Author Topic: Sarah Waters: Books & Movies Discussion  (Read 95375 times)

Offline Brown Eyes

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Re: Sarah Waters: Books & Movies Discussion
« Reply #110 on: September 17, 2008, 01:49:17 pm »
I am watching Affinity tonight!!  8) Yay.
You are going to re-watch it, right Amanda?

OK!  I'll re-watch it tonight.  Maybe we can begin our discussion tomorrow (or even late tonight)!
8)

the world was asleep to our latent fuss - bowie

Offline Lumière

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Re: Sarah Waters: Books & Movies Discussion
« Reply #111 on: September 17, 2008, 01:51:56 pm »
Ok.
Maybe even late tonight.
Let's see how it works out.  :)


Offline Lumière

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Re: Sarah Waters: Books & Movies Discussion
« Reply #112 on: September 17, 2008, 10:19:48 pm »
Hey Amanda! 

I am a minute or two away from my Affinity viewing.
I guess you are two hours ahead of me here.
When I am done, I'll come over here and see if you are around.
If not, we always have tomorrow to commence our chitchat.  :)


~M


Offline Brown Eyes

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Re: Sarah Waters: Books & Movies Discussion
« Reply #113 on: September 17, 2008, 10:23:49 pm »
Hey Amanda! 

I am a minute or two away from my Affinity viewing.
I guess you are two hours ahead of me here.
When I am done, I'll come over here and see if you are around.
If not, we always have tomorrow to commence our chitchat.  :)


~M


***edit***  :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: Milli your post just came in as I was clicking on the "post" button for what I just wrote here below!!  So, you may want to wait to read the rest of this post until you're done watching.  But, I don't think anything I wrote here constitutes a real spoiler.  My post here is mostly just my overall impression still (much like my earlier post after my first viewing).


**************







Ok.
Maybe even late tonight.
Let's see how it works out.  :)

Heya Milli!

So, I just finished watching it again.  And, I'll refrain from saying too much until you post your initial reactions.

I'll just reiterate a few things that I posted after my first viewing of it, and some heightened impressions after this second viewing.  First off, it really is a good bit of storytelling/ story writing.  And, the Waters is so good at twists and turns that can really be unexpected.  I think Waters' surprise endings and surprise turns in her plots can be brilliant.  The amazing plot twist in Fingersmith is so great as a piece of storytelling, and even though it's a frustrating plot twist for a lot of the second half of the story, at least the resolution at the very end is positive.  Affinity is interesting in its dark tone compared to certainly Tipping the Velvet, but also to even Fingersmith.  With Affinity I keep waiting at the end for some kind of silver lining for Margaret, and it just never comes... and then the credit roll!  Yikes!
:(

I guess not all good stories can have happy endings.

And, certain elements of Selina's trickery with "Peter Quick" and the unsuspecting young women, really are pretty disturbing. : (

Still, it's a gorgeous movie to look at in terms of costumes and set.  And, I think the actresses and actors are great.

the world was asleep to our latent fuss - bowie

Offline Lumière

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Re: Sarah Waters: Books & Movies Discussion
« Reply #114 on: September 18, 2008, 12:38:19 am »
Hey Bud,

I just finished watching the movie and poured my third second glass of wine.  :)
I loved it...even though it hurt (yet again).
However, it brought back all the disturbing images I had when I was reading the novel.

I thought it was a pretty good adaptation of the book.
Margaret to me couldn't have been more spot on. Her look and personality and..
I just loved her performance particularly.


Gosh.
Where shall we begin this discussion.
I think tomorrow, my thoughts would've settled down a bit.
My heart still aches for Margaret.  :'(


Shall we continue tomorrow?  :)
There is much to discuss, I am sure.


Night.
~M



Offline Brown Eyes

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Re: Sarah Waters: Books & Movies Discussion
« Reply #115 on: September 18, 2008, 12:51:35 am »


Gosh.
Where shall we begin this discussion.
I think tomorrow, my thoughts would've settled down a bit.
My heart still aches for Margaret.  :'(


Shall we continue tomorrow?  :)
There is much to discuss, I am sure.


Night.
~M




Night Milli!

Sure enough!  We should certainly continue to discuss tomorrow.

And, I agree that my heart bleeds for poor Margaret.  She's really a great character.  She seems to be this sweet, intelligent, open person surrounded by all these really difficult people (not to mention deceptive people).

The actress who played Selina was fantastic too I thought (and really gorgeous). 

But, yes!  More discussion tomorrow. :)  For now I'm a little sleepy.

the world was asleep to our latent fuss - bowie

Offline Lumière

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Re: Sarah Waters: Books & Movies Discussion
« Reply #116 on: September 18, 2008, 11:46:26 am »
Hey Amanda,  :)

I might be able to check back here on and off through the day, but I've been thinking of Affinity (of course) and thought to get the ball rolling.
I'll come back with my thoughts too...

