War of the Worlds - Oh dear...

[Compound2632]

7 minutes ago, Derekl said:

So what was used to pelt miscreants in the stocks prior to the introduction of tomatoes in the 16th century?

 

Don't enquire too closely. Tomatoes were a definite improvement. 

[Hroth]

14 minutes ago, Derekl said:

So what was used to pelt miscreants in the stocks prior to the introduction of tomatoes in the 16th century?

 

Just think of it as stuff...

 

Its safest that way!

[Ian Abel]

31 minutes ago, Derekl said:

So what was used to pelt miscreants in the stocks prior to the introduction of tomatoes in the 16th century?

Mangelwurzels

[Mark Saunders]

The book is much better!

[johnarcher]

4 hours ago, dibber25 said:

My late wife was a microbiologist. We couldn't watch any movie with a laboratory scene without, " That's wrong. You don't you one of those like that." or "that's the wrong machine. It wouldn't give you that result." (CJL)

My nom de forum reflects my main lifelong interest. So people get tired, when we see period archery in a film, of remarks like "he'd never hit anything with a release like that", "rear elbow's far too low", "the bracing height on that bow is much too high".

[Compound2632]

Every expert will find glaring inaccuracies and anachronisms in their own field of expertise. What that all costume dramas reproduce with unerring accuracy are the social preoccupations of the time in which they are made.

[bike2steam]

9 hours ago, Harlequin said:

 

 The lack of a Richard Burton voiceover was an even bigger disappointment to me! 

 

 

 Funny - Jeff Wayne's musical masterpiece doesn't exactly follow the Wells story, yes - it's only a fictional story, and to think my dear wife sometimes accuses me ( jokingly- I hope!! ) of suffering from a certain disorder.

Edited November 20, 2019 by bike2steam

[beast66606]

"Farewell Thunderchild" - probably literally.

 

If the deviation from the original is so far, why not write a new drama and leave WotW out of it. I was really looking forward to this and to say I'm dissappointed is an understatement.

[Steamport Southport]

3 hours ago, Derekl said:

So what was used to pelt miscreants in the stocks prior to the introduction of tomatoes in the 16th century?

 

There is a story about a knight going into the pillory* in a full suit of armour because he was scared of what they would throw at him.

 

Apart from physical violence the worst thing I've seen was that kids would tickle the feet of the miscreant. 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stocks

 

 

*Pillory was the one you stood up in rather than being seated

 

 

 

Jason

[Welchester]

3 hours ago, Derekl said:

So what was used to pelt miscreants in the stocks prior to the introduction of tomatoes in the 16th century?

 

3 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

 

Don't enquire too closely. Tomatoes were a definite improvement. 

 

3 hours ago, Hroth said:

 

Just think of it as stuff...

 

Its safest that way!

 

If the wrongdoer were really unpopular stones, rocks or other heavy objects might be used, with the risk of blinding or serious head injury.

[melmerby]

8 hours ago, Hroth said:

 

But a Manfrotto 055 with an adjustable head looks SOOOO Martian!

 

(Although my Manfrotto with its MPP MkVII atop looks even more Martian, and weighs a ton too...)

 

I think my Manfrotto tripod must be faulty, it keeps falling over:

[Hroth]

1 hour ago, Bishop of Welchester said:

 

If the wrongdoer were really unpopular stones, rocks or other heavy objects might be used, with the risk of blinding or serious head injury. 

 

It depended on what was to hand or, as you say, how unpopular the stocked or pilloried person was.  But crud scraped from a medieval gutter would be rather unpleasant, and any dead animals (dogs, cats, rats, etc) would probably be added to the fun.

 

I know its traditional to imagine "rotten" foodstuffs being thrown at the miscreant but in times gone by, I wouldn't have thought that anything remotely eatable would have been wasted!

 

[melmerby]

5 hours ago, Captain Kernow said:

 it's still the closest production to the original book that's been done.

 

 

 

1 hour ago, beast66606 said:

 

 

If the deviation from the original is so far, why not write a new drama and leave WotW out of it.

[beast66606]

10 minutes ago, melmerby said:

 

 

I disagree with the King of Parsnips - but we are all entitled to our opinions.

[NIK]

7 hours ago, dibber25 said:

My late wife was a microbiologist. We couldn't watch any movie with a laboratory scene without, " That's wrong. You don't you one of those like that." or "that's the wrong machine. It wouldn't give you that result." (CJL)

Hi,

 

That reminds me of an episode of Lewis, the spin-off from Inspector Morse where a reveal that involved a character doing biological research in a hidden room included having a bank of cabinets at the back of the room with flashing lights al la 1960's computers.

 

I guess I still respect set dressers as they have a budget to work to and the visual aesthetic is a high priority - I guess the organic look of many scenes in Alien cost more than using bits from the scrap bins.

 

I've noticed some films now have a publicity budget many times the cost of the film. Apart from being a way of minimising the tax paid on a film it may distort the look of a film since the adverts may have to have more immediate impact than in times gone by.

 

 

Regards

 

Nick

[Enterprisingwestern]

10 hours ago, Bishop of Welchester said:

 

 

 

If the wrongdoer were really unpopular stones, rocks or other heavy objects might be used, with the risk of blinding or serious head injury.

 

That only happened when they had eaten a piece of halibut fit for Jehovah!

 

Mike.

[Phil Parker]

9 hours ago, melmerby said:

 

 

It probably IS the closest production to the book - but that's because the others have been even further away from the original text. The Americans eschewed tripods and Tom Cruise set the thing in the (then) present-day with Martians living underground. Jeff Wayne did quite a good job by comparison.

