#Porthos XVIII

[spockvarietyhour]

Admiral Archer's Prized Beagle*

*It's gotta be an institution right, they breed beagles and that's the name of their academy

[themightyaliendwarf]

On Casting Actors (new Interview with a Vampire)

So, I'm not a huge expert on Vampire Chronicles. I'm only familiar with the first 3 books (Vampire Lestat being obviously my favourite) and I have vague knowledge on the later books. A knowledge about the stuff I didn't need to know, may I add - for example, the scene with Lestat and Dora + the whole Realm of Atlantis.

But I really enjoy those books and a movie! (yes, movie, singular). So, I was very happy when I saw they are announcing new series that would cover more of the stories. And then more announcements have been made...

Now, alright, I don't feel like everything has to be a 1:1 copy of the source material. Absolutely not! Forrest Gump is a perfect example of a movie being very different from the novel and, in result, being waaay better. But you have to be careful with what you change. Especially if the changes you are making, even if they are interesting, break worldbuilding.

So, lemme address the elephant in the room. Jacob Andreson has been cast to play Louis. While he might be a fantastic actor, it's a rather odd choice to pick a man of colour to play a French slave owner from the XVIII century. There, I said it! And, alright, I do think your capabilities as an actor are overall more important than how you look. But! I feel like in this case it looks more as a rewriting the history than picking your best option.

Obviously, I'm not saying people of colour shouldn't play major parts in media that are set in the past. But if the show you are making at least try to be somewhat historically accurate, I feel like it is your job, as a filmmaker, to approach this subject in a respectful and careful way.

A good example I can think of is The Musketeers by BBC In this show Porthos is a man of colour. Okay, how would a man of colour become a musketeer in the XVII France? They address it! They actually give him a backstory that explains it. They use this casting choice as a way to add something new in this story and, in my opinion, it went really well + let's now forget that Dumas had a black ancestor. So, making one of his character a person of colour is, in a way, a nod to the author.

So will dark-skinned Louis work? I honestly have a hard time imaging it. When I read the book, I would constantly find myself thinking "this guy is so white". And that's purely because who is was and how he would behave. I mean, this guy is so arogant and he constantly looks down on everybody + the historical context only leads me to one conclusion: of all the characters from the Vampire Chronicles, Louis is the most white. I think Armand or Nicolas would be perfect with darker skin, but not Louis.

Ok, so let's put some good stuff here too. Sam Reid as Lestat. I honestly find it hilarious that Lestat will be played by an Aussie. Don't know why, I just do :D I think my only criticism would be that he is way older than Lestat should be, but Tom Cruise was also about the same age as Reid. I don't think anybody would say that Cruise did a bad job as Lestat, so all good here. And Lestat is the best character (it's not an opinion, it's a fact), so as long as we have a good actor here, we are golden.

And now onto the news that made me write this already long post. Bailey Bass will play Claudia. So, Claudia is 5 when she is turned in the book. Obviously, it's not really possible to cast a 5-year-old in a role like this. You would have to use a creepy CGI baby from Twilight and I don't think we want that! In the movie, they cast a 11-year-old actress. I think she was fantastic and still true to the book. After all, 11-year-old-girl is still a child. Bass is 18. Now, I think she kinda looks like how I would imagine Claudia - the golden hair. But having Claudia this old is massively changing the story. I mean, really! Two of the main aspects of Claudia character are:

a) she uses her innocent looks to lure her victims, b) she is frustrated with her fragile and small body, and she blames Lestat&Louis for turning her at such a young age.

I don't think it works with a 18-year-old! At this point I can accept dark-skinned Louis, but this one is a bit too much. I feel like they are putting themselves into a place when they will have to make huge changes to the story. Yes, they might turn out to be alright, but there are reasons why I stopped watching American TV shows.

Overall, I'm still hoping it will turn out to be okeish as Netflix's Witcher (so, very different from books but still kinda enjoyable ~but only with Polish dubbing~), but I'm setting my expectations to be low.

