#david ferris

[bestofcaryelwes]

Cary in a promotional photo for 'The Informant' (1997) as Lt. David Ferris

[caryelwesmeow]

The A to Z of Cary Elwes

D is for David Ferris (The Informant)

[lexxwithbooks]

📖: 𝑳𝒊𝒄𝒌 (𝑆𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝐷𝑖𝑣𝑒 #1) 💍🎸🎤

✍🏽: 𝐊𝐲𝐥𝐢𝐞 𝐒𝐜𝐨𝐭𝐭

Get the book! 🌟

[sesiondemadrugada]

Seconds (John Frankenheimer, 1966).

[saints-who-never-existed]

Today I'm thinking about the degree to which a person is responsible for the loyalty they inspire in others.

To be more specific, I'm continuing my rewatch and thinking about the degree to which Franklin is responsible for the loyalty he has inspired in poor wee David Young.

-

Young's death is a foregone conclusion, one that's been years in the making to the point where he thinks nothing of his gruesome symptoms, yes. But his lionisation of Franklin is also a not-insignificant factor in Young neglecting to speak up about his failing health.

"I didn't want to disappoint Sir John..."

Then, as he continues to decline, Young relinquishes any semblance of bodily autonomy he ever had. He's terrified at the thought of being cut open and examined, begs for Goodsir to promise to refrain from doing so. But again, his loyalty to Franklin wins out - he trusts completely that whatever Franklin orders must be for the good of the crew.

"If Sir John orders it I will do it..."

And even as death rapidly approaches, Young isn't entirely free in his own mind either. He's an extremely vulnerable young man, little more than a child really. He's 3000 miles from home. He's dying and there isn't a thing anyone can do to stop it. He's even separated from his fellow Terrors now, friends who clearly cared for his well-being and could have been at least a small comfort to him as he passed.

Young is so so frightened and he can't even fully admit to and confront that fact because of Franklin.

"And don't tell Sir John I was afraid..."

-

I'm not sure yet what my point is really.

Young's loyalty and devotion to Franklin serves to make his death just that more desperate and traumatic than it otherwise would have been and it just feels like there ought to be consequences for that somehow. It feels like someone ought to pay for the tragedy of it all...

[krispyweiss]

Bassist Herbie Flowers, Session Musician and Former Member of T. Rex and Sky, Dies at 86

Bassist Herbie Flowers, a former member of T. Rex and Sky who played on sessions for David Bowie, Lou Reed and others, has died at 86.

His death was confirmed by Hurst Festival, where Flowers was scheduled to play later this month. No cause or date was given.

“He was an amazing person and will be missed,” festival organizers said.

A member of T. Rex and Sky, Flowers is perhaps best known for his session work, which is said to have exceeded 500 recordings by the end of the 1970s. He played alongside Elton John, Roy Harper, Al Kooper, Bryan Ferry and every Beatle save for John Lennon, with his most-famous basslines featuring in David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” and Lou Reed’s “Walk on the Wild Side.”

Through his connection to Paul McCartney, Flowers helped set in motion the events that eventually led to Laurence Juber joining Wings, the drummer said.

“He was a great bass player, a friendly fellow and an inspiration to me as an up-and-coming session player in London,” Juber wrote on social media.

Flowers was a “bass legend,” Chris Wood said. “One of the greatest bass players of all time,” is Fernando Perdomo’s assessment. And Leland Sklar mourned the man he called, simply, “the great Herbie Flowers.”

“A true legend of the instrument,” said bassist Guy Pratt. “There was only one Herbie Flowers.”

9/8/24

[silverfoxstole]

Some photos from Our Mutual Friend that are less familiar, to me at least.

I also found the one below on a Keeley Hawes fan Instagram, but unfortunately Paul has been almost cropped out of it. Annoyingly I’ve not been able to track down the full photo.

[batmanego]

DAVID HALLER READING LIST

have you ever wanted to read a story that will make you go 'hm, i can't decide if this depiction of DID is surprisingly progressive or reductive for the time'? have you ever wanted to kill charles xavier more than you already do? have you ever just wanted to see a 14 year old be the worst person in a 100 mile radius? luckily for you i've dedicated a non insignificant amount of time and brainspace to thinking about little miss ableism, david charles haller. below the cut is a list of recommended reading for getting into him and his miserable life, links included.

