All We Are Saying Is: Give 'War and Peace' a Chance

Здравствуйте! It is I, Arsenic Pie, your favorite Slavophile and BBC nerd, here to apprise you of the BBC production of War and Peace that everyone is ranting about. 

Война и мир

Need something to watch while you work on your Russian tricolor blanket knitting project? Have no fear. The BBC's adaptation of War and Peace has all the people sobbing in corsets and bodice ripping you need. Given the current posturing by various presidential candidates who shall remain nameless, BBC's adaptation comes just in time to remind us all that pissing off Russia is a really fucking bad idea. 

This is Napoleon Bonaparte. Napoleon invaded Russia. Napoleon got his ass kicked. Don't be like Napoleon.

I've seen every BBC costume drama on the planet, so trust me when I say that their War and Peace is a competent production, albeit very, very typical output from the BBC. However, the incest in this is new. Usually the BBC = not much incest. Not a whole lotta brother/sister groping going on in Jane Austen, know what I'm sayin'?

No, it doesn't reach the storied glories of Soviet director Sergei Bondarchuk's 1967 adaptation. However, if you want to watch people sporting posh British accents pretending they are speaking Russian, it's not a bad way to spend an afternoon. Part 1 is very slow. This is where the script could have used a little bit more ooph. Paul Dano's performance as Pierre Bezukhov, however, carries the weight of the production, and keeps up the interest into Part 2. Part 2 picks up a bit more steam, with Part 3 really getting into the meat of the story. We all know Bezukov is Tolstoy's Mary Sue, so perhaps it isn't surprising that he comes through as the most interesting character in the series. As for Dano, give the man a Golden Globe already. As far as BBC adaptations go, I personally preferred their recent adaptation of Poldark, but I am planning to watch War and Peace like it's my job. And I will knit. I WILL KNIT FOR MOTHER RUSSIA. 

BBC Wales certainly brought out their heavy hitters. British go-to novel adaptation screenwriter Andrew Davies has created a pretty faithful script.  The production values are no less what one would expect from one of BBC’s famous big-budget costume dramas. The cast list reads like a Who’s Who of respected or trendy British (and a few American) actors: Paul Dano of Little Miss Sunshine stars at the bespectacled and well-meaning Pierre Bezukhov; Lily James of Downton Abbey is Natasha Rostova; James Norton (Grantchester) is Andrei Bolkonsky; Jim Broadbent (Iris, Vanity Fair) is Prince Nikokai Bolkonsky; Aisling Loftus (Mr. Selfridge) is Sonya Rostova; Gillian Anderson (FUCKING DANA SCULLY) is Anna Pavlovna Scherer; and Greta Scacci (Emma, Daniel Deronda) is Countess Natalia Rostova. 

Aside from the enormous budget and glittering cast, the movie itself is a respectful treatment of Tolstoy’s epic. Russian culture -- from traditional chant overlaid on the battle scenes to Orthodox weddings and baptism -- is treated as a natural part of the film’s backdrop and storyline, so not a whole lot of Otherizing going on. Although, somebody on the production team told the "Austrians" to sport poorly executed accents. That was a bad call. They sound like Nazis.

War & Peace was shot on location in Latvia, Lithuania, and Russia in such locations as Catherine Palace, The State Hermitage Museum, The Russian Museum, the Yusopov Palace, and was funded in part by the Lithuanian Tax Incentive for Film Production, and features the musical talents of the State Choir of Latvia.

If you are looking for something in a similar vein, I recommend heading over to YouTube and checking out Rossiya 1’s Ekaterina (with English subtitles), a 12-part miniseries which depicts Catherine II’s early years in Russia. It definitely gives Beeb productions a run for its money, and as Rossiya 1 = BBC, the diction and intonation of the actors is quite clear and easy for Russian language learners to understand.

War & Peace is airing stateside on the History Channel, A&E, and Lifetime (really). It’s also available via streaming on Amazon video.

Empire

I've had so many ideas for blog posts swirling around in my head the past couple weeks, it's been difficult to decide what to write about. And then I realized I was using that as an excuse to be lazy. So I'm kicking off some more regular posts with a review of my favorite mid-season premiere of the season: Empire.

Just to clarify....not this Empire.

THIS EMPIRE.

What's not to love about rich people scheming and backstabbing? Sure, this is kind of a common plot in television, but you guys. Empire is really really good. I think it's actually crazy good. It takes everything that's awesome about shows like Dallas, but isn't ridiculous or campy. I was completely hooked in just the first few minutes and every episode keeps getting better (and the ratings have gone up with each episode which is kind of unheard of these days on network television).

The plot is very King Lear set in the modern music industry. Lucious Lyon (Terrance Howard), is a former drug dealer turned hip hop mogul and the CEO of Empire Entertainment.  In the pilot episode, he's diagnosed with ALS and told he has only three years to live. Of course his thoughts turn to his legacy, and he tells his three sons that one of them will inherit Empire...and they will have to prove they deserve the honor. So basically, they are competing among each other for ULTIMATE POWER. Well, ultimate music power. Well, millions and millions of dollars. The stakes are high is what I'm saying.

Everyone instantly starts plotting against one another and the waters are further muddied with the arrival of Cookie, Lucious' awesome ex-wife and mother of the three sons. She's just out of prison where she served time for getting the seed money for Empire Entertainment by getting involved in some drug deals. Cookie is just an all-around badass with amazing fashion sense and is pulling for her second son (he's very much of the John Legend-type singer/songwriter school) to be the heir. But since the son is gay....Lucious is against the idea.

If Cookie ain't happy, ain't NOBODY happy.

I mean, seriously. THE DRAMA. There is so much going on with this show it's crazy, but it all makes sense, the performances (at least as far as the older characters are concerned) are really strong, and the music throughout the show is great. It's also really nice to have a black-centric show that doesn't feel like it was just thrown together (ahem, Blackish. Looking at you). This is a tight, well-made, compelling drama.

Empire has right off the bat established itself as must see tv for me, so give it a shot and I bet you'll get hooked. You can find it Wednesdays at 9:00 EST on FOX, and catch up with the three aired episodes over at the show's website.

Sneaky Ass White People

Oh, Dallas. Or as my friend Corey likes to call the show, "Sneaky Ass White People."

And that pretty much sums it up, right? Because these people aren't happy unless they are scheming and plotting and...what's another word for scheming? Whatever, that's what they do. Oh, and they're all white. Even the "hispanic" girl is like, barely tan.

Season 2, which began about a month ago, is roaring right along; one of the things I love about Dallas is that the plot moves. Anne Ewing decides to shoot her ex-husband (who kidnapped her daughter 20 years ago and raised her in another country and has tried to bring down the entire Ewing family) and the next episode she's on trial and convicted of murder. Most dramas would drag that storyline out for all it's worth. But not Dallas. After all, we've got John Ross cozying up to Rebecca, who was almost on the hook for the murder of her partner in crime, and is now starting to have feelings again for Christopher, who agreed to mediation to divorce Rebecca and have custody of the twins she is carrying, but now will have to deal with Elena owing Sue Ellen millions of dollars since