the woodlanders

[tipou]

WHAT!!!!!!
THERE WAS NO THREAD ON THE WOODLANDERS ?

well, now, there is one. but darn it, i cannot talk about the storyline, i dont want to spoil it!!! but i will probablysay too much anyway, so dont you trust me and be on[glow=red,2,300] ***SPOILER ALERT***[/glow]

one good thing about rufus playing the classics, you don't have to read them.
might be the language barrier for me, but, apart from dickens and the brontës, classic british authors are better on a screen than read.
i am lazy, must be it.
even one of my favourite books of all time, wuthering heights, got enhanced with laurence olivier playing heathcliff. i am such a romantic, i keep crying, and, as you may know, it is very difficult to read while crying.

but i digress.

ah, yes. the woodlanders.
this movie is so subtle and discreet, the acting is so delicate and perfect, the images are so gorgeous... i want more of these movies, made from the heart, so human and so believable, so telling of human nature.

there are no real baddies in this quietly tragic story, there is a lot of ordinary human faults, unknowingly feeding upon good people. there is no one to hate, really, which may be the saddest part of it all.

what a beautiful love story.

and if rufus sewell has never made you cry before, do not overestimate past experiences, keep a box of kleenexes close by.

i know i often give this advice, being known in my family as the niagara of the movie theater, and the trevi fountain of video.

but if the heartbreakingly sweet and pure love story between giles (sweet, adorable rufus) and grace (beautiful and fragile emily woof) does not make your upper lip tremble, if you do not want to just hug them and make their fate kinder, if they dont bring at least one tear, i will sound very harsh here, but you have no heart.

rufus scale of handsomeness: 9.8/10
rufus scale of acting: 12.2/10

high note on acting is justified by the emotion and subtext he can offer in a single glance, a sudden boyish smile, the earnestness he brings to his sparse lines. giles winterbourne is a man of a very few words. but you can read him like a book. even when the character could have become... well... a bit tooooo sweet, rufus knows how to keep him believable and totally lovable.

no one will accuse him of over-acting on this one.

and the whole cast is as perfect.
the english landscapes are gorgeous.
that movie is too short.

[peach]

Oh yes, this is another favorite, such emotion on his face all the time, It's those eyes again, youfeel the weight of the world on his shoulders, the sad expressions, the longing. I've read the book and have the talented Mr. Sewell reading it on tape too. Such a beautiful movie.

I can't sit through it without taking a breather, I've only seen this once. It's far too emotional. Emily Woof is perfectly cast as well.

BTW another wonderful critique, you should seriously consider another line of work, because your writing talents are superior. You should get paid for it.

[lizap]

tipou, I'm so glad you loved this movie and I agree with every word you say about it. I think the delicacy of Rufus' performance is a marvel.

Even though the movie is so sad, I think it also manages to be a sustaining and restorative experience, both because it is, as you say, so telling of human nature, and because of the presence of the beautiful landscape as an important element in the story. It leaves me feeling heartbroken, but not bereft. It makes me glad to be alive in this world even while I'm weeping.

[tipou]

peachy!!! !!! what a compliment! thanks!
(now i cannot go to sleep because my head swelled and i wont fit through the door)
where can i find sewell's reading of the book?

[rueful]

Now that you have an mp3 player, you can get the Woodlanders and the Bond books via download from Audible.com. I haven't done it yet, but if I try them and have any problems I'll let you know. Be sure you pick Rufus's version (which is sadly abridged to only about 3 hours) instead of the unabridged Sam West version.

[tipou]

well... you ladies are a fountain of information.
thank you very much.

[rueful]

We live to serve.

[peach]

I got mine from Amazon, and yes good tip about his version. All or most of his readings can be purchased from Amazon or downloaded from Audible.com both for a fee. Enjoy. I have all of Dr, Syn on my Ipod, that's alot of fun too.

[dirtygirldiva]

I think I may be the only one on here who didn't like this movie. But maybe that is because I've only seen the first hour or so. And I think I'm coming down with something.

I popped this in last night and had an open mind and high hopes considering what everone has said here.

First of all, Giles is just too cute in this. He captures the essence of the small town boy perfectly. His love for Grace (Gracie) is IMO misguided. I know you cannot help who you love, I wish I could, but his blind loyalty to a woman that so easily dismisses him is a little unnerving to me.

Like I said, I've only seen the first half of this, but I can already see that the other girl clearly has feelings for Giles, but he brushes her off in his ill-fated attempt to woo Grace. I've been in both Graces and Giles postion before and neither is pleasent. It's heartwrenching to know that someone cares so much for you but you have no feelings for them and on the flip side of that, it's just as torturous to love someone who will never love you back. I understand what motivates Giles to hold a flame for Grace, maybe hoping that enough persistance will eventually persuade her to come back to him, all the while knowing that his attempts are futile.

