#Jesuit drama

[jamesgraybooksellerworld]

16th & 17th c. Jesuit Books

A list of 16 books by Jesuits from the sixteenth and Seventeenth century. I.           776J Acquaviva, Ratio Atqve Institvtio Stvdiorvm Societatis Iesv. II. 608J Alagona, Compendivm manvalis. III. 620J Saint Augustine, Meditationes, Solioquia & Manuale. IV. 312J Balde, Urania Victrix. V.          599J. Balde, De Vanitate Mundi. VI. 508J. Bartoli, Del suono. VII.         515J.  Catholic…

[lewis-winters]

I was just curious but do you have any recs for period dramas about the philippines? I want to expand my period drama watching and im not quite sure where to start

Oh, the monster you've unleashed. YES I do have so many period dramas from and about the Philippines. Unfortunately, not all of them might be accessible to you if you're outside of the Philippines. Some of them are found on Amazon Prime, Netflix, and MUBI though. I'll make sure to put a lil note next to each film if they are. Also! these vary in genre (meaning: not all of them are war films, and some of these are horror films-- because this is me we're talking to, heh). I also have copies of some of these and will make a lil note next to each film if it's available for sharing, though I'll only give the link via DM. Please note, however, that they are all either in Tagalog, Bisaya, and/or other local Philippine Languages and not all of them have subtitles!

I also have very nuanced relationships with all these films, since Philippine History was my undergrad of choice. But to keep this post as brief as possible, I'm not going to talk about them at length. Though I will be including trigger warnings. Also note... some of these movies kinda suck HAAHAHAHA but I had way too much fun watching them so like. Please don't tell me they suck, please. I love them too much.

Also tagging @emmylynnaa because I promised her a similar list.

This is sorted by eras in Philippine History. Enjoy! (under the cut because it got long):

Spanish Occupation Era (1565 to 1898)

GomBurZa (2023) – A film following the GomBurZa, the three native Filipino Roman Catholic priests Gomez, Burgos, and Zamora executed during the latter years of the Spanish colonial era. TW: period typical violence. Furthermore, this is a Jesuit produced film so like. Once again. Take it with a grain of salt.

Jose Rizal (1998) - Jose Rizal's life and works are recounted through a series of non-linear flashbacks which reflect on various aspects of his life - as writer, propagandist, lover, friend, brother, doctor, and the man that inspired a revolution. Available on MUBI. TW: depiction of sexual assault by a priest. I also have a love-hate relationship with this film because on one hand, literally shaped my love of history. On the other hand, it is the MOST idealistic depiction of Jose Rizal ever + very historically inaccurate in many places, please watch this with a grain of salt.

Maria Clara at Ibarra (2022 – 2023) – A series about a girl from the 21st century who is magically transported into Jose Rizal’s famous novels Noli me Tangere and El Filibusterismo (you know, the novels that helped spark the Filipino Revolution against the Spanish). The synopsis sounds cheesy but trust me, it’s very good. Available to watch on the GMA official webpage. I just don’t know if you can access it outside of the country. TW: rape, abuses of the Catholic church, period typical violence, abuses of Spanish colonialists. A personal favorite—the costumes? Divine. And the character arcs are also really lovely. Helps you understand Philippine contemporary culture, too.

Katipunan: TV Mini Series (2013) – A mini-series depicting the creation of the Kataastaasan Kagalang-galang na Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan (or the KKK—no, not the white supremacist group; that’s unfair, by the way, we did it first), the revolutionary organization founded in 1892 by Filipino Nationalists against Spanish Colonialization. Available to watch on the GMA official webpage. I just don’t know if you can access it outside of the country. TW: depictions of rape aftermath by Spanish soldiers, period typical violence, torture, graphic depictions of a corpse. This is a personal favorite of mine.

Hele sa Hiwagang Hapis/A Lullaby to the Sorrowful Mystery (2016) - Andrés Bonifacio is celebrated as the father of the Philippines Revolution against Spanish colonial rule. This eight-hour epic examines this myth, undertaking an expedition into history through various interwoven narrative threads, held together by an exploration of the individual’s role in history. Available on Mubi. TW: it is literally eight hours long. But that’s Lav Diaz for you. I love him, but oh my god is he an acquired taste.

Ang Kababaihan ng Malolos (2014) - The saga of the 20 Filipino women who petitioned for the opening of a school in a time when women weren’t given the chance to do so.

Ganito Kami Noon... Paano Kayo Ngayon? (1976) – Set during the end of Spanish colonization and the start of American colonization. After his mother's death, the simple-minded and naïve Kulas (Christopher De Leon) begins his much-awaited trip to Manila. On his way to Manila, he mindlessly takes on the mission of retrieving a friar's son and bringing him to the friar's residence.

Mallari (2023) - A horror film chronicling the deeds of the first recorded serial killer in the Philippines. This film spans decades, all the way up to present day. It's kinda stupid. Like. Really stupid. That's ok. We watch it because we want to see Piolo Pascual and JC Santos covered in blood. TW: oh my god so many bodies and so much gore.

Filipino-American War and America Occupation (1899 – 1940s) (this era has the best films, actually, if you want a place to start and start strong? start here)

Amigo (2010) - A local leader of a small Filipino barangay must decide whether to keep the peace with the American troops occupying his village or join the insurgency with his brother and son. TW: racism, sexual harassment, graphic depictions of corpses, gore, period typical violence.

Heneral Luna (2015) - Set during the Philippine-American war, Heneral Luna follows the life of one of Philippine History's most brilliant soldier, General Antonio Luna, as he tries to lead his countrymen against colonial masters new and old, and to rise above their own raging disputes to fulfill the promise of the Philippine Revolution. Available on Netflix. TW: short scene depicting the aftermath of sexual assault, period typical violence, and graphic depictions of a corpse. Again, one of my favorites. I have so many happy memories of this film + the fandom it birthed! I miss it sometimes.

Angelito (2018) – The short film that bridges both Heneral Luna and Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral, depicting the brothers Manuel and Jose Bernal – Antonio Luna’s aides-de-camp – and their youngest brother Angel, two days before the General’s assassination. This film you can find on Youtube!

Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral (2019) – The sequel of Heneral Luna, this film follows the story of Gregorio 'Goyo' del Pilar, one of the youngest Generals during the Philippine-American War who fought in the historic Battle of Tirad Pass. Available on Netflix. TW: short scenes of torture, period typical violence, and graphic depictions of a corpse. Again, a personal favorite for the same reasons stated above. Though it’s not as strong as Heneral Luna, I gotta say.

Ang Larawan (2017) - In a musical tale about standing together against materialism, two impoverished sisters anguish over whether or not to sell a painting, the final masterpiece by their recluse father. A bitter struggle for survival against betrayal set in pre-World War II Manila. A personal favorite, oh my god. This film. Oh my god, this film.

World War 2 and its aftermath (1940 – 1950)

Quezon’s Game (2018) - In 1938, Philippine President Manuel L. Quezon, military adviser Dwight D. Eisenhower, along with other notable figures, set out to rescue Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi Germany. Quezon simultaneously deals with a relapse of tuberculosis. Available on Amazon Prime. TW: talk of genocide and short scenes depicting the murder of Jewish people by the Nazis.

