#silas marner 1985

[claudia1829things]

"SILAS MARNER" (1985) Review

"SILAS MARNER" (1985) Review

I have seen a handful of television and movie adaptations of novels written by George Eliot. But the very first adaptation I ever saw was "SILAS MARNER", the 1985 version of Eliot's third novel published back in 1861. My recent viewing of the production led me to reassess it.

"SILAS MARNER" begins with an English weaver living with a small Calvinist congregation in Lantern Yard, a slum street in a Northern England city. His life falls apart when he is framed for stealing the church's funds, while watching over the congregation's ill deacon. Worse, his fiancee leaves him for his so-called best friend, the very man who may have framed him. Shattered and embittered, Silas leaves Lantern Yard and arrives at a rural village in the Midlands called Raveloe. Although he resumes his trade as a weaver, Silas' traumatized past leads him to achieve a reputation as a miser and a loner in the community.

Silas' move to Raveloe eventually leads him to cross paths with the community's leading citizens, the Cass family. The head of the latter is the elderly Squire Cass who has two sons - Godfrey and Dunstan. Godfrey, who is the squire's heir is secretly married to one Molly Farren, a lower-class woman and opium addict from another town, who has given birth to his young daughter. Godfrey is also engaged to a young middle-class woman named Nancy Lammeter. Dunstan is a dissolute wastrel who constantly loses money via excessive gambling. One night, a drunken Dunstan breaks into Silas' cottage, steals the gold coins that the latter has been hoarding and disappears. Through a series of events, Molly plots to expose her marriage to Godfrey and their child during the Cass family's New Year party, but dies in the snow before she can reach it. Silas, who is emotionally upset over the loss of his coins, finds both the dead Molly and the child. Although he informs the partygoers of Molly's death and the child, he assumes guardianship of the latter (renamed Hephzibah "Eppie"), much to the relief of Godfrey, who can now legally marry Nancy. All goes well until Godfrey and Nancy's failure to have children threaten Silas' newfound happiness as Eppie's father years later.

What can I say about "SILAS MARNER"? I can honestly say that it was not one of the best adaptations of a George Eliot novel. Then again, I do not consider the 1861 novel to be one of her best works. I realized that Eliot had set the story either around the end of the 18th century or around the beginning of the 19th century. It was her prerogative. But both the novel and the movie seemed to reek of Victorian melodrama that I found myself feeling that Eliot or any adaptation could have set the story around the time it was originally written and published - the mid 19th century. The story is, at best, a good old-fashioned Victorian melodrama. I would never consider it as particularly original in compare to the likes of "MIDDLEMARCH" or "DANIEL DERONDA".

"SILAS MARNER" tries its best to be profound on the same level as the other two Eliot stories I had mentioned. But I had a few problems with the narrative. What was the point behind Dunstan Cass' disappearance and theft? Yes, he stole Silas' hard earned money before he disappeared. I got the feeling that the stolen coins seemed to serve as a prelude to Silas' emotional attachment to Eppie. But why have Dunstan take it? How else did his disappearance serve the story . . . even after his dead remains were found close by, years later? In Eliot's novel, the discovery of Dunstan led brother Godfrey to form a guilty conscience over his own secret regarding young Eppie and confess to his wife. But in the movie, it was Godfrey and Nancy's inability to conceive a child that seemed to finally force the former to confess. Unless my memories have played me wrong. Frankly, Dunstan struck me as a wasted character. Anyone else could have stolen Silas' money.

I also noticed that Giles Foster, who had served as both screenwriter and director for this production, left out a few things from Eliot's novel. I have never expect a movie or television to be an accurate adaptation of its literary source. But I wish Foster had shown how Eppie's presence in Silas' life had allowed him to socially connect with Raveloe's villagers. Eliot did this by allowing her to lead him outside, beyond the confines of his cottage. The only person with whom Silas managed to connect was neighbor Dolly Winthrop, who visited his cottage to deliver him food or give advice on how to raise Eppie. I also noticed that in the movie, Silas had never apologized to another villager named Jem Rodney for his false accusation of theft. And Jem had never demanded it. How odd. I also wish that Foster could have included the segment in which Silas had revisited his former neighborhood, Lantern Yard. In the novel, Silas' visit revealed how the neighborhood had transformed into a site for a factory and its citizens scattered to other parts. Silas' visit to his old neighborhood served as a reminder of how his life had improved in Raveloe and it is a pity that audiences never saw this on their television screens.

Yes, I have a few quibbles regarding "SILAS MARNER". But if I must be really honest, I still managed to enjoy it very much. Eliot had written a very emotional and poignant tale in which a lonely and embittered man finds a new lease on life through his connection with a child. Thanks to George Eliot's pen and Giles Foster's typewriter, this story was perfectly set up by showing how Silas Marner's life fell into a social and emotional nadir, thanks to the betrayal of a "friend" and the easily manipulated emotions of his neighbors.

Once Silas moved to Raveloe, the television movie did an excellent, if not perfect, job of conveying how he re-connected with the world. It was simply not a case of Silas stumbling across a foundling and taking her in. Even though he had formed a minor friendship with Mrs. Winthrop, having Eppie in his life managed to strengthen their friendship considerably. The movie's narrative also took its time in utilizing how the Cass family dynamics played such an important role in Silas' life in Raveloe. After all, Godfrey' secret marriage to Molly Farren brought Eppie into his life. And Dunstan's theft of his funds led Silas to re-direct his attention from his missing coins to the lost Eppie. And both Godfrey and Nancy Cass proved to be a threat to Silas and Eppie's future relationship.