 

Having said this, I think the writer looked up the plot on Wikipedia and decided to fill in the other two episodes himself.

[tomparryharry]

What's this, Martians landing in Southern England? Not a chance! There would be people from H&S, Planning, Highways England, National Trust,  parking meters, and the local residents association.  "I say, you can't park there! Harumph! Lowers the tone, don'tcha know!"

 

I'm still a great fan of Quatermass, myself.....

[APOLLO]

"THEY" (The film producers) wrecked a perfectly serviceable Black 5, 44781, in the making of The Virgin Soldiers back in 1968 - indeed this loco was historic as it was one of the pair involved in hauling the last BR steam hauled train, the fifteen guinea special. More info in this and last month's Steam magazine. She was wrecked and cut up on site.

 

Remember the British steam locos flying through Russia in the James Bond film "From Russia with love" ?

 

Anyway I enjoyed Part 1 of War of the worlds on i player last night. Trains done, bring on the Martians !! 

 

 

I,m also a big fan of Jeff Wayne's album "The war of the worlds" - Brilliant stuff !!

 

 

Brit15

[Captain Kernow]

11 hours ago, beast66606 said:

 

I disagree with the King of Parsnips - but we are all entitled to our opinions.

Well, I didn't count the Jeff Wayne version, although I do like it.

 

[Edwardian]

Not seen it yet, but will watch it.

 

When I do, I will bring a bumper pack of willing suspension of disbelief.

 

Also, I will seek to make due allowance on a couple of points in particular.  First, the regrettable fact that Production Company Popsies (a term here indicating the trivially minded of either sex) are notoriously casual about accuracy when it comes to period transport.  Witness the corridor coach in Woman in White (1860s). 

 

Second, though there are compelling vignettes, Wells left out a lot of detail concerning the narrator of WotW that a dramatisation would require as essential material. Of course, how convincingly the story is expanded is another matter.  As with every re-telling, it will likely ultimately tell us more about the pre-occupations of the period of the re-telling than of the time at which it was first told or set.   

 

Of course, we must remember that it's All True, but the extensive cover-up now makes an accurate reconstruction problematic.  As barrister and author 

Toby Frost had it:

 

H. G. Wells exaggerated terribly, but they landed all right.  The thing is, they're incredibly vulnerable to disease and they dropped dead as soon as they came into contact with Surrey.  One of them got as far as Egham before he keeled over, but then, nobody likes Egham very much.

 

... Jeff Wayne tried to blow the lid off it back in the twentieth century, but weakened his case by doing it through a rock opera. That's always a mistake.

 

Since Jeff Wayne has been mentioned, take it away Sir Richard ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Phil Parker]

15 minutes ago, Edwardian said:

As with every re-telling, it will likely ultimately tell us more about the pre-occupations of the period of the re-telling than of the time at which it was first told or set.   

 

And before anyone gets all Daily Mail about this, Gilbert and Sullivan were the masters of re-working their stuff to include up-to-date references, usually satirical. Every pantomime does the same thing too. Finally, most good sci-fi (see Star Trek but there are others) takes current concerns and then applies a futuristic veneer to the story.

 

Jeff Wayne did the best soundtrack though.

[Hroth]

31 minutes ago, Edwardian said:

When I do, I will bring a bumper pack of willing suspension of disbelief.

 

Having seen Episode 1, I would suggest a skipload of SoD would be an essential companion...

 

Must admit that I will be viewing episode 2, though recorded, with my finger on the skip button for whenever the SoD starts to break down!

 

Quote

Of course, we must remember that it's All True, but the extensive cover-up now makes an accurate reconstruction problematic.  As barrister and author Toby Frost had it:

 

H. G. Wells exaggerated terribly, but they landed all right.  The thing is, they're incredibly vulnerable to disease and they dropped dead as soon as they came into contact with Surrey.  One of them got as far as Egham before he keeled over, but then, nobody likes Egham very much.

 

... Jeff Wayne tried to blow the lid off it back in the twentieth century, but weakened his case by doing it through a rock opera. That's always a mistake.

 

As the Chronicler of the exploits of Space Captain Isambard Smith, of the British Space Empire, I'm pretty sure that Mr Frost is part of that cover-up too, as I'm confident that once the Martians had succumbed to our Earthly diseases a punitive expedition would have been dispatched to ensure that Surrey was not inconvenienced again.

 

Oh well, these things happen...

 

Edited November 21, 2019 by Hroth

[didcot]

26 minutes ago, Hroth said:

As the Chronicler of the exploits of Space Captain Isambard Smith, of the British Space Empire, I'm pretty sure that Mr Frost is part of that cover-up too, as I'm confident that once the Martians had succumbed to our Earthly diseases a punitive expedition would have been dispatched to ensure that Surrey was not inconvenienced again.

 

 

He's nicked my job!!!

[Edwardian]

17 minutes ago, Hroth said:

 

As the Chronicler of the exploits of Space Captain Isambard Smith, of the British Space Empire, I'm pretty sure that Mr Frost is part of that cover-up too, as I'm confident that once the Martians had succumbed to our Earthly diseases a punitive expedition would have been dispatched to ensure that Surrey was not inconvenienced again.

 

 

Well, coming from the learned parishioner who uncovered that other early Twentieth Century disaster, the Wroxham Zombie Apocalypse of 1909, I think we can be confident in your assessment.

 

I agree, Frost was clearly hinting that he knew more than he's said.  His involvement is mentioned at the end of this, otherwise dull, post on the post-invasion reconstruction of much of Central London: Here.  

 

Then, there is this Equally Dull Post that attempts to explain why the Martians invaded England.