Bleak House

[Clinton Morgan]

Why do they "act" in that way? I can't stand that sitting at the table, speaking in reverential tones and intercutting conversations with choice morsals like, "Mamma?" and " With all due respect..." method of portaying people from the 1800s. One might argue, " Well how should they act?" I don't know but analysing Mike Leigh's 'Topsy Turvey' (and his working method) might be a good starting point. 'Bleak House' is 'The Blue Planet' of the television drama world. Specially designed to be "event televison" and as a justification of the licence fee. The BBC already have a justification, it's called Radio 3. That said, Charles Dance is excellent in this. Timothy West is on acting autopilot.

It had yet another bloody walking and talking through the trees scene. The director could not resist f***ing with it, though. Cutting back and forth from a long tracking shot, to a closer tracking shot and to a static long shot. If I had made 'Bleak House' apart from fighting tooth and nail for it to be broadcast on non field removed video I would have shot that particular scene in static long shot. That way the viewer would be able to concentrate on the characters and what they were saying. If I chose a tracking shot I would have done it the way Alan Clarke did in 'Rita, Sue and Bob Too'. In 'Bleak House' you are not "walking with the characters".

For the most part I found everything in this soap opera most distracting. I did manage to catch Johnny Vegas talking to his cat about how he can't read and that the letters must be written by a lady, Gillian Anderson's subtle as a brick lesbian desire for a 19 year old girl plus something about a affidavit and Mr. Guppy fancying some girl that looks and acts like the annoying teacher's pet you wanted to slap in the theatre studies A level class. I was really hoping that I would write a positive contrasting piece to my previous review. Oh bugger.

[samkydd]

(Clinton Morgan @ Oct 29 2005, 10:49 PM) Why do they "act" in that way? I can't stand that sitting at the table, speaking in reverential tones and intercutting conversations with choice morsals like, "Mamma?" and " With all due respect..." method of portaying people from the 1800s. One might argue, " Well how should they act?" I don't know but analysing Mike Leigh's 'Topsy Turvey' (and his working method) might be a good starting point. 'Bleak House' is 'The Blue Planet' of the television drama world. Specially designed to be "event televison" and as a justification of the licence fee. The BBC already have a justification, it's called Radio 3. That said, Charles Dance is excellent in this. Timothy West is on acting autopilot. It had yet another bloody walking and talking through the trees scene. The director could not resist f***ing with it, though. Cutting back and forth from a long tracking shot, to a closer tracking shot and to a static long shot. If I had made 'Bleak House' apart from fighting tooth and nail for it to be broadcast on non field removed video I would have shot that particular scene in static long shot. That way the viewer would be able to concentrate on the characters and what they were saying. If I chose a tracking shot I would have done it the way Alan Clarke did in 'Rita, Sue and Bob Too'. In 'Bleak House' you are not "walking with the characters". For the most part I found everything in this soap opera most distracting. I did manage to catch Johnny Vegas talking to his cat about how he can't read and that the letters must be written by a lady, Gillian Anderson's subtle as a brick lesbian desire for a 19 year old girl plus something about a affidavit and Mr. Guppy fancying some girl that looks and acts like the annoying teacher's pet you wanted to slap in the theatre studies A level class. I was really hoping that I would write a positive contrasting piece to my previous review. Oh bugger.

Very well observed Despite these annoyances however it's better than many mainstream efforts of late, and if they stopped using mid 20th century vocabulary like "Alright!" it would be even better! The sound effects of zooming into, or off to another scene are a bit "24" and hard to get used to!

[samkydd]

(Clinton Morgan @ Oct 29 2005, 10:49 PM) Why do they "act" in that way?

Did anyone notice Janine from Eastenders speaking her lines in AQI (Australian Questioning Intonation)?

The "24" style scene change noises and zooming in is getting a bit too much, and Johnny Vegas must have his lines written on his cat's back!

[Bryanb]

(samkydd @ Nov 7 2005, 05:00 PM) Did anyone notice Janine from Eastenders speaking her lines in AQI (Australian Questioning Intonation)? The "24" style scene change noises and zooming in is getting a bit too much, and Johnny Vegas must have his lines written on his cat's back!

i think the zooming and the noises is spoiling it for me...maybe i'm just getting old

[Diane Blackwell]

Say what you will about the filming, the actors, the zooming, etc, but Dickens' words and characters still shine through as clear as day. I think it's great!

[samkydd]

(Diane Blackwell @ Nov 11 2005, 11:52 AM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'> Say what you will about the filming, the actors, the zooming, etc, but Dickens' words and characters still shine through as clear as day. I think it's great! [/b]

Bleak House is very enjoyable but beforehand it was being hailed as a revolutionary new approach to the classic serial (to attract "the kids"), but the only enhancements have been the sound effects and supersonic zooming-in which many feel are inappropriate to something set in the Victorian era. So if you strip away these "features" what you are left with is a non-revolutionary traditional BBC classic serial which they've been making quite well for over 40 years!

I think most children enjoy a series if its a good story and well acted so there's really no need for the BBC to try and "sex it up"! They did the same with the recently revamped Dr Who and the jury is still out on that one.