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Sheldon Hall


Joined: 01 Sep 2005
Posts: 377
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Set-piece SPEECH, I meant (re. "Gettysburg"), not action scene (the film is better when it deals in action rather than speechifying).
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Coll
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Whilst taking a break from watching '300' the other night, I watched 'Enemy At The Gates', about the conflict between a Russian and a German sniper during the battle for Stalingrad.

I thought Jude Law was okay in it, and the story was interesting.

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Sheldon Hall


Joined: 01 Sep 2005
Posts: 377
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Maybe. But it was still a comparative flop (cost: $70 million; US BO gross: $50 million). Ditto "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow" and "All the King's Men", "Breaking and Entering", "The Holiday", "Lemony Snicket", "I Heart Huckabees", and several other films you probably haven't heard of, all of which earned less Stateside than their estimated production cost. Exceptions: the modestly budgeted (and very good, I thought) "Closer" and a few other films in which JL played a supporting role or part of an ensemble (i.e., was not the star and therefore not responsible for their success or failure). Conclusion? JL is a good actor but not a star. And that, folks, is the bottom line!
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mike snook 2


Joined: 04 Jan 2006
Posts: 920
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Sheldon

I didn't know 'twas he who directed the first Elizabeth and the 4 Feathers. Liked the former, didn't like the latter. What I find amazing about any of the verisons of the 4 feathersssss is just how far they wandered from AEW Mason's book... not that that's a bad thing because I tried to read it a couple of months ago with the same result that I obtained in trying to read TE Lawrence's Seven Pillars of Wisdom - not a hope! There's not a set of eyelids strong enough to resist the temptation to close mid-sentence.

Ever so slightly fed up of film-makers going to Morocco to film anything with sand in, as yer man did. Hence dervish hordes bearing no resemblance whatsoever to their historical counterparts, but rather a bunch of badly dressed Beau Geste extras. Of course costume and authenticity is what really makes the Korda version from the historians point of view - want to see what Osman's Digna's Beja/Hadendawa looked like? Well watch Korda because their sons are in his film.

Agree with you wholeheartedly on the silly costume beards in G burg. The sequel/prequel is about Stonewall Jackson, played by the same bloke that did George Pickett in the earlier film. My prize for the worst costume beard goes to the actor who played J.E.B. Stuart in both films. Thought Sheen and Duvall both did a good Robert E Lee. I liked the idea that behind his southern charm was a man of steel - as when Sheen sent away all the aides and then in private tore a strip, though not the silly beard, off J E B Stuart.

Little known fact - Garnet Wolseley (then a Lt Col) travelled down from Canada incognito (to get through Federal territory) and then spent several weeks with Lee and his army. He met and interviewed Lee, Longstreet and Jackson. In his Nile journal he says he only had two heroes - Lee and Gordon. Both by then dead - the latter only deceased by a matter of days....and not a lot of people know that... (sorry Sheldon...couldn't resist it! Very Happy )

As ever

M
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Sheldon Hall


Joined: 01 Sep 2005
Posts: 377
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I'm sure you know that Wolseley was played in "Khartoum" by Nigel Green, ex-Col-Sgt Bourne in "Zulu". And Charlton Heston took over the role of Gordon from Burt Lancaster, later Durnford of "Zulu Dawn". Small world, eh?

SH
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Simon Rosbottom


Joined: 14 Jun 2006
Posts: 287
Location: London, UK
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Another British officer observing Lee's Army at Gettysburg was Colonel Fremantle. I think it was he that was noted to say afterwards (words to the effect of - I don't have the actual quote with me) "The Union Army took up a strong defensive position along the ridge ..... and had the good sense to stay there."

"Killer Angels" by Michael Shaara is a cracking fiction book set at Gettysburg for those looking for a good read.

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GlennWade


Joined: 16 Jan 2006
Posts: 151
Location: Swansea
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Hi everyone,

Been off the forum for a bit due to starting Uni and all that jazz. How's things Sheldon? Long time no speak.

Just to add my pov, I really wouldn't want to see a Hollywood movie of Rorke's Drift at all. I think that it would be far better suited to a docu-drama reconstruction with narration and blow by blow accounts of events. No experts or historians, just a solid, accurate narration with some good action and history. It would suit the scale and purpose all the more. Much in the vein of the 'Wonders of the Industrial world' narrated by Robert Lindsay. They had a brilliant episode that focused on the US Continental railroad and Dodge City. I just don't believe that any film could live up to Zulu.

