Our Mutual Friend

[dreamer_easy]

Bit premenstrual and weepy today, and rewatching Our Mutual Friend, which I first saw in 1998. Then, of course, I was watching it for Mr McGann, although I didn't like his Victorian moustache one bit. Now that I no longer have such a ridiculously intense crush on the man, I can appreciate properly both his beauty and his performance - as a habitual underplayer of roles, he's perfect as the "susceptible to boredom" gentleman Wrayburn.



Ten years ago, I had eyes only for our Paul (moustache or not), which means I missed something: DAVID MORRISEY IS FUCKING INCREDIBLE IN THIS. FUCKING. INCREDIBLE. I didn't even remember that he was in it, and then my mum reminded me of the scene in the graveyard where Morrisey, as Bradley Headstone, delivers one of the greatest train wrecks of a proposal in English literature. He leaves Mr Darcy, Mr Collins, and Mr Guppy in the dust.

Do all Dickens novels have a model woman? Lizzie Hexam (Keely Hawes lulz) is this novel's example, awakening the feelings of both Wrayburn and Headstone, both of whom are basically overgrown boys. I don't think of them has ever been in love before - certainly not Headstone, who is shattered at his first sight of Lizzie, and has absolutely no idea how to cope with his feelings. Like Lizzie, you can't help feel sorry for him, but also terrified of him - he goes from pathetic to monstrous in seconds and she and you both knew he would.





(His horrible pallor there reminds me of a body language book I read way back when, which explained that a red-faced person shouty probably isn't a danger, but a white-faced shouty person is shifting blood to their muscles and internal organs for the attack. Eep.)

I'm rewatching this with the plan of reading the book later in the year. I don't know if Headstone is thought to be based on a real person that Dickens knew, but the fragile ego, the craving for control, the possessiveness, the inability to delay gratification or handle anger, the way everything is someone else's fault, will all be familiar even if, like me, you've only read about the men who beat and terrorise their wives and children.

And here's a picture of S-Mac for my mum :)



(I think he looks a bit like John Hurt in this.)

Comments

[qthewetsprocket.livejournal.com]

the fragile ego, the craving for control, the possessiveness, the inability to delay gratification or handle anger, the way everything is someone else's fault

sounds a bit like dickens himself, actually (minus the predliction for teenage girls). by all reports the guy wasn't very easy to live with. *is coincidentally re-watching a pbs, nee bbc, dickens bio even as i type this*

anyway, morrissey AND mcgann? shit. *is there*

[brewsternorth.livejournal.com]

Is that the bio with Anton Lesser as Dickens? He's rather good.

And yes, you'll like it. Not merely for teh pretteh; the cinematography is good, and even Wrayburn's BFF (Dominic Mafham) is no bad looker.

[qthewetsprocket.livejournal.com]

ayup, the very one. and yes, he is - as are miriam margoyles as his wife, and timothy west as his father, and geoffrey palmer as his critic, and an actor whose name i can't quite remember as his son. good stuff. :)

*puts the dvd on wish list for when i sign back up for the blockbuster internet program thingie*

[kateorman.livejournal.com]

Here's Headstone's first glimpse of Lizzie:



DDDDDDDDDUUUUUUUUUUUUUHHHHHHHHHHHH.

[alawston.livejournal.com]

I thought Anna Friel was the model woman in this one?

[kateorman.livejournal.com]

Nah, she's the gold-digger! She still has S-Mac on a string, though. My gawd there's a lot of unrequited lerv in this one.

[pbristow.livejournal.com]

[READS THE LINKED - VERY LONG - CHAPTER]

You can tell he was paid by the word, can't you? RTD would have that scene over and done with in three paragraphs! (And it would *still* sound slightly laboured, to my ears...) =:o}