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All things come to an end...
May. 22nd, 2019 02:40 pmHaving stopped reading Martin's novels after A Feast of Crows and stopped watching Game of Thrones after season 5, both without much rancor, simply because I moved on to stories which held my attention more, I have no skin in this game, so to speak, but like many a non-GOT person am watching the collective meltdown with some voyeuristic fascination. Independently from how good or bad the last season and the endings for the various characters were, though, I have to say, one bit in this interview with Emilia Clarke made me feel somewhere between bemused and aghast, i.e., David Benioff and D.B. Weiss told her that Danaerys basically was Lawrence of Arabia. (Movie version.) Guys, to paraphrase a politician from a long campaign ago, I've read Robert Bolt, I've watched Robert Bolt. (Who wrote the script to David Lean's movie.) You, no offense, are no Robert Bolts. ( Vaguely spoilery remarks based on my knowledge of the movie and osmosis of the last GOT season. )
Speaking of Robert Bolt reminds me of the non-Lawrence script he's known best for, A Man for all Seasons, and this in turn reminds me: today I also saw that the third volume of Hilary Mantel's Thomas Cromwell trilogy finally has a publication date: March 2020. Talk about a downer ending. Of course, Hilary Mantel has the advantage of history, i.e. readers can't be angry at her for Cromwell's bloody downfall. The things I'm most curious about:
1.) Will Cromwell's abject letter to Henry - "most gracious sovereign, I cry for mercy, mercy, mercy" - be presented as sincere, ironic, or simply dictated out of concern for his son (i.e. he thinks if he doesn't grovel, Gregory is done for) but with full awareness that there's no mercy to be had from Henry T.?
2.) Elizabeth Seymour, sister of Jane, Edward and Thomas, married to Gregory Cromwell: as opposed to all three of her doomed siblings clearly a survivor type and a main reason why Gregory wasn't harmed too much by his father's downfall: can't wait to read Mantel's take on her, since Mantel's version of Jane Seymour is by far the most interesting and original I've seen in any Tudor era novel, and hardly anyone bothered with Elizabeth before.
3.) Vol.1 had Thomas More and Vol.2 Anne Boleyn as Cromwell's primary opponent, but the problem with that last era is that his main enemies - Norfolk and Gardiner - aren't just both historically and in Mantel's version loathsome but also not even the clever type of evil, so: will Mantel build up Henry as the ultimate opponent or continue to keep him mostly off stage, with Cromwell being brought down by unworthy enemies being part of his tragedy?
Speaking of Robert Bolt reminds me of the non-Lawrence script he's known best for, A Man for all Seasons, and this in turn reminds me: today I also saw that the third volume of Hilary Mantel's Thomas Cromwell trilogy finally has a publication date: March 2020. Talk about a downer ending. Of course, Hilary Mantel has the advantage of history, i.e. readers can't be angry at her for Cromwell's bloody downfall. The things I'm most curious about:
1.) Will Cromwell's abject letter to Henry - "most gracious sovereign, I cry for mercy, mercy, mercy" - be presented as sincere, ironic, or simply dictated out of concern for his son (i.e. he thinks if he doesn't grovel, Gregory is done for) but with full awareness that there's no mercy to be had from Henry T.?
2.) Elizabeth Seymour, sister of Jane, Edward and Thomas, married to Gregory Cromwell: as opposed to all three of her doomed siblings clearly a survivor type and a main reason why Gregory wasn't harmed too much by his father's downfall: can't wait to read Mantel's take on her, since Mantel's version of Jane Seymour is by far the most interesting and original I've seen in any Tudor era novel, and hardly anyone bothered with Elizabeth before.
3.) Vol.1 had Thomas More and Vol.2 Anne Boleyn as Cromwell's primary opponent, but the problem with that last era is that his main enemies - Norfolk and Gardiner - aren't just both historically and in Mantel's version loathsome but also not even the clever type of evil, so: will Mantel build up Henry as the ultimate opponent or continue to keep him mostly off stage, with Cromwell being brought down by unworthy enemies being part of his tragedy?