LEGION: SON OF X/X-MEN LEGACY VOL. 2 this is quintessential david reading, and while it's not where david's story starts, it's where i would recommend new readers begin. it's fairly self contained and gives us the basis for a lot of his modern characterization, as well as having a depiction of david's DID that resonates a lot with me. read lsox/xml vol 2 Here.

LEGION: SHADOW KING RISING shadow king rising is also quintessential david reading, and what i would recommend new readers read second. shadow king rising collect's davids first appearances and documents his time on muir island and also that time he killed destiny! whoopsies! read it here. also, you should read this specific issue of x-men forever.

X-MEN: AGE OF APOCALYPSE PRELUDE hey, remember destiny and how david killed her? well, there were some consequences for that action. age of apocalypse prelude explores the consequences of that, notably mystique trying to kill him. also, david tries to kill magneto and kind of fucks up spectacularly. read it here.

NEW MUTANTS VOL. 3: RETURN OF LEGION david was in the otherplace. now he's back. he's not having a very good time. start here to issue 5, then issue 14 so you can see his torture chamber, and then issue 24.

X-MEN: AGE OF X david shunts everyone into an alternate dimension again, this time spurred by medical abuse! you can read this entire thing if you want here, but what's really important is.....

X-MEN: LEGACY VOL. 1 ISSUES 247-253 more age of x stuff! and also aftermath! and also lost legions! just a whole bunch of stuff for davey boy. he gets to hang out with magneto. start here, end at 253.

WAY OF X way of x is a kurt book. but david is there. i'm not the biggest fan of what's currently going on with david, but he is there. read it here.

LEGION OF X legion of x is a kurt book being billed as a david book. it's fine. i really like the judgement day issue. this is what is currently going on with david. read it here.

anyway, that's just about it for charles' firstborn and least favorite son! he's had other appearances, but these are the ones that i think are easiest to collect and are the most important for his character. happy reading!

[martini-police16]

Photo: Ebet Roberts

[we-are-inevitable]

davey jack and kath are literally just cameron ferris and sloane. you can’t convince me otherwise

[pinkfloyd-musicartnaturelove]

Merry gents! Bryan Ferry and David Gilmour

[idrinkyouryouthquake]

How to style animal print (maybe)

[lordroyalhighness]

I’ve really gotten back into a deep dive of my glam rock favorites recently, and even discovered some new ones. So if you’re interested, see above. To be played on shuffle and at maximum volume! ✨

[deadpanwalking]

Soul By David Ferry What am I doing inside this old man’s body? I feel like I’m the insides of a lobster, All thought, and all digestion, and pornographic Inquiry, and getting about, and bewilderment, And fear, avoidance of trouble, belief in what, God knows, vague memories of friends, and what They said last night, and seeing, outside of myself, From here inside myself, my waving claws Inconsequential, wavering, and my feelers Preternatural, trembling, with their amazing Troubling sensitivity to threat; And I’m aware of and embarrassed by my ways Of getting around, and my protective shell. Where is it that she I loved has gone to, as This cold sea water’s washing over my back?

[gonzo-rella]

Pride Month 2024 Masterlist

A masterlist for the fics I've written in celebration of Pride Month. Currently a WIP (as, as of writing this, Pride Month is not yet over, so neither is this series of fics).

#1 - Schitt's Creek: Being Roland and Jocelyn Schitt’s Trans/Nonbinary Kid (headcanons)

#2 - Ferris Bueller's Day Off: You’re Still You (one-shot) [genderfluid!reader; bisexual!Cameron Frye]

Cameron [Frye] has had a crush on you for years, but will your admission be enough to change that? (spoiler alert: no)

#3 - Ghosbusters: Not A Girl, Or Anything, Really (ficlet) [nonbinary!Phoebe Spengler; nonbinary!reader]

In the midst of a gender crisis, Phoebe confides in you.

#4 - Ferris Bueller's Day Off: You're Still You (one-shot) [nonbinary!reader; bisexual!Cameron Frye]

An alternative version of You're Still You, in which the reader is nonbinary.

#5 - Bridgerton: Incongruence (ficlet) [nonbinary!reader]

Amidst an identity crisis, you confide in Eloise [Bridgerton].

#6 - The Last of Us (HBO): Not Right (ficlet) [nonbinary!aroace!reader]

Ellie [Williams is] the first to know when you realise something’s not right.

