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Post by robela on Aug 27, 2012 12:25:08 GMT
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Post by barbicanbelle on Aug 27, 2012 18:15:17 GMT
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Post by kissmekate on Aug 28, 2012 7:43:13 GMT
And did they ever say why he was so "mad"? I didnt know if it was revealed in the show or book. You can pm me if its a spoiler. Thanks. What exactly is wrong with him isn't said in the book, he is only described as a lunatic. Some of the reviews I read online weren't happy about the comedic touches  I certainly don't agree! As I've said before, Rufus did an excellent job as the raving Reverend, and what I loved most about his performance was that his portrayal was so gentle and dignified despite his obvious lunacy. This wasn't a ridiculous raging madman but a believable person desperately trying to hold on to the bits of mental clarity he has left. Of course he was funny - those things he said! - but he also made me feel for him. |
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Post by kygal on Aug 28, 2012 10:14:28 GMT
Thanks Kate. I agree, he seem to know he is "not right" in the head when he mentions the doctors. He is just trying to give a sermon, even if it is inappropriate. Very funny!
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Post by corndolly on Aug 28, 2012 10:20:13 GMT
Just read today's Daily Mail and columnist Simon Heffer thought that Rufus was overacting! Well, he's entitled to his opinion I suppose but was he watching the same programme that we were? maybe it's because he'd read the books and he couldn't reconcile what he was seeing with what his imagination had led him to believe. I know I have that problem if I see a filmed version after I've read a book.
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Post by kissmekate on Aug 28, 2012 11:04:33 GMT
Overacting? Oh please. It's exactly what he's NOT doing.
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Post by kernowsqueen on Aug 28, 2012 11:13:49 GMT
Gretings RS sisters!
Well Corndolly, I agree - books such as 'Parades End' will never be the same as any screen adaptation - I found Rufus to be as appropriate as a lunatic as BC was as the last 'good Tory' - I'm looking forward to more!
KMK well put! A believable portrayal of a gentle man struggling with his disability - aware of his madness but ambivalent as to how to fight it.
I just noticed that BC and RS seemed to me to be shadowing each other, BC's fixation on editing the Encyclopedia at breakfast and RS' latin discourse on sexuality over filet of sole (yum) both have a hint of madness to the eyes of the 21st century viewer.
Lovely!
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Post by kissmekate on Aug 28, 2012 12:11:54 GMT
And as to the accuracy of the Duchemin scene in comparison to the book: I think this was quite well done and rather true to the book (except that they seem to have given him slightly different lines to say), but both his appearance and the wondering about the "doctors" as well as the Latin are taken straight from the novel.
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Post by robela on Aug 28, 2012 13:08:57 GMT
Thanks for the clarification Kate. I did wonder whether his madness was explained fully in the book! I totally agree that Rufus did not overact the scene at all. He played it with great sublety and what I thought was funny was him using such language whilst remaining quite calm. His facial expressions are quite brilliant. |
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Post by francesca on Aug 28, 2012 14:28:02 GMT
Thanks for the clarification Kate. I did wonder whether his madness was explained fully in the book! I totally agree that Rufus did not overact the scene at all. He played it with great sublety and what I thought was funny was him using such language whilst remaining quite calm. His facial expressions are quite brilliant. Yes Robela I agree with you ;so subtle. Isn't the illness what we would call Tourette's syndrome? Which might have been considered madness then. Imagine the distress of a gentle refined person who begins to suddenly start spouting foul language. He might wonder about his sanity himself. I think Rufus conveyed this perfectly. |
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Post by kissmekate on Aug 28, 2012 14:39:56 GMT
Good point. Yes, it is Tourette's that makes people suddenly erupt into vulgarity or slap themselves or something like that. He might wonder about his sanity himself. You could see how he did. That was what made this performance so superbly credible. |
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Post by corndolly on Aug 28, 2012 16:16:58 GMT
Another reason for a sudden lapse into scatalogical language can be stroke (as I know to my cost!). Not saying it is here, but there are myriad causes for generally courteous and gentle people to go 'off the rails' so to speak.
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sgev
Roo-kie
Posts: 10
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Post by sgev on Aug 28, 2012 16:41:42 GMT
Don’t read the Daily Mail. They just seem to hate the BBC. The great majority of the reviews are positive. Actually you could say it’s acclaimed by the critics. Comments from some general public are  but clearly this series is not for everyone. It’s not easy in the same way the book isn’t easy. And if someone makes an extreme judgment of something before watch the whole thing (there are five chapters!) obviously he or she is not a patient person and you need patientness with a book like Parade’s End and I hope the next chapters reflex the soul of the book like this first part did. Rufus was perfect! |
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Post by kygal on Aug 28, 2012 21:24:05 GMT
It really stinks when you love something Rufus has done and others are about it. I wont give an example. I think the Simon guy is in the minority on this one though. One in every crowd they say. He seemed to calm and quiet for it to be Tourettes, but I am no expert. Most I have seen have been repeated gestures, noises and yelling out. A friend of my son had it and cleared his throat all the time. I guess there are different severity's of the disease. May have to google it. |
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Post by joyceinva on Aug 29, 2012 12:47:19 GMT
I don't think it is Tourettes - if you have Tourettes you have it all your life - it doesn't suddenly present itself in late adulthood. It could be a stroke, early on-set Alzheimers, or schizophernia - which does sometimes develop late in life. But whatever the problem is, Rufus plays him beautifully - a man who seems to be aware that something about himself is off, but can't quite figure out what it is.
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I certainly don't agree! As I've said before, Rufus did an excellent job as the raving Reverend, and what I loved most about his performance was that his portrayal was so gentle and dignified despite his obvious lunacy. This wasn't a ridiculous raging madman but a believable person desperately trying to hold on to the bits of mental clarity he has left. Of course he was funny - those things he said! - but he also made me feel for him.
