Restless

[rueful]

Watched part 2 and overall really loved the production! Well done, by everyone! Rufus was fabulous, and so subtle, as GE2 mentioned. Haley Atwell did a tremendous job. Considering the amount of focus that was on her, if she hadn't been up to the job, it would have ruined everything, but she was excellent. Charlotte Rampling was also very believable as a person who was steely strong but who had the potential to snap at any moment.

Thanks for the info on the book, Rachel! I do intend to read it, even though now I know the ending. It sounds really interesting, and I'm sure it goes into detail like a tv production can't.




WARNING, BIG SPOILER ALERT





I admit to being a little disappointed by the ending. Not so much the who dunnit, as the why he dunnit. The motivation felt so unearned (maybe this is where the book will excel). "Sometimes it's easy to hate your country." What? He could have just as easily said, "Because it's leap year," or "Because I was born a Scorpio with Jupiter in ascension," and it would have made as much sense to me. It was a classic example of where there should be some "show, not tell." And I'm definitely not blaming Rufus/Gambon for that one. It wasn't anywhere to be found in the storyline.

I aslo thought the pacing of the ending scene with Rampling/Gambon was a little off, as the whole production had been slowly building (in a good way), and then the whole confrontation/motivation was thrown out there and resolved in less than 5 minutes. But I wouldn't have given up a single second with Rufus, so I don't know what the answer to that problem could be.

Enough of my complaining! Those minor points at the end did not at all detract from the quality of the production. I definitely plan on watching it again.

I did like the very ending bit a lot, which gave a great sense that it will never really be over for her...that part, I did think was well earned, and there they did follow the "show, not tell" rule.

Finally, poor Morris (Maurice?). Did he never read or see any thriller/mystery, ever, in his whole life? "I know who the traitor/killer is. But I'm not going to tell you now. Instead, I'm goind to go off by myself somewhere for a while. Then I'll tell you tomorrow, when I absolutely, positively, will not have died under suspicious circumstances. Have a nice evening." ;D

[kygal]

LOL Rueful about Morris. His safe place wasnt very safe.

I think reading the book will help with some of the missing details. I really cant remember if it goes into much detail about why Romer is who he is other than the quote in the movie. There is more detail about Ruth going to meet with the scholar about the history of this group.

[nell]

Poor Morris didn't stand a chance did he!?

I recall seeing Adrian Scarborough at the Restless preview Q & A. Both hubby and I knew we recognised him from somewhere. I just didn't realise it was as recent as the Restless trailer. We did the same thing at the Zen preview with Peter Guinness

I don't know if this is old news but I notice Charlotte Rampling has been nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Award for "Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries". It's up on IMDB.

!!!!BIG TIME SPOILER ALERT!!!!

DON'T READ ANY MORE IF YOU DON'T KNOW THE ENDING


I don't think the book explained why Lucas Romer was acting for both sides. I suppose it must have been 1 of Lucas Romer's 3 reasons someone betrays their country.

[anniem]

From The Times TV review on Saturday by Sarah Vine. N.B WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS:

Rufus Sewell was both sexy and sinister as the spymaster/lover Lucas Romer who plucks the young Russian emigre Eva from a Germany on the brink of war, brings her to Britain packs her off to Scotland to a remote yet very British training camp (tea on the lawn, tennis etc.), takes her on a virgin mission to Holland and then seduces her. He's a cad and a brute and no mistake; and yet irresistable.

[anniem]

Dec 30, 2012 19:32:00 GMT nell said:

Poor Morris didn't stand a chance did he!?

I recall seeing Adrian Scarborough at the Restless preview Q & A. Both hubby and I knew we recognised him from somewhere. I just didn't realise it was as recent as the Restless trailer.

I had recently seen him in Hedda Gabler as Sheridan Smith's husband and again in Mrs Biggs as Sheridan Smith's father! He's a very good actor. He's probably best known as Pete in Gavin and Stacey. He was alone and I wanted to say how much I had enjoyed some of his work, but didn't get the opportunity. we were all far too busy once the Q and A had finished!

[kygal]

Nice quote. That training camp was kind of nice....haha.

[walt]

Dec 30, 2012 19:32:00 GMT nell said:

!!!!BIG TIME SPOILER ALERT!!!!

DON'T READ ANY MORE IF YOU DON'T KNOW THE ENDING


I don't think the book explained why Lucas Romer was acting for both sides. I suppose it must have been 1 of Lucas Romer's 3 reasons someone betrays their country.

SPOILER!!!!!!! SPOILER!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SPOILER!!!!!![/font]




On the last pages of the book Sally tries to assign a motive to Romer:
revenge. He, the spy, had got the most desirable things like money, reputation title - and she thinks he was laughing inwardly about this.

[corndolly]

I don't usually watch WWII films or read same era books but because Rufus was in this one I recorded it on the SKY box and am I glad I did! My weekly 6 hours off from caring for hubby was spent (for the most part!) watching Restless. I enjoyed it mostly though I found Ruth not easy to watch. Michelle Dockery seemed less at ease than the other main players. (IMHO). I don't agree with some of the critiques I've read which thought that it was 'clunky' and the one modern idiom which one critic referred to was not exactly as he said. He couldn't have been lsitening properly. I'll have to get the book to fill in the gaps now. As for Rufus's bod...............well, what can I say?

