that other Gillian Anderson show
Feb. 10th, 2016 07:12 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shallownessWar and Peace episode 6
I watched it last night after being in the ridiculous position of trying to avoid spoilers for the ending of a nineteenth century novel. I didn’t expect the episode to be over an hour, though. Is this Downton’s legacy? It wasn’t a problem last night, just a little shock.
I thought Russia was pretty big, but a lot of the same people seem to cross paths a lot there...
So, Dano’s going to get the Bafta nomination among other things, James is going to turn down anything involving a ball from here (and that zombies film) on in, Norton is going to get some even better offers to show off his cheekbones, Middleton is not going to dye her hair blonde for anyone other than the Wachowskis and the boy who played Petya is going to turn up in something in six to eight years’ time and then we’re going to find out he was ‘in War and Peace.’
In the grand scheme of things, Napoleon got to Moscow (and ponce around in some fancy interiors) while it got burned, and then the Russians were Russians as directed by a crafty old colonel, and Napoleon was forced to shiver his way back from Moscow.
In terms of the characters we’ve got to know, things mostly developed predictably with convenient ridiculous plot-twists, more death and an egregious sunlit epilogue (thanks, Tolstoy. I know you weren’t the only one, but let’s blame you for them.) Given that the fall and rise of Moscow was a big strand this episode, it was interesting that the family of survivors chose not to be there, but I suppose this fed into their acceptance of a simpler life than, say, that at court.
As soon as Natasha, from the goodness of her True Child of Russia heart, said that they should take a couple of injured soldiers with them, of all the injured soldiers in Moscow, we knew it would be him, never mind the actress playing Sonya’s good shocked reaction. Andrei got to forgive and be reconciled to Natasha, who admitted she’d been childish and Knew Tragedy but was still mainly concerned about Who Would Love Her Now.
There were also a lot of arty shots of nature and voice-overs and Andrei’s life flashing before him, which may be a condensation of Tolstoy digressing about the nature of life. But he couldn’t miraculously survive another serious injury; wrong genre.
Pierre left the battlefield with, OF COURSE, the idea of him assassinating Napoleon in his head, which seems utterly typically daft. Instead, he fought for Russia’s honour another way, and spent the episode finally having a life-changing experience.
So, Helene, he really couldn’t attend to carrying out your wishes.
I wanted Masha to be happy, but did I want it at Sonya’s expense? From the epilogue, it seems like the Rostovs kept her around, which I think they would see as their kindness, but kind of seems like sticking the knife in and twisting it over years. Didn’t they have some other cousins or some other estate that needed a housekeeper, or would the idea of women of a certain class having some occupation other than wife/mother, prostitute or martyr have prostrated Tolstoy? Because Nikolai really strung her along, even if it was partly his desire to put off growing up. So, I did not mind watching Nikolai squirm in his pride. His poor useless father and his poor silly son, and their poor materialistic yet loving mother.
Marya had come along to be able to share her grief with Natasha and be brave enough to break through with stiff-with-pride Nikolai, I suppose.
I still don’t get the mademoiselle in the warp and weft of the story.
So, there were some gorgeous scenes, again, but as a whole, you were overly aware that it was an adaptation of an unwieldy novel. They did their best to convey the Russian emotional register. Most importantly, now I know what happened in War and Peace (mainly war, and some men coming to peace with life) without having had to read it.
I watched it last night after being in the ridiculous position of trying to avoid spoilers for the ending of a nineteenth century novel. I didn’t expect the episode to be over an hour, though. Is this Downton’s legacy? It wasn’t a problem last night, just a little shock.
I thought Russia was pretty big, but a lot of the same people seem to cross paths a lot there...
So, Dano’s going to get the Bafta nomination among other things, James is going to turn down anything involving a ball from here (and that zombies film) on in, Norton is going to get some even better offers to show off his cheekbones, Middleton is not going to dye her hair blonde for anyone other than the Wachowskis and the boy who played Petya is going to turn up in something in six to eight years’ time and then we’re going to find out he was ‘in War and Peace.’
In the grand scheme of things, Napoleon got to Moscow (and ponce around in some fancy interiors) while it got burned, and then the Russians were Russians as directed by a crafty old colonel, and Napoleon was forced to shiver his way back from Moscow.
