'm celebrating with an extra large bottle of Corona. I only wish I didn't have to work tomorrow or one bottle might be two.
It's been quite a week! Kristie, Kate and I had so much fun planning and posting about North and South. Flurries of emails, AIM chats to iron out the details, bouts of squeeing over Richard Armitage, hunting down photos to match posts, editing out the more salacious elements of our PJ party (oh wait...we left most of those in, for our sins...) And how cool was Lisa Kleypas' interview? I am not really sure how to follow that. (how bout with a picture of Richard Armitage?) I moved back to my house a few days ago and am basking in the boundless capacity to surf and post and just dawdle on the internet. Saturday evening I curled up in bed with my laptop and rewatched the entire North and South miniseries in one go. It's actually been quite some time since I've watched it, as I'd lent it out to a friend. I fell in love with it all over again and realized that as much as I've enjoyed posting and sharing and talking about it, I'd almost forgot how genuinely awesome it was. There were so many little nuances and details that I have overlooked the previous times I'd seen it. Details that I now noticed because of something Lisa mentioned in her interview or that Kristie and Kate talked about in our chats.
A good film like a good book is something that you can go back to more than once. That's why we call those books "keepers", and I suppose I would call those films personal classics. No matter how many times you've seen them, they can always bear repeat viewing. And like a good book, you can get even more out of them or see things in a different light because of a discussion with a friend. This open exchange of ideas and enriching debate is something that I love about the internet and the blogosphere in particular. I feel really lucky to have found such a neat community of people around the world with whom I have some things in common and whom are also very different from me in other ways. Without them, I might have never even known about this movie and I definitely would not have had such fun talking about it and obsessing over it.
So if I have any final thoughts it is that I'm really grateful that I had the good luck to be introduced to this film and that I hope that all of you out there who haven't yet seen it get the chance to do so in the near future. And that we continue the discussions!! :)
And now for Kristie's final thoughts: First off, hopefully anyone who is at all intrigued by this awesome series, I urge you to try and track down a copy and watch it. It isn’t often something blows me away as much as North and South has. It’s the kind of thing that gives you shivers, like an extra special song or a really good book, the kind you will remember forever. We did go a bit goofy, devoting an entire week to it, but if you’ve seen in, I think you might know why and if you are planning on it, hopefully you will see why. It’s not just that Richard Armitage is so devastatingly attractive, although he is. When you are watching, it’s like you’ve been transported into the time and are an observer of a slice of history we don’t always see. The acting is incredible. We feel John Thornton’s pain and anguish again and again, as he is dealt blow after blow, first of all being rejected by Margaret when he declares his love to her and then again when he thinks there is someone else in her life. From the first time we see him as he is beating on an employee, we slowly see beneath the surface to a man who hides his pain and his passion behind layers of gentility. We see his own self doubts, his loneliness. We see that although he is a master, he does genuinely care about his employees. And finally we see his triumph when he finally sees that Margaret does love him.
But something else I’d really like to mention is the fun this has been for me working with Sula and Katiebabs. All the emails we’ve exchanged and the chats – once we finally figured out how it works :). I know I’ve made two really great friends and that is a wonderful thing. We’ve had a riot, sighing and ooing and awing over some of the great clips on YouTube. We hope to keep this going – although not a whole weeks worth, but we do still have plans up our sleeves. Thanks to Sula and Katiebabs for joining in and promoting something we’ve all come to love!!
And finally, Katiebabs shares her parting comments: So what can I say about North and South that hasn't been already mentioned? Well I have found a new appreciation for a classic and now I want to read the actual book and experience the passion, romance, and social issues that are brought up in the movie. If a movie adaptation is so good, that means the book must be even better. I've always been a big fan of BBC productions along with Masterpiece Theater and North and South must be one of the best productions I have ever seen. Almost tied with Pride and Prejudice with Colin Firth.
We have gone on and on about Richard Armitage's portrayal of John but we also have failed to mention the actress Daniela Denby-Ashe who played Margaret. She was perfect and so lovely looking. These two actors played these two wonderful characters to perfection. Each look, touch and word spoken that came out of their mouths were scripted perfectly. Their chemistry was incredible and I truly believed they were John and Margaret.
There are two scenes that come to mind that made a big impression on me. I could say it was the swoon-worthy final train scene or when John watches Margaret leave him and says the simple statement, "look back", but there are two other scenes that are also as good and stick with me.