#7 - Schitt's Creek: Alexis Rose, David Rose and Stevie Budd with a Nonbinary S/O (headcanons)

#8 - Malcolm in the Middle: Being the Nonbinary Wilkerson Sibling (headcanons)

#9 - Community: Being Nonbinary in the Study Group (headcanons)

#10 - Bridgerton: Love is Understanding (one-shot) [nonbinary/genderqueer!reader; pansexual!Benedict Bridgerton]

It should be simple: Benedict Bridgerton is in love with you, and you are in love with him. But, you have a secret, one that you believe threatens your chance at a happily ever after with the only man you’ve ever loved.

[ljones41]

"OUR MUTUAL FRIEND" (1998) - Second Review

"OUR MUTUAL FRIEND" (1998) Second Review

Several years ago, I had written a review of "OUR MUTUAL FRIEND", the BBC's 1998 adaptation of Charles Dickens' 1865 novel. Needless to say, my opinion of it proved to be mixed. But after numerous re-watches of the four-part miniseries, I came to the conclusion that my views had undergone a tremendous change . . . as the following new review will convey.

During my recent re-watch of "OUR MUTUAL FRIEND", I continued to find it a complicated tale. It featured at least four subplots (and not three, as I had originally assumed). And they all stemmed from the alleged death of John Harmon, the estranged heir to a fortune created by his father, a former collector from London's rubbish. "OUR MUTUAL FRIEND" began with a solicitor named Mortimer Lightwood informing the circumstances on the death of his late client and the details of Mr. Harmon Sr.'s will to his aunt and a group of listeners at a London society party. According to Lightwood, Mr. Harmon made his fortune from London's rubbish. The terms of his will stipulated that his fortune should go to John, returning to Britain after years spent abroad. The will allowed John to inherit his father's money on the condition that he marry a woman he has never met, Miss Bella Wilfer. However, Lightwood received news that John Harmon's body had been found in the Thames River. He and his close friend, Eugene Wrayburn, head toward the river to identify the body. And it was this sequence that led to the following subplots:

*Mr. Harmon's employees, Nicodemus and Henrietta Boffin inherit the Harmon fortune and take Bella Wilfer on as a ward/companion to compensate for her loss, following John Harmon's "death".

*John Harmon fakes his death and assumes the identity of John Rokesmith, the Boffins' social secretary, in order to ascertain Bella Wilfer's character.

*Gaffer Hexam, the waterman and scavenger who found Harmon's "body", ends being accused of murdering "Harmon" by Hexam's duplicitous former partner, Roger "Rogue" Riderhood.

*While accompanying his friend, Mortimer Lightwood, to identify Harmon's body, Eugene Wrayburn meets and falls in love with Hexam's daughter, Lizzie.

*Bradley Headstone, the schoolmaster of Charley Hexam, Lizzie's younger brother, develops a romantic, yet violent obsession with Lizzie and a deep hatred of Eugene.

*Mr. Boffin hires a ballad-seller with a wooden leg named Silas Wegg to read for him. When he finds Harmon's will in one of the Harmon dust piles, Wegg schemes with a taxidermist named Mr. Venus to blackmail the newly rich dustman.

*Mr. and Mrs. Lammle, a society couple who had married each other for money and discovered that neither had any, plot to swindle Mr. Boffin of his money.

I have experienced a handful of movies, novels and television shows in which disparate subplots eventually form into one main narrative. A major example of this was the 2002 novel and its 2008 movie adaptation, "MIRACLE AT ST. ANNA". But I cannot recall any form of fiction in which a particular narrative divides into a series of subplots from one main action or character. When I first saw "OUR MUTUAL FRIEND", I found this narrative device not only original, but rather disconcerting.

The problem I initially had with "OUR MUTUAL FRIEND" was that I only enjoyed only one major subplot - the bizarre "love triangle" between Eugene Wrayburn, Lizzie Hexam and Bradley Headstone. I cannot deny that I found it very interesting and very tense. Yet another re-watch of the miniseries made me aware of the mistakes I had made in judgment. One, my views of the miniseries' other subplots turned out to be more interesting than I had initially assumed. It finally occurred to me how wealth, greed and/or class played major roles in Dickens' story. The Harmon fortune had attracted greedy types like Silas Wegg and the Lammles. Even Bella Wilfer was willing to use the Boffins to find a wealthy husband within London's high society. Gaffar Hexam's discovery of the fake John Harmon's body and the reward he had received led his greedy and jealous former partner to accuse him of murder.