In terms of the characters we’ve got to know, things mostly developed predictably with convenient ridiculous plot-twists, more death and an egregious sunlit epilogue (thanks, Tolstoy. I know you weren’t the only one, but let’s blame you for them.) Given that the fall and rise of Moscow was a big strand this episode, it was interesting that the family of survivors chose not to be there, but I suppose this fed into their acceptance of a simpler life than, say, that at court.
As soon as Natasha, from the goodness of her True Child of Russia heart, said that they should take a couple of injured soldiers with them, of all the injured soldiers in Moscow, we knew it would be him, never mind the actress playing Sonya’s good shocked reaction. Andrei got to forgive and be reconciled to Natasha, who admitted she’d been childish and Knew Tragedy but was still mainly concerned about Who Would Love Her Now.
There were also a lot of arty shots of nature and voice-overs and Andrei’s life flashing before him, which may be a condensation of Tolstoy digressing about the nature of life. But he couldn’t miraculously survive another serious injury; wrong genre.
Pierre left the battlefield with, OF COURSE, the idea of him assassinating Napoleon in his head, which seems utterly typically daft. Instead, he fought for Russia’s honour another way, and spent the episode finally having a life-changing experience.
So, Helene, he really couldn’t attend to carrying out your wishes.
I wanted Masha to be happy, but did I want it at Sonya’s expense? From the epilogue, it seems like the Rostovs kept her around, which I think they would see as their kindness, but kind of seems like sticking the knife in and twisting it over years. Didn’t they have some other cousins or some other estate that needed a housekeeper, or would the idea of women of a certain class having some occupation other than wife/mother, prostitute or martyr have prostrated Tolstoy? Because Nikolai really strung her along, even if it was partly his desire to put off growing up. So, I did not mind watching Nikolai squirm in his pride. His poor useless father and his poor silly son, and their poor materialistic yet loving mother.
Marya had come along to be able to share her grief with Natasha and be brave enough to break through with stiff-with-pride Nikolai, I suppose.
I still don’t get the mademoiselle in the warp and weft of the story.
So, there were some gorgeous scenes, again, but as a whole, you were overly aware that it was an adaptation of an unwieldy novel. They did their best to convey the Russian emotional register. Most importantly, now I know what happened in War and Peace (mainly war, and some men coming to peace with life) without having had to read it.
no subject
Date: 2016-02-10 05:54 pm (UTC)The recaps on The Guardian pretty much agreed, though the reviewer said these coincidental meetings spanned many many pages before people eventually ran into each other so perhaps it's just a matter of condensing the main plot points to fit six episodes for television.
Paul Dano was really good as Pierre; I've never heard of him before this series. I really liked the actresses playing Sonya and Marya and thought the latter character finally shone once her dear old Papa was gone.
As for the rest, I had hoped Andrei would live even though everything was pointing to Natasha and Pierre getting together. Helene did get what she deserved though I felt bad about Petya's death. Dolokhov was interesting because he kind of turn out to be a decent fellow at the end of all things, and I thought he'd just be a villain through and through. Sonya deserved better than what she got throughout the series
And while I do like happy endings, the epilogue scene was a little too neat for my tastes.
That being said, do you think you'll ever read the novel now? I was considering it but am not really sure if I could manage it.
no subject
Date: 2016-02-11 06:41 am (UTC)Hmm, yeah, maybe. The coincidental meetings would still he happening, though. I definitely think that condensing the main plot points ruled the way this was adapted, perhaps to the detriment of the drama of those plot points.
Paul Dano was really good as Pierre; I've never heard of him before this series.
He tends to appear in arty fare, but he's always been impressive in everything I've seen - managing to stay with Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood is no mean feet.
I liked the actresses playing Sonya and Marya, too; they helped to make the characters sympathetic.
With Andrei, I felt the key thing was that he needed to forgive Natasha more than end back up with her, and surviving with health intact would have been too much and surviving disabled might have damaged the symbolism about Russia's future.
I felt bad about Petya's death.
I forgot to mention this, but I was wondering if he had got his mother's consent after all.
Dolokhov was interesting because he kind of turn out to be a decent fellow at the end of all things, and I thought he'd just be a villain through and through.
He always claimed to love his mother! Who knows if he really started treating women better, but Pierre got through to him at some level.
Sonya deserved better than what she got throughout the series.
She really did! My Fanny Price/Henry Crawford tendencies wondered if she and Dolokhov could have reunited and for him to win her back, but see above about his reformation.
do you think you'll ever read the novel now?
Ha, no. I never thought I would. What I'm a little bit curious about is Russian women novelists.