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Post by rueful on Sept 10, 2011 15:19:59 GMT
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Post by anglophile on Sept 10, 2011 16:42:00 GMT
Forgetting the technical stuff and plunging right in: I came to Rufus-land by way of a visit to merry old England in July. My online name probably tells you how ecstatic I was to be there. At any rate, when I came back home toTennessee and reality intruded again, I started looking for something to help me maintain the Brit aura. Don't watch a lot of movies and even less TV, since I'm a reader with an insatiable appetite, but I ended up at the video store anyway and was attracted to TPOTE because of its subject matter. Actually thought I'd read the book itself but realized after a few introductory scenes that it was another story altogether - may have had it mixed up with Edward Rutherford's 'Sarum.' Had just made that adjustment in my mind and was trying to get the initial characters figured out when Tom appeared on the scene. I haven't been the same since. I was clever enough to ask for gift cards from Amazon.com for my birthday, but I've gone way beyond that limit over the past couple of weeks. I could easily begin my own video store with a 'roof' over the whole thing. TOTS continues to delight. I was even enthralled with 'Dark City' and that's not my kind of viewing at all, normally. Loved Charles II (last night), although it bothered me that his face seemed fuller than usual. Maybe just a great make-up artist at work. Too bad about the wigs - much preferred the few scenes where he was bare-headed. Loved the facial expressions and body language when all those people with breasts were manipulating him for their own shameful purposes. I have nothing but positive things to say about any of the dozen or so things I've watched so far, but the "9/11 Out of the Blue" experience tops the list for me as the most impressive thing he's ever done. I feel obligated, as a writer myself, to give the poet quite a bit of credit, but the poem would have gone nowhere without Rufus. Would love to know if he relied entirely on his own interpretation of the work or if the poet and/or director shaped his performance to any great extent. Also wonder what influenced the choice that put him in that role. All that said, I've emoted in other places over the eyes, the voice, the hands. None of those things are too unusual for me - they're ''check out material I've been exploring on the opposite sex for years, but I've never been impressed by a nose before. How perfect it is, though. How straight; how patrician, how perfectly fitted into the whole of his countenance, how entrancingly proportionate, how enticingly placed to call attention to the eyes and the lips ---- the lips ----- but those are a story unto themselves, aren't they? Amazing how much there is to appreciate about a man who still has all his clothes on. So now you know my tale of obsession - something my family and closest friends aren't privy to yet, although they are beginning to suspect. You all seem like normal, reasonable, intelligent, sensible people with a perfectly understandable attraction to a magnet of talent and physical perfection, so perhaps you can keep me grounded. Just remind me from time to time not to start unbottoning buttons or unzipping zippers in my mind. I'm sure none of you has ever gone there. Not even once. Not even for a second. Not even in your dreams. At least not today. Thanks for letting me vent. It seems imperative to choose an audience carefully and you get the  this time. Anglophile in Tennessee |
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Post by megagem on Sept 11, 2011 3:06:01 GMT
Hi Anglophile! ;D Was it your very first visit to England? I was there in July too for three weeks. I live very near Hilton Head Island in South Carolina, but I'm half-English and was born over there and all my Mum's family are over there so I have a very strong connection to the country. I'm so glad you liked it and what a wonderful way to discover Rufus! He is so well-known over there, it's refreshing! Hardly a person knows of him where I am unless they hear "A Knight's Tale", and even then some still have no clue  Oh yes, I too took great Rufusy advantage of the amazon gift cards I received for my own birthday!  I love that you're a writer. I'm trying to become a published novelist (there are a few other ladies here with similar dreams) and if ever you need help with ideas or anything at all, you are more than welcome to post something in the "My novel needs your help!" thread which is in the Off-Topic section, even if you aren't necessarily writing a novel. It's wonderful to see you've already gotten off to a great start here! It really is magical here, isn't it? ;D Which works of his have you not seen (if any)? |
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Post by anyother on Sept 11, 2011 9:46:14 GMT
Loved the facial expressions and body language when all those people with breasts were manipulating him for their own shameful purposes. Amazing how much there is to appreciate about a man who still has all his clothes on. I love the way you write, Anglophile! Yes, it's an obsession, but a healthy one! TPOTE drew me to Rufus as well. I'm very fond of Charles, and there are no words to describe dear Petruchio... Welcome! |
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Post by adina on Sept 11, 2011 12:27:28 GMT
Welcome, Anglophile!   |
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Post by anglophile on Sept 11, 2011 13:11:43 GMT
good gracious, you certainly know how to make a person feel welcome. i was only anticipating a simple 'hi' and look what i got. thank you both.