Tatlong Taong Walang Dios (1976) - A woman falls in love with a Japanese soldier during the Japanese Occupation in the Philippines; the whole town turns against her. TW: rape. Think Malena.

Oro, Plata, Mata (1982) - Set in the Philippine island of Negros during World War II, it tells the story of how two hacendero families cope with the changes brought about by the war. TW: rape

Kusina (2016) – Her kitchen. The silent witness to the life and love of Juanita. It is her sanctuary, the place where she creates dishes for her family, friends, even enemies and strangers. Through cooking, she gets to know the people around her. TW: violent child birth, death of mother in child birth, sexual harassment by Japanese soldiers. This spans multiple decades, all the way up to Martial Law.

In My Mother’s Skin (2023) - Stranded in the Philippines during World War II, a young girl finds that her duty to protect her dying mother is complicated by her misplaced trust in a beguiling, flesh-eating fairy. Available on Amazon Prime. TW: body horror, gore, explicit depictions of a corpse, period typical violence.

Markova: Comfort Gay (2000) – A coming of age drama film loosely based on the life of Walter Dempster Jr., the last surviving Filipino “comfort gay” (male sex slaves for the Imperial Japanese Army) from World War II. TW: CSA, wartime systemic rape, rape.

Comfort Women: A Cry for Justice (1994) – The story of how two sisters and the rest of the women of Sta. Monica are forced into sex slavery by Japanese soldiers during World War 2. TW: wartime systemic rape, rape, and period typical violence.

Seklusyon (2016) - In 1947, a group of deacons (aspiring priests) on their last week of training are sent to a remote monastery to live in seclusion for seven days to protect them from the devil, who on the last few days of training attempts to break the will of deacons to make them reconsider their choice of becoming priests. During their seclusion, a little girl named Anghela, believed by locals to be a living saint because of her healing abilities, appears at the monastery seeking refuge. Available on Amazon. TW: pedophilia, gore, body horror, Catholicism, religious horror.

Corazon: Ang Unang Aswang (2012) - A psychological thriller film detailing the psychological breakdown of a woman struggling with infertility in post-war Philippines. If you want to see women go feral, this is fun.

Martial Law (1970 – 1980) (actually, you know what? I lied. This era is the era with the best films. God, these are CLASSICS and are the ones that’ll help you understand contemporary Philippine culture the most; definitely start here)

Manila, sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag (1975) - Júlio Madiaga, a 'provinciano', arrives in Manila to search for his beloved, Ligaya. TW: coerced sex work, sexual abuse. Once again, a Filipino cinema classic.

Insiang (1976) - After a teenager is raped by her mother's boyfriend, she sets out to exact revenge on anyone who has hurt her. TW: I mean. It says it right there. Though it’s not actually shown on screen, it is very heavily implied. She doesn’t die in the end, if you’re wondering.

Dekada ’70 (2002) - A middle-class Filipino family struggles to survive in the era of dictatorship. This is a fucking classic in Filipino cinema. Available on MUBI. TW: sexual harrassment, discussion of torture, depictions of wounds and beatings, period typical violence. Martial Law was rough.

Aparisyon (2012) – A psychological drama film set in early 1970s, where the story about the nuns in the period immediately preceding the declaration of martial law by Ferdinand Marcos. The film’s director, Isabel Sandoval, is a transgender woman and an absolute visionary. Her other films Senorita (2011) and Lingua Franca (2019) are also very good, please check it out. All films are available for streaming through the Criterion Channel. TW: rape, religious trauma, period typical violence, Catholicism.

Lihis (2013) - Set in the 70’s during the darkest hours of Philippine History, we follow the story of two young NPA warriors who find themselves entangled in a web of frustration, despair and victory as they fight not only for democracy but also their love for each other. Available on MUBI. TW: Infidelity.

Barber’s Tales (2014) - In a rural town in the Philippines during the Marcos dictatorship, the newly widowed Marilou inherits the town's only barbershop from her husband- a business that has been passed down by generations of men in her husband's family. With no other means of support, she musters the courage to run the barbershop.

Dahling Nick (2015) - Dahling Nick is a docu-drama exploring the life and works of National Artist for Literature Nick Joaquin, who only accepted the National Artist Award on the condition that the Marcos administration release a well-known writer who was being unjustly detained during Martial Law. I love Nick Joaquin. He’s shaped my understanding of the Magical Realist genre far more than any of his contemporaries have. This film is notoriously difficult to get your hands on, so I suggest going to read his anthology by Penguin Classics called the Tropical Gothic instead!

Respeto (2017) - Hendrix is a poor aspiring rapper who wants to make a name for himself in the underground rap battle scene and gain respect in the community. After attempting to rob a second-hand bookstore in the neighborhood, he is discovered by the owner, Doc, an old poet with a haunted past as a dissident. Not necessarily period, but definitely has its roots in Martial Law.

Liway (2018) – A film about the kip, a young boy growing up in a prison as the son of anti-Marcos dissident Cecilia Flores-Oebanda, better known as Commander Liway, during the waning days of the Marcos dictatorship. It is currently streaming on Youtube!

The Kingmaker (2019) - is a 2019 documentary film written and directed by Lauren Greenfield, featuring the political career of Imelda Marcos with a focus on the Marcos family's efforts to rehabilitate the family's image and to return to political power, including her plans to see her son, Bongbong, become President of the Philippines, and the alliance that Bongbong and Imee Marcos established with Rodrigo Duterte in his bid to win the 2016 Philippine presidential election. Available on Youtube! if outside of the Philippines, use VPN.

1980s – 2000s Philippines

Misteryo sa Tuwa (1984) - The fortunes of three impoverished friends and their families abruptly change after an airplane crashes in a nearby mountain.

Alpha Kappa Omega Batch ’81 (1982) – A psychological drama film depicting the titular fraternity's harsh initiation of new batch members as seen through the eyes of pre-med student Sid Lucero. TW: hazing, torture, psychological torture. It’s fucked up, actually.

Himala (1982) – During a total eclipse Elsa, a young girl from rural Philippines, allegedly witnesses an apparition of the Virgin Mary on top of the hill where, as an infant, she was found and adopted by Saling. Said visions change her life and cause a sensation hysteria in a poor, isolated northern village in the midst of drought. TW: rape, religious fanaticism, religious trauma.

Adela (2008) - The story of Adela, which takes place in the span of one day, is a heartbreaking story of a woman who longs for the company of her loved ones. This isn’t actually period. This film just breaks my heart. And of course, it has acting legend Anita Linda in it. How could I not recommend it?

Now Showing (2008) - Rita is named after a famous American movie star whom her late, former actress grandmother once adored. She lives in one of Manila’s oldest districts with her mother and aunt. Years later, she is still the same girl enamoured with television, now tending to her aunt’s stall selling pirated DVDs.

Elegy to the Visitor from the Revolution (2011) - A woman from the end of the 19th century visits modern day Philippines and observes three interwoven stories: that of a prostitute, a group of criminals and a musician. This is another Lav Diaz one. It’s long.

