#Janina Faye

[claudia1829things]

"LITTLE WOMEN" (1970) Review

"LITTLE WOMEN" (1970) Review

It is very rare to find a British adaptation of an American novel. It is even rarer to find more than one adaptation. Louisa May Alcott's 1868 novel, "Little Women" must have been very popular with the BBC network. The latter had adapted the novel four times. Several years ago, I had seen the network's 2017 version. I thought it was the only version adapted by the BBC . . . until I had stumbled across the 1970 adaptation.

Set during the 1860s decade, "LITTLE WOMEN" told the story of the four March sisters of Concord, Massachusetts and their coming of age stories during and after the U.S. Civil War. With second daughter Josephine aka Jo serving as the story's main protagonist, the miniseries focused on the sisters' struggles with the family's diminished finances, their personal ambitions and especially their love lives. Early in the story, the March sisters become acquainted with their neighbor, one Theodore "Laurie" Lawrence, grandfather Mr. Lawrence and his tutor, John Brooke. Whereas third sister Beth develops a friendship with the elderly Mr. Lawrence, oldest sister Meg falls in love with Mr. Brooke, and the youngest Amy develops from a slightly vain and coddled child to a mature and self-assured young woman. As for Jo, the story focused on her development from a temperamental and stubborn girl, who learns to maintain her hot temper, navigate through her relationships with two men and adhere to her ambitions to become a writer.

Another surprising aspect of "LITTLE WOMEN" that I had learned was that it was the longest adaptation of Alcott's novel with a total running time of 225 minutes. This gave screenwriters Alistair Bell and Denis Constanduros to be as faithful to Alcott's novel as possible. Were they? Somewhat. The pair did take care to explore Laurie's volatile relationship with his grandfather - something that a good number of the other adaptations had failed to do. And it allowed glimpses into his growing relationship with Amy in Europe. Also, the early stages of Meg's marriage to Mr. Brooke ended up being explored, something that only the 2019 movie adaptation had repeated. I believe the miniseries did a very solid job of conveying these aspects of Alcott's novel.

But the miniseries left out Meg and Laurie's experiences at Annie Moffat's party. The miniseries also left out the sisters meeting with Laurie's English friends - something only the 2017 adaptation had included. Bell and Constanduros had changed the time period of Amy's near drowning at Walden Pond from the winter to either the spring or summer, allowing a rickety pier to send her into the pond, instead of thin ice. And it never touched on Amy's violent encounter with her schoolteacher over pickled limes. Did these aspects of the screenplay harm the production? Hmmmm . . . perhaps not. But I do feel that the miniseries' increased emphasis on the Lawrence men's relationship came dangerously close to overshadowing the March sisters' own relationships. I am relieved that the miniseries managed to focus somewhat on Jo's relationship with Professor Bhaer. However, I do have a problem with the sexist manner in which Constanduros and Bell had the professor viewed his future marriage to Jo. Whatever admiration Professor Bhaer had for Jo's writing skills seemed to fly out of the window in his anticipation of her being a good wife. Superficially, I had no problems with the brief focus on Meg and John's marriage, even if it could have been somewhat more thorough. But I believe it exposed what I believe was one of the miniseries' main problems.

"LITTLE WOMEN" did have its share of problems. Like the 1978 television adaptation, it is clear to see that it suffered somewhat from a low budget. If I must be frank, that seemed to be more obvious in this adaptation. Aside from Amy's near drowning at Walden Pond and some of European settings featuring Amy and Laurie, all other scenes had obviously been shot inside a studio. Very disappointing, considering a good number of BBC productions featured a mixture of interior and exterior shots. I found the actresses' makeup and hair - especially the latter - to be inconsistent and frankly, a big mess. Betty Aldiss' costume designs seemed solid enough, but not particularly earth shattering. Although the cast solely featured British performers, I believe a handful of them managed to handle American accents quite well - especially Stephen Turner, Stephanie Bidmead and Martin Jarvis. But despite their solid or excellent performances, the rest of the cast seemed to struggle maintaining one. And could someone please explain why three of the actresses who portrayed the March sisters seemed to be incredibly loud? Nearly every time one of them spoke, I had to turn down my television's volume. Some have explained these scenes featuring quarreling between the four sisters. They have even gone as far to claim this adaptation was the only one that featured the sisters often quarreling. Well, they would be wrong. Nearly every adaptation (I am not certain about the 1933 movie) of Alcott's novel featured quarrels between the sisters. So, this explanation does not strike me as a good excuse for the loud voices.