not quite sure where to start responding, so i'll just plunge in to to both megagem and anyother:
i arrived in london july 13 with my 14-year-old niece who shares my love of history and the printed word and desperately wanted to visit england. my five children and hubby and my brother and sister-in-law were gracious in allowing us this opportunity without too much ''poor-me"ing, since none of them was free to accompany us. we stayed in a hotel in kensington and hit the ground running, once we figured out the subway system. emily was invaluable there, since i read printed material voraciously but am apparently unable to interpret the printed word on an underground map. anyway, we walked to kensington park and then on to notting hill and the portobello market, which was winding down by the time we got there. kept looking for the travel bookshop, since "notting hill" is one of my favorite girl flicks, but we didn't come across it. there was a time hugh grant's smile and accent represented a top-of-the-list attraction, but the sweet boy is just a pretty face and simply doesn't match up to rufus, now that i've seen the light.
at any rate, we took in the sites for 4 days and then joined a tour group that took us on to wales and ireland. It was my fifth trip to london, but I had never had more than about 36 hours there before, so i was determined to cram in as much as i could. previous visits were built around a tour to ireland 3 years ago and one to scotland 5 years ago that both originated in london. further back in the 1990s, my husband and i were there twice with business associates and their spouses because 'the guys' were purchasing huge turbines from a firm in peterborough and 'the girls' were left on their own for amusement , so, grabbed trains for london.
how fortunate you are, megagem, to have a family connection. your mum must miss it terribly. how did she and your family end up in the states?
my family tree has nothing but british names on it, but, unfortunately, i've been unable to unearth any long-lost cousins to welcome me back to the mother-land with open arms.
my work as a writer has been almost exclusively as a feature writer and columnist for the paper in the small town where we live in west tennessee. i tried to freelance for a while when i first began writing, but i could barely have managed gas for a drive to nashville on the money i made. my first impluse, when asked to sell anything, including myself, is to suggest, "You wouldn't be interested in purchasing ..." and, so, of course, nobody is. interested, that is.
my fiction exploits actually in print include several christmas stories. i also have a short story i've never tried to market but i reread fondly from time to time because it reminds me of my relatives, bless their hearts. i must admit, the things i've read here, especially the fanfiction connections, make me itch to create a story with rufus as the main character, however.
would love to read your efforts and appreciate your encouragement and offer of help from the site. i hadn't found the thread you mentioned but will definitely visit.
as to what i haven't seen, i'm still waiting for my copy of cold comfort to arrive. i have made it through the first 12 eh episodes but am saving the others as a reward for when i do something extraordinary in my life - like avoiding chocolate for a 48-hour stretch. also have hamlet on tap for this week once my husband leaves town and the rest of my family gets too caught up in their own lives to drop by and interrupt me.
donwloading nancy is also on order.
haven't purchased john adams or arabian nights or extreme ops yet and can't find them for rent. maybe i'll go ahead and purchase them for myself to mark some auspicious occasion. the second monday in september immediately springs to mind.
the thing is, i keep reviewing things i've already seen because i start thinking about the awesomeness of something 'roof' has done and i just have to look at it again and make sure it was real (what a truly bizarre way to view the world of movies - as something 'real' - but what i actually mean is that i need to reassure myself he really was that exceptional at playing a role.) I finally got my own copy of tpote since it was humiliating to keep showing up at the video store and taking out the same movie. (plus, i had recommended it to so many people, it was hard to find it on the shelf. at one point, i became a minor celebrity there because i had urged the movie on a friend while i still had the third video of it on rental (at the video store, they have it separated into three packages. these people are no fools when it comes to profiting from obsesssions.) the friend finished the first two dvds and was desperate for my copy and apparently was haunting the store to see if i had returned it. when i showed up with it (after she issued dark threats about my future if i failed to get it back on the rental shelf), the clerks literally recognized my name. they've been giving me knowing looks ever since.
i know this is not supposed to be book-length and i do apologize. my editor sends for me when he needs to fill a lot of space. you can see why. will close now and get on with my day, but just wanted to add that my next-to-youngest daughter and child is working on her master's degree at savannah college of art and design and when i visited her last year, we drove to hilton head. hope to make a return visit before she graduates, but she is so enamored of savannah that she may decide to live there and then i'm sure i'll return frequently.
and to anyother, your kind words made my day and your reassurance that the world includes other rufus-focused, rufus-adoring, rufus-obsessives is very welcome, indeed.
happy sunday - even one such as this with its tragic associations.