So I understand the story and the characters, but one thing I couldn't get over is how dark the movie is at times. Not metaphorically, literally. If there is one thing about a movie that will put me off of watching it, it's lighting. The scenes at night, you can barely make out shapes, let alone faces...and this is with me leaving all my house lights off while watching. The scenery during the day is pretty, making kind of wish I lived there, but as soon as the sun goes down, it may as well be an audio book.

I will watch the rest, I just thought I would share my two cents about the film so far.

DGD

[lizap]

I would agree that when you're feeling under the weather is probably not the best time to encounter this particular film.

I look forward to hearing any additional comments once you've finished it!

[tipou]

i too understand perfectly how someone might not like "the Woodlanders", even if i liked it.
in fact, i cannot say if i will have the guts to see it again, i bawled my eyes out the first time.
i understand your thoughts on giles too, DGD - my giles!!! - at some point, you want to tell him: "get a life!"
of course, litterature of this time brought romanticism to extremes, especially in GB, the contrast between the "manners" of the times, considered "cold", and the power of emotions is shown through characters of this kind.
once, i watched wuthering heights (my favourite story) with my mom - she is a laurence olivier all time fan, but a very down-to-earth, un-romantic person - and that is what she yelled at the tv screen at one point, "heathcliff, for god's sake, get a life!" (or the equivalent in french, of course).
that may be the very genre that "cold comfort farm" is spoofing.
it's all a matter of playing the game or not, and this has to do with the mood you're in while you watch, and on your tastes too. i would not show "the woodlanders", for instance, to an action movie buff.
lets face it, we cant love everything, just because rufus' pretty face appears in it.
i know i don't.

[numbat]

Haven't read this thread yet but am very excited because Giles has just arrived in the mail so i'm off to watch him. ;D

"A timeless tale of passion & desire" it says on the cover - how exciting (but i AM very excitable these days!!!)

Bye

[numbat]

And now i'm just a pathetic sobbing mess.

[eleanor]

A beautiful film and yes...I cried. Tipou describes this film perfectly for me in all it's deepness and sadness. Rufus was stunning and oh so lovely and my heart melts now just thinking of Giles. Enough said.

[numbat]

So i thought i should be brave and watch this again. This time i was prepared - box of tissues, glass of something stronger than red wine, bittersweet chocolate. But it was worse than the first time. The tears started as soon as Graces's father sent Giles to collect her and said "my Gracie, our Gracie" because i knew she never would be. Didn't make it to the end - had to stop after the kiss when her father took her away (stops typing to wipe eyes).

I agree with Tipou's analysis of this - it is beautiful. From the opening scene of the carriage coming up the hill bathed in the photographers dream golden light, the gorgeous hamlet set in the forest, autumn leaves, spring flowers & the beautiful splashes of red against the natural tones of the woodland in their clothes, hats, curtains etc, it is visually engaging.

And Rufus is visually engaging too - he has so little to say, and yet says so much. And i think my favourite of his scenes is in the abbey when he has hand sex with Grace - how can he simply hold her hand yet convey so much passion and angst? For a lover of the Roofian hand, this film is a delight - hands planting trees, undoing knots, holding Grace's hand, holding her face as they (finally) kissed, sigh. And don't get me started on the eye sex.

And i also agree with Tipou that it's just too short. This should have been a mini series or at least a 2 parter of around 3 hours. I didn't notice so much the first time, but on second viewing you realise how little is really explained. Why did the father drop Giles like a hot potato when Grace was invited to the big house - was it really for her or to improve his own place in society, did Grace really ever love the doctor, what pre-empted his change of heart from wanting to have a quiet practice amongst the people to being dissatisfied with them & Grace, why did the lady of the house take such a dislike to Giles - surely more than the incident on the road - that she had his house burned down, what were the ramifications for him losing his house, why did he go from being a seemingly successful timber man to virtually destitute simply from the loss of this house, questions, questions.

So i've just downloaded the audiobook - maybe the full story will answer these & Rufus reading it himself is an absolute bonus!!!

As presented in the film however, the villan in all this, if there is to be one, is Mrs Charmond who begins by taking Mattie's hair, leaves Grace behind when she goes abroad, steals her husband, evicts Giles & burns down his house, & then gives the good doctor the boot when she's had enough of him & has ruined their marriage. The fact that she (supposedly) doesn't realise the effect that her selfish actions have on the people "below" her is the issue i suppose.

Mmmmmm, this is reminding me of English Literature exams & the classic sort of question: "Discuss the author's use of irony in The Woodlanders as a method of highlighting the inequality of the English class system in the 19th century"

I wonder if i'd have passed if my answer had simply been "Giles died of a broken heart"?