Monday 4 April 2011

Wanna make thumbthing of it?

Oh, but I'm damp and crabby. In the true and vicious tradition of April in Hades, we were forced to walk to the bus stop this morning through a precipitation which Environment Canada describes as "wet snow" but that is actually thick white missiles that go plop-plop-plop like a blizzard of bird-droppings. By the afternoon, I was forced to go out again in what was now cold, pelting rain.

I hadn't had enough sleep because I stayed up to watch The Killing and The Borgias. The former is an American retelling of a Danish murder-mystery series filmed in Vancouver. I recognise next to no one in the cast, but so far, it's compelling. The latter is clearly a very expensive production, features three fabulous actors: Jeremy Irons, Derek Jacobi, and Colm Feore, and each shot looks like a High Renaissance painting. Then they lost me. In a beautifully photographed, sumptuous recreation of Rodrigo Borgia's procession on his way to being crowned Pope, I listened in disbelief to the background music which was Zadok the Priest. You know, that coronation anthem that George Frederick Handel composed in 1727? They even played it kind of softly, as if hoping no one would notice. Well, they didn't sneak it past me, and then they killed off Derek Jacobi's character, so to heck with them and their bleedin' anachronisms.

Boy, I'm cranky. So I'm putting myself to bed early tonight and leaving you with this gem which is undoubtedly long past its expiry date in Britain:I like this so much, I've friended Bertram Thumb-cat on Facebook. So there.

4 comments:

Christie said...

I really liked The Killing. It's appealing to have something to watch that requires more than an hour to finish up. The Borgias....They were fascinating, but haven't seen the show.

chrissie_allen said...

You've every right to be cranky after all that. The cats with thumbs though are so funny and a real mood lifter for me. Thanks for the video and all your bloggings.... as always. Hope your early night refreshed you anyway Persephone.

VioletSky said...

I have just recovered my that all night Killing and Borgias viewing (at the end of a busy weekend). I was lost on the Borgias and equally annoyed at Derek Jocobi's early demise. Had I realized about the timing of the coronation music I, too, would have been cranky (I think I was too tired to notice, or follow the plot)

Bertram is wonderful!

Persephone said...

I think the Borgias are fascinating, too, Christie, but the show, not so much. (The Tudors? I ask you...) I'll probably concentrate on The Killing next week except, wait... Isn't that when the new Upstairs, Downstairs starts? I do get fed up with all good programming getting crammed into rating rush months...

I'm much better now that I'm less periodical, Chrissie! Now I have a hope of not mixing you up with Christie!

Hope is on the horizon, Violet Sky! Space will be transmitting the new series of Doctor Who on April 23rd -- the day after it transmits in England. No more illegal downloading for me!