K’na The Dreamweaver (2014) - K’na is a young woman coming into her own in the mountains of South Cotabato, where the T’boli live, overlooking the majestic and mystical Lake Sebu. She is part of the royal family of the South bank of the lake, part of the clan that was banished from the North Bank centuries ago after what the elders call The Great Betrayal. At a young age, K’na, is trained in the art of weaving the T’bolit’nalak. The design of the t’nalak fabric comes from the visions granted by Fu Dalu, the goddess of abaca, only to deserving women who become dreamweavers. K’na’s grandmother, Be Lamfey, is the village’s last master dreamweaver. When Be Lamfey dies, the gift of dreamweaving is passed to K’na and her father, LobongDitan, decides to put an end to the warring clans of Lake Sebu once and for all by arranging a marriage between K’na and Kagis, the heir to the throne of North bank. Meanwhile, K’na has fallen in love with Silaw, a childhood friend whose family supplies the finest abaca fibers to the dreamweavers. Silaw leaves love messages for her by tying bits of abaca thread to a tree outside K’na’s window. As the marriage grows near, a revolution brews among those who do not believe in the union of the two royal clans.

Smaller and Smaller Circles (2017) - Two Jesuit priests, Gus Saenz and Jerome Lucero perform forensic work to solve the mystery revolving around the murders of young boys in Payatas, one of Metro Manila's biggest slum areas. While dealing with the systematic corruption of the government, church, and the elite, the two priests delve into criminal profiling, crime scene investigation, and forensic analysis to solve the killings, and eventually, find the murderer. Available on Netflix. TW: child death, talk of child sexual abuse at the hands of the Catholic Church and at the hands of teachers, graphic depictions of a corpse, film also triggering to folks who suffer from claustrophobia.

Billie and Emma (2018) – An LGBT coming of age story set in the mid-1990s featuring two teenaged girls Billie and Emma as they grapple with topics such as sexuality, family, religion, unplanned pregnancy, and the uncertainty of the future.

[aylinvail]

How do you come home to a place that no longer exists?

I got lost in the sauce of Heinrix nostalgia and ended up worldbuilding a whole planet.

The moment Heinrix stepped on Dargonus, he had been struck by a sense of nostalgia so powerful it would have brought a lesser man to tears. 

Okay, apparently someone does wonder what's going through my head with this fic. For me and for them, here we go.

From Talavera, With Love is momma's most self-indulgent fic yet. And I have Heinrix's Starseeker longfic nostalgia to thank for it. What does it mean to want to go home to a place that you can never go back to? Not just physically, but the idea that that home may have changed and is no longer your home because that home exists in the past. A.k.a the diaspora whiplash of reverse culture shock and Nick Joaquin's lamentations in the Woman with Two Navels.

Sometime between June - August, I got completely overtaken by Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo brainworms while obsessively playing and taking screenshots of WH 40k Rogue Trader. In Noli Me Tangere, a young man returns from Europe only to discover that his father is dead after his political enemies conspire to imprison him for challenging the abuses of Dominican friars (Hello Rogue Trader surprise ascension, hello Kunrad oust plot, hello Ecclesiarchy drama with Incendia Chorda) and he spends the entirety of the novel trying to do an Iconoclast playthrough in a game that demands he play Dogmatic. In the end, he is labeled a heretic and has to escape. Fast forward to El Filibusterismo, the opening chapter is on a fucking ship that is used to show the division between the Upper Decks (Upper class society) and the Lower Decks (Voidborn, hello!).

Which is how ya girl ended up here.

The Love Letters to the Philippines

The Maw and the Embocadero: The Maw is equated with the Strait of San Bernardino, one of the most treacherous passages of the Manila-Acapulco galleon route.

Folk Catholicism and variances on the Imperial Cult: Calligos Winterscale's lucky charm, the Talaveran (Guisorn III) cult to Sta. Rosalina de la Soledad who is associated with sea-faring because of Nuestra Señora de la Soledad de Porta Vaga, the Lady of the Manila-Acapulco galleon trade who is the patroness of Cavite, a region that used to be a Spanish military base and the shipyard that produced most of the galleons for this route.

The cult of St. Drusus v. Sta. Rosalina: The age old rivalry between the Dominicans and Jesuits in Manila. The conflict between local "Filipino" priests (at a time when Filipino really meant insulare, a Spaniard born in the colonies. Rana and Heinrix, if we want a real 1:1, would count as insulare) and peninsular priests after the opening of the Suez Canal. More below.

Geography: The high sierras of Talavera are a nod to the Alhambra (This city is a bride whose husband is the hill), The Sierra Madre of Mexico, and the Sierra Madre of Luzon, the island home to the Tagalogs. A lot of the place names in FTWL's Dargonus are chosen based on whether they exist in Spain, Mexico, and the Philippines.

The Temerian phoenix: Initially a silly reference to Ibong Adarna's mystical bird of Piedras Platas. By chapter 8, equated with Calligos Winterscale. A wild beautiful bird that is forced to become a feral beast for bloodsports. Also, just the irony in cockfighting being one of the surviving pieces of native cultures in a lot of colonized places even though it's a sport that kills.

A Mixed Bag

What does it mean to be one of ours?: Tagalogs keep it simple. If you are born there and raised there, you're one of theirs. If you assimilate fully, you can belong too. Rana genuinely thinks Kunrad should be Rogue Trader, despite him stepping away because of the Life Changing Commorragh and Epitaph fieldtrip, because he is Dargonus native born and raised and she writes Abelard off for the same reason. None of the conflicts in FTWL are linked to race (that's for the Drukhari and Aeldari), but to cultural assimilation. Nick Joaquin's Question of Heroes is a window to a point in time when being part of a people moved from "we look like each other" to "we share the same culture". A lot of Filipino ethnic groups apply this logic quite consistently. When in Rome, do as the Romans do and if you do not do as the Romans do, do not call yourself a Roman. Gaining your local "punto"/accent is a "Wow, you finally assimilated!" between the many Tagalog regions, just to name an example. Tagalogs can also be... quite xenophobic for the same reasons. The whole "Sandara Park is more Filipino than Vanessa Hudgens" national agreement after the latter was made a tourism ambassador.

The Hate Comments for the Philippines

Language: Talavera as a rediscovered Imperial world develops its own language. Heinrix's derogatory attitude to Dargonian creole (brought over by the first Lady von Valancius) is a nod to Filipino native hispanophone attitudes towards the Ermitense, Caviteno, and Zamboangueno creoles.

Calligos' sideye at Dargonian culture: Calligos is a native of the Koronus Expanse and so is Incendia... but so are the natives of the von Valancius protectorate. That said, they have a varyingly hostile relationship with Dargonus, a nod to how "indigenous" in the Philippines doesn't mean "native", it means you come from a culture that has never been Catholicized or hispanized.

Rana's side eye at Incendia's insistence on adopting a more familiar and widespread cult and culture: "When Manila sneezes, the Philippines catches cold." or so Joaquin writes. Rana's resistance to Incendia is a combination of personal trauma and a mash-up of the rest of the Philippines' resentment of "Imperial Manila" (The Tagalog, catholic, hispanized culturally and politically centered ethnic group), the complicated relationship between Folk Catholicism and the Vatican.

