HIGHLA-L Digest - 16 Sep 2004 to 17 Sep 2004 (#2004-176)
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Fri, 17 Sep 2004 22:00:08 -0400
There are 2 messages totalling 263 lines in this issue.
Topics of the day:
1. Season Five dvd Commentary: Dramatic License (2)
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Date: Fri, 17 Sep 2004 17:20:06 -0400
From: kageorge <kageorge@erols.com>
Subject: Season Five dvd Commentary: Dramatic License
Commentary w/screen captures at:
http://www.wordsmiths.net/MacGeorge/episodes/Season5/DramaticLicense.htm
COMMENTARY: David A. says this was one of their other attempts at doing
comedy. He said they did well when Roger Daltry was in the episode, but
other times were less successful. They hired Sandra Bernhardt, a
“wonderful comedienne”, but they were excited and terrified because she
was known as being difficult to work with and unpredictable. David flew
up from Los Angeles to Vancouver to “baby-sit” her, and on the flight,
he ended up sitting next to her on the plane. She didn’t know who he
was, so they got to talking, turned out to be bright and articulate, and
was reading the Kabala and they talked about “things metaphysical and
spiritual all the way up.” David says she was pretty good in the episode
and it worked out well, but he’ll never forget the initial terror of
Sandra’s reputation.
Peter Ellis, the director, says Sandra was really great and embraced the
show’s concept, and that there was a great relationship between
Elizabeth Gracen and Sandra B. The first day of shooting was the outside
between the two of them, where Carolyn Marsh confesses to Amanda her
true identity and her love for Coventry. They shot it several times, and
each take got better and better. He says it was interesting to direct
someone who wasn’t really an actor. She brought “a certain element of
craziness that really helped the story.” She had an ability to play
larger than life characters. You have to “keep in loose” on the set with
someone like that. Ellis says while he has a plan within blocking a
scene, he will try to let the actors move within that framework so that
they feel comfortable.
Ellis says Elizabeth was extraordinary, and could take a light moment
and a beat later turn it into something that was very serious. At a
point, with some actors, you can reach a shorthand, when you hardly need
to say anything, and Elizabeth and Adrian were like that, and Ellis says
he thinks Adrian was perfect casting for the Highlander.
Gillian says that Alistair Duncan was originally up for the role of
Duncan MacLeod when the show was first casting. She speculates that the
Duncan character would have been played closer to Connor than what
Duncan became, something more European and a bit more of an ethereal
look. Duncan is a bulkier character, and has a bit more of a new world
style to him.
This episode came up short after they filmed it. They had to write and
film that lakeside walk-and-talk later and add it in, and why there is
such a long flashback to “Homeland”
Ellis says he plans everything he does, but then plans to throw the plan
out if he finds a better idea. The swordfight in the house was supposed
to be as swashbuckling as they could make it, so there were beats you
had to get to to punctuate the action. Ellis says he is not experienced
or accomplished in comedy, that the episode was a new experience for him
and very satisfying.
OUTTAKES: They show Alistair Duncan reading for an audition for the
Terrance Coventry part in the writer’s conference room, where he reads
the dialogue during the last fight scene. Then they show some outtakes
of that scene, with Adrian jumping around on the furniture.
They show the flashback scene where the “damsel in distress” steals
Duncan’s horse and Duncan tries to mount up behind Terrance – except
that it takes several amusing tries before they manage it.
They show the scene by the lake, and Gillian tells us that the first
half of the scene dialogue was replaced in editing, and has never been
seen before:
Amanda: I’m such a sucker for romantic stories.
Duncan: I couldn’t tell.
A: So do you think they’ll live happily ever after?
D: I dunno. (Overdub: As a matter of fact, yes)
CUT FROM THE FINAL VERSON:
A: I know you don’t know. What I’m asking you to do is guess.
D: Why?
A: Because it’s part of a conversation. You know, I ask a question, you
answer a question!
D: Okay, my answer is… maybe.
A: You are no friend.
D: That’s not what you said last night. (Embraces her and bends her back)
A: Oh, so we’re bragging now, are we?
D: As a matter of fact, yeah.
A: Okay, okay, I’ll give you that. I have no complaints about you in
that department. But you are proud, you are willful,
END OF CUT
A: …you are vain and you are and will always be a big boy scout!
D: That’s why you love me.
A: Do we love each other?
D: In our own way.
A: What do you mean by that? (Overdub: What way is that?)
D: Amanda, you know this conversation never turns out well.
A: What never turns out well?
D: When we try to dissect what we are!
A: You sound just like a man.
D: I am a man!
Etc.
At the end of the kiss, Amanda smiles and says, “I’m dizzy.”
In the audio commentary, Peter Ellis noted that picking up Amanda and
swirling her around was an adlib on Adrian’s part. Most of Ellis’
comments are about shots and moves, and I didn’t find his commentary
particularly noteworthy.
THE EPISODE: The epilogue shows a kilted, long-tressed Duncan in an
idyllic garden, fervently reading poetry aloud, when a beautiful young
damsel runs up crying for help, throwing herself at his broad chest.
Using dialogue that would have had Shakespeare spinning in his grave, he
defends her from the “depraved, unspeakable beast” who chases her,
Terrance Coventry. They fight – Duncan with flair, Coventry with
arrogance – and just as the fight reaches a climax, the camera cuts to…
a woman reading the story in a bookstore, with Amanda avidly listening.