Judging from the previous paragraph, one would assume I have a low opinion of the majority of performances featured in "LITTLE WOMEN". Not really. Most of the performances featured in the miniseries struck me as pretty solid. Actresses Angela Down ("Jo"), Jo Rowbottom ("Meg"), Janina Faye (Amy) and Sarah Craze ("Beth") all gave solid performances and managed to capture the nuances of their individual characters in a competent manner. As I had stated earlier, I had a problem with most of them - with the exception of Craze - resorting to loud and histrionic voices in their portrayals of the March sisters at a younger age or in the case of Rowbottom, engaged in a heated quarrel. I thought Jean Anderson gave a solid performance as the stuffy Aunt March. Frederick Jaeger gave a very likeable performance as Jo's love interest, the intellectual Professor Friedrich Bhaer. And I believe the actor had a solid screen chemistry with Down. I really had a problem with actress Pat Nye, who portrayed the family's housekeeper, Hannah. Nye's handling of Hannah's American accent struck me as ridiculously exaggerated . . . to the point that her accent almost seemed Southern. Patrick Troughton, a talented actor in his own right, had more or less been wasted in his role as the family's patriarch, Mr. March. I do not believe he had spoken more than three to five lines in this production.

I can think of at least four performances that really impressed me. It seemed a pity that not one of them came from the four actresses who portrayed the sisters. Oh well. John Welsh has my vote as the second best version of Mr. James Lawrence, the March family's wealthy neighbor. I thought he did an excellent job of developing his character from a strict and curmudgeon guardian to a warm-hearted man who learned to develop a relationship with his grandson. Most portrayals of John Brooke, Meg's future husband, have never impressed me. But I must say that I found Martin Jarvis's portrayal of the character more than impressive. The actor was given an opportunity to delve more into Mr. Brooke's personality and he ended up giving one of the better performances in the miniseries. If given the chance to vote for the best performance in "LITTLE WOMEN", I would give it to Stephen Turner for his portrayal of the sisters' close friend, Theodore "Laurie" Lawrence. I suspect Turner had greatly benefited from Bell and Constanduros's script, which seemed more interested in Laurie as a character than the four leads. But judging from Turner's performance, I suspect his would have overshadowed everyone else's due to the actor's superb handling of the character. I also have to compliment Stephanie Bidmead's portrayal of the March family's matriarch, Mrs. "Marmee" March. Not only did I find her performance warm and elegant, but it also lacked the dripping sentimentality of the earlier versions and the heavy-handed attempts to make the character "modern" - relevant to today's movie and television audiences.

"LITTLE WOMEN" had its flaws. I cannot deny this. But I feel its flaws - which included a limited budget and some questionable American accents - were not enough to dismiss the nine-part miniseries as unworthy. I believe the 1970 miniseries proved to be a lot more solid and entertaining than some fans of Alcott's novel believed, thanks to Paddy Russell's competent direction, a damn good screenplay by Denis Constanduros and Alistair Bell, and a first-rate cast led by Angela Down.

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Dracula (Horror of Dracula) (1958) Terence Fisher

March 2nd 2024

[ludojudoposts]

Put Out More Flags (1970)

[fourorfivemovements]

Films Watched in 2023:

36. Never Take Sweets from a Stranger (1960) - Dir. Cyril Frankel

[raynbowclown]

The Day of the Triffids

Day of the Triffids (1963) starring Howard Keel, Nicole Maurey The Day of the Triffids is a famous science fiction horror tale. Triffids are tall, carnivorous, mobile plants capable of aggressive and seemingly intelligent behavior. They are able to move about by “walking” on their roots. Triffids appear to communicate with each other. And they have a deadly whip-like poisonous sting that enables…

[myclutteredbookshelf]

Please reblog for a larger sample size.

[thechaosmuses]

Below the cut you'll find a list of my TVDU muses along with their face claims (more info about each oc muse will be up soon but if you have any questions in the meantime don't be afraid to pm me, I have info on Google Docs for all of them.)