The Dinner Party: Incendia argues that Sta. Rosalina's cult and Dargonian culture are too foreign and not well-known to subjects outside of Dargonus. Rana argues that St. Drusus and Calixian culture (Incendia's camp) are just as foreign to the Koronus Expanse as she is. A nod to the demonization of hispanic creole cultures in the Philippines in the wake of 70s... after the Philippines wholeheartedly embraced Americanization. This isn't even about colonization, this is about loss of identity. There are a ton of unused "Filipino" words that came out of the nationalist movements of the late 1900s that were meant to replace loan words that were naturally adopted into local languages. The removal of Spanish from the curriculum while English is retained. The portrayals of colonization in history books as "bad colonizer and good colonizer" (as if there is such a thing LMAO) by comparing Spain to America, with the argument that the former was far far worse and could never be "ours". Never mind, of course, that after 300 years of colonization and the Filipino panuelo birthing the Manton de Manila (a Chinese creation based on the former and spread world-wide through the galleon routes coming out of Manila), the creolized cultures of the Philippines are a conversation between native culture and Spanish/Mexican culture, or that a lot of the Virgins of the Philippines absorbed ancient worship practices for older gods, or that the friars --- so often the villains of this story --- are responsible for the preservation of the Baybayin script and local languages (Why does the Philippines not speak Spanish? Aside from resistance to Old World disease, the friars who were wary of Muslim influence creeping up from the south in Mindanao just LEARNED the local languages and went crazy because that's what happens when you're fresh out of the Reconquista and your new colony, which is litered with sultanates, is discovered in the mid 1500s).

So, how do you come home to a place that no longer exists? FTWL Heinrix refuses to embrace change much like the "nationalists" who insist on creating an exoticized orientalism lite pastiche of Filipino cultures (much to the annoyance of actual IPs), clinging to a vision of distant Talavera (Guisorn III) that only exists for him. He mourns it while Rana celebrates a rebirth of it on Dargonus where Talaveran culture has creolized with the local Koronus Expanse culture. For Calligos, who has never had a real home or family, coming home is adopting a home and he embraces the cultures of the Rykad system in their entirety.

[scotianostra]

29th August 1999 saw the death of Lew Schwarz, the Scottish TV scriptwriter.

Lew was born in Glasgow on April 16th, 1926, the son of an optician, and educated at the St Aloysius Jesuit College, graduating to the Holyrood Secondary Modern School.

On leaving school he took a job at the Clyde shipyards as a riveter. In 1944 he joined the RAF as a flight engineer and flew Lancaster bombers over Germany. After the war he returned to Scotland, furthering his education at Glasgow University before moving to London in the 1950s. There he took on a job as a taxi driver, married Margaret Glen of Airdrie, and in due time fathered three sons and two daughters.

It was while driving his taxi that Schwarz sold his first few comedy gags. Always a fan of radio-show comedy, he sent his samples to Richard Murdoch, then starring with Kenneth Horne in Much Binding In The Marsh, The Forces Show, and other prominent BBC series. Murdoch bought them, thus starting Schwarz on a career which would soon spread from spare time to full time.

It was through his taxi-driving that Schwarz encountered Spike Milligan, writer and star of The Goon Show. They got to chatting about comedy and Milligan invited Schwarz to come up to the office he and some writer friends used as a base. This was situated over a greengrocer's shop in Shepherd's Bush, not far from the BBC Television studios. Schwarz was delighted to meet Milligan's partners in laughter: Eric Sykes, Johnny Speight, Ray Galton, and Alan Simpson, all great names in comedy creation

Joining the group as a gag writer, Schwarz was taken on as a partner by another big name in comedy, Eric Merriman. Together they wrote their first TV series, Great Scott - It's Maynard! This starred two popular stand-up comedians, Terry Scott, who frequently played an overgrown schoolboy, and Bill Maynard, not yet the chunky character he would become. The show mixed short sketches with situation comedy, aThe Charlie Drake Shownd was a great success. In the 50′s he also wrote episodes of

Lew went on to write a host of other shows, The Army Game, Mess Mates and The Dick Emery Show in the 60′s as well as scripting 3 episodes of The Andy Stewart Show.

In the 70′s he wrote scripts for Harry Secombe, Dave Allen and Norman Wisdom, as well as writing for Carry on Laughing and the popular sitcom The Liver Birds, which Schwarz originated with Carla Lane. Schwartz also penned some mainstream drama like Crown Court, Crossroads and an episode of Space;1999.

Closing his comedy career teaching creative writing at an adult educational college, Schwarz wrote a book, The Craft of Writing TV comedy. He summed up his career thus: ''Writing comedy for television is a very serious business.''

[blindmanbaldwin]

[Barbara] Broccoli insists it was his [Daniel Craig’s] performance as Jesuit priest John Ballard in Shekhar Kapur’s 1998 period drama “Elizabeth” that convinced her Craig was the one. “I remember thinking, ‘Oh my God, he’s the guy,’ when he was in Elizabeth, walking down that corridor. I know that sounds crazy, but that was the moment I felt it in my gut. When your whole life is James Bond, some part of you is always looking for, ‘Who could play the role? Daniel just eats up the screen. He’s truly a remarkable actor.”

Barbara Broccoli on what first made her think Daniel Craig could play James Bond in “Being Bond” (p. 28-30) 

[ghostinthegallery]

Okay yeah I finished Genefather and I genuinely enjoyed it (with the disclaimer that's it's very much a 40k book with the common issues that entails and also some frankly uncalled for necron slander) but now I'm feeling unhinged about Belisarius Cawl, our messy jumbo shrimp of a man, so now I'm gonna make it everyone else's problem spoilers to follow.

I love Cawl. I genuinely do. He's one of my favorite 40k characters. I love his design, I love his devotion to his faith and the way he's basically a Mechanicus Jesuit. He's hysterically funny. He's a mad scientist crossed with a carnival huckster. He has one of the biggest egos of any human living or dead and he does not want to be machine Pope.

And he is an absolute monster.

Like obviously the things he did to create the primaris marine are... ethically dubious. So many people dying in agony. So many kidnapped children. People who were lied to about what was going to happen to them and suddenly they wake up hundreds of years later to find themselves something else. There was no informed consent. And yet Cawl loves each of them. He knows them and cares about them. That does not stop him from torturing them nor sending them to their deaths.in combat.

Cawl is so loving and that is one of the most terrifying things about him.

Which brings me to possibly the most monstrous thing about him. He will not let Friedisch die. He is creating copies of his dearest friend, putting them through a terrible existential crisis, ensuring they remember their deaths (all 87 of them!!) and all in service of making the "perfect copy." Of achieving a true resurrection. Something he can never achieve. Even the Dark Mechanicum thinks that is fucked!

I really think Genefather missed the boat here. I don't think the story addresses just how horrifying this is. The narrative acts like because it comes from a place of affection that makes it okay??

Of course Cawl wants Friedisch back. His only friend (or love, could go either way despite how hard the book tries to "no homo" them). The only person who calls him Belisarius. Who calls him on his shit, who knows the core person beneath all the mechanics and devoured consciousnesses. Cawl literally cannot function for five minutes without a Qvo by his side. He loves Qvo so much, but he is tormenting him. Qvo wants to die! And Cawl is too arrogant to see it.