The production values for "SILAS MARNER" proved to be solid. But if I must be honest, I did not find any of it - the cinematography, production designs and costume designs - particularly memorable. The performances in the movie was another matter. "SILAS MARNER" featured solid performances from the likes of Rosemary Martin, Jim Broadbent (before he became famous), Nick Brimble, Frederick Treves, Donald Eccles, Rosemary Greenwood; and even Elizabeth Hoyle and Melinda White who were both charming as younger versions of Eppie Marner.

Angela Pleasence certainly gave a memorable performance as Eppie's drug addicted mother, Molly Farren. Patsy Kensit not only gave a charming performance as the adolescent Eppie, I thought she was excellent in one particular scene in which Eppie emotionally found herself torn between Silas and the Casses. Freddie Jones gave his usual competent performance as the emotional Squire Cass, father of both Godfrey and Dunstan. I was especially impressed by Jonathan Coy's portrayal of the dissolute Dunstan Cass. In fact, I was so impressed that it seemed a pity that his character was only seen in the movie's first half.

I initially found the portrayal of Nancy Lammeter Cass rather limited, thanks to Eliot's novel and Foster's screenplay. Fortunately, Nancy became more of a central character in the film's second half and Jenny Agutter did a skillful job in conveying Nancy's growing despair of her inability to have children and her desperation to adopt Eppie. I thought Patrick Ryecart gave one of the two best performances in "SILAS MARNER". He did an excellent job of conveying Godfrey Cass' moral ambiguity - his secrecy over his marriage to Molly Farren, the passive-aggressive manner in which he "took care" of Eppie through Silas and his willingness to use Eppie as a substitute for his and Nancy's failure to have children. Ryecart made it clear that Godfrey was basically a decent man . . . decent, but flawed. The other best performance in "SILAS MARNER" came from leading man Ben Kingsley, who portrayed the title character. Kingsley did a superb job of conveying Silas' emotional journey. And it was quite a journey - from the self-satisfied weaver who found himself shunned from one community, to the embittered man who stayed away from his new neighbors, to a man experiencing the joys and fears of fatherhood for the first time, and finally the loving man who had finally learned to re-connect with others.

Overall, "SILAS MARNER" is more than a solid adaptation of George Eliot's novel. I did not find its production designs particularly overwhelming. I did enjoy Eliot's narrative, along with Giles Foster's adaptation rather enjoyable . . . if not perfect. But I cannot deny that what really made this movie work for me were the first-rate performances from a cast led by the always talented Ben Kingsley. Victorian melodrama or not, I can honestly say that I have yet to grow weary of "SILAS MARNER".

[kwebtv]

Silas Marner: The Weaver of Raveloe - BBC / A&E - December 30, 1985

Drama

Running Time: 92 minutes

Stars:

Ben Kingsley as Silas Marner

Jenny Agutter as Nancy Lammeter

Patrick Ryecart as Godfrey Cass

Rosemary Martin as Dolly Winthrop

Jonathan Coy as Dunstan Cass

Angela Pleasence as Molly

Freddie Jones as Squire Cass

Patsy Kensit as Eppie

Elizabeth Hoyle as Baby Eppie

Melinda Whiting as Little Eppie

Robert Putt as Ben Winthrop

Jim Broadbent as Jem Rodney

Tony Caunter as Mr. Snell

Michael Bilton as Mr. Macey

Nick Brimble as Bob Dowlas

Frederick Treves as Mr. Lammeter

[silver-stargazing]

Epilepticon Movie Marathon Anniversary

This is technically the 5th Anniversary of me going through and reviewing epilepsy media and, having accumulated 35 different films, I wanted to highlight 5 favorite films that I've covered. Cheers and here's to more marathons and for better rep overall!

The Sacred Disease (2016)

[Image ID: Angie from The Sacred Disease. She is a young woman with short blonde hair. She has several electrodes attached to her head and is staring off with a vacant expression. /end ID]

A phenomenal short film detailing a young woman going off her epilepsy meds and the horrors that she witnesses. The final shot still gives me chills.

The film is also free to watch on Vimeo here.

2. Silas Marner (1985)

[Image ID: Silas Marner as played by Ben Kingsley in Silas Marner (1985). He has dark hair down to his shoulders and is wearing a brown-grey suit and jacket with a grey neckerchief. /end ID]

A solid retelling of George Eliot's classic novel, this film follows Silas Marner, a cataleptic weaver, after he is banished from his church. Catalepsy, a potential symptom of epilepsy, is so rarely discussed and Kingsley sells the heck out of the scenes where he has seizures (without indulging in over-the-top dramatics) and the scenes where he's just a guy trying to survive after being abandoned by his religion.

3. One Day at a Time (1975) (Episode: Ann's Secretary)

[Image ID: Leslie, a young red-haired woman, sits at a secretarial desk, answering the phone. /end ID]

An episode from the show One Day at a Time (1975) where main character Ann needs to hire a secretary but fears that her new employee may have a drug abuse problem.

I loved this episode because it ended up subverting several of the clichés of "Very Special Episodes". Leslie is plucky and has a good amount of positive self-worth but also she would rather people think of her as a "pill popper" rather than as someone with epilepsy due to the negative stigma of being epileptic. Ann has to confront her unconscious ableism towards people with epilepsy and ultimately concedes that she can't get past it without a lot of effort on her part.

The episode felt more honest about how things really are, that a lot of people with epilepsy will struggle with and even deny being associated with the label of "epileptic" and that even people who are allies will similarly struggle with their own ableism.

