The TV Series Versailles, Second Season, And Allowing Characters To Find SOME Happiness
Spoiler Alert – This post will talk about the TV series Versailles and it WILL contain spoilers. If you haven’t yet watched this historical drama TV series, especially the first season of it, you might wish to skip this post.
I’ve now completed the second season of Versailles and I now know one reason this show didn’t gain a sufficient audience.
The writers don’t allow ANY of the characters to find happiness, especially romantic happiness.
Yes, the main characters are based on real people. And these real people didn’t find romantic happiness. Or much happiness of any kind.
But there are secondary characters the writers clearly didn’t base on real people. And they weren’t allowed to find happiness of any kind either.
And with a cast of thousands, that’s…a lot. Everyone is miserable. Everyone is in constant drama.
There’s no backbone of contentment or joy or happiness.
In a Romance Novel Series, this role would be filled by the happily bonded couple (or more) of one of the previous stories in the series. Or a set of long time happy and now super content parents. Or the grandmother who is always in her kitchen baking cookies when the hero needs someone to talk with. Or the best friend who always makes the heroine laugh when she’s feeling sad.
These characters are relatively drama free and they are a respite for the readers/viewers from the darkness, from the conflict. They show us where we want the main characters to end up, our wish for them.
All drama all the time with all characters is tiring. And that type of story doesn’t appeal to many people.
Give your readers a sanctuary.
Topics: Movie Reviews | Comments Off on The TV Series Versailles, Second Season, And Allowing Characters To Find SOME Happiness
The TV Series Versailles And A Cast Of Thousands
Spoiler Alert – This post will talk about the TV series Versailles and it WILL contain spoilers. If you haven’t yet watched this historical drama TV series, especially the first season of it, you might wish to skip this post.
I’ve recently been enjoying Versailles, a historical drama TV series inspired by some of Louis XIV’s life. I’ve completed the first season.
And stars, I’m emotionally invested.
This is despite the showing having a HUGE cast and the similarity of how the characters look (all white, all in that period’s clothing, having that period’s hairstyles, etc.).
I believe this is because of how uniquely every character acts and thinks and how consistent they are regarding this.
Louis XIV and the Duke Of Orleans are brothers, for example.
But we know that Louis XIV will always make decisions based on what he believes will result in the greatness of himself and of France. He is also always aware that people want to harm and kill him. He’s paranoid about betrayal and he has good reason to be so.
The Duke Of Orleans has been betrayed also. But his default is trust. Because he has been raised to trust in the monarchy and in the King’s (in this case, his brother’s) decisions. This results in him trusting a loved one who, time and time again, betrays that trust.
These two very different approaches to life impacts their behaviors and their thinking.
Louis XIV acts quickly and decisively. He doesn’t ‘talk.’ He commands.
The Duke Of Orleans will defer to others. He is unlikely to act without support or consensus. He listens more than he talks.
And because he knows he has support, he isn’t overly worried about being assassinated. He ‘trusts’ other will keep him safe.
That’s great character building.
Topics: Movie Reviews | Comments Off on The TV Series Versailles And A Cast Of Thousands
The Other Boleyn Girl And Fanfiction
Spoiler Alert – This post will talk about The Other Boleyn Girl and it WILL contain spoilers. If you haven’t yet watched this awesome fanfiction-based movie, you might wish to skip this post.
Every so often, there will be a debate in writing communities about whether or not fanfiction is a valid type of writing.
The Other Boleyn Girl, the movie, based on the book by Philippa Gregory, is definitely fanfiction.
The names of the characters are real. Certain things like Anne Boleyn marrying King Henry VIII and then being beheaded are historical facts.
Most of the rest of it is completely made up.
Heck, even the birth order of Mary and Anne Boleyn has been fabricated.
Mary, in the movie and in the book, resisted becoming the mistress of the King Of England, as another example. She didn’t want to cheat on her husband.
According to many historians, in reality, she was the mistress of the King Of France before she was the mistress of the King Of England. And her first husband was aware of that before he married her.
So I doubt there was much resisting happening.
I KNOW The Other Boleyn Girl is fanfiction.
I KNOW it has very little historical content.
Yet I still very much enjoy the movie.
It has an amazing cast (Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, Eric Bana, Kristin Scott Thomas, Benedict Cumberbatch, Eddie Redmayne, and more). The costumes are gorgeous. The story is entertaining.
It works for me as a movie.
Fanfiction is a valid form of writing (as long as you observe copyright).
Don’t let anyone tell you any differently.
Topics: Movie Reviews | Comments Off on The Other Boleyn Girl And Fanfiction