It's terrifying and compelling and so ripe for drama and consequences. Because I do think that's one issue with how Cawl is written. He gets away with...a lot of shit. He thinks he's invincible because he is Belisarius Cawl (TM). Which is really fun! To a point. And I think Qvo should be that consequence. The thing he cannot achieve, cannot get back, and a living testament to the horrors his hubris and love can lead to.

God, Cawl is just a genius egomaniac who wants love and connection so badly. He loves humans and humanity and thinks his own humanity is still in tact but...is it? Is he all that different from the necrons he dunks on?

Food for thought.

[redsamuraiii]

A Reason Akechi Betrays Oda

Awaiting Kirin (Ep 34/Ep 44)

Akechi had suffered numerous abuse from Oda Nobunaga, both verbal and physical. There was an incident where he was abused in front of Tokugawa Ieyasu, who urged Oda to stop. But Akechi was able to endure it all, until the attack on the temple of Mt Hiei.

Oda had always been hostile toward Buddhism and have conflicts with the temples as his methods often clashed with the entrenched power of the monastic institutions, especially from the warrior monks. Being a Buddhist himself, Akechi do not accept the killings.

Akechi also believes that Oda was influenced by the Jesuits as Oda sees them as potential allies who could offer him access to western goods, knowledge, trade routes and firearms, which he found valuable in his campaign to unify Japan and overthrow the Shogun. Since the Jesuits want to spread their religion in Japan, they see Buddhism as as an obstacle, leading Akechi to believe that Oda was burning and raiding temples while allowing Churches to be built. In the book, Shogun, this was mentioned by Father Alvito.

Alvito : The Taiko sneeringly dubbed him (Akechi) that : Ju-san Kubo, Shogun of the Thirteen Days. His rebellion, from mustering his men to the great seppuku lasted only thirteen days. He was a fine man but he hated us. I often wondered if Mariko became Christian just to learn our ways, to destroy us. He often said I poisoned Goroda (Oda) against him. Blackthorne : Did you? Alvito : No. Blackthorne : What was he like? Alvito : A very proud, a fine general and a poet of great note. So sad to end that way, all the Akechis. And now the last of them. Poor Mariko...but what she did saved Toranaga, if God wills it.

James Clavell's Shogun (1975), Page 1113

It's a long and complex history that Japanese period dramas often takes about 40-50 episodes to show every detail.

[mercurygray]

Omg thoughts on Shogun? I’ve been seeing ads and trailers for it everywhere and I want to watch it but I also don’t want to be disappointed lol. Historically accurate? Badass characters? Overall compelling and fun to watch?

I might not be the *best* person to comment on the historical accuracy of period dramas set in 17th century Japan, but so far it's doing a very good job of keeping me convinced that that's exactly where we are!

Shogun follows John Blackthorne, an English pilot (a sailor specially trained in all forms of navigation) who is currently working on a Dutch merchant ship trying to find a route to the then-extremely mysterious island of Japan. The Portuguese (who we will all remember are Catholic, which is an important detail at this period in history) have a trade monopoly with Japan which is making them fabulously rich. Blackthorne has illegally acquired a rutter, a document with tides and currents and maps that will make the voyage to 'the Japans' easier.

Sadly, his ship and crew arrive nearly helpless - after a voyage of nearly a year, they are without food and without hope, and are taken captive by a local lord. The whole crew is English and Dutch - and therefore Protestant, putting them very much at the mercy of the Portuguese Jesuits who are serving as their primary translators.

Blackthorne attracts the attention of Toranaga, a high-ranking lord who is currently serving on the council of regents for the underage ruler, the Taiko. Toranaga sees in Blackthorne a chance to change the balance of power away from the Portuguese and their allies.

Shenanigans ensue. It is extremely compelling television, if only to watch Blackthorne marvel at the depth of the spirit of bushido that he sees demonstrated by many characters.

I would be very remiss if I did not mention that there is a love interest - the lady Mariko, a member of Toranaga's retinue who serves as translator and has (by episode 3, anyway) killed a man with a naginata, the traditional weapon for samurai women. She is amazing. The tension between these two is incredible. You should watch this show.

[sqewed0722]

I love how “Shōgun” focuses more on Lord Toranaga and not so much on the Anjin-san, John Blackthorne. While I love “east-meets-west” stories, oftentimes the Asians are portrayed as the passive object rather than the active subject or main character. Most of the time, the stories are told from the perspective of the Western man and there are a lot of biases and stereotypes, especially when it comes to being civilized. It’s almost always the Western man’s definition that prevails.

To be honest, I found the Westerner (as represented by Blackthorne) quite arrogant and uncouth in this drama. Compared to the quiet elegance and subtlety of Lord Toranaga and his court, Blackthorne, the Jesuits and the other Westerners come out as loud and lacking proper manners.

[justforbooks]

The career of the actor Andre Braugher, who has died of lung cancer aged 61, was benchmarked by two performances in police dramas a generation apart. In the groundbreaking drama Homicide: Life on the Street, from 1993 until 1999, he played Detective Frank Pembleton, whose drive immediately made him the anchor of an impressive ensemble cast led by Yaphet Kotto and Ned Beatty. He drew a younger audience with the comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013-21) as Captain Ray Holt, who takes over a chaotic homicide squad and whose intensity again makes him the heart of the show.

Braugher’s deep, resonant voice and seemingly effortless control drew the respect of all he worked with. David Simon, creator of Homicide and The Wire, said: “I’ve worked with a lot of wonderful actors. I’ll never work with one better.” His classical training, at the Juilliard School in New York, made him a regular at the Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park, and indeed his portrayal of Henry V in 1996 won him an Obie (the off-Broadway equivalent of the Tony awards).

He brought the projection of the stage to the small screen. Pembleton was the master of “the Box”, or the interrogation room. He explained to his rookie partner in Homicide (played by Kyle Secor), it was “salesmanship … as silver tongued and thieving as ever moved used cars, Florida swamp land or Bibles. But what I am selling is a long prison sentence.” He dominated those small scenes, but the episode Subway, with Vincent D’Onofrio as a character pushed between subway trains, who will die once the trains are separated, was a two-hander whose intensity might have come from the stage of Beckett, Pinter or Mamet.

In Brooklyn Nine-Nine, as Holt, he played it straight in two senses. The adage of comedy being funniest when played straight gained resonance from Braugher’s ability to show the audience with a gesture or line-reading that he, like you, got the joke. But Holt is also gay. His gayness is never an issue, except as motivation for his progress within the police. It was as if Pembleton were stepping into Kotto’s “Gee” Giardello, a black man with an Italian father who was determined to rise in a white-dominated department.

This drive reflected Braugher’s own background. In the tough neighbourhood of Austin, on Chicago’s West Side, both his parents worked for the government; his father, Floyd, was a heavy equipment operator for the state of Illinois, and his mother, Sally, worked for the US Postal Service. He recalled he might have “pretended I was hard and tough and not square”, but he won scholarships to the Jesuit St Ignatius College prep and then to study mathematics at Stanford University, California. After walking into a student production of Hamlet, and playing Claudius, he decided he wanted to act.

