A thing came in the post today...

[thisbluespirit]

Isn't it funny how, regardless of all of today's technological marvels, I can still be made very happy by the arrival of a simple thing from the 1970s?




I found it after I posted my Shadow of the Tower ficlet to AO3 and picked the fandom up to wrangle. I had to check there were no other films/books/shows of the same name. (Strangely, given what it is, there don't seem to be). And instead I found this official BBC TV tie-in book for the series from 1971/2! It has James Maxwell and the little monkey on the front and cost 1p. Much better than the Dutch DVD cover that either can't tell the difference between Elizabeth of York and Katherine Gordon, or doesn't care. It's funny to think that for about thirty-five years or so, this little book was all that was left of the TV series. (The BBC were not, as we all know, careful enough with their archives.)

Anyway, it is quite a slight thing and doesn't even have a foreward about the TV series or anything, but it is interesting, because it's written by Joan MacAlpine, the researcher for the series, so it's quite fun to see what she was giving the BBC and where the writers changed it or shifted emphasis. (For instance, she doesn't have much to say about Elizabeth of York, whereas the TV series gave her a distinct interpretation of its own, while she has more to say about Margaret Beaufort than the series did.) Mostly the writers did really interesting things from those starting points, and that's fun to be able to see. However, it's quite clear that it was her picture of Henry VII that is the overall keynote for the show and that what she's writing here is very much the performance that James Maxwell gives.

Liking odd old TV too much is like going back two decades in being fannish, where you snatch on the smallest of things with much joy. As a history book, it's very slight and biased - as background to the series and where they were coming from in their portrayal, with snippets from original sources that various incidents were based on, it's very satisfactory to me.

Plus, it has the monkey on the cover. (The back-cover tells me solemnly that this is a picture of James Maxwell and it was taken by Herb Schmitz. It doesn't credit the monkey, though.)

(I'm only talking about happy/fannish things for the moment. This is both. And it's not crossposted, because I couldn't be bothered to use Photobucket this morning.)

Comments

[liadt]

Sweet! I think the monkey was played by Julian Glover

It's fun looking at old TV tie-ins to see the differences and similarities and they were the DVDs/youtube of pre-video tape days. I wouldn't have though it was the sort of show to get a TV tie, which shows how much I know!

[thisbluespirit]

You were so cryptic there, I nearly didn't click on the link, but then I did and had to start squeaking again. I squeaked so much yesterday I think I may now be a mouse. (If you look at my next post you will see why and it is very relevant to your interests!!! :-D)

But, yay, sinister James Maxwell, looking very Copper-like! Listening to music with earphones! I had my head full of him as Henry VII; that was an interesting juxtaposition. ♥ ♥

[liadt]

I'm glad your blood results were good - I now realise I could have killed you with unexpected, clean shaven, JM-ness added to the DC-ness! And Keith Baron's tight jeans, yikes!

Have you watched it all yet? And ticked off all the DW guest actors? The ending is annoying, shame as it's a good one, I made up my own. I liked the earphones and the fish tank with real fish. I was highly amused that James Maxwell, an American played a foreigner/German. Thriller is a mid-Atlantic show and is full of Americans looking for missing relatives(clue: they're in the cellar, but don't go in there!). I was surprised Julian Glover was digging coffin shaped graves, all stately homes have cellars, as far as I know, someone should have told him.

[thisbluespirit]

I watched the teaser before the credits - enough to see James Maxwell listening to music and being sinister. I thought he must be meant to be German, but it was a bit hard to tell. (And, yes, any old foreigner will do, it doesn't matter what their actual nationality is!)

It's as long as two eps of The Fight Against Slavery - I'm not going to make it through that in a hurry, but I am delighted to see it exists. :-)

And, yes, careless throwing of 1970s actors at me could be dangerous!!

[persiflage-1.livejournal.com]

Ooh, nice!

[thisbluespirit]

Yes!!!

*hugs you* How many days now? I hope you're holding out okay. ♥

[persiflage-1.livejournal.com]

*hugs back*

3 days of work, 4 in total. I am clinging on by the tips of my fingernails.

[thisbluespirit]

♥ Hold on! :-/

[persiflage-1.livejournal.com]

2 days of work left...

That screeking noise? Is my fingernails beginning to tear out of my fingers...

It hurts!

[elen_nare]

Books in the post are always excellent! :)

[thisbluespirit]

Oh, yes, they always are. :-)

[akashasheiress.livejournal.com]

That's so cool!

I've been masochistically following The White Queen, and you definitely wouldn't recognise the Margaret Beaufort in that series as the one in TSotT. Or the one in any primary sources, for that matter. D: Elizabeth of York is still a young adult, but from what I know of the book/s she's definitely not the complex character of Shadow.

[thisbluespirit]

It is! :-)

I started watching The White Queen, but gave up after ep2 (or partway through ep2, I forget) because it was pretty but very dull. However, it was hanging about unwrangled on AO3 and in the end I stepped in, so I've started watching it again and it is now as entertainingly bad as I'd hoped! During the 4 or 5 eps I missed, Richard has turned into a vampire! (Well, he's gone worryingly pale and likes to stand in shadows brooding... that is the technical definition, isn't it?)

Anyway, yes. Yes. :-) But on the other hand, I got to canonise Margaret Beaufort on AO3 because of it. Even if that fic was in draft and has never yet appeared. That made my week!!!