4. Control (2007)

[Image ID: A silhouette of Ian Curtis (as played by Sam Riley) on stage. He's holding a microphone. /end ID]

A biopic on the life and death of Ian Curtis, lead singer for Joy Division. This film shows up on a lot of epilepsy media recommendations lists and rightfully so. Of all the epilepsy-related biopics I've seen so far, this film had the most mature handling of the subject matter, tackling difficult issues such as drug resistant epilepsy and how people can be negatively impacted by the side effects of medication.

5. Fast Color (2018)

[Image ID: Ruth as played by Gugu Mbatha-Raw in Fast Color. She has short brown hair and is wearing heavily worn clothes, with several tears in her blue jeans. She's walking alone down a dirt farm road while carrying a canister. /end ID]

Following Ruth, a woman with an unspecified seizure disorder that is negatively impacting her super powers, I just love that there's a superhero film out there with a main character that has seizures. That's not even representation you can find in actual superhero comic books!

Also: shout out to Electricity (2014). I've rambled about that film in the past but it always deserves more attention. A truly amazing film.

[ladyannelister]

Comfort Films Meme

Tagged by @omarandjohnny :-)))

List 7 comfort films and then tag 7 followers

*A Simple Twist of Fate (1994) — Modern adaptation of “Silas Marner” by George Eliot. It’s one of my favorites! Amazing film that will tug at your heartstrings. <3

*Beetlejuice (1988) — This film always brings me joy. The story and characters are so unique and fun. I never grow tired of it. <3

*Sense and Sensibility (1995) — Favorite novel and favorite movie. My ultimate comfort film! <3

*Corrina, Corrina (1994) — It’s such a lovely film! Always makes me feel good.

*Imagine Me and You (2005) — British lesbian romantic film. Fun and hilarious with a happy ending. The best! <3

*The Goonies (1985) — Fun-filled movie I’ve watched since I was a kid. Especially love watching it with my Mom. <3

*Big Eden (2000) — Lovely and heart-warming mlm romantic film. Get ready for the super duper comfort film right here. <3

I tag @speareshakes; @robertnotbackyet; @dark-alice-lilith; @missanthropicprinciple; @eleutheryos; @allez-argeiphontes; and @doyoueverdreamyouhadafriend

[nellygwyn]

hello liv! do you have any recommendations for books + visual media of any kind of the regency era? loved your suggestions for the Stuarts + the Restoration. best wishes.

Hey!!! So, other than ANYTHING and EVERYTHING Jane Austen related (that includes adaptations of her work, biopics, spin-offs, her actual books, books inspired by her work) etc. because that's OBVIOUS, here are some of my favourite movies, shows and books set in the Regency era: Books  • Anything and everything by Georgette Heyer. My favourite book by her, The Black Moth, is actually set in the early 18th century but most of her other works are set in the 1790s and the Regency. • Any books by the author, Erato. Most of them are set during the Regency. She is so talented. • The Dido Kent series by Anna Dean (murder mysteries set in Regency England!) • The Couriers series by Nita Abrams (about an Anglo Jewish family during the Regency era, with quite a lot of focus on the Napoleonic wars) • Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susannah Clarke. Regency era but also alternate history mixed in with magic and magicians and fae people. • I have Naomi Novik's Temeraire series on by 'to read' list because it's historical fiction, set in the Regency era (with focus on the Napoleonic wars again) but is an alternate view of history in that...there are dragons involved in the warfare. • Longbourn by Jo Baker, and I KNOW I said I wouldn't include any Austen spin-offs because it is like, a given that it will all be great but I had to mention this. It's Pride and Prejudice but told from the perspective of the Bennet family's servants (with Bingley's servants and Darcy's servants getting a look in too) • I think I'd be dumb not to mention writers like Courtney Milan and Sarah McLean here too. Films/TV shows • Vanity Fair, but the 2004 movie specifically. I did like the new adaptation but the film takes the cake for me in terms of literally everything. Also, the director, Mira Nair, is Indian and tried to focus some of the movie on Regency England's "relations" with India, particularly through the portrayal of Amelia's nabob brother, Jos. • Bright Star. Film about the Romantic poet, John Keats, and his heartbreaking romance with Fanny Brawne. This film actually kills me, it is so sad...but so good. • Byron, the 2003 miniseries starring Jonny Lee Miller as the man himself. It's a strange one!• A Hazard of Hearts. Very early performance by Helena Bonham Carter. A member of the gentry, addicted to gambling, loses everything, including his daughter. Ends up taking his own life, leaving his daughter in a bit of a limbo period. Drama ensues. • The Secret Diaries of Anne Lister, the miniseries from 2010. Anne Lister was a wealthy and eccentric landowner in Northern England in the late 18th and early 19th centuries and after her very frank diaries were decoded, she has been labelled by historians as the first 'butch lesbian.' This is a great series and also, they are making another TV movie about Anne's life this year, called 'Gentleman Jack' ('Gentleman Jack' is what the locals used to call her, on account of her masculine airs and clothing) • Silas Marner, from 1985 and starring the inimitable Ben Kingsley. Based on George Elliot's novel, which was obviously written in the Victorian era but intended to be set during the Regency era (same with a lot of Dickens' books...in fact, a lot of Dickens could be on this list. Great Expectations, David Copperfield and Little Dorrit being the obvious examples). Really, one of Elliot's supremely underrated stories about a poor man who loses everything, including the will to live, until he finds an orphaned child on his doorstep. I got an old BBC miniseries about George IV (called 'The Prince Regent') for Christmas but haven't watched it yet. And I also got a film about Grace Dalrymple Elliot, one of George IV's mistresses, and a British spy during the French Revolution. I also haven't watched that yet, but it's called The Lady and the Duke. 