[kernowsqueen]

Our Rufus has the charisma to rock those silly looking white undies!

[kernowsqueen]

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Dec 29, 2012 20:28:42 GMT rueful said:

Watched part 2 and overall really loved the production! Well done, by everyone! Rufus was fabulous, and so subtle, as GE2 mentioned. Haley Atwell did a tremendous job. Considering the amount of focus that was on her, if she hadn't been up to the job, it would have ruined everything, but she was excellent. Charlotte Rampling was also very believable as a person who was steely strong but who had the potential to snap at any moment.

Thanks for the info on the book, Rachel! I do intend to read it, even though now I know the ending. It sounds really interesting, and I'm sure it goes into detail like a tv production can't.




WARNING, BIG SPOILER ALERT





I admit to being a little disappointed by the ending. Not so much the who dunnit, as the why he dunnit. The motivation felt so unearned (maybe this is where the book will excel). "Sometimes it's easy to hate your country." What? He could have just as easily said, "Because it's leap year," or "Because I was born a Scorpio with Jupiter in ascension," and it would have made as much sense to me. It was a classic example of where there should be some "show, not tell." And I'm definitely not blaming Rufus/Gambon for that one. It wasn't anywhere to be found in the storyline.

I aslo thought the pacing of the ending scene with Rampling/Gambon was a little off, as the whole production had been slowly building (in a good way), and then the whole confrontation/motivation was thrown out there and resolved in less than 5 minutes. But I wouldn't have given up a single second with Rufus, so I don't know what the answer to that problem could be.

Enough of my complaining! Those minor points at the end did not at all detract from the quality of the production. I definitely plan on watching it again.

I did like the very ending bit a lot, which gave a great sense that it will never really be over for her...that part, I did think was well earned, and there they did follow the "show, not tell" rule.

Finally, poor Morris (Maurice?). Did he never read or see any thriller/mystery, ever, in his whole life? "I know who the traitor/killer is. But I'm not going to tell you now. Instead, I'm goind to go off by myself somewhere for a while. Then I'll tell you tomorrow, when I absolutely, positively, will not have died under suspicious circumstances. Have a nice evening." ;D

Well put (especially regarding the Scorpio with Jupiter accending remark!) ;D

Happy new year friends - its still 2012 here!

LOL

Kq

[Rachel]

Spoiler Alert!!!!!!

Do you think William Boyd thought he didn't need to go into detail re: Lucas Romer's work as a double-agent for the Russians because he assumed most readers would be familiar with the real history of MI5 and MI6? That both had highly placed agents who defected to Russia in the 60's after working for them for decades.

Do people in England remember Guy Burgess and Kim Philby? Or maybe he thought the kind of people who read thrillers would remember them?

[kernowsqueen]

Spoiler!

I didn't see anything in Lucas that would suggest a Cambridge Spies dynamic. Mr. Burgess & Mr. Philby struct me as two men who deeply cared about destroying Fascism and the values of Socialism in that conflict, but I don't see Roemer as having that desire. I think he was the worst sort of pragmatist - after all he didn't defect - he just lingered in GB until the seventies.

Of course - its just fiction.

[francesca]

Spoiler Alert!!!!!!


Rachel said
Do you think William Boyd thought he didn't need to go into detail re: Lucas Romer's work as a double-agent for the Russians because he assumed most readers would be familiar with the real history of MI5 and MI6? That both had highly placed agents who defected to Russia in the 60's after working for them for decades.

Do people in England remember Guy Burgess and Kim Philby? Or maybe he thought the kind of people who read thrillers would remember them?

Jan 1, 2013 14:28:20 GMT kernowsqueen said:

Spoiler!


I didn't see anything in Lucas that would suggest a Cambridge Spies dynamic. Mr. Burgess & Mr. Philby struct me as two men who deeply cared about destroying Fascism and the values of Socialism in that conflict, but I don't see Roemer as having that desire. I think he was the worst sort of pragmatist - after all he didn't defect - he just lingered in GB until the seventies.

Of course - its just fiction.

Yes Rachel, we do remember them . We regularly have documentaries , plays and films about them

KQ, one of the Cambridge spies, Anthony Blunt was not only knighted but was Master of the Queen pictures and was highly respected to top circles until he was outed.
I believe I am right to say that the others only defected because they were on the verge of being arrested , but someone warned them .

Early in Restless there is a remark about the Cambridge group having an unknown sixth man.
This is not invented by William Boyd.
This man was believed to be someone very high in the establishment .
The other five being Burgess, Maclean , Philby , Blunt, and John Carincross.

I must say I thoroughly enjoyed Restless
Every thing was so perfect
The elegance of the clothes . the three piece suits , the Burberry Macs and the Hat , of course.
I hate smoking but the drift of smoke films so beautifully and is so evocative of the period.
Oh Lucas !!

One little point ....
Do you think he loved her ? even the tiniest bit ?

I like to think so .
He does say emphatically "It doesn't matter what I feel."

[kissmekate]

I'm not sure if he really loved her in the book ... but I'd also say he had some feelings for her in the film version. Rufus's on-screen Romer appeared more nuanced than the book Romer (although he's very well written and multidimensional), his humanity often showing through the professional shell in tiny little moments.

[Petruchio - Good God]

exactly KMK !