John's deception also exposed a good deal of class bigotry in this tale. Upper-class types like Lady Tippins seemed appalled at the idea of lower-class citizens like the Boffins inheriting a large fortune. She seemed to harbor this attitude that attorney Mortimer Lightwood should automatically take control of the Harmon fortune. As the Boffins' protégé, Bella initially regarded John as beneath her, due to his position as the Boffins' social secretary, John Rokesmith. Class bigotry practically reeked throughout the love triangle between Lizzie, Eugene and Bradley. Despite being in love with Lizzie, the upper-class Eugene seemed more wiling to view her as a potential mistress, instead of a wife. Bradley Headstone, who came from the same class as Lizzie, seemed more than willing to marry her. Yet, he also regarded her as being socially beneath him, due to her lack of education. He seemed to believe Lizzie should be grateful to marry him and reacted with surprise when she rejected his offer. And Eugene not only regarded Bradley as a romantic rival, but also as a man who was socially beneath him. The miniseries ended with Mortimer Lightwood attending a society party aboard a River Thames steamer. He and a shy man named Mr. Tremlow defended a particular marriage that crossed class lines, despite the other partygoers' disapproval and contempt. This ending is one of the main reasons I truly enjoy this adaptation of Dickens' novel. I found it emotionally satisfying, yet very poignant.

Sandy Welch made some changes in Dickens' narrative. Instead of pursuing heiress Georgiana Podsnap and attempting to trap her into marriage with fortune hunter Fascinating Fledgby, Alfred and Sophia Lammles set their sights on the Boffins' money. Welch's screenplay had excluded Fledgby altogether, along with his moneylending business. These changes made sense to me, considering the Lammles' arc with Fledgby and Miss Podsnap had nothing to do with John Harmon or his fortune. The Lammles met a nameless heiress (a stand-in for Georgiana Podsnap?) at a rail station near the end, as they boarded a train for Dover and the English Channel. Due to Welch's erasure of the Fledgby character, she reduced Mr. Riah's character as a close friend of both Lizzie and her friend, dollmaker Jenny Wren. Mr. Riah only played a role by helping Lizzie find a job outside of London.

It seemed a pity that Welch had eliminated the Fledgby character and his arc with Mr. Riah. It would have given the miniseries a peek into Victorian anti-Semitism, something the novel managed to achieve on a small scale. But as I had pointed out - Fledgby and Mr. Riah's arc had no connection to John Harmon, his fortune and his deception. To understand what I am trying to say, let me clarify. All of the other arcs in "OUR MUTUAL FRIEND" either began with Mr. Harmon Sr.'s will or with John Harmon's actions following his arrival in London. The former's will led John to create and participate in his deception in order to judge Bella. If Mr. Harmon had not made that condition for John to marry Bella in order to inherit his fortune, chances are John would have never conceived his deception. He would have never been attacked by the man he had recruited to impersonate him. Hexam would have never found the impersonator's body and found himself falsely accused of murder by his former partner.

Even if Mr. Harmon's will had not changed, John could have simply adhered to and inherit his father's fortune, leading to a possible loveless marriage to Bella. With no body to find, Mortimer and especially Eugene would have never met Lizzie. As Charly Hexam's tutor, Bradley Headstone probably would have met Lizzie and fallen in love with her anyway. But I believe she still would have rejected him. It is possible the Lammles would have focused their attention on John. But I suspect they would have very little success in befriending him. If John had immediately inherited his father's fortune, the Boffins would have inherited one of the Harmons' dust piles. Does this mean Mr. Boffin would have hired Wegg as his reader anyway? I wonder.

I cannot deny that "OUR MUTUAL FRIEND" did such an excellent job in exploring the effects of wealth, greed and class in Victorian London. All or most of the subplots seemed to flow from John Harmon and his decision to fake his death. Like the River Thames that flows through southern England and London. Is it any wonder that Dickens had decided to set his novel along the river - even outside of London? The story began with Lizzie and and her father scavenging along the Thames and ended on that lovely moment when both Mortimer and a shy man named Mr. Tremlow defended a recent marriage that crossed class lines at a society party aboard a steamer on the river.

