BBC Suggestions

[JackFavell]

Is that the old series, or the new?

[Lzcutter]

Moira,

Thanks for the heads up on the Titanic miniseries. The story and the ship have always had a special place in my heart ever since I read Walter Lord's seminal book, A Night to Remember, when I was a youngster.

I know its different from the dramatic movies and tv shows that have tackled the subject but the documentary by MrCutter's training wife that aired on A&E in 1994 is still the top of the pyramid for me.

[JackFavell]

Getting back to Vita Sackville-West, Moira, I take it you haven't visited the white garden at Sissinghurst? Neither have I - I had a choice to make when I went to England this last time - and I chose the Apothecaries Garden better known as the Chelsea Physic Garden, which was AMAZING. I highly recommend this little hole in the wall by the royal hospital. Crammed full of flowers divided into sections according to their purpose, this is a walled garden of the first degree, and quite beautiful. It has a most fascinating past that is well worth reading about.

Click for closer views of the Chelsea Physic Garden:





My other choices to see were my favorite gardens (in photos anyway) Hidcote Manor, Sissinghurst and Barnsley House. I'm kicking myself for not going to Barnsley when Rosemary Verey was still alive.

click for larger views of Vita Sackville-West's white garden at Sissinghurst Castle:





As for Vita's writings, I've read probably every gardening article she ever wrote, she was brilliant at capturing the obsession with plants, and describing nature in a most entertaining way. If you like to read about gardening, but haven't looked at any of Vita's writings, I would suggest the slim compilation volume The Joy of Gardening to start.

As for her novels, All Passion Spent is my favorite. There was a movie or series made of this one some years ago starring Wendy Hiller that was very good, but I like the book even more. It's a sharply satirical and somewhat sad book at moments. It's about aging, and how we generally think of older people as idiots. Don't let the subject put you off, it's highly entertaining and comic.

[charliechaplinfan]

Is that the old series, or the new?

It's the new series, I'm just too young to remember the first series although it is being reshown on one of the extra channels. I'm not completely gripped, not sure if I'll stay with it, it depends what else comes up to challenge it.

Gardens, we visited two really beautiful gardens last year, one was Albert Kahn's garden in Paris and the other was Monet's garden at Giverny. Notice you're both talking about two English gardens and I the English girl are talking about two French gardens.

[JackFavell]

Haha! I would kill to go to Giverny. I painted my living room the colors of the house at Giverny the first year we moved into our house. It was not a success.

I'm going to check out Albert Kahn's Paris garden on the net right now.

I haven't seen the new Upstairs Downstairs.... I think I'm afraid to, I loved the old series, though I am not so crazy about the first season, when they are setting up the whole show. I really fell for James Bellamy and everyone else, Mr. 'udson and Mrs. Bridges, Ruby, Daisy, Edward, Rose, Hazel, and Richard Bellamy. So to try and recapture something of the magic, well, I just don't know if it's possible.

[moirafinnie]

Getting back to Vita Sackville-West, Moira, I take it you haven't visited the white garden at Sissinghurst?

Uh, no. I've only traveled to Blighty on the wings of imagination.

I have read Portrait of a Marriage about West and Harold Nicholson's difficult but fond partnership. In Your Garden was wonderful and I loved seeing the images that you included here. Thank you so much for posting them. We should all have a garden half as beautiful someday!

I have read the collection Violet to Vita : The Letters of Violet Trefusis to Vita Sackville-West, 1910-1921, but I was probably way too young to understand anything but the book about gardening. I should read these again and I'll have to read All Passion Spent, since I loved the Masterpiece Theater miniseries with Wendy Hiller from years ago. Did you know that there was a television film of Portrait of a Marriage from 1990 with Janet McTeer as Vita, Cathryn Harrison as Violet Keppel Trefusis, David Haig as Harold Nicolson and Peter Birch as Denys Trefusis? It's on youtube and begins below:



Alison, my siblings have all been to Giverny and would give their eyeteeth to return someday (especially since none of us knows where our eyeteeth are). My sister and brother-in-law go to Paris every year and they spend half their time visiting all the parks. One of their favorites is Jardin Albert Kahn, which looks enchanting here.

[JackFavell]

You know what? That miniseries looks so familiar. I think I remember it, it's slowly coming back to me that I watched some of it. Janet McTeer is an awesome actress, I remember her from Carrington which came out about the same time I think, in which she played Vanessa Bell - just to bring it around full circle. I'll have to watch the series again, I am sure now I saw it when it was on.

I did read some of the Violet to Vita book, probably as a response to the show. I read very little of it, since it had to go back to the library.

I think you'll love All Passion Spent, the book.

[CineMaven]

Did you know that there was a television film of Portrait of a Marriage from 1990 with Janet McTeer as Vita, Cathryn Harrison as Violet Keppel Trefusis, David Haig as Harold Nicolson and Peter Birch as Denys Trefusis? It's on youtube and begins below:

Holy cow, was that 1990??? I saw that on tv in its original airing. I, and everyone I knew, was riveted to that film. I know I have it on a VHS tape somewhere in my archives. Janet McTeer was wonderful! The whole film was fantastic and the cast was excellent! Thanxx so much for posting the YouTube link, Moira. I haven't seen the movie since then. It's time for a revisit.

BTW:

eyetooth [ˌaɪˈtuːθ]
n pl -teeth
1. (Medicine / Dentistry) either of the two canine teeth in the upper jaw.

[moirafinnie]

BTW:

eyetooth [ˌaɪˈtuːθ]
n pl -teeth
1. (Medicine / Dentistry) either of the two canine teeth in the upper jaw.

No, really?



Thanks for the heads up on Portrait of a Marriage to both JF & CineMaven. It sounds as though watching it might be well worth a look.

[JackFavell]

It's definitely worth watching, Moira!

If anyone does happen to watch Carrington btw, make sure you are not alone or in a depressed mood. it's the kind of movie to make you slit your wrists at the end, even if you are in a good mood.

[CineMaven]

ZOWIE! What a recommendation JackaaAaay!!

Cute cartoon Moira. My mom used to tell us our eyes were bigger than our stomachs. This cartoon explains it.

[JackFavell]

It's got beautiful art direction though.

[CineMaven]

I hear ya!!

I was invited to a SAG screening of Glenn Close's under-the Oscar-wire: "ALBERT NOBBES" and Close and McTeer took questions after the screening. She's statuesque, direct and very very smart.

[JackFavell]

How was the movie?

It's the kind of film I usually like, but I have this thing about Glenn Close. I know she is a great actress, I just can't look at her, she freaks me out for some reason. I only have been able to watch her in movies where she is heavily made up - like this one, or Reversal of Fortune. I actually discovered that she was an excellent actress while watching an episode of Tracy Ullman one night. I had no idea who she was, and she completely cracked me up. After that, my attitude toward her changed a little.

[CineMaven]

I enjoyed her in "ALBERT NOBBES." She was heavily made up to look like a woman who was passing herself as a man to get work. Her portrayal was heartbreaking.