The acting was what really stole the show. Everyone in it was in their top form.
I was totally lost for the first couple of minutes with the flashback stuff. But then it made sense. Ioan, I am convinced can look pretty anyway he wants. I made a comment to my mother, that if they revive the Hornblower series, at least we know he'll look good as an old Hornblower.
Wilberforce + Pitt = BFFLs. ♥
It was really nice to see Rufus in a role other than the conniving evil person. And I agree, the scene about going to France was the best part of the film. Seriously, 18th century politics > all other politics ever, with maybe the exception of corrupted Rome.
I'm pretty sure my jaw dropped more times than was decent when watching that film. Esp. the previously mentioned France scene and the part when he was labeled a sedtioner. (Is that a word?)
There were no tears, but everyone burst into applause in my theater when the movie was over.
Is it totally bizarre that I was completely turned on by that movie? You're right, politics pretty much is dead, but shouldn't movies like this, or TV shows like the early years of The West Wing do something for these silly, apathetic people? Coming from a pretty politically active family and community, it boggles my mind that people just don't care.
Michal Sheen as Tony Blair in The Queen was cute, if in an awkward way.
The tangling of issues of course, is always prevalent in politics. It's just that this happened to be more interesting/compelling than most instances. I agree with your comment about everything tying into revolution. I had just finished getting through the Enlightenment and the 18th century stuff in my European history class, and all I can say is it was a dangerous but sexy time. (It was the best of times, it was the worst of times... sorry about that.) On the revolution tangent, later down the line, when every nation was fighting for their freedom, I always found it fascinating that Britain's road to democracy was so much more organic than all the revolutions that were staged. Less sexy, but less people dying. And even for all the British aristocracy/conservatism in the 1800s, they always managed to be a few steps ahead of everyone. (ie, the Industrial Revolution)
Off that tangent...
You have colonial guilt, we have the Southern Tradition guilt, and basically everything that happpened up until the 1960s. Even though my dad's family's from the South, no one actually lived there at the time of the Civil War. For my family, it's more like the Pennsylvania Dutch and being the first people to kill off the Indians. Which is a whole other can of worms. It just sucks that every "great" nation was built on exploitment. Slaves, cheap labor, Indians, (both kinds) and any other minority without the technology to stop it.
Ironies of ironies, Wilberforce was a Tory. Albiet, an independent, but... then again Lincoln was a Republican.
At least you can put up a good argument with your Irish side. Since Americans are obsessed with their genetic makeup, mine's not terribly interesting. Basically all English and German with a dash of Greek. Hardly the exploited groups. *cough*
300 in IMAX. *iz madly jealous*
Last King of Scotland... STILL haven't seen it, and want to so badly.
no subject
The acting was what really stole the show. Everyone in it was in their top form.
I was totally lost for the first couple of minutes with the flashback stuff. But then it made sense. Ioan, I am convinced can look pretty anyway he wants. I made a comment to my mother, that if they revive the Hornblower series, at least we know he'll look good as an old Hornblower.
Wilberforce + Pitt = BFFLs. ♥
It was really nice to see Rufus in a role other than the conniving evil person. And I agree, the scene about going to France was the best part of the film. Seriously, 18th century politics > all other politics ever, with maybe the exception of corrupted Rome.
I'm pretty sure my jaw dropped more times than was decent when watching that film. Esp. the previously mentioned France scene and the part when he was labeled a sedtioner. (Is that a word?)
There were no tears, but everyone burst into applause in my theater when the movie was over.
Is it totally bizarre that I was completely turned on by that movie? You're right, politics pretty much is dead, but shouldn't movies like this, or TV shows like the early years of The West Wing do something for these silly, apathetic people? Coming from a pretty politically active family and community, it boggles my mind that people just don't care.
Michal Sheen as Tony Blair in The Queen was cute, if in an awkward way.
The tangling of issues of course, is always prevalent in politics. It's just that this happened to be more interesting/compelling than most instances. I agree with your comment about everything tying into revolution. I had just finished getting through the Enlightenment and the 18th century stuff in my European history class, and all I can say is it was a dangerous but sexy time. (It was the best of times, it was the worst of times... sorry about that.) On the revolution tangent, later down the line, when every nation was fighting for their freedom, I always found it fascinating that Britain's road to democracy was so much more organic than all the revolutions that were staged. Less sexy, but less people dying. And even for all the British aristocracy/conservatism in the 1800s, they always managed to be a few steps ahead of everyone. (ie, the Industrial Revolution)
Off that tangent...
You have colonial guilt, we have the Southern Tradition guilt, and basically everything that happpened up until the 1960s. Even though my dad's family's from the South, no one actually lived there at the time of the Civil War. For my family, it's more like the Pennsylvania Dutch and being the first people to kill off the Indians. Which is a whole other can of worms. It just sucks that every "great" nation was built on exploitment. Slaves, cheap labor, Indians, (both kinds) and any other minority without the technology to stop it.
Ironies of ironies, Wilberforce was a Tory. Albiet, an independent, but... then again Lincoln was a Republican.
At least you can put up a good argument with your Irish side. Since Americans are obsessed with their genetic makeup, mine's not terribly interesting. Basically all English and German with a dash of Greek. Hardly the exploited groups. *cough*
300 in IMAX. *iz madly jealous*
Last King of Scotland... STILL haven't seen it, and want to so badly.