When the author, Carolyn Marsh, stops the reading of “The Blade of the
MacLeods” Amanda objects and Marsh tells her she’ll have to read the book.
Okay, I’m not going to go through the whole plot. Suffice it to say that
Carolyn Marsh’s story is way too close to the “real” Duncan MacLeod for
his comfort. She seeks him out, he ends up getting cornered into doing
publicity for the book, and when the “real life” Terrance Coventry shows
up, furious at the way he was described (which Duncan says wasn’t
accurate at all), Duncan ends up believing Coventry is going to kill
Carolyn.
There is some amusing jealous by-play between Carolyn and Amanda, but
Carolyn ultimately confesses that she knows about Immortals, that she
had fallen in love with Terrance and married him, but ultimately left
him, figuring she couldn’t compete with all the fabulously beautiful and
interesting women Coventry had known, including women like Amanda.
Terrance is rather ineptly attempting to prepare a meal for Carolyn when
Duncan arrives worried that Coventry is only out to get revenge on
Carolyn. They end up dueling, initially with a turkey leg and a wooden
spoon, but soon moving out of the kitchen and into a foyer where they
fight with swords, including the old fashioned,
slice-through-the-still-lit candles trick. Carolyn and Amanda arrive and
Coventry insists on continuing the fight as they leap around on the
furniture, wanting to know what kind of man Duncan was, coming between a
man and his wife. That Carolyn and Terrance are married is a complete
surprise to Duncan, but it takes another minute or two before Amanda
announces that Carolyn left Terrance, “because she loves you, you big dope!”
At which point, Duncan and Terrance both stop and say “What?!” in unison.
Amanda helps Carolyn confess that she had become insecure and
intimidated about all the women Terrance had known and the adventures he
had had. Terrance reassures Carolyn that he loves only her, they embrace
and Duncan urges Amanda to leave (Duncan: “Let’s get out of here before
this gets embarrassing.” Amanda: (sigh) “Why can’t you be more like that?”)
Amanda and Duncan wander down by the lake where Amanda presses Duncan on
the nature of their love, but Duncan tells her that their relationship
isn’t true mortal love, that they could never spend every hour together
for centuries without killing each other. Amanda sighs in frustration,
saying, “All a girl wants is a little romance, to be swept off her feet
every now and then!” Duncan comes up behind her, picks her up and twirls
her around. He puts her down and says he does love her, and they kiss.
In a tag scene, Amanda is dramatically reading some purple-prose section
of lovemaking from the novel, and Duncan is mimicking the description,
tracing his hands over her neck. As he kisses her “creamy bared flesh”,
Duncan tells her to put the book down, but Amanda says that it’s just
getting good. “We can do better,” he croons, she puts the book down, he
leans her back. As they fade to black amid their mutual purrs of
pleasure, a short chorus of “Hallelujah!” is heard.
MY COMMENTS: I didn’t like this episode. I especially didn’t like Sarah
what’s-her-name. She whines on every damned line she says, and I have a
particular prejudice about whiners (or whingers as our UK and Australian
compadres would say). There were some mildly amusing moments in it (like
Amanda’s “It’s a little purple” line done while sucking on a popsicle;
Amanda trying to get a ‘rise’ out of a snoring Duncan after having
imagined an over-the-top fictional love scene from the book; Amanda
stealing Duncan’s credit card; and the physical comedy of Duncan trying
to keep Terrance away from Carolyn when Terrance came to the dojo), but
most of the comedy was too obviously self-conscious. Comedy is best when
the actors are playing it for real, but there wasn’t a single moment
(except the final scene) in this episode where I didn’t think it was all
self-conscious, tongue-in-cheek silliness. The actors may have had a
good time, but I didn’t.
I did like the last scene, which seemed a genuine moment of revelation
and closeness between the two major characters, beautifully played and
filmed.
I know there are real fans of this episode, but I’m afraid I’m not one
of them.
MacGeorge
All commentaries available at:
http://www.wordsmiths.net/MacGeorge/episodes/indexframeset.htm
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Date: Fri, 17 Sep 2004 12:38:27 -1000
From: MacWestie <mac.westie@verizon.net>
Subject: Re: Season Five dvd Commentary: Dramatic License
> They hired Sandra Bernhardt, a
> “wonderful comedienne”, but they were excited and terrified because she
> was known as being difficult to work with and unpredictable.
...
> David says she was pretty good in the episode
> and it worked out well, but he’ll never forget the initial terror of
> Sandra’s reputation.
Well, Donna Lettow has said that the part was _written for_ SB, who was a
big fan of the show. So, if her reputation was such a big concern, why do
it?
> Gillian says that Alistair Duncan was originally up for the role of
> Duncan MacLeod when the show was first casting.
Blech. Again, DL has said that Nigel Bennett was supposed to play Coventry,
which would have changed the ep quite a bit, I think.
> I know there are real fans of this episode, but I’m afraid I’m not one
> of them.
It was an interesting idea, haphazardly executed. But, it looks better
after the next ep--another oddball comedy--the irksome & absurd Money No
Object.
Nina
mac.westie@verizon.net
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End of HIGHLA-L Digest - 16 Sep 2004 to 17 Sep 2004 (#2004-176)
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