Wednesday 2 November 2005

Piracy IS our only option


treasure, originally uploaded by Ampersand Duck.

Haloscan appears to be on the blink again this morning, so I can't wax lyrical and effulgent about the Xtreme Bennety-piratey goodness pouring into the blogosphere from the illustrious Ampersand Duck's place. Go there now! Print out your fave and stick it next to your computer! (The plank-walking one is my favourite.)

I read a couple of reviews of the film in real media today and was rather unimpressed. I have sent my piece to someone at The Age. I wonder what they will say. Probably nothing....

The post title of course is stolen from Sense and Sensibility, the movie but not the book - and while I'm here I may as well point out that there are pirates glimpsed on the distant horizon of both Persuasion and Mansfield Park, in case anyone thinks the Austen / pirate connection is a bit far-fetched.
She also knew Byron's poem about Pirate Cap'n Conrad, writing to her sister "I have read The Corsair and mended my petticoat, and now I have nothing to do" - which says to me she knew exactly how comic was the juxtaposition of the daily and trivial with the dashing and melodramatic.

Apropos of not much, the P&P reviewers are disappointing me in another way, that being how they are all obviously swallowing whole what they're told in the press kit - every review one I've come across (including David & Margaret, who really should know better) says this is the first movie adaptation of Pride and Prejudice for 65 years. It's not, guys. There is indeed P&P 1940, with Olivier as Darcy and additional dialogue by Aldous Huxley, but what gives with not counting Bride and Prejudice? I'd certainly include the first Bridget Jones movie in the P&P stable, and probably mention You've Got Mail too. But there's no way the 2003 Mormon adaptation can be somehow ruled out of the running. It's a rotten bad movie alright (if you're interested I might post some screenshots some time), but it's still Pride and Prejudice.



UPDATE: I heard a rumour that Roman Polanski's forthcoming Oliver Twist features unprecedented quantites of Ninjas - can any Nth Hemisphereans confirm or deny?

More superfine P & P gossip to be had at For Battle! and in an earlier post of Ducky's.

15 comments:

Mindy said...

link not working!

lucy tartan said...

armmvn...don't you hate that...fixed. Thanks!

elaine said...

I am speechless with being impressed.

Jane Austen and Pirates. Two posts and a review.

I think I've died and gone to heaven.

R.H. said...

Cinema is low entertainment. Trash. Jane Austin gets turned into a comic book. But what do you expect? Art? You must be kidding. It's travesty. Total crap. All done for money. But that's what the mugs want. Just highlights. Everything squashed into ninety minutes.
So why complain? It's entertainment, that's all. If you want culture, see a stage play. See Ibsen. Brecht. Because those elite Brunswick Street persons - those doyens of high culture, with their armloads of DVD's, like nothing better than a good choctop movie. No need to concentrate, no need to imagine, no need to think at all. Mills and Boone, that's all. Mr Darcy with his shirt off.

I can imagine. Easily. I can imagine, for instance, what Jane Austin would think of her work being reduced to this.
First she'd laugh. Then she'd boot them all up the arse.
And rightly so.

R.H. said...

Yes, and you may think the correct spelling is Austen, but my research shows otherwise.

(But to tell the truth, I had a poor upbringing. Very low company)

peacay said...

That pirate is the best laugh I've had today. Thanks.

Mel said...

Who knew pirates wore Birkenstocks?

Ampersand Duck said...

Uh, Breaker One-Nine, this here's the Rubber Duck--
You got a copy on me Pig-Pen? C'mon.

Uh, yeah 10-4 Pig Pen, fer sure, fer sure!
By golly it's clean clear to Flag-Town, C'mon.

Uh, yeah, that's a big 10-4 Pig-Pen,
Yeah, we definitely got us the front door good buddy,
Mercy sakes alive, looks like we got us a convoy...

lucy tartan said...

oh god, just wet myself for about the ninetieth time since opening bloglines this morning. Thanks for the serendipity, everyone (Mel you are so uncannily correct in the footwear department!)

R.H. said...

I'm talking too much. Getting ridiculous. Only 5% of what anyone says is worth hearing. I'm down to 1%.
And falling.
I'm going offline. Giving the moon a rest. The moon, and Footscray. St Kilda and all its planets.

Farewell, you dirty dogs. You filthy swine!


Loving you (always)
R.H.

R.H. said...

One can't help noting the distinct lack of a huge crowd pleading with RH to reconsider.
In which case he has:

I'm back.

Shove that where it fits!- You Rabble!

RH!

R.H. said...

One can't help noting your indifference - you swine!

Yes, and your snobbery: your refusal to acknowledge the existence of lesser beings.

What do you think you are, social commentators?

You are not. You are alcoholics. That's all.

RH!

Ben.H said...

As a Londoner, I can verify that critics have been sniffing at Polanski's Oliver Twist. Complaints mostly centre around "too many ninjas" and "Emmanuelle Seigner fails to convince as Fagin."

Jellyfish said...

I have seen 'Twist' too. My complaint was actually 'Not enough ninjas,' but then again, it usually is.

I was also struck by Ben Kingsley's bold decision to play Fagin as a mentally retarded person. Nice choice, Sir Over-Act-A-Lot.

(And where were the fucking songs? Bring back the musical, for the love of God.)

lucy tartan said...

Now, now - how could they redo the musical without Olly Reed?