I watched a movie (a rare event)

[luzula]

At hyarrowen's urging, I have watched the 2005 BBC version of R L Stevenson's Kidnapped. It took me three evenings to do, spread out over a week, because I am very bad at watching TV and movies. But Iain Glen as Alan Breck Stewart was indeed worth it! He had an energy and flamboyance and charm in the role which was a joy to watch, and I'm glad I did. Lovely.

I do wish they had filmed it in actual Scotland and not New Zealand--it was rather painfully obvious even though I have not actually been in Scotland yet. Also, I have probably read too many history books by now...but what is up with the clothing? A laird would NOT be in his shirtsleeves with only a rough semi-waistcoat-like garment (no coat and no neckcloth!) and his hair hanging uncombed around his head. These people generally cared about demonstrating their status by their clothes. Alan Breck looked great in his blue coat though (I will ignore the leather pants and pretend they were breeches, also I will ignore that he walked around in Queensferry in his shirtsleeves without even a waistcoat, though he did look lovely doing so).

I'm so sorry, I have turned into an intolerable nitpicker...

And the way they changed the ending--how does Davie think he's going to get away with that, unless he's fleeing Scotland as well? But it seems he's staying, hmm.

Comments

[regshoe]

That does sound like an enjoyable film, although I think your complaints are very much justified and not nitpicky (going around in shirtsleeves with no neckcloth and uncombed hair, what a disgrace :D). And this reminds me, I really ought to read the book soon...

[luzula]

I have watched too many Youtube films on 18th century clothing, I think... : )

Yes, do read it! It's a fun adventure story.

[hyarrowen]

*surfaces*

I think intolerable nitpicking goes with being a history writer. I certainly am! What bugged me the most, though, was how Katriona found them in the middle of a Highland. Needed a line or two to explain that.

But Iain Glen is superb as Alan. He and Ralph Fiennes went all-out for the sword-fighting award when they were at RADA, really worked at it, and won it. You can really see that in action in the round-house scene. He's so obviously enjoying himself throughout, as is Paul McNab as the evil redcoat colonel (a bit like Guthrie but better-looking.)

As for New Zealand as default wilderness, I wish they wouldn't. Beautiful though it is, anyone who knows anything about plants isn't deceived for a moment. Gondwanan plants are just different. And don't get me started on the wisteria in Wolf Hall, argh. It isn't just historians who get nitpicky.

[luzula]

Ha, you're right about Catriona! I was too busy nitpicking the clothing to notice that. : )

That's very cool about Iain Glen and the sword-fighting award--he certainly looked like he was having fun in that scene, and it looked great.

Yes exactly, the plants are different! And wow, those enormous expanses of very short grass in what was supposed to be the Lowlands in the beginning--I'm guessing there are huge flocks of sheep on them when they're not filming. I'm missing the villages and patchwork fields of corn that would have been there in the 1750's.