Wolf Hall comes to television

[drogulus]

     In January BBC 2 started showing the series based on the first novel in what will be a trilogy by Hilary Mantel on history through the eyes of master participant Thomas Cromwell. I don't think the concept of spoiler alert applies as far as detached heads is concerned. This is awfully familiar territory even for the historically challenged. I'll just say based on the first two episodes that it's worth watching. There's a little stupidly superfluous exposition here and there (do we really need to hear that Prince Arthur's boast after his wedding night of "visiting Spain" referred to a Spanish princess?). The writer(s) doesn't strictly follow the tinker, tailor rule which says you don't explain what's happening to people who wouldn't watch anyway. OK I made that up, but it's a good idea.

     I suppose it comes down to the script can't match the artistry of the novel (Mantel has Cromwell saying privately his richly deserving victims were "guilty, but not necessarily as charged"). The adaptation is a dramatists paraphrase of lesser artistry, whereas Tinker, Tailor, also a 6 part series and the obvious model in density and seriousness, seems to have been written with the novelist scrutinizing every page.

     In April the series comes to PBS.

     Oh, there's the matter of Thomas More. Let's just say that 2 episodes in the story looks promising.

[Sean]

Hello drogulus, I happen to have seen a few minutes of this stuff in the company of enthusiastic others like you recently. As with everything produced by the BBC and mass media it's a commercial product for the simple minds of its audience and for anyone who can think it's just more excruciating lunatic trash. I guess I didn't have to bother replying but I come to GMG sometimes to find people who are different to this. Best, Sean

[drogulus]

    I love excruciating lunatic trash providing it's boring and pretentious, but this is not it or close. I rewatched the 2nd episode in part and the writing, though not Mantelese, is better than I thought at first.

    Oh, the screenwriter it turns out wrote the movie adaptation of Tinker, Tailor, which I respect, and on a recent rewatch I judge to be really well done given the length of the film can't possibly suffice for the story. I know people, some, quail at the thought of "quality television" and throw around terms like middle brow, an empty pejorative as far as I'm concerned. Then there are productions like Wolf Hall which whatever slot they fit in, have quality as much as they look like they do.

[drogulus]

     I'm reading A Place of Greater Safety, Mantel's novel of the French Revolution. Part of her secret is she has mastered the art of making the people of the past real and as modern as they themselves believed they were. They were not quaint to themselves, their houses and dress did not appear strange. They were more like us than we often think.

[Sean]

Okay, well done.

Definitely live and let live.