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dreamsharkBritbox seems to be the only place that you can watch all the episodes of Red Dwarf without paying for them by the episode. I think I can watch them all in a month. Then I'll cancel because I am really really REALLY not interested in murder mysteries and crime procedurals, which seems to be 99% of what's available on this channel.
But I am finding a few other things to watch here. Last night I impulsively watched The Turn of the Screw, Henry James' classic ghost story about the innocent young governess trapped in a country manor house full of Victorian anxieties about sex and class (and a couple of actual ghosts. Probably. Depending on how you interpret it. There are a lot of theories.)
This was the 1999 Masterpiece Theater version, which is apparently the most faithful adaptation of the source material. And boy howdy, is it ever! Other than removing the classic Gothic framing sequence, it's practically a direct transcription of the novella, well cast and well staged. If you are a fan of classic Victorian literature, I recommend it. But if you want something a little more modern, or a little more twisted, or just more explicit....
I ended up going down an Internet rabbit hole and discovering that there have been more than a dozen adaptations, including numerous neo-Freudian interpretations, kinky sex versions, a swinging 60's version, and apparently one interpretation where the children are the real monsters. If you ever watched Dark Shadows, you know that show owed a huge debt to Turn of the Screw, so I suppose it's not surprising that Dan Curtis (DS creator) also took a swing at TotS (1974, starring Lynn Redgrave). That one sounds fun. But the one I watched was probably the right one for me.
Other than that... is there anything on Britbox that is not about sweet old ladies and fish-out-of-water city cops solving the endless murders that apparently plague the English countryside?
But I am finding a few other things to watch here. Last night I impulsively watched The Turn of the Screw, Henry James' classic ghost story about the innocent young governess trapped in a country manor house full of Victorian anxieties about sex and class (and a couple of actual ghosts. Probably. Depending on how you interpret it. There are a lot of theories.)
This was the 1999 Masterpiece Theater version, which is apparently the most faithful adaptation of the source material. And boy howdy, is it ever! Other than removing the classic Gothic framing sequence, it's practically a direct transcription of the novella, well cast and well staged. If you are a fan of classic Victorian literature, I recommend it. But if you want something a little more modern, or a little more twisted, or just more explicit....
I ended up going down an Internet rabbit hole and discovering that there have been more than a dozen adaptations, including numerous neo-Freudian interpretations, kinky sex versions, a swinging 60's version, and apparently one interpretation where the children are the real monsters. If you ever watched Dark Shadows, you know that show owed a huge debt to Turn of the Screw, so I suppose it's not surprising that Dan Curtis (DS creator) also took a swing at TotS (1974, starring Lynn Redgrave). That one sounds fun. But the one I watched was probably the right one for me.
Other than that... is there anything on Britbox that is not about sweet old ladies and fish-out-of-water city cops solving the endless murders that apparently plague the English countryside?
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Date: 2020-12-12 03:53 pm (UTC)- A Bit of Fry and Laurie - Steven Fry and High Laurie doing skit comedy that's a bit more intellectual than Monty Python.
- An Adventure in Space and Time - Doctor Who documentary
- Doctor Who - an adventure in space and time ;)
- Pride and Prejudice - the 4k restored version
- The Bletchley Circle - The women who cracked German crypto in WW2 get bored as housewives once the war is over and start solving crimes. Murdery, yes, but I think you'd like the twist
I haven't seen their adaptations of Hitchhikers and Dirk Gently yet, but I've heard good things about them.
I haven't seen the other Jane Austen adaptations yet, and they don't have most of the ones I was expecting. Not sure what to make of that.
no subject
Date: 2020-12-13 09:30 pm (UTC)I watched part of the Dirk Gently series on some other service but didn't finish it. I enjoyed the characters, but there was just too much bloody violence played for laughs. Probably no more violent than the books (which I enjoyed) but when you don't have to actually see blood spurting all over the place it's a lot easier to laugh it off.
My, I really am a curmudgeonly viewer who is hard to make recommendations to. Sorry about that. If you like non-gory period pieces you might enjoy my latest discovery, "Lark Rise to Candleford." See my comment below to bibliophile.
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Date: 2020-12-13 05:46 am (UTC)Shows: What do they have in the way of original programming? Anything? That's what I try to look for. (Though ghu knows I'm not about start watching Handmaid's Tale even though I have Hulu now.)
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Date: 2020-12-13 06:09 am (UTC)I just found a very lovely show called "Lark Rise to Candleford" that you might enjoy. It's based on a series of books that are kind of the British version of the "Little House on the Prairie" (but a little cottage in Oxfordshire).
Note that the $.99 price was just for the first month, and may not be available any longer. Full price is $7/month.
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Date: 2020-12-13 06:23 am (UTC)Did you like Monty Python? One of its predecessors was Do Not Adjust Your Set, with Michael Palin and Dudley Moore and Eric Idle. Apparently each episode also included The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band.
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Date: 2020-12-13 05:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-12-13 09:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-12-13 09:20 pm (UTC)