Winter my foot!
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ronfirv — 13 years ago(July 08, 2012 10:00 AM)
I have to agree with rrb.
Here we have outstanding acting by all concerned, a magnificent script, great cinematography and in a period of English hisotory which was almost ground-breaking for our future, and all you seem able to comment on is greenery in winter! Shame on you. Weak.
Had this been in any history exam at school, I'd have failed you,without doubt.
In fact, for this comment alone, I shall give you an E!! -
SeanJoyce — 13 years ago(July 21, 2012 08:39 AM)
I have to agree with rrb.
Of course, you probably share a joint chromosome deficiency.
and all you seem able to comment on is greenery in winter!
I've held forth at length about this movie and its accoutrements multiple times in the past. Somebody should tell you bozos that individual posts can be created addressing only select aspects of a film. No need to talk about O'Toole's virtuoso performance as the aging king, or Hokins as his sexually-confused son when the point of my post is to address my gripe with the lack of frozen precipitation.
Had this been in any history exam at school
If you put this this fictitious historical farce on a history exam, you'd have your teacher's license revoked and you'd be exiled to a government quarantining facility.
The most telling thing in all of this is that neither of you actually disputed my claim.
"
if that was off, I'd be whoopin' your ass up and down this street.
" ~ an irate Tarantino -
SeanJoyce — 13 years ago(August 04, 2012 07:52 AM)
Not all winters have snow on the ground, even in the 12th century.
That is not incorrect, however, it's baffling that snow was eschewed when a winter holiday remains a focal point of the story; it's like making a movie about the 4th of July and restricting it entirely indoors.
I did not need to see the thespians wading through snow-covered wastes to realise the freezing cold of that winter!
I don't get the same impression; it looks like a mild day in an unspecified time of year.
Admittedly, my grievance partly stemps from my preference for snow depicted in movies; the medieval castle and snow would have been aesthetically sumptuous. Still, from a logical standpoint, I can't see why the filmmakers opted to leave out snow entirely.
"
if that was off, I'd be whoopin' your ass up and down this street.
" ~ an irate Tarantino -
SeanJoyce — 13 years ago(August 05, 2012 03:10 PM)
Nah, not joking.
The title is a double entendre, referring to both his advanced age and the season (the fictitious events depicted unfold at Henry's Christmas Court in Chinon.)
But you said "almost positive", so you're safe from ridicule
"
if that was off, I'd be whoopin' your ass up and down this street.
" ~ an irate Tarantino -
ronfirv — 13 years ago(August 07, 2012 11:49 AM)
I haven't watched the movie for several months, or longer and without digging out my dvd, and finding the specific scene, I recall Henry in a bedroom in the castle (Chinon?), draped in a heavy fur cape and breaking thin ice in a bowl of water before cupping his hands in it to rinse his face? If my memory is correct, the director did pay that much attention to detail, small though it was.
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SeanJoyce — 13 years ago(August 07, 2012 08:21 PM)
You are correct, and that minute detail did not go unnoticed.
However, some ice in a pail isn't enough to convince me of the frigid temperatures. Moreover, it isn't exactly consistent with the weather outside; do any of the characters ever look cold? They stroll about and gallivant with seemingly no discomfort or bodily acknowledgment of the supposed time of year.
Call me pedantic, but I wanted blizzards and tall drifts of snow.
"
if that was off, I'd be whoopin' your ass up and down this street.
" ~ an irate Tarantino -
ronfirv — 13 years ago(August 08, 2012 01:13 PM)
In all of your demands for snow, bear in mind it might have been another mild winter, and keeping actors, crews, and catering people et al, hanging around certain locations waiting on snowfalls or even significant flurries, cost money! Eats rapidly into a budget, so any director has to keep a best eye on authenticity and another on the film studios' bucks.
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schwapj — 13 years ago(March 01, 2013 10:59 AM)
Thank goodness you posted, Hygro. I could not believe I was halfway down the page before someone recognized that "Winter" in the title refers to the king's mortality, not that the story happened to take place around Christmas.
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SeanJoyce — 13 years ago(March 06, 2013 06:51 AM)
Read my reply to
gyro
it refers to both.
http://jmoneyyourhoney.filmaf.com/owned -
jxh13 — 13 years ago(August 08, 2012 08:23 AM)
Yeah, okay. There aren't that many shots of the hills surrounding Chinon, but there is no snow, and the plants look suspiciously green. I'm a fan of snow in movies, myself, and some packed snowbanks and swirling flakes might have added to the visuals.
For the sake of discussion, I could point out the Chinon is in the Loire River Valley, notable for its mild microclimate (think wine), and according to some figures online, the average December temperature in Chinon is over 40 degrees f. (5.5 celsius). The actors wear lots of furs, and there are fires in the fireplaces, and ice in the washbowls, so there is an effort made to provide a suitable wintry atmosphere. According to Mr O'Toole's biography, filming ran from November through May, so the exterior location shots may have been made in late Fall or even Spring.
So, we're faced with The Lion in Springtime, or The Lyin' in Winter? -
gingercata — 13 years ago(August 30, 2012 04:57 PM)
I'm with SeanJoyce in this and have had similar feelings over the years regarding snow. This has become one of my favourite Christmas films and the delicious sense of claustrophobia would have been enhanced with a few exterior snow scenes.
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student_points — 13 years ago(November 11, 2012 06:40 AM)
What a load of crock. It doesn't snow in Western europe every year.
In Belgium we have periods of 12 years without any snow whatsoever and it is more to the north than the Loire Valley. And as one poster said, the Loire Valley region is well known for its micro climate.
What are you complaining about? Because the sun is shining? The sun shines even in winter, it is not very unusual. The trees had no leeves, and that is the only thing that matters, that is the only way you can tell on a film if it is winter. Maybe you are worried the grass looked green?? Comes as a surprise but even in winter the grass looks green in Western Europe.
It looked to me like a perfectly normal winter.
Maybe you saw too many Bands of brothers. With the heavy snowfall in Bastogne in one episode. THAT actually was a very unusual winter.
Winters without any snow are more common than winters with snow, believe me -
spookyrat1 — 12 years ago(December 22, 2013 04:42 AM)
I'm with SeanJoyce
So am I. I think he makes a fair point and in doing so points to one of the film's weaknesses. That is, that it's a film and not filmed theatre as some posters seem to be treating it.
The film is supposed to be set around Christmas Eve in Northern Europe, yet with the few external shots we get, it always looks, as the OP points out anything but close to mid-winter.
The OP is simply saying the film makers could have made more of an effort than they did, which judged on appearances was minimal.