As for the production values for "OUR MUTUAL FRIEND", I still remain impressed as ever. David Odd's cinematography still strikes me as colorful and epic. I am not surprised that he had received a BAFTA Award nomination for his work. Malcolm Thornton won a BAFTA Award for the miniseries' excellent production designs. His recreation of mid-19th century London and the River Thames struck me as colorful, well-detailed and just outstanding. Mike O'Neil had earned a BAFTA nomination for his costume designs. A part of me wish he had won. I still find them beautiful and a near reflection of Britain in the 1860s, as shown in the images below:

My opinion of "OUR MUTUAL FRIEND" may have improved over the years, but I still have a few issues with it. One of those issues remained John Harmon's deception regarding his identity - namely how it affected Bella Wilfer. I still find it problematic that John did not reveal his true identity to her, until a few months after their wedding. And I found Bella's lack of hostility toward his revelation implausible. Although I found Silas Wegg's attempt to blackmail Mr. Boffin interesting, I found his constant complaints about his target and plotting with Mr. Venus rather irritating after two episodes or so.

The performances featured in the 1998 miniseries more than satisfied me. I found Harmon's gradual love for Bella very interesting to watch, thanks to Steven Mackintosh's subtle performance. And Anna Friel did a great job in developing Bella Wilfur from a materialistic and ambitious young woman, to one for whom love and morality meant more to her than material wealth. "OUR MUTUAL FRIEND" also featured excellent performances from Peter Vaughn and Pam Ferris as the Boffins, Kenneth Cranham as Silas Wegg, Margaret Tyzack as the imperious Tippins, and Dominic Mafham as Mortimer Lightwood. The miniseries also featured first-rate supporting performances from the likes of David Schofield as the no-nonsense Gaffer Hexam, Anthony Calf and Doon Mackichan as the Lammles, Paul Bailey as Charley Hexam, Peter Wight as Mr. Wilfer, Cyril Sharps as the kindly Mr. Riah, Linda Bassett as pub owner Abby Potterson, Edna Doré as the kindly, yet proud Betty Higden; and Robert Lang as the reserved and shy Mr. Tremlow, whom I believe provided one of the best moments in the series.

But there seemed to be performances that I believe stood above the others. Timothy Spall gave one of his more subtle performances as the enigmatic taxidermist Mr. Venus, who found himself drawn reluctantly in Wegg's scheming. Some have complained that Katy Murphy had been too old, as a thirty-something actress, to portray dollmaker Jenny Wren, a character in her late teen or early 20s. But the other two actresses I have seen portray Jenny were either 30 or older, so I do not understand the complaint. And Murphy did such an excellent job in conveying Jenny's emotional, yet blunt personality. I thought David Bradley did a superb job in his portrayal of the sly, yet malevolent waterman, Rogue Riderhood. Unlike other actors in the role, he did not succumb to occasional histrionics.

In my previous review of "OUR MUTUAL FRIEND", I had accused David Morrissey of engaging in histrionics in his portrayal of the violently jealous headmaster, Bradley Headstone. I had been wrong. Morrissey only did it once in a scene that featured Lizzie Hexam's rejection of his marriage proposal. Otherwise, I thought the actor gave a brilliant performance. One would think portraying the reserved Lizzie Hexam would be a walk in the park for any actress. Yet, I believe Keeley Hawes took the portrayal to another level by not only conveying Lizzie's dislike of Headstone, and her wariness toward Eugene Wrayburn's feelings for her; but also her streak of insecurity that led her to doubt her worthiness for someone like Eugene. I had earlier accuse the actress of being unable of to express Lizzie's true feelings for Eugene until the last episode. But I forgot that Hawes did convey moments of attraction toward Eugene. And in portraying a reserved character like Lizzie, she did an effective job of conveying the character's penchant for keeping such feelings closely to her chest. I have said this before and I will say it again - I believe Paul McGann gave the best performance in "OUR MUTUAL FRIEND", for his portrayal of the ambiguous Eugene Wrayburn. If one closely observe the character, he is not exactly a nice man. At least most of the time. McGann did a beautiful job in his portrayal of the indolent, yet patronizing attorney; conveying both the negative and surprisingly, the character's positive traits. And thanks to McGann's performance, one could see Eugene's struggle between his love for Lizzie and his wariness over her class.

Do I still believe "OUR MUTUAL FRIEND" was flawed? Well . . . I point out a few. As I had stated in my previous review, the 1864-65 novel is not considered among Charles Dickens' best works. But my opinion of the 1998 adaptation certainly has improved a great deal over the years. Screenwriter Sandy Welch and director Julian Farino did excellent jobs in translating Dickens' tale to the television screen. And the production not only featured first-rate work from the crew, but also superb performances from an excellent cast led by Steven Mackintosh. If I must be honest, not only has my opinion of "OUR MUTUAL FRIEND" improved over the years, I now consider it one of the best adaptations of any of Dickens' works.