Another scholarship took him to Juilliard. He graduated in 1988 and almost immediately was cast in a TV revival of Kojak, as his assistant. His first film role came in Glory (1989); he was so impressive as the educated Thomas Searles, forced to serve as a private soldier in the all-black regiment commanded by his white friend, that Hollywood came calling, but the parts were standard stereotyical roles. His father had questioned how a black actor would make a living, and Braugher later explained: “I’d rather not work than do a part I’m ashamed of.”

He played the lead in a TV movie, The Court-Martial of Jackie Robinson (1990), playing Robinson, the first African-American player in major league baseball, who earlier in the 1940s, as a US army lieutenant, had refused to ride in the back of a segregated bus; and appeared in another TV film, The Tuskegee Airmen (1995). He was an egotistical actor in Spike Lee’s Get On the Bus (1996), about the Million Man March on Washington DC the year before. In 1998 he won his first Emmy award for playing Pembleton; he was nominated 11 times, and won his second in 2006 for his role in the miniseries Thief.

After Homicide, he starred as a doctor in Gideon’s Crossing (2000-01), as a cop in Hack (2002-04), as a car dealer in the comedy-drama Men of a Certain Age (2009-11) and as the captain of a submarine which goes on the run after he refuses to obey orders to fire nuclear missiles in Last Resort (2012-13). He had another series of remarkable two-handers in a recurring role as Hugh Laurie’s psychiatrist in House, was a defense attorney in episodes of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, and voiced Governor Woodchuck Coodchuck-Berkowitz in the animated comedy BoJack Horseman.

He made the most of supporting roles in films such as Primal Fear (as Richard Gere’s investigator), Poseidon (captain of the sinking liner), Salt (as the US secretary of defense) and most notably as a New York Times editor in She Said (2022), covering the Harvey Weinstein scandal. He also starred in 10,000 Black Men Named George (2002), the story of the unionisation of Pullman railway porters, who were always called “George” by passengers.

Braugher admitted that his career “could have been larger, but it would have been at the expense of my own life”. He lived in suburban New Jersey with his wife, the actor Ami Brabson (who played Pembleton’s wife in Homicide). He said he wanted his three sons, Michael, Isaiah and John Wesley, raised in a “true context”, away from being a movie star’s offspring in Hollywood.

He is survived by his wife and sons, his brother, Charles, and his mother.

🔔 Andre Keith Braugher, actor, born 1 July 1962; died 11 December 2023

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

[moviemunchies]

I promised that I’d talk about Shogun, so let’s talk about Shogun. I thought I’d already started writing this review, but I apparently didn’t, as I can’t locate the document, and I can’t even find my original handwritten notes….

For starters, it’s really good.

Based on James Clavell’s novel of the same name, the miniseries (at least, it was planned as a miniseries, but supposedly it’s gotten renewed) Shogun is about Japanese politics in the feudal period. In the year 1600, after the death of the Taiko, a council of five regents was put into power while the Taiko’s son grows up. One of those regents, Lord Toranaga, is accused by the others of wanting to make himself shogun, the de facto leader of Japan, and finds himself in a sticky situation where all of his opponents are trying to corner him.

Rather fortuitous, though, that a Dutch ship arrives on the coast of Japan, in one of Toranaga’s territories. On it is English government agent John Blackthorne, who arrives with the intent of disrupting Catholic Portuguese interest and trade in the country, and establishing Protestant influence. And that ship has a butt-ton of cannons that more than one faction would be happy to grab a hold of.

Feudal Japanese political intrigue: the miniseries!

One thing that’s fascinating about both the original novel and the miniseries is how this is essentially a fictionalization of real events. Yes, the cast is made up of fictional characters–but only barely. Just about every major character maps onto a real-life historical figure, which will help some viewers work out some things before they happen on-screen. Toranaga is a clear analogue to Tokugawa Ieyasu, and Blackthorne to William Adams (yes, the guy from Nioh), and Mariko to Hosokawa Gracia. Mind you, they’re very heavily fictionalized versions of those characters for the sake of drama. There’s no reason to think there was anything between Mariko and Blackthorne’s real-life counterparts.

If you’re curious, the TV Tropes character sheets for the show mention who each character was based off of.

I am concerned that many people are going to take this as a true representation of history, which, uh, it’s not. I keep thinking of people I know or on the Internet saying, “I know about Norse mythology, I’ve played God of War!” and, um, no. In Shogun, for instance, I think the writers (of both the show and the book, if I remember the novel correctly) lean too hard into the “Scheming Jesuit” stereotype than is probably accurate, because the idea of conniving Catholic missionaries, or Jesuits up to no good, is appealing to audiences today–although Father Alvito is a delightfully complex character. 

This is not me saying that the show is bad because of these things! I’m just saying don’t take it as history.

[Although! If we look at this with a critical lens, part of why the Catholics in Japan are so seemingly hostile is because our main European viewpoint character is Blackthorne–who they rightly suspect to be an enemy agent. Blackthorne even makes a comment at the end of the series that throws into question everything he’s said about the Catholic Plots.]

A thing that newcomers should be aware of: this is not an action series. If you come into this story because you wanted to watch a bunch of samurai battles, welp, this is not for you. There is violence, certainly, and occasionally it is done with swords, and it is generally brutal when it occurs; however, there aren’t epic battles and duels every episode. Most of the show is about political maneuvering, with bits of violence, sometimes perpetrated against the self, in order to get different people in places where they’ll be advantageous or disadvantageous to our protagonists.

To make that work, there is so much impressive character work in the story. These actors are giving it their all to make these characters come to life, and act in ways that move the story forward while also remaining consistent. Because this is set in a society that has such restrictive social rules, a lot of what characters say isn’t as relevant as how they say it, and so I think careful viewers will be rewarded.

I should probably make a note about language: most of this show is in Japanese. There are parts that are in English (which in-universe is meant to signify Portuguese, the European language in Japan, which Blackthorne also speaks). You’re going to read a lot of subtitles while watching the series, unless you happen to speak Japanese. Apparently there were concerns that viewers wouldn’t like this, though considering the show’s success, those fears seem unwarranted. Supposedly, the dialogue is written in old-fashioned Japanese, though having no knowledge of the language I couldn’t really say.

Shogun has been compared to Game of Thrones, because that’s where we are as a culture, I guess–large fantasy/historical dramas that feature political maneuvering, violence, and sex are measured against the HBO show. I have seen a grand total of maybe four episodes of Game of Thrones, so I’m not qualified to judge the comparison entirely; still, I think given that it isn’t a fantasy setting, the story is based entirely on Japanese history, and there isn’t a war going on, that Shogun is a different show entirely, and also that we need to stop comparing everything remotely similar to Game of Thrones.

It is not a casual show to watch–it’s intense, there is violence, there is sex (though the show lingers on it less than some of its rival programs), and there is so much suspense in how things will play out. If you can accept that, though, Shogun is a rewarding experience with memorable, interesting characters, and an entire story contained within a season with near perfect pacing. 

It’s a really good show.