Total Muses; 111 Newest Member; Matias Garcia Added; 1/29/24

(Quick note: all families are in order of oldest to youngest; and a few of the Mikaelson's (Cyrus, Willow, and Tobias) are all honorary/adopted Mikaelson's, not children of Mikael and Esther.) Freya Celeste Mikaelson... portrayed by Riley Voelkel Elijah Daniel Mikaelson... portrayed by Daniel Gillies Elizabeth Haven Mikaelson... portrayed by Zoey Deutch Roman Ryker Mikaelson... portrayed by Alex Pettyfer Erik Flynn Mikaelson... portrayed by Joseph Morgan Kareena Dawn Mikaleson... portrayed by Melissa Benoist Niklaus Ryder Mikaelson... portrayed by Joseph Morgan Thyra Selene Mikaleson... portrayed by Selena Gomez Kolton Nathaniel Mikaelson... portrayed by Nathaniel Buzolic Karsyn Devyn Mikaelson... portrayed by Vanessa Hudgens Mateo Maxwell Mikaelson... portrayed by Keegan Allen Serenity Faye Mikaelson... portrayed by Dianna Agron Sawyer Finch Mikaelson... portrayed by Kristen Stewart Henrik Alexander Mikaelson... portrayed by Andrew Garfield Aurelia Nova Mikaelson... portrayed by Madelyn Cline Felix Ares Mikaelson... portrayed by Jamie Campbell Bower Willow Luna Mikaelson... portrayed by Maia Mitchell Tobias Floyd Mikaelson... portrayed by Grant Gustin Hope Andrea Mikaelson... portrayed by Danielle Rose Russell

Malachai Silas Parker... portrayed by Chris Wood Zephyr Raven Parker... portrayed by Froy Gutierrez Zariyah Dove Parker... portrayed by Sabrina Carpenter Kennedy Taylor Parker... portrayed by Taylor Swift Myles Zane Parker... portrayed by Ross Lynch Mariana Joy Parker... portrayed by Noah Cyrus Olivia Mae Parker... portrayed by Penelope Mitchell Paisley Juniper Parker... portrayed by Katherine McNamara

Silas Xavier Salvatore... portrayed by Paul Wesley Braeden Talia Salvatore... portrayed by Florence Pugh Holden Atlas Salvatore... portrayed by Colin O'Donoghue Damon Luca Salvatore... portrayed by Ian Somerhalder Ezra Grant Salvatore... portrayed by Hero Fiennes-Tiffin Stefan Lance Salvatore... portrayed by Paul Wesley Liberty Faye Salvatore... portrayed by Brenna D’Amico

Jensen Graham Gilbert... portrayed by Jamie Dornan Easton Reed Gilbert... portrayed by Matthew Gray Gubler Jesse Jonathan Gilbert... portrayed by Julian Morris Elias Rhodes Gilbert... portrayed by Dylan O'Brien Jeremiah Steven Gilbert... portrayed by Steven R. McQueen Jazmyn Sophia Gilbert... portrayed by Jenna Coleman

Atlas Rowan Petrova... portrayed by Dylan O'Brien Titus Izaiah Petrova... portrayed by Dylan O'Brien Katherine Maria Pierce... portrayed by Nina Dobrev Kamen Maverick Pierce... portrayed by Dylan O'Brien Natalie Adrianna Pierce... portrayed by Lily Collins

Qetsiyah Zione Bennett... portrayed by Janina Gavankar Eleanor Marie Bennett... portrayed by Zendaya Coleman Salem Elijah Bennett... portrayed by Jordan Fisher Gabriel Graham Gustin... portrayed by Chuku Modu Bonnie Sheila Bennett... portrayed by Kat Graham Belladonna Sharie Bennett... portrayed by Vanessa Morgan