[periodfilmsstills]

Silas Marner: The Weaver of Raveloe (1985)

[allbestnet]

The 5000 Best Books of All-Time

Book 251–499 (go to book 1 to 250)

251. All the King’s Men (1946) by Robert Penn Warren 252. The Maltese Falcon (1930) by Dashiell Hammett 253. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) by Mark Twain 254. Ouran High School Host Club by Bisco Hatori 255. Plague (1947) by Albert Camus 256. Jurassic Park (1990) by Michael Crichton 257. The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson 258. Shogun (1975) by James Clavell 259. A Town Like Alice (1950) by Nevil Shute 260. Ambassadors (1903) by Henry James 261. Blood Meridian (1985) by Cormac McCarthy 262. No Country for Old Men (2005) by Cormac McCarthy 263. The Castle (1926) by Franz Kafka 264. Phantom of the Opera (1910) by Gaston Leroux 265. Middlesex (2002) by Jeffrey Eugenides 266. The Book of the New Sun (1994) by Gene Wolfe 267. Vanity Fair (1848) by William Makepeace Thackeray 268. Heidi by Johanna Spyri 269. Bluest Eye (1970) by Toni Morrison 270. Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand 271. Pippi Longstocking (1945) by Astrid Lindgren 272. The French Lieutenant’s Woman (1969) by John Fowles 273. North and South (1855) by Elizabeth Gaskell 274. Percy Jackson & the Olympians (2005) by Rick Riordan 275. Gilgamesh by 276. The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare 277. Millennium series by Stieg Larsson 278. Cat’s Cradle (1963) by Kurt Vonnegut 279. Northanger Abbey (1817) by Jane Austen 280. The Secret History (1992) by Donna Tartt 281. Screwtape Letters (1942) by C.S. Lewis 282. Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare 283. The World According to Garp (1978) by John Irving 284. A Confederacy of Dunces (1980) by John Kennedy Toole 285. Birdsong (1993) by Sebastian Faulks 286. Dandelion Wine (1957) by Ray Bradbury 287. Light in August (1932) by William Faulkner 288. The Glass Castle (2005) by Jeannette Walls 289. People’s History of the United States (2010) by Howard Zinn 290. Lamb by Christopher Moore 291. Water for Elephants (2006) by Sara Gruen 292. Moneyball (2003) by Michael Lewis 293. Three Men in a Boat (1889) by Jerome K. Jerome 294. Jungle (1906) by Upton Sinclair 295. The Forever War (1974) by Joe Haldeman 296. Le Pere Goriot by Honore de Balzac 297. Number the Stars (1989) by Lois Lowry 298. Siddhartha (1951) by Hermann Hesse 299. Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams 300. Misery (1987) by Stephen King 301. Calvin and Hobbes (1993) by Bill Watterson 302. I Am Legend (1954) by Richard Matheson 303. Tuesdays With Morrie (1997) by Mitch Albom 304. Medea by Euripides 305. The Witches (1983) by Roald Dahl 306. The Naked and the Dead by Norman Mailer 307. Where the Red Fern Grows (1961) by Wilson Rawls 308. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1971) by Hunter S. Thompson 309. Robinson Crusoe (1719) by Daniel Defoe 310. Angela’s Ashes (1996) by Frank McCourt 311. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich (1963) by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn 312. Howl’s Moving Castle (1986) by Diana Wynne Jones 313. Go Tell It on the Mountain (1953) by James Baldwin 314. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (1974) by John le Carre 315. Silmarillion (1977) by J.R.R. Tolkien 316. Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1958) by Truman Capote 317. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (2006) by John Boyne 318. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou 319. High Fidelity (1995) by Nick Hornby 320. Parade’s End (1928) by Ford Madox Ford 321. Kim (1901) by Rudyard Kipling 322. Snow Crash (1992) by Neal Stephenson 323. Works by William Shakespeare 324. Song of Solomon (1977) by Toni Morrison 325. Satanic Verses (1988) by Salman Rushdie 326. Ready Player One (2011) by Ernest Cline 327. Starship Troopers (1959) by Robert A. Heinlein 328. Mahabharata by Vyasa 329. Journey to the Center of the Earth (1864) by Jules Verne 330. The Day of the Locust (1939) by Nathanael West 331. The Day of the Triffids (1951) by John Wyndham 332. My Antonia (1918) by Willa Cather 333. Swiss Family Robinson (1812) by Johann Wyss 334. I Capture the Castle (1948) by Dodie Smith 335. Oh, the Places You’ll Go! (1990) by Dr. Seuss 336. Sirens of Titan (1959) by Kurt Vonnegut 337. The Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King 338. The Golden Notebook (1962) by Doris Lessing 339. Tempest by William Shakespeare 340. Prophet (1923) by Kahlil Gibran 341. Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers 342. Everything is Illuminated (2002) by Jonathon Safran Foer 343. The New York Trilogy (1987) by Paul Auster 344. The Host (2010) by Stephenie Meyer 345. How to Win Friends and Influence People (1936) by Dale Carnegie 346. Brief History of Time (1988) by S.W. Hawking 347. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2005) by Jonathan Safran Foer 348. One Thousand and One Nights by 349. Winesburg, Ohio (1919) by Sherwood Anderson 350. Ivanhoe (1820) by Sir Walter Scott 351. Farewell to Arms (1929) by Ernest Hemingway 352. Awakening by Kate Chopin 353. Little House by Laura Ingalls Wilder 354. Fun Home (2006) by Alison Bechdel 355. USA by John Dos Passos 356. The Shadow of the Wind (2001) by Carlos Ruiz Zafon 357. Ramayana by Valmiki 358. Autobiography of Malcolm X (1965) by Malcolm X 359. The Alchemist (1986) by Paulo Coelho 360. The Power of One (1989) by Bryce Courtenay 361. Aesop’s Fables by Aesop 362. The Virgin Suicides (1993) by Jeffrey Eugenides 363. Darkness at Noon (1940) by Arthur Koestler 364. Love You Forever (1986) by Robert Munsch 365. Batman by 366. Story of Ferdinand (1936) by Munro Leaf 367. Scott Pilgrim (2010) by 368. Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (1989) by Stephen R. Covey 369. Divergent (2011) by Veronica Roth 370. Outliers (2008) by Malcolm Gladwell 371. Childhood’s End (1953) by Arthur C. Clarke 372. A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen 373. Hunchback of Notre Dame (1831) by Victor Hugo 374. Thirteen Reasons Why (2007) by Jay Asher 375. Polar Express (1985) by Chris Van Allsburg 376. The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio 377. The Neverending Story (1979) by Michael Ende 378. Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway 379. Jungle Book (1894) by Rudyard Kipling 380. Shantaram (2003) by Gregory David Roberts 381. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst 382. Light in the Attic (1981) by Shel Silverstein 383. The Invention of Hugo Cabret (2007) by Brian Selznick 384. Scarlet Letter (1850) by Nathaniel Hawthorne 385. Jude the Obscure (1895) by Thomas Hardy 386. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh by Robert C. O’Brien 387. Ringworld (1970) by Larry Niven 388. The Discworld Series by Terry Pratchett 389. Redeeming Love (1991) by Francine Rivers 390. The Shipping News (1993) by E. Annie Proulx 391. Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel 392. Thus Spake Zarathustra (1885) by Friedrich Nietzsche 393. Tale of Peter Rabbit (1902) by Beatrix Potter 394. Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi 395. The Once and Future King (1958) by T.H. White 396. Little Dorrit (1857) by Charles Dickens 397. Mythology by Edith Hamilton 398. Gulag Archipelago (1973) by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn 399. Invisible Cities (1972) by Italo Calvino 400. The Walking Dead (2003) by Robert Kirkman 401. Hush, Hush (2009) by Becca Fitzpatrick 402. Bridge to Terabithia (1977) by Katherine Paterson 403. From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (1967) by E.L. Konigsburg 404. Paradise Lost (1667) by John Milton 405. Moonstone (1868) by Wilkie Collins 406. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain 407. Lovely Bones (2002) by Alice Seybold 408. Paper Towns (2008) by John Green 409. The Book of Mormon by Joseph Smith Jr. 410. Underworld (1997) by Don DeLillo 411. Where the Sidewalk Ends (1974) by Shel Silverstein 412. Battle Royale (1999) by Koushun Takami 413. The Haunting of Hill House (1959) by Shirley Jackson 414. Cry, the Beloved Country (1948) by Alan Paton 415. Flowers of Evil by Charles Baudelaire 416. Waiting for the Barbarians (1980) by J.M. Coeztee 417. The Left Hand of Darkness (1969) by Ursula Le Guin 418. Les Liaisons Dangereuses (1782) by Pierre-Ambroise-Francois Choderlos de Laclos 419. Bridget Jones’s Diary (1996) by Helen Fielding 420. Kane and Abel (1979) by Jeffrey Archer 421. Martian Chronicles (1950) by Ray Bradbury 422. Delirium (2011) by Lauren Oliver 423. Borrowers (1952) by Mary Norton 424. Origin of Species (1977) by Charles Darwin 425. Steve Jobs (2011) by Walter Isaacson 426. The Mayor of Casterbridge (1886) by Thomas Hardy 427. Killer Angels (1974) by Michael Shaara 428. The Poisonwood Bible (1998) by Barbara Kingsolver 429. Guns, Germs, and Steel (1997) by Jared Diamond 430. Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (1970) by Dee Alexander Brown 431. Book of Job by God 432. The Dark Tower by Stephen King 433. Under the Dome (2009) by Stephen King 434. The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress (1966) by Robert A. Heinlein 435. Stories (1971) by Franz Kafka 436. Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (1889) by Mark Twain 437. Joy Luck Club (1989) by Amy Tan 438. The Sneetches and Other Stories (1989) by Dr. Seuss 439. The Blind Assassin (2000) by Margaret Atwood 440. The Graveyard Book (2008) by Neil Gaiman 441. A Suitable Boy (1993) by Vikram Seth 442. Sister Carrie (1900) by Theodore Dreiser 443. Constitution by United States 444. Notebook (1996) by Nicholas Sparks 445. Silas Marner by George Eliot 446. The Omnivore’s Dilemma (2006) by Michael Pollan 447. Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe (1987) by Fannie Flagg 448. Death Note by Tsugumi Ohba 449. The Last Song (2009) by Nicholas Sparks 450. The Big Sleep (1939) by Raymond Chandler 451. Unwind (2007) by Neal Shusterman 452. A Walk to Remember (1999) by Nicholas Sparks 453. Republic by Plato 454. Little House in the Big Woods (1932) by Laura Ingalls Wilder 455. The Sandman (1996) by Neil Gaiman 456. Speak (1999) by Laurie Halse Anderson 457. The Selfish Gene (1976) by Richard Dawkins 458. Lorna Doone (1869) by R.D. Blackmore 459. The Far Pavilions (1978) by M.M. Kaye 460. Gargantua and Pantagruel by Francois Rabelais 461. The Maze Runner (2009) by James Dashner 462. Bonfire of the Vanities (1987) by Tom Wolfe 463. Glass by 464. House at Pooh Corner (1928) by A.A. Milne 465. Tawny Man by Robin Hobb 466. Kafka on the Shore (2002) by Haruki Murakami 467. Portrait of a Lady (1881) by Henry James 468. Good Earth (1931) by Pearl S. Buck 469. Tuck Everlasting (1975) by Natalie Babbitt 470. Make Way for Ducklings (1941) by Robert McCloskey 471. Red Harvest (1929) by Dashiell Hammett 472. The Andromeda Strain (1969) by Michael Crichton 473. Naked Lunch (1959) by William Burroughs 474. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (1985) by Laura Joffe Numeroff 475. The Other Boleyn Girl (2001) by Philippa Gregory 476. Angle of Repose (1971) by Wallace Stegner 477. Hunger (1890) by Knut Hamsun 478. The Beach (1996) by Alex Garland 479. Hansel and Gretel by Engelbert Humperdinck 480. The Last Lecture (2008) by Randy Pausch 481. Power and the Glory (1940) by Graham Greene 482. Pygmalion (1912) by George Bernard Shaw 483. My Name Is Asher Lev (1972) by Chaim Potok 484. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (2007) by Sherman Alexie 485. Cold Mountain (1997) by Charles Frazier 486. Horton Hears a Who! (1982) by Dr. Seuss 487. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1926) by Agatha Christie 488. Berlin Alexanderplatz (1929) by Alfred Doblin 489. Cider House Rules (1985) by John Irving 490. Goedel, Escher, Bach (1979) by Douglas Hofstadter 491. The Stars My Destination (1956) by Alfred Bester 492. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1870) by Jules Verne 493. The English Patient (1992) by Michael Ondaatje 494. Outlander (1991) by Diana Gabaldon 495. Sentimental Education (1869) by Gustave Flaubert 496. Marley & Me (2005) by John Grogan 497. Oedipus Rex by Sophocles 498. Possession: A Romance (1990) by A.S. Byatt 499. As You Like It by William Shakespeare