Mind you, I’m not sure they can keep up the momentum for another two seasons…

[theoppositeofprofound]

All I’m saying is that Latin American Cristabel Oct coheres perfectly. She’s Catholic. She makes all her friends watch NGE. She’s firmly anti-imperialist but *gestures at the church*. She’s a good Carmelite girl, who once suggested John should retreat to his room for a few weeks of silent meditation on the nature of the soul. She makes M— edit no nudity cuts of those R-rated shows about Sister Juana Inés de la Cruz so she can get her historical drama fix without breaking her vows. They met doing hospital work in an overwhelmed refugee camp and stayed pen pals. She writes old fashioned letters in bubbly script with hearts over her ‘i’s. She thinks rugby is barbaric and still sits down to watch every match. She’s never come to blows with a Jesuit but she’s come close.

[rotzaprachim]

 i want my sw original trilogy + ro era fic to be a 70′s period drama but also i want gags about leia’s yappy dog arturito who always swallows flash drives, i want han to throw all the oatly out of leia’s fridge because he think’s its cow dairy that’s expired (cue screaming do you knowwww what kind of effect industrial cattle farming has on carbon emissions? well princess not all of us can afford this shit), i want gay marriage to be legal so luke can randomly rock up at a family event with his new son grogu and new husband dean jareño who never takes off his motorcyle helmet, was once by rumour some kind of wandering jesuit, and is also now on the extended skywalker-organa-solo costco membership package 

[wowbright]

Redemptive (?) Violence in Two Scorsese Films: Goncharov (1973) and Silence (2016)

Tons has been written about the parallels between Goncharov and Scorsese's other mafia movies. But thematically, i wonder if we're not collectively missing something by considering its similarities to Scorsese's definitively non-mafia masterpiece, Silence (2016).

On the surface, these two movies don't seem to have a lot in common. Goncharov is--well, you know the plot. Silence (2016), on the other hand, is a historical drama about a persecuted Christian community in feudal Japan. And man, is it brutal. More brutal then all of Scorsese's mafia films combined. (I'm not joking here. After the initial scenes, I could not continue watching this film in increments longer than 5 minutes. It's a good film--a great film--but I absolutely do not recommend watching it to anyone.)

Silence, for those who aren't familiar, follows a pair of Portuguese Jesuit priests trying to shepherd their Japanese parish through government persecution. It's hard to watch because it's just one brutal martyrdom after martyrdom in this small community.

But unlike with cinematic narratives of Joan of Arc or even of the crucifixion of Christ himself, nothing good seems to come out of this sacrificial violence. We see people being burned alive, being crucified, being humiliated and tortured and killed in a myriad of ways--and there is no redemption in it. The martyrs don't express unalloyed joy in the face of their suffering. The musical score never wells up to ensure us that, yes, this pain and death was worth it.

It's just grim and awful and meaningless.

It's so bad that the Portuguese Jesuit missionary who serves as a priest in the community starts begging the believers to deny Christ publicly. They can believe it in their hearts, in the safety of their homes and village, but if anyone asks, they are not Christian. He assures them God will forgive them, because he cannot imagine this meaningless slaughter is what God wants.

Ultimately, Christians in the audience are prompted to wonder if even the crucifixion of Christ was worth it, if it was truly redemptive, or if it was just as grim and bleak and purposeless as every death portrayed in the film.

When I rewatch Goncharov, I see a young Scorsese struggling with the same themes. Sure, the characters in the film are terrible people, nothing like the good-hearted Japanese peasants portrayed in Silence. But Scorsese plays with the same ideas around redemptive violence. In Christianity, the death of martyrs is supposed to be redemptive by instructing and giving hope to other Christians. In Goncharov, we expect the deaths of Ice Pick Joe and Bruno and all those other horrible people to be redemptive in the sense that they are getting their just desserts, and by sacrificing them on the altar of death, we *should* be saving countless lives (because they can no longer kill).

But in Goncharov, these deaths are just as meaningless as the ones in Silence. Nothing good comes out of these people dying; the slaughter continues unabated. If anything, the pace increases, and the characters we thought could be redeemed fall further and further into hopelessness and despair.

The problem with Goncharov, and Scorsese's other mafia movies, is that the thrill of living underground, of having an alternate society, of pursuing riches and power at the expense of good--all those things seduce the viewer into romanticizing the struggles the characters go through. Scorsese's point might be that the violence is pointless and better avoided, but the audience is hesitant to adopt the same view.

So in a very real sense, Silence is a continuation of what Scorsese was trying to do with Goncharov. 40-plus years on in his career, though, Scorsese has learned to strip away every vestige of romanticism to ensure he gets his point across. No one is rich, no one is sexy. No one is engaged in a decades-long quest for revenge. No one is trying to set things right, to correct things, to make things even.

In Silence, violence is stripped down to its true essentials. It is cruel. It is unjust. It offers no hope.

These are also the things that Goncharov communicates. But they are communicated in a more palatable form, in a film you don't have to pause every 5 minutes just to get through, in a narrative where you can distract yourself with glamor and romance and what-ifs.

Look, I'm not condemning Goncharov fans for enjoying those things about the movie. Scorsese wanted you to enjoy them. He put them in there so you could actually get through the movie and receive its message at the end.

There's a risk that you won't get the message. But there's also a risk that you won't get the message in Silence, because chances are you're going to stop watching it before it's even finished.

And carrying out that narrative in both ways--in one version that is glamorized and easy to swallow, in another that is sparse and almost impossible to bear-- that's its own kind of genius.

[scotianostra]

Happy birthday Scottish actor Jimmy Yuill, born March 6th 1956 in Golspie, Sutherland.

Yuill is another of those Scottish actors that has been in an abundance of shows, and will be known, but not as a household name.Fans of the Crime drama series Wycliffe will know him best as DI Doug Kersey, in almost every episode, I will come back to that later.

Known mainly as an actor on the stage Jimmy began in 1976 in The Jesuit at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh. After, as he put it “some joyous years” working on new plays and classics countrywide he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) in 1983, as Snug in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ and ended his time there, in 1987, as Young Wackford Squeers in Nicholas Nickleby on Broadway.

In 1988 he joined Kenneth Branagh’s Renaissance Theatre Company for Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It and Hamlet directed by Judi Dench, Geraldine McEwan and Derek Jacobi, respectively. Also for RTC, Sicinius (Coriolanus); Telygin (Uncle Vanya) and Kent in Richard Brier’s ‘King Lear’.

Other roles include Toby Belch in Twelfth Night and as Henry IV parts1&2 at the Bristol Old Vic; In 2013 Jimmy played Banquo in ‘Macbeth’ at the Manchester International Festival and the following year at the Park Avenue Armory, New York. Most recently Jimmy played the Old Shepherd in The Winters Tale at the Garrick Theatre in London’s West End – both productions directed by Rob Ashford and Kenneth Branagh.

Jimmy Yuill, while always being busy treading the boards, has also found plenty time to appear in many TV shows, they include, in the 70’s The Mackinnons, The Omega Factor and the TV film A Sense of Freedom. in the 1980’s Eurocops and Boon and the 90’s mainly in Hamish Macbeth as Lachlan McCrae and the aforementioned Wycliffe. Into the new millennium he is a s busy as ever in the mini-series Monsignor Renard, A Touch of Frost and a recurring role in 14 episodes of Eastenders as Victor Brown an old frien of Ian Beales. Jimmy also appeared in several episodes of The Bill as D.S. Cottrell.