The first time Margaret enters John's mill and as she looks through the flowing white flakes that looks like snow, she spies John and my heart went thump. All is silent and both are shown as quiet and stoic.
The other scene was the party scene. John is making his rounds with his guests and when he meets a female guest, he grasps her gloved hand for only a moment. But when he goes to Margaret, he holds her un-gloved hand for a full minute before he releases it. That is just as sexy as a passionate kiss!
This whole experience has been incredible. From wonderful conversations with Kristie and Sula who are very intelligent women to getting the word out about works of art that are not usually discussed, I thank you for welcoming to be a part of this!
And every time I see a train, I will think of John as he smiles and gives his one love a simple yellow flower that means so much to her. Not one word of love has been spoken, but there it is in a simple gesture, look and of course a kiss.
....
And we leave you with the climactic "train scene" to bring some serious romance to your day. (if you haven't seen the film, this would constitute a spoiler...but oh WHAT a delicious spoiler!!)
I can't believe I forgot to post about this, but then again I HAVE been internet-less (outside of work) for the past month. If you have not already been over to Kristie(J)'s blog to read the awesome interview with Lisa Kleypas, then hie thee forthwith!
Lisa talks about North and South, why Richard Armitage would make the ideal Derek Craven, and also answers a burning question regarding another one of her sexy heros and raspberries. *g* You don't want to miss it.
Well as you will have seen from Kristie(J)'s blog post of yesterday, this week we are celebrating the greatness that is the BBC mini-series North and South. I can't talk about this amazing film without first thanking all of the nice people over at AAR who recommended the movie and mentioned it enough times to get the title lodged into my thick brain. I've never been quite so glad that I took advice from strangers. lol.
Like Kristie, sometimes when I get stuck on something, I really get stuck. Downright addicted. After watching this movie, I couldn't stop thinking about it. And yes, of course Richard Armitage's hotness factor may have something to do with it, but I like to think that it was more than just that. The whole story and the way the characters grow and change over the course of the film really stayed in my mind. It's not often that you get to watch a fair visual representation of the kind of novels you read on a regular basis, but that's exactly how I found North and South. Sure, the book isn't a classic romance novel per se, but the emphasis of the film is squarely on the developing relationship between mill owner John Thornton and bluestocking social justice heroine Margaret Hale. And rather than descend into schlocky Lifetime-movie-of-the-week cheesiness, this movie respects both the source material and the audience. Richard Armitage in particular does a fantastic job of showing Mr. Thornton's inner struggle between his responsibilities to his workers and to his company and his desire for Margaret. You can see it in his eyes, the way he holds his shoulders, the twist of his mouth. I'm completely bowled over (obviously) and I can't help but take any opportunity to help other lucky souls get a chance to watch this movie.
Anyways, enough of my rambling...without further ado, here is the second part of our girly pajama party. Be forewarned, it really was a pajama party and all of the silly squeeing one might expect from such a gathering is definitely present. Hey, we're all professional women but sometimes it's fun to kick back with the gals and go a little crazy. *g* Enjoy...
KatieBabs: So, yellow flowers? Kristie(J): and what do they signify KatieBabs: friendship Sula: Remember at the beginning? Kristie(J): Henry gave her one and it meant nothing. But John had to SEARCH to find the one he gave her KatieBabs: Good catch! Sula: Yeah, and those were flowers from HER house KatieBabs: and Margaret kissed the hand that gave her the flower which is John just like he had to search his heart to let Margaret in Sula: Part of what she missed (I think) was the countryside ‘cause the city they moved to...no flowers Sula: oooh Kristie(J): I like that! Sula: that's deep, katiebabs Kristie(J): You rock KatieBabs: Deep thoughts... Sula: You know...everyone was telling me in the thread at AAR how much I was going to melt when I saw the last scene (this as I had only seen the first disc)... but I didn't really believe it until I watched the train station scene...omg