What part/scene of the movie haunts you the most?


*** Affinity Spoilers below...  ***  8)

« Last Edit: September 18, 2008, 03:50:31 pm by Lucise »


Offline Brown Eyes

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Re: Sarah Waters: Books & Movies Discussion
« Reply #117 on: September 18, 2008, 01:28:22 pm »
Hey Amanda,  :)

I might be able to check back here on and off through the day, but I've been thinking of Affinity (of course) and thought to get the ball rolling.
I'll come back with my thoughts too...

What part/scene of the movie haunts you the most?

Well, I don't know if it haunts me the most.  But, some of the most complicated questions seem to swirl around what Selina's true feelings were at the end.  As she's going to bed her last night in the prison (when Margaret is still there) she says she's sorry (in an enigmatic way, and Margaret doesn't understand what she means... of course we realize what she might mean by the end of the film).  She seems remorseful (but it's hard to know how to read Selina to know if she's being honest).  Also, I'm very curious about her thoughts at the very, very end when she's in Venice.  The filmmakers make it seem like she's (mysteriously or psychiclly) responding emotionally to Margaret's suicide.  But, her emotions may be tied to simpler notions of guilt, regret, etc.  I wonder if she had true feelings for Margaret?

The interesting thing, to me about my emotional reaction to Selina, is that (prior to the revelation of just how much of a con artist she is) I find myself really wanting to believe she has these magic, spiritual powers even though I know it's preposterous (and even though I know the story from the book).





the world was asleep to our latent fuss - bowie

Offline Lumière

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Re: Sarah Waters: Books & Movies Discussion
« Reply #118 on: September 18, 2008, 03:49:13 pm »

I should start by saying that I agree with you Amanda - about the overall production of the movie, the actresses, the performances, the sets.  It was wonderfully done and the script was pretty faithful to SW's book.  That was something I appreciated immensely.

Selina definitely embodied the mystery that she had in the book.  She had that quiet beauty which caught Margaret's eye the moment she first cast eyes on her.  I loved that scene - the image of Serena sitting in the light with a purple flower in her hand...couldn't have been truer to the picture SW painted in her novel.  Selina is definitely a fascinating character.

Like I mentioned in my post last night, Anna Madeley really was Margaret personified, IMO.  She looked exactly how I saw Margaret as I read the story.  She spoke volumes with her eyes, her posture.. she just brought Margaret to life.

Speaking of Selina and Margaret's relationship...

I personally think that Margaret is attracted to Selina the instant she sees her sitting alone in her cell with that little flower in her hand.  She looked almost ethereal. I think after a few visits to Millbank, she finds an escape from her own claustrophobic life in Selina's prison cell, ironically.  I would really like to believe that Selina developed a genuine attachment to Margaret.  After all, each one saw in the other something she wanted:

- Margaret found the possibility to love again after the devastating end of her relationship with Helen.  I believe she felt like Nan was feeling when she said, "I was beginning to sense a bit of my old self back" (after she saw Flo for the first time).  Margaret rediscovered her buried sexuality, her longings, the more Selina drifted into her life.  She began to leave Helen behind.

- Selina, on the other hand, saw Margaret as a way out of Millbank, no doubt.  I don't know when exactly she hatched out her plan, but she must have been aware of Margaret's feelings very early on in order to set the plan into motion.    She was desperate, anyone would be if they were cooped up in a dingy place like Millbank.  She might've loved Margaret but that love was clearly not enough to keep her from betraying her as thoroughly as she did.



One of the moments that stay with me still - when Margaret visits Selina to tell her that she has everything ready for their escape.  When Selina starts to get ready for bed, Margaret says, "Let me look at you"... you can hear the longing in her voice and see it in her face.  That moment was captured so beautifully.  If only Margaret knew what Selina meant when she said, "I'm sorry.." *sigh*  :(


Now, what did you make of that Theophilus fellow?  He was not in the novel.
All I'll say for the moment is - that beard irritated me to no end. LOL


Offline Lumière

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Re: Sarah Waters: Books & Movies Discussion
« Reply #119 on: September 18, 2008, 03:57:30 pm »

 Also, I'm very curious about her thoughts at the very, very end when she's in Venice.  The filmmakers make it seem like she's (mysteriously or psychiclly) responding emotionally to Margaret's suicide.  But, her emotions may be tied to simpler notions of guilt, regret, etc. 

The idea that Selina can somehow 'sense' Margaret's suicide suggests that perhaps they are 'Affinities', perhaps they are two halves of the same soul as Selina had described it to Margaret.  Perhaps she (Selina) is also a victim, a puppet in her life with Ruth Vigers.

Then again, like you said, it might've been a simple combination of guilt, regret.