[davoi]

Day 13: “There’ll be a rush dahn the takeaways to get the curries in when that one starts”

When I picked up the double TV Times on Day 9 I forgot we also needed the Radio Times, as this is of course the olden days. So here for Day 13 are Del Boy, Rodney and Uncle Albert cherry-picking the highlights of 1985; watch out for the clunkiest ever (possibly the only ever) pun on “Silas Marner”.

[thediaboazulbookstore-blog]

Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy An epic novel of the violence and depravity that attended the anarchic world opened up by America's westward expansion, brilliantly subverting the mythology of the Wild West. Based on historical events that took place on the Texas-Mexico border in the 1850s, it traces the fortunes of the Kid, a fourteen-year-old Tennesseean who stumbles into a nightmarish world where Indians are being murdered and the market for their scalps is thriving. Since its first publication in 1985, Blood Meridian has been read as both a brilliant subversion of the Western novel and a blazing example of that form. Powerful and savagely beautiful, it has emerged as one of the most important works in American fiction of the last century. A truly mesmerising classic.

Eros Unbound by Anais Nin A naive model slowly discovering her sexuality; an erotic moonlight encounter on a beach; a man teaching the art of passion in a gypsy caravan; and a woman in love with a scent from Fez - Anais Nin's stories explore the nature of sex and the awakening of desire.

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood The Republic of Gilead offers Offred only one function: to breed. If she deviates, she will, like dissenters, be hanged at the wall or sent out to die slowly of radiation sickness. But even a repressive state cannot obliterate desire - neither Offred's nor that of the two men on which her future hangs. Brilliantly conceived and executed, this powerful evocation of twenty-first century America gives full rein to Margaret Atwood's devastating irony, wit and astute perception.

Pygmalion by Georges Bernard Shaw With an introduction by Nicholas Grene discussing the language and politics of the play, this witty comedy of manners is the author’s dramatization of a Cockney flower girl's metamorphosis into a lady, both a fantasy and a platform for his views on social class, money and women's independence. As a brilliant reworking of the classical tale of the sculptor Pygmalion, who falls in love with his perfect female statue, and a barbed attack on the British class system and a statement of Shaw's feminist views, it both delighted and scandalized its first audiences in 1914. Although essentially shy, Dublin-born George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) created the persona of GBS, the showman, satirist, conversationalist, critic, pundit, wit, intellectual buffoon and dramatist. Deeply concerned by what he saw as the exploitation of the working class, Shaw was an active Socialist and a brilliant platform speaker. He remains the only person ever to have been awarded both the Nobel Prize in Literature and an Oscar.

Silas Marner by George Eliot Wrongly accused of theft and exiled from a religious community many years before, the embittered weaver Silas Marner lives alone in Raveloe, living only for work and his precious hoard of money. But when his money is stolen and an orphaned child finds her way into his house, Silas is given the chance to transform his life. George Eliot's favourite of her novels, combines humour, rich symbolism and pointed social criticism to create an unsentimental but affectionate portrait of rural life.

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein In 2075, the Moon is no longer a penal colony but it is still a prison. Life isn't easy for the political dissidents and convicts who live in the scattered colonies that make up lunar civilisation. Everything is regulated strictly, efficiently & cheaply by a central supercomputer, HOLMES IV. When humble technician Mannie O'Kelly-Davis discovers that HOLMES IV has quietly achieved consciousness (and developed a sense of humour), the choice is clear: either report the problem to the authorities... or become friends. And perhaps overthrow the government while they're at it. The novel has been called Robert A. Heinlein's crowning achievement.

