South Riding

[lilly]

I've just finished watching Mr. Morrissey in South Riding and although it was yet another of his Endless Northern Manpain roles, he nonetheless gave a wonderful performance, as did Anna Maxwell-Martin and Penelope Wilton (though of course the trouble I have with her is that every time I've seen her in something recently--e.g. this and Downton Abbey--I keep expecting her to introduce herself as Harriet Jones).

I don't want to post a direct link to where it's been uploaded online, but for anyone who wants to see this, just drop me a line and I'll pass on the linky goodness; while it's not a torrent, I just don't want to attract too much attention to the place where it's available, since they also have a lot of other programmes the Beeb has never released on DVD for us poor benighted souls in region 1.

The production design is great too, especially if like me you love 1920's/1930's styles, and the evocative cinematography of the supposedly bleak Yorkshire landscape once again strikes me as lyrically beautiful instead (though this is in a hopelessly prejudicial Anglophile's viewpoint).

And while I don't want to be spoiler-y, just let me say that I wish someone had warned me about certain events in the final episode, because even though I finished watching it over an hour ago, I still feel like someone just thwacked me with a two-by-four.

Any thoughts from anyone else who watched this?

[Ravish Me Ripley]

I absolutely loved the BBC adaptation of South Riding, though unlike your good self i did know how it was going to end (having read the book many years ago) and so it didn't quite affect me in the same way. It was heartbreaking all the same though

I think if anybody can bring Robert Carne to life off the page it was always going to be DM. Like you say, it's another manpain role, but he does them so, so well.

I agree also, that the Yorkshire countryside looked beautiful. Though i am Yorkshire born and bred and still live here now so i too may be a little biased.

Shaun Dooley was my other stand out performance - as the Father living down on the slum who desperately wanted his daughter to go to school. He was fabulous.

P.S. Any chance you could hit me up with that link? Though i am in region 2 loveliness it's always nice to have places to watch BBC programmes when money is tight/Sky Plus has failed to work

[marianne]

Hello Lilly! Thanks for your review. It's nice to see you back. I enjoyed reading your old posts when I was a lurker. David's been in so many films, it's tricky working out which ones are wort getting. You've helped to make up my mind about this one. I'm off to Amazon- again!

[marianne]

I've been busy cramming in as many new DM DVDs as I could, hence the dark circles under my eyes. I enjoyed South Riding. Production values were to notch. The scenery was spectacular. Performances were mostly very good to superb. It took me a while to warm up to Anna Maxwell's acting, but she won me over. Some plot lines were less interesting than others. Lydia's story, for instance, could have been abbreviated.
This is one of my favourite DM performances. He had less screen time than I liked and brings the most depth and intensity and nuance . For those who haven't seen this, hold on to your pantaloons! DM is (gasp) even more attractive here than in Sense and Sensibility! Speaking of which- I hope that you have seen S&S Illyria! *frowns severely* He has become all that is masculine and sexy to me. He looks so right in period costume, and splendid on a black stallion. I love to watch him smoke on screen- how sad is that?! I'm mesmerized by the way he caresses a woman's face with those big hands. I even found it sexy when Carne stroked his daughter's face! And when he stroked the cow! I expected more Robert/Sarah "love-action", but their scenes had a lot of underlying eroticism so I was quite satisfied. Some favourite Robert/Sarah moments:
The cow-birthing. Robert stripped down to his braces and undershirt- major hunky cowhand alert! I would have tackled him on the barn floor!
Robert putting Sarah's coat on her shoulders, his hand lingering on her shoulders.
The looks of attraction and desire and regret at the table just before they dance, especially when Robert says "I wish things had been simpler. By God I do".
The ending didn't make me as sad as I expected, probably because it was way past my bedtime when I first saw the DVD and I was spacing out! I caught a lot of Liam Neeson similarities in this role, though Neeson has never attracted me in the same way. I'd be happy for DM to give up Hollywood films just so he can continue giving such great TV performances. Kelsey and Illyria, I'm very impatient to read your reviews!

[kelsey]

Marianne..great review ...sorry i`m not very good at doing reviews BUT i will try my best ;D