Isandlwana on the other hand is crying out to be told. I am dabbling in my own script, co-written with a friend, focusing on one company in particular at Isandlwana and threading other characters into the story yet sticking as close to history as we can. The pitfalls with a story like this is not including too many characters and trying to retell the battle second by second which can become tedious for a viewer. I found in Zulu Dawn that while it's a fun film and tells the story roughly, you really do not care for the characters that much. Little development and not much of a hero to follow it seems. I believe we mentioned this to you some time ago Mike? We haven't backed down, ha ha! Very Happy

Coll, how is your script coming along?

Sorry for waffling,

Cheers,

Glenn

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Tell it in England those that pass us by, Here, faithful to their charge, her soldiers lie.
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mike snook 2


Joined: 04 Jan 2006
Posts: 920
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Indeed you did Glenn. Which university have you started at?

Regards

M
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leightarrant


Joined: 21 Feb 2006
Posts: 131
Location: East Sussex
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The Talented Mr Ripley and Road to Perdition see Jude Law at his best - Perhaps he is over rated... But he does seem to have a knack of popping up in re makes, as does Mark Walhberg!!
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Rich
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..and Hey when you come to Jude you guys will be able to see more of his acting skills for sure next year when he's supposed to be Hamlet in a production by Branagh...the angst will be there for all to see...now will he be better than Mel or Larry?...that will be the question!.. Cool ...
GlennWade


Joined: 16 Jan 2006
Posts: 151
Location: Swansea
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Hi Mike

I'm at Cardiff Uni, been here 4 weeks now and counting. Reading History with Religious Studies and Archaeology as extra modules. All awesome fun, living the hell that is a student's life Cool

Amazing how easily carrying a copy of HCMDB in my bag between lectures can start convos. They tend to range from mature students bellowing out the aged 'Ohhhh..you know who the first Zulu killed in Zulu was don't you....' joke, to a revelation that a classmate of mine shares a similar passion for Africa and has been in Uganda in his gap year to help the kids there.

All going superbly and also hope your current projects are steaming along smoothly?

Cheers,

Glenn

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Tell it in England those that pass us by, Here, faithful to their charge, her soldiers lie.
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leightarrant


Joined: 21 Feb 2006
Posts: 131
Location: East Sussex
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All in all, I'm pleased Gibson didn't pick up on the ZULU trail, and get involved as was once alleged! Look at the awful ACOLYPTO....my what a gruesome affair that was, nice photography but very over the top. A ZULU film with Mel directing could perhaps be a different thing altogether thinking about it, He seems to like telling stories in a gruesome fashion., and maybe the Zulu wars is up his street. Ideally I'd like to see a new Custer of the West, and even a new Waterloo film wouldn't go a miss. Kenneth Branaugh would make a good Wellington........Daniel Craig would make an excellent Custer.
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Barbara Grant
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Rich,

Do you know who I really liked as Hamlet? Stacy Keach. I saw him play the role in the mid-1970s in Los Angeles.

I was a high school student at the time, and someone came into my English class one morning, offering two tickets for a play downtown that afternoon. Even back then, only one other student and I raised our hands, Shakesperean theater not being favored by many young Californians even at that time.

I've since viewed the Mel Gibson film version, and I do believe that Stacy Keach was better than Mel.

Barbara
Rich
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very good Barbara and let's see if Jude takes Hamlet's advice:

"Speak the speech I pray you, as I pronounced it to you,trippingly on the tongue. But if you mouth it,as many of our players do, I had as lief the town crier spoke my lines. Nor do not saw the air too much with your hand, thus, but use all gently,for in the the very torrent, tempest and (as I may say) whirlwind of your passion,you must acquire and beget a temperance that may give it smoothness. O, it offends me to the soul to hear a robustious periwig-pated fellow tear a passion to tatters, to very rags, to split the ears of the groundlings,who for the most part are capable of nothing but inexplicable dumb shows and noise. I would have such a fellow whipped for o'erdoing Termagant".....

..old Shakes is pretty good, isn't he?..um he has a way with words... Cool ...
my hat is off to my English friends.... Wink
mike snook 2


Joined: 04 Jan 2006
Posts: 920
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Glenn

Good university (with a great nightlife and international rugby on the doorstep into the bargain!) Good selection of courses. O to be young again. Best of luck with your studies. I hope while you're there to be able to open a new and exciting military museum in the Castle too, which will be somewhere nice and warm for you to go when recovering from the excesses of life as an undergraduate, or when the grant money runs out and you can't afford to heat your digs any more!!! Wink

As ever

Mike
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Law as Bromhead! Hope not
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