The Rainbow by D.H. Lawrence With its frank portrayal of human passion and sexual desire, the book was banned as 'obscene' in Britain shortly after first publication. In his introduction James Wood discusses Lawrence's writing style and the tensions and themes of The Rainbow. Set in the rural Midlands, the novel chronicles the lives of three generations of the Brangwen family over a period of more than 60 years, setting them against the emergence of modern England. When Tom Brangwen marries a Polish widow, Lydia Lensky, and adopts her daughter Anna as his own, he is unprepared for the conflict and passion that erupts between them. Suffused with Biblical imagery, the book addresses searching human issues in a setting of precise and vivid detail.

Oscar Wilde - The Major Works It brings together a unique combination of Wilde's poetry and prose short stories, plays, critical dialogues and his only novel - to give the essence of his work and thinking.  Oscar Wilde's dramatic private life has sometimes threatened to overshadow his great literary achievements. His talent was prodigious: the author of brilliant social comedies, fairy stories, critical dialogues, poems, and a novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray. This volume represents all these genres, including such works as Lady Windermere's Fan and The Importance of Being Earnest, The Happy Prince, The Critic as Artist, and The Ballad of Reading Gaol.

Rabbit at Rest by John Updike Fifty-six and overweight, Harry Rabbit Angstrom has a struggling business on his hands and a heart that is starting to fail. His family, too, is giving him cause for concern. His son is a wreck of a man and his wife has decided that she wants to be a working girl. He has to make the most of life. After all, he doesn't have much time left. In this fourth and final novel about ex-basketball player Harry Angstrom, as through the winter, spring, and summer of 1989, Reagan's debt-ridden, AIDS-plagued America yields to that of George Bush, Rabbit explores the bleak terrain of late middle age, looking for reasons to live. Winner of the 1991 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

[silver-stargazing]

Epilepticon 2022 Movie Marathon

Silas Marner (1985) dir. Giles Foster

Summary: After Silas Marner, a cataleptic weaver in 19th-century England, is accused of theft and banished from his church, he becomes a hermit until an orphaned child appears on his doorstep.

Representation: There are three on-screen depictions of a cataleptic seizure, each time with no discernible cause. The actor's body language becomes intensely rigid during the seizures, as if frozen like a statue. Silas then comes out of these seizures with no recollection as to what just happened and recovers very quickly.

There is discussion about religious discrimination against people with seizures. Silas' former church claims that the Devil may be responsible for his seizures and a villager mentions believing that Silas has seizures due to a curse. Neither claim is meant to be taken seriously by the audience, merely being reflective of common attitudes held by 19th-century English society.

[Image ID: Four screenshots from Silas Marner (1985)

Image 1: Silas Marner with his church congregation.

Image 2: Five round tiles on a wooden surface used in Marner’s trial. A hand is holding one of the tiles.

Image 3: A country estate featured throughout the film during the winter season.

Image 4: Silas Marner hugging Eppie.

/End ID]

[silver-stargazing]

Epilepticon Movie Marathon List

@hyperactivity requested a list of the epilepsy-related films that I’ve watched over the past Epilepticons. Please note that some of these films are aimed at youth and some are for an adult crowd. These films are not all positive depictions of the epilepsy experience, but they are media representation regardless.

I’ve tried to include any relevant content warnings and important information that may be associated with these films.

Also, I put a star (*) next to films I personally would recommend starting with:

Control (2007) (cw: suicide)*

Electricity (2014)***** (I can not recommend this film enough)

Garden State (2004)

Hakuchi (The Idiot) (1951) (Film entirely in Japanese, English subtitles available)

Requiem (2006) (Film entirely in German, English subtitles available; cw: abuse, death)

Mean Streets (1973) (cw: violence, blood, shaky camerawork)

A Fighting Choice (1986)

The Gambler (1997) (cw: explicit sex scene 1 hour into the film)*

Khadak (2006) (Film entirely in Mongolian, English subtitles available)*

...First Do No Harm (1997)

La vie de Jésus (1997) (Film entirely in French, English subtitles available; cw: rape, graphic depictions of sex, racism, hate crimes) 

The Sacred Disease (2016)*

The After Party (This one’s more epilepsy-adjacent, main character has one seizure and the film’s about the aftermath of it; cw: strobing effects, flashing lights, vomit, nudity, abelism)

The Exploding Girl (2009)

Fast Color (2018) (cw: flashing lights)*

El Aura (2005) (Film entirely in Spanish, English subtitles available)

The Effects of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds (1972)

The Brothers Karamazov (1958) (cw: suicide)

A Minute to Pray, A Second to Die (1968)

Bud and Lou (1978)

The Lost Prince (2003) (cw: child death)*

Silas Marner (1985)*

The Last King of Scotland (2006) (cw: torture, surgical horror, and images of real-life victims of war crimes)

The Winning Team (1952)

Othello (1995)

24 Hour Party People (2002) (cw: strobing effects, suicide)

Diff’rent Strokes: A Special Friend (1985)*

Under the Lights (2022)*

Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) (cw: strobing effects)

Degrassi Junior High: Stage Fright (1987)*

Dog (2022)*

Augustine (2012) (Film entirely in French, English subtitles available; cw: sex scene, graphic animal death, mentions of self harm)

Let Him Have It (1991) (cw: on-screen depiction of death by hanging)

One Day at a Time: Ann’s Secretary (1978)*

Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon (1970) (cw: assault, depictions of ableism and homophobia directed at main characters)

[allbestnet]