Marcel Leon Gerard... portrayed by Charles Michael Davis Hayley Jane Marshall... portrayed by Phoebe Tonkin Seraphina Rose Ward... portrayed by Madelaine Petsch Theodore Joseph Brickenden... portrayed by Timothee Chalamet  Kaia Asherah Halloran... portrayed by Odette Annable Elizabeth Anne Forbes... portrayed by Marguerite MacIntyre Carter William Forbes... portrayed by Charlie Hunnam Josette Olivia Saltzman... portrayed by Kaylee Bryant Ryan Nicholas Clarke... portrayed by Nick Fink Landon Maxwell Kirby... portrayed by Aria Shahghasemi Aurora Violet De Martel... portrayed by Rebecca Breeds Cameron Myles Lawrence... portrayed by Lucas Bravo Aiden Matthew Lawrence... portrayed by Colin Woodell Jameson Tyler Rosza... portrayed by Tyler Posey Tatum Jaxson Lockwood... portrayed by Morgan Evans Tyler James Lockwood... portrayed by Michael Trevino Tatiana Jade Lockwood... portrayed by Adelaide Kane Taylor Jacob Lockwood... portrayed by Taylor Launter Axel Madden Hughes... portrayed by Cody Saintgnue Ashton Malik Hughes... portrayed by Cody Christian Alexia Rae Branson... portrayed by Arielle Kebbel Sebastian Sawyer Sharpe... portrayed by Aaron Taylor-Johnson Niall Nash Novak... portrayed by Ryan Kelley Montgomery Felix Langston... portrayed by Jedidiah Goodacre Sebastian Killian Jones... portrayed by Thomas Doherty Milton Gabriel Greasley... portrayed by Quincy Fouse Ophelia Esme Lovell... portrayed by Gage Golightly Sapphire Lee McGuire... portrayed by Jennifer Love Hewitt Rami Calder McGuire... portrayed by Kit Harington Benjamin James Kenson... portrayed by Zane Phillips Warren Jaxon Kingsley... portrayed by Ricky Whittle Jeremiah Michael Kenner... portrayed by Michael Vlamis Cecilia Jaklyn Labonair... portrayed by Camila Mendes Rosemary Belle Whitlock... portrayed by Sophie Turner Hadley Kamryn Fuller... portrayed by Sofia Carson Kamryn Avery Marshall... portrayed by Katherine Langford Lorenzo James St. John... portrayed by Michael Malarkey Lorella Diane St. John... portrayed by Gal Gadot Andrew Kolton Rogers... portrayed by Louis Tomlinson Vincent Keith Griffith... portrayed by Yusuf Gatewood Sean Kieran O'Connell... portrayed by Matt Kabus Lucien Maverick Castle... portrayed by Andrew Lees Blair Lilith Walsh... portrayed by Kristine Froseth Zachariah Cole Norwood... portrayed by Oliver Stark Matthias Lucien Delacour... portrayed by Jonah Hauer-King Matias Camilo Garcia... portrayed by Danny Ramirez

Crossover/Genderbent Muses

Cyrus Boyd Mikaelson... portrayed by Cody Kearsley (spn to tvdu) Harmony Iris Johnson... portrayed by Shay Mitchell (tw to tvdu) Chandler Matthew Rawlins... portrayed by Charlie Gillespie (tw to tvdu) Mckenna Stella Parker... portrayed by Katherine Langford (genderbent kai parker)

Test Muses

Dorian Lee Williams... portrayed by Demetrius Bridges Sophie Danielle Deveraux... portrayed by Daniella Pineda Monique Marie Deveraux... portrayed by Yasmine Al-Bustami Evangeline Amaya Sinclair... portrayed by Maisie Richardson-Sellers Inadu Tayen Labonair... portrayed by Blu Farias Hunt Rafael Alexander Waithe... portrayed by Peyton Alex Smith Finch Taylor Tarrayo... portrayed by Courtney Bandeko Cleo Ada Sowande... portrayed by Omono Okojie Penelope Eden Park... portrayed by Lulu Antariksa Jade Ivy Young... portrayed by Giorgia Whigham

[angelvelluto]

Museum of Modern Humans

King Kong Magazine.

Photo/CD - charliechops

3D Artist - Metapoint.xyz

3D Characters - Harriet.blend

BodyPaint - Janina Zais

BodyPaint Assistant - Angel Velluto

Hair - moemukai23

Hair Assistant - Hiroki Kato

Make Up - Molly Whiteley

Set - Lucy Cooper

Photo Assistant - Georgia Faye Williams, Em_rbrt

Retouch - Retouch_nataly_trach

Masking - Ariel Brigmann

Models - Crumb Agency

[ozu-teapot]

School for Unclaimed Girls | Robert Hartford-Davis | 1969

Janina Faye, Cleo Sylvestre, Carol Rachell, Maureen Lipman, Madeleine Hinde

[coordinatepatches]

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The Day of the Triffids (1962/1963) Steve Sekely and Freddie Francis

July 7th 2024

[thisbluespirit]

Van Helsing comforts Tania in Dracula (Hammer 1958).

[mariocki]

The Two Faces Of Dr. Jekyll (Jekyll's Inferno, 1960)

"Your friend talked to me like a common whore!"

"In all fairness, he never implied that you were common."

[angelstills]

Horror of Dracula (1958)

[donmarcojuande]

Janina Faye in ‘Angels’

[namesisfortombstones]

I'm still working on the theory that Dracula's wife Tania in Scars of Dracula is what became of the little girl Tania in Horror of Dracula.