Kristie(J): The train scenes where she is looking out the window. The movie starts with that and ends with it KatieBabs: But what does the train rides mean? Kristie(J): A journey to a new life KatieBabs: The train scene is one of the most romantic I have ever watched in movies or TV Sula: Yes exactly, Katiebabs Kristie(J): It is isn't it! Sula: It was like..."this is IT!" This is what romance is all about! This is why I read this stuff! Kristie(J): Yep! A visual of what we read and why we love it so Sula: Exactly! And the actors played it so well KatieBabs: When Margaret kisses his hands and then he grabs her face and they kiss like no tomorrow and her poor sad sap neighbor is watching, I started clapping. Kristie(J): He doesn't grab her face. *g* He gently touches it Sula: I was squeeing...quite literally tenderly holds it. I think the word caress would work KatieBabs: He touches her face so sexily. If I was him I would have found a train outhouse for an hour *g* Kristie(J): Although I think it was out of character for the times - that scene made the movie Sula: Well, they DID have a private compartment in the train KatieBabs: I was wondering why no one noticed them smooching? Kristie(J): Can you imagine all that passion of his released Sula: I agree Kristie, and I didn't mind one bit if that was a little historically inaccurate Kristie(J): *shiver* Sula: *thud* KatieBabs: After the credits rolled, they pulled down the train screen and had a nice ride Sula: bwaha! Kristie(J): But waited until they were married *g* KatieBabs: sure sure. The wedding night! Need a fan! Sula: omg, I loved "are you coming home with me?" Kristie(J): Ah yes! Sula: Home! Kristie(J): And his smile KatieBabs: All the sexual tension between them! And their smiles between them Kristie(J): So - the casting - what did you think? Sula: Well, um, Richard Armitage. Nuff said. Where the HELL has this man been all my life?!? Kristie(J): How about Margaret? Sula: She was well-cast too, I think. She's strong but she also manages to be vulnerable, wise and naive at the same time KatieBabs: Great casting! Loved the girl who played Margaret Sula: Yeah, I love me some Gerry Butler, but Richard Armitage... Wow
Kristie(J): And Higgins! I loved him. Although just a worker, he showed such intelligence and kindness. I loved the scene where he said he would have to leave his brains at home Sula: yeah, that was funny KatieBabs: I really like how N&S portrayed the different types of families. Sula: I think it is interesting how all of these characters who shouldn't be friends manage to build relationships with each other over the course of the film KatieBabs: Father and daughters, mother and sons... Kristie(J): bosses and employees KatieBabs: good catch Kristie! Sula: Also, I think that Margaret's family was much more dysfunctional than Thornton's. At least in Thornton's family, they TALKED. Even the silly sister, she was upfront with what she felt. But in Margaret's family, it was all hidden Kristie(J): I do too. It wasn't in the original, but in the cut, it was Margaret who had to tell her mother they were moving to Milton because her father was too weak too KatieBabs: But even though the Thornton's had money they weren't snobs or spent crazy Sula: Hell, Margaret's father moved them up to a strange city without telling them why he quit his job Kristie(J): I think the mother was a bit of a snob KatieBabs: the mother was weak. Such the opposite from John's mother Kristie(J): And Margaret’s mother was very weak Sula: I think Thornton's mom was proud of her son and if she was a snob it was because she had been treated like crap when she was poor and now she's on top KatieBabs: How was Margaret so strong with weak parents? Kristie(J): She had to be because the weren't. And her brother was gone. Sula: Someone had to be strong in the family and he wasn't strong either when you see him come home KatieBabs: Both John and Margaret were well spoken and intelligent. John escaped by taking walks Kristie(J): Yes - that was a scene that played quite often - both of them walking up the hill alone Sula: Now they can walk together KatieBabs: They can walk hand in hand and pick flowers Sula: hey speaking of walking up and down that hill...I thought the BBC did a great job with the sets Kristie(J): and then have hot heavy sex Sula: lol KatieBabs: and take train rides with the shade down Kristie(J): after they are married KatieBabs: sex among the yellow flowers Sula: of course Sula: sex on a train KatieBabs: of course after they are married Sula: sex against a tree Kristie(J): with John unleashing all his passion KatieBabs: I wonder how many children they would have? KatieBabs: ACK trees! Kristie(J): against a tree Sula: Oh i think Margaret would be a little firecracker in bed too Kristie(J): Don't know but it would be fun making 'em Sula: They have that big house to fill KatieBabs: let me take a minute to visualize John and Margaret up against a tree... Sula: *takes a moment* Sula: shiver Kristie(J): better yet - John and one of us Kristie(J): pause Sula: memememememeeee! Sula: pick me! Kristie(J): no me!
...and we'll pick up again tomorrow back at Kristie(J)'s! Hope you enjoyed your time with us and if you still haven't seen this movie...well, what are you waiting for?!?!?!
(carrie, I'm posting Fist of Doom in your honor. lol)