All-Time 1000 Books  (400-500)

400. The Walking Dead (2003) by Robert Kirkman

401. Hush, Hush (2009) by Becca Fitzpatrick

402. Bridge to Terabithia (1977) by Katherine Paterson

403. From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (1967) by E.L. Konigsburg

404. Paradise Lost (1667) by John Milton

405. Moonstone (1868) by Wilkie Collins

406. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

407. Lovely Bones (2002) by Alice Seybold

408. Paper Towns (2008) by John Green

409. The Book of Mormon by Joseph Smith Jr.

410. Underworld (1997) by Don DeLillo

411. Where the Sidewalk Ends (1974) by Shel Silverstein

412. Battle Royale (1999) by Koushun Takami

413. The Haunting of Hill House (1959) by Shirley Jackson

414. Cry, the Beloved Country (1948) by Alan Paton

415. Flowers of Evil by Charles Baudelaire

416. Waiting for the Barbarians (1980) by J.M. Coeztee

417. The Left Hand of Darkness (1969) by Ursula Le Guin

418. Les Liaisons Dangereuses (1782) by Pierre-Ambroise-Francois Choderlos de Laclos

419. Bridget Jones's Diary (1996) by Helen Fielding

420. Kane and Abel (1979) by Jeffrey Archer

421. Martian Chronicles (1950) by Ray Bradbury

422. Delirium (2011) by Lauren Oliver

423. Borrowers (1952) by Mary Norton

424. Origin of Species (1977) by Charles Darwin

425. Steve Jobs (2011) by Walter Isaacson

426. The Mayor of Casterbridge (1886) by Thomas Hardy

427. Killer Angels (1974) by Michael Shaara

428. The Poisonwood Bible (1998) by Barbara Kingsolver

429. Guns, Germs, and Steel (1997) by Jared Diamond

430. Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (1970) by Dee Alexander Brown

431. Book of Job by God

432. The Dark Tower by Stephen King

433. Under the Dome (2009) by Stephen King

434. The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress (1966) by Robert A. Heinlein

435. Stories (1971) by Franz Kafka

436. Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1889) by Mark Twain

437. Joy Luck Club (1989) by Amy Tan

438. The Sneetches and Other Stories (1989) by Dr. Seuss

439. The Blind Assassin (2000) by Margaret Atwood

440. The Graveyard Book (2008) by Neil Gaiman

441. A Suitable Boy (1993) by Vikram Seth

442. Sister Carrie (1900) by Theodore Dreiser

443. Constitution by United States

444. Notebook (1996) by Nicholas Sparks

445. Silas Marner by George Eliot

446. The Omnivore's Dilemma (2006) by Michael Pollan

447. Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe (1987) by Fannie Flagg

448. Death Note by Tsugumi Ohba

449. The Last Song (2009) by Nicholas Sparks

450. The Big Sleep (1939) by Raymond Chandler

451. Unwind (2007) by Neal Shusterman

452. A Walk to Remember (1999) by Nicholas Sparks

453. Republic by Plato

454. Little House in the Big Woods (1932) by Laura Ingalls Wilder

455. The Sandman (1996) by Neil Gaiman

456. Speak (1999) by Laurie Halse Anderson

457. The Selfish Gene (1976) by Richard Dawkins

458. Lorna Doone (1869) by R.D. Blackmore

459. The Far Pavilions (1978) by M.M. Kaye

460. Gargantua and Pantagruel by Francois Rabelais

461. The Maze Runner (2009) by James Dashner

462. Bonfire of the Vanities (1987) by Tom Wolfe

463. Glass by

464. House at Pooh Corner (1928) by A.A. Milne

465. Tawny Man by Robin Hobb

466. Kafka on the Shore (2002) by Haruki Murakami

467. Portrait of a Lady (1881) by Henry James

468. Good Earth (1931) by Pearl S. Buck

469. Tuck Everlasting (1975) by Natalie Babbitt

470. Make Way for Ducklings (1941) by Robert McCloskey

471. Red Harvest (1929) by Dashiell Hammett

472. The Andromeda Strain (1969) by Michael Crichton

473. Naked Lunch (1959) by William Burroughs

474. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (1985) by Laura Joffe Numeroff

475. The Other Boleyn Girl (2001) by Philippa Gregory

476. Angle of Repose (1971) by Wallace Stegner

477. Hunger (1890) by Knut Hamsun

478. The Beach (1996) by Alex Garland

479. Hansel and Gretel by Engelbert Humperdinck

480. The Last Lecture (2008) by Randy Pausch

481. Power and the Glory (1940) by Graham Greene

482. Pygmalion (1912) by George Bernard Shaw

483. My Name Is Asher Lev (1972) by Chaim Potok

484. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (2007) by Sherman Alexie

485. Cold Mountain (1997) by Charles Frazier

486. Horton Hears a Who! (1982) by Dr. Seuss

487. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1926) by Agatha Christie

488. Berlin Alexanderplatz (1929) by Alfred Doblin

489. Cider House Rules (1985) by John Irving

490. Goedel, Escher, Bach (1979) by Douglas Hofstadter

491. The Stars My Destination (1956) by Alfred Bester

492. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1870) by Jules Verne

493. The English Patient (1992) by Michael Ondaatje

494. Outlander (1991) by Diana Gabaldon

495. Sentimental Education (1869) by Gustave Flaubert

496. Marley & Me (2005) by John Grogan

497. Oedipus Rex by Sophocles

498. Possession: A Romance (1990) by A.S. Byatt

499. As You Like It by William Shakespeare

500. The House of the Spirits (1982) by Isabel Allende