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Post by kissmekate on Sept 11, 2011 13:18:14 GMT
We've already met on other threads, but a very warm "official" welcome from my side, too! Glad that you found us, I'm looking forward to your opinion on Rufus's other works. Like you, I've been an avid reader for almost all my life while never caring too much about movies. Or about film stars (I've never been a "hardcore" fan of any actor or singer even in my teens!) And then, well, there was this stonemason in TPOTE ;D First I spent a lot of time on youtube getting acquainted with some of his other works and then a lot of money in various DVD online shops  Loved Charles II (last night), although it bothered me that his face seemed fuller than usual. Maybe just a great make-up artist at work. He did put on a bit of weight for this one. But the make-up department was great in this nonetheless. They did an amazing job with the aging towards the end. Amazing how much there is to appreciate about a man who still has all his clothes on. Oh yes! Not that he's not gorgeous without any clothes on - but give me Rufus in a suit and I'll melt into a puddle on the floor. (The eyes. The nose. The lips. The hands. The hair. I even love his large feet.) EDIT: if you haven't seen them anyway, I'd like to recommend "In a Savage Land", "The Woodlanders" and "Illuminata". And, of course, the best TV detective ever, lovely Aurelio Zen. |
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Post by anglophile on Sept 11, 2011 13:22:18 GMT
large feet - where can i get an especially good look at those?
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Post by anglophile on Sept 11, 2011 13:30:36 GMT
have already slavered over the three movies you noted, kissmekate. i'm still trying to determine the actual message of illuminata - thought i had it nailed down to something simplistic like 'art imitates life,' but then i start wondering if the whole thing was an opportunity to keep helpless, adoring women pining for the site of rufus disrobed and everything else was 'spoof'able material that has kept the writer/director/actor chortling ever since.
no time to comment further right now (and you probably know at this point that you should be relieved, since i am nothing if not long-winded). have to get ready for church. i'm in danger of putting God on hold for Rufus. Not to be recommended, I think.
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Post by anglophile on Sept 11, 2011 13:31:49 GMT
thank you bushels and pecks for the tom photo, adina.
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Post by kissmekate on Sept 11, 2011 13:48:57 GMT
i'm in danger of putting God on hold for Rufus. Not to be recommended, I think. Better not try! ;D I'm looking forward to your further comments as soon as you've got the time. Maybe you'll want to have a look at our thread on Illuminata in the "Works of Rufus Sewell" section. |
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Post by GreenEyesToo on Sept 11, 2011 14:31:27 GMT
Welcome, Anglophile!  I can see you've had a good look around already (and have even already plunged into playing the games! ;D) but I'm sure you're still exploring. Have fun doing that and also discovering all the great Rufus stuff we have here. There are lots of screencaps in the "Work Of...." section (although you'll need to click back a few pages to see all the threads) and in Media. One thing you must must must listen to is "Nick Silver Can't Sleep" - the full text is here: www.artangel.org.uk//projects/2006/nick_silver_can_t_sleep/read_the_play/nick_silver_can_t_sleep and someone will provide you with the link to download it, I'm sure. Sorry, not got it to hand right now) Welcome again! |
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Post by judypatooty on Sept 11, 2011 18:30:38 GMT
Hi Anglophile! Your name describes me perfectly, too. I'd live in the UK in a heartbeat if only I didn't have a full-time job and a mortgage to pay. I'm going to send you a PM with links to a whole slew of audio files that you can download and listen to. As GE2 mentioned, Nick Silver Can't Sleep is a fantastic treat for your ears. Judy |
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Post by lassie on Sept 11, 2011 19:07:30 GMT
Hi Anglophile and welcome. Enjoy! We all understand the state of Rufus adoration  |
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Post by anglophile on Sept 11, 2011 19:19:57 GMT
can't wait for the downloads. thank you all.
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Oh yes, I too took great Rufusy advantage of the amazon gift cards I received for my own birthday! 