Yuill has had a longstanding friendship with Kenneth Branagh and has appeared in some of the Irish actor/directors films, including, Much Ado About Nothing, Frankenstien and As You Like It.

I said I would return to Wycliffe, where Jimmy starred in all but two episodes. The series was cancelled after that because Jack Shepherd, who played Wycliffe, refused to continue in the title role when the producers had sacked Yuill “for insurance reasons” after he contracted life-threatening meningitis during filming, and then would not reinstate him even though he made a full recovery. He says he owes his life to Shepherd with whom he was sharing a house while on location, and who rushed him to hospital in the middle of the night. Shepherd and the rest of the cast and crew felt so betrayed that they decided not to make any more episodes once filming of the current series had finished.

Along with Richard Briers he is one of only two actors other than Branagh himself, to appear in all five Shakespearean films that Branagh has directed: Yuill has worked as a performance consultant on a number of productions, and also as a producer.

More recently Jimmy has been in the movies Artemis Fowl , Kindred and my pick The Road Dance, which is set in The Outer Hebrides just before World War One. He also popped up in the Scottish dark comedy series Guilt, There are no pdates on his work in the past three years

[duxiaomin-blog]

The Aesthetic Similarities and Differences between Baroque, Rococo, and French Chinoiserie

In the fields of art and architecture, the aesthetic styles of different periods exhibit distinct characteristics that reflect the social, cultural, and historical changes of their times. Baroque, Rococo, and French Chinoiserie, as three different aesthetic movements, emerged at different stages of European history, each presenting a unique and diverse artistic appearance.

The Baroque style originated in 17th-century Italy and quickly spread throughout Europe. Its core concept is to express emotion through exaggeration and movement while emphasizing grandeur and solemnity. During the Baroque period, artists often used rich decorations, curved lines, and sculptures to create a strong religious or political atmosphere. Typical architectural features include large domes, symmetrical structures, and lavish decorations. In terms of aesthetic concepts, Baroque works frequently used gold alongside deep, rich colors to emphasize the solemnity of religion and politics, focusing on the expression of the sacred and authoritative, with a tendency towards a more masculine aesthetic.

The Jesuit Church in Vienna (German: Jesuitenkirche) is a two-story, twin-towered church influenced by the early Baroque style, redesigned by Andrea Pozzo between 1703 and 1705. Although its exterior is relatively plain, the interior is adorned with lavish faux marble columns, classic domes typical of Baroque architecture, symmetrical structures, gilded decorations, and numerous allegorical ceiling frescoes. The ceiling is divided into four compartments, with the frescoes employing trompe-l’œil techniques to create an illusion of depth, simulating a dome, even though they are painted on flat sections of the ceiling. This is a true masterpiece of the Baroque period.

In Rubens’ paintings, he creates a strong sense of dynamism in the figures and scenes through vivid poses, flowing compositions, and rich colors. By using bright, full, and impactful colors with strong contrasts between light and dark, he enhances the dramatic and captivating quality of the artwork. This drama, generated by the dynamic postures and the contrast between deep and saturated colors, is a key characteristic of paintings from the Baroque period.

The Rococo style, which emerged in 18th-century France, developed as an evolution and resistance to the Baroque style. While it inherited the sense of movement from Baroque, featuring rich curves and surfaces, Rococo diverged by emphasizing lightness, elegance, and whimsy. Its decorations were generally more delicate and lighter than those of the Baroque. Starting from the late 17th century, Europe was influenced by Chinese imports and the accounts and writings of missionaries, reaching a peak during the reign of Louis XV. As a result, the Rococo style was heavily influenced by the Oriental aesthetics of Chinoiserie, featuring asymmetric compositions and incorporating Eastern motifs such as scrolling vines and floral and bird patterns, with a greater focus on expressions of nature. Influenced by these Eastern aesthetics, the color palette shifted away from the solemn and oppressive tones of Baroque to softer pastels, focusing more on personal emotions and emphasizing a relaxed, joyful, and sensual atmosphere. It represents an aesthetic inclined towards feminine sensibilities.

From the Rococo-style gilded carved wooden mirrors in the Sotheby collection, one can clearly see the asymmetrical compositions derived from Oriental aesthetics and the Rococo’s classic pursuit of lavish decoration. This includes the gilding inherited from the Baroque style and the lightness and dynamic movement in the floral and vine decorations.

The true Chinoiserie began in the late 13th century when the Italian Marco Polo visited the Yuan Dynasty’s capital and reached its peak in the mid-18th century, influencing nearly every European country. The emergence of French Chinoiserie indirectly influenced the development of the Rococo style, uniquely blending Chinese elements with traditional European art. French Chinoiserie introduced Chinese motifs, expressing a longing for exotic cultures. Overall, French Chinoiserie features distinct Chinese characteristics, such as Chinese figures with hats, buildings with upturned eaves, and asymmetrical compositions, while incorporating European traditional art aesthetics. This includes the integration with the Rococo style, the light and shadow techniques upheld in Boucher’s paintings, the full-bodied European forms, and various fantastical imaginations about China. This made French Chinoiserie a new style, a European fantasy about China, and a cross-cultural aesthetic experience.

The “Shimmering Crane” brooch by Chucui Palace, a high-end jewelry brand with roots in an Italian jewelry family from the mid-20th century, showcases French Chinoiserie jewelry that emphasizes the curves and surfaces characteristic of the Rococo style. The entire piece displays a strong sense of movement created by its flowing curves, embodying a “wind-and-water” dynamic. The design features the classic Chinoiserie asymmetrical composition and uses soft pastel blues, a color choice inspired by the Rococo palette. Beyond these Rococo influences, the piece draws inspiration from the traditional Chinese ink painting technique of shading, meticulously setting various shades of blue gemstones to achieve the purity and gradient effects of ink washes. The entire piece highlights the deep connections between French Chinoiserie, Rococo style, and traditional Chinese elements.

Among the Sotheby’s collection is a gilt-bronze ornament from the reign of Louis XV, featuring German porcelain of a “Chinese family” motif. This piece of French Chinoiserie is adorned with a Chinese-style pavilion with a pagoda roof and three groups of Chinese figures. However, the figures’ full-bodied forms and the delicate decoration with rococo scroll leaves and gilding remain distinctly European and Rococo in style. While incorporating elements of porcelain, the piece engages with it through a European sculptural approach, imbuing the entire work with the dramatic tension inherent in French Chinoiserie’s cross-cultural blend of materials, elements, and expressions, making it highly valuable artistically.

At the intersection of aesthetics, Baroque, Rococo, and French Chinoiserie each bloom with unique brilliance, presenting a rich and colorful artistic realm. Baroque contributes its grandeur and solemnity, Rococo offers lightness and elegance, and French Chinoiserie provides a wondrous blend of exotic cultures, together forming an exquisite artistic tapestry. These three styles not only reflect the cultural essence of their respective eras but also create new aesthetic possibilities at their intersections. In this fusion of arts, we witness the continuity of history and the integration of cultures. This is not only a celebration of art but also a dialogue across time and space, awakening the viewer’s sensitivity and curiosity towards diverse cultures. It embodies the inclusiveness and innovation of aesthetics, showcasing the eternal allure of art.