[akashasheiress.livejournal.com]

It just frustrates me how she's so demonised, just so that Richard III looks innocent. She was pious, but that wasn't unusual. There's no evidence that she was manic fanatic willing to murder her son's way to the throne (in fact, it's unlikely she thought he stood a chance of becoming king before 1483).

I think you'd get a laugh out of this: http://armedman.blogspot.com/

[thisbluespirit]

Everyone's getting demonised but Elizabeth and Richard now. I am refusing to take any of it seriously. I think I'd have to stop watching if I made any such attempt. ;-)

It would be lovely to have something more like the 1970s style historicals where there were allowed to be a few facts in amongst the pretty and the sex. But we don't seem to be allowed that any more. Unless someone does a very short two or three part thing that's unrelentingly grim and Realistic (TM) instead. Ah, well. *pulls outs Shadow of the Tower DVD again*


And, yes, that is pretty amusing! :lol:

[akashasheiress.livejournal.com]

Sadly, a lot of people do take it seriously. The whole evil!Margaret thing, that is. She's often named as a suspect in killing the Princes, even though it makes very little sense.

I wouldn't have as many issues with Philippa Gregory if she didn't keep claiming that her books are historically reliable.

Although it is interesting to me that the first glimpse of the adult Henry Tudor shows (for a show with ricardian leanings) him in a pretty non-stereotypical light (and still cute).* Because AFAIK Gregory herself definitely doesn't portray him sympathetically.

*Although he does trip his opponent. I don't know if we're supposed to see that as un-noble or something.

[thisbluespirit]

I suppose it depends whether or not they want a relatively happy conclusion for the TV series - the only way to do that is to have Henry as at least relatively sympathetic. However, I won't count on sense from it... (And, of course he's cute! Being pretty is against the law in The White Queen! :lol:)

I might - might - be writing a very silly thing for trope_bingo that you might like. Unless Ricardians find me and kill me first, which is possible. ;-D

[akashasheiress.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but it's weird considering what Gregory has him do to Elizabeth in another novel. D: Wasn't kid!Henry adorable, though? I got a kick out of the scene where his mother and step-father come to pick him up in Wales and he's all politely bemused.

I will say that Amanda Hale (Margaret) is a really good actress who does manage to induce some sympathy from the viewer (well, from me, anyway). And it's got nothing on that telly drama where she actually hides the princes in a dungeon until they've gone feral (''They love me'').

I look forward to it!

[thisbluespirit]

Well, it depends what they want from the adaptation/how faithful they're going to be, I suppose. Not having read the books, I don't know either way. I'm sure we will soon find out... :-/

And it's got nothing on that telly drama where she actually hides the princes in a dungeon until they've gone feral (''They love me'').

You watch all the best stuff. ;-)

[akashasheiress.livejournal.com]

Enjoy. It's like a bad acid trip, but unintentionally hilarious, at times (see, Henry and Elizabeth are trying to comfort each other after the trauma of seeing it!):

[thisbluespirit]

:lol: And thanks - one day if I'm feeling especially brave or something, I may try to watch it... 0_o

[dbskyler.livejournal.com]

Isn't it funny how, regardless of all of today's technological marvels, I can still be made very happy by the arrival of a simple thing from the 1970s?

It's not funny; it's AWESOME.

Also, this sounds like a very interesting tie-in!

[thisbluespirit]

Thank you! And, yes, it is - it's quite slight as a history book, but it does answer some of my questions about the series in an indirect way. :-)

[swordznsorcery.livejournal.com]

Cool! I love TV tie-in books. The simple pleasure of a photographic cover, which I think must date back to the days when you'd see a TV series, and then perhaps never see it again, so a book with a screencap was a vital reminder of some old treasure. Even better if they write the title in the font used by the TV show. I have a particular fondness for tie-in editions of childrens books. I have no life. :)

[thisbluespirit]

I know! I never really had made tie-in books, though - a few Target Doctor Whos and 2 Press Gangs. I read the Press Gang ones till they actually fell apart, though. They even had photos in the middle, and since they were of early episodes I never got to see, I used to stare at them for ages.

I have a particular fondness for tie-in editions of childrens books. I have no life.

Aw, there's nothing wrong with that!

[sallymn.livejournal.com]

Isn't it funny how, regardless of all of today's technological marvels, I can still be made very happy by the arrival of a simple thing from the 1970s? Hey, I still have a couple of B7 tie-in books that - awful as they are - I will keep forever.

And Ascent of Man and The Body in Question and a few others I wish I wish I so wish would come out on DVD...

[thisbluespirit]

I have a B7 programme Guide, which I'm very fond of, and I got that on Amazon a couple of years ago, too.

People are very cruel about what they won't release on DVD. I have an ever growing list, although mine, admittedly, is mainly things with David Collings in, they're still cruel not to let us have stuff. Or they're cruel for destroying stuff in the first place. ;-)

[dimity-blue.livejournal.com]

I love getting hold of books connected to series I've enjoyed. No wonder you're so pleased with such a neat book! Pity they didn't credit the monkey though. ("James Maxwell and Max the monkey with his favourite nut." :oD)

[thisbluespirit]

James Maxwell and Max the monkey with his favourite nut.

:lol: What are you saying about James Maxwell? ;-p

And it is a great little book from my point of view - especially since it never occurred to me that Shadow of the Tower was the kind of series to have generated a tie-in. Elizabeth R, maybe, but Shadow of the Tower...?