[artconnaisseurdetectiveus-es]

Le Puy du Fou : algo más que un parque de atracciones

En medio del siglo XVIII y en un incognito territorio llamado la Vendée se encuentra uno de los mejores parques del mundo según los THEA ClassicAwards y los Applause Awards. El Puy du Fou garantiza una visita sorprendente a cualquier amante de la historia mediante toda una serie de espectáculos increíbles. Atravesando varias etapas de la antigüedad, las 23 hectáreas de territorio te permitirán explorar la Edad Media pasando por el imperio romano compartido por los galos. 1.200 actores y más de 100 caballos os acompañarán a lo largo de esta trepidante aventura en la que tu serás el protagonista. La diversidad de animales sorprendentemente bien adiestrados contribuirá a que cada actuación se convierta en una experiencia única e irrepetible. La interacción con aves rapaces, halcones, caballos o lobos fue algo que me sorprendió dado a la naturalidad con la que los animales se integran con los otros personajes.

Atravesando varias etapas de la historia, cada espectador hará de su visita una experiencia única hecha a medida con un programa de animaciones flexible. Los más de diez espectáculos se interpretan varias veces durante el mismo día, algo que permite personalizar la visita alternando tiendas artesanales de minerales o restaurantes típicos de la región. En los comercios, la elaboración artesanal se convierte en una distracción gracias a los forjadores de espadas o los talladores de piedra y de minerales. La señal del triunfo, Los vikingos o El secreto de la lanza son algunas de las actuaciones que figuran dentro del programa. Si no os dan miedo las alturas, El baile de las aves fantasmas os permitirá presenciar una coreografía en la que cigüeñas, lechuzas, buitres, agilas y otros rapaces surcarán todo un escenario aéreo.

Para los románticos, El Mosquetero de Richelieu os permitirá disfrutar de un lugar más íntimo bajo la luz de enormes candelabros. Teniendo lugar en un teatro de grandes dimensiones y con una decoración renacentista, la novela de Alexandre Dumas queda representada de forma dinámica ya que d’Artagnan, Athos o Porthos interactúan con el público desde el principio hasta el final de la obra. Asimismo la escenografía teatral diversa e impresionante transportará a los espectadores a tierras sevillanas con un baile de caballos andaluces dentro de una hacienda española. Una vez acabado el día, La Cinéscénie es la mejor forma de despedirse del parque en medio de un concierto de música clásica donde los juegos de luces acuáticas se mezclan bajo la luz de la luna. Nada mejor para desconectar y perder la noción del tiempo, el Puy du Fou es un valor seguro para pasar buen fin de semana fuera de lo convencional.

[pensamientosliterarios]

#PensamientosLiterariosRecomienda #Lostresmosqueteros #AlejandroDumas #LibrosRecomendados- ¿Lo leíste? ¿Qué te pareció? Dentro de la amplia obra de Alexandre Dumas (1802,1870), que sintonizó a la perfección con la sensibilidad de su época y utilizó los folletones por entregas para hacer llegar sus fábulas histórica alimentadas por "la acción y el amor" a las clases populares, sólo "El Conde de Montecristo" puede rivalizar en difusión y celebridad con LOS TRES MOSQUETEROS. En las adaptaciones cinematográficas o las ediciones mutiladas o abreviadas, el mito del espadachín ha prevalecido injustificadamente sobre otras aventuras de d'Artagnan, Athos, Aramis y Porthos que, sin embargo, ofrecen mayor interés, fondo tráfico y nervio narrativo. De otro lado, tanta importancia como d'Artagnan y sus compañeros tiene el personaje femenino de Milady, la heroína maldita de este relato animado por el mero gusto de contar, lleno de peripecias e intrigas, quita esencia del género de aventuras. Por lo demás, Dumas muestra su portentosa habilidad para combinar géneros y estolos, desde la novela de capa y espada hasta la novela negra y de misterio. Si bien el escenario histórico es la Francia del siglo XVIII, los valores que permean el relato cuadrarían mejor con la monarquía burguesa de Luis Felipe; antes que el honor y la caballerosidad son la astucia, el ansia de poder y de riqueza, la búsqueda del triunfo ("Todos para uno y uno para todos") y el medro de los impulsos que mueven a los protagonistas.#libros #literatura #literature #booklovers #books #librodeldía #librosenespañol #pensamientosliterarios https://www.instagram.com/pensamientosliterarios/p/Bw-KuY_gNUK/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=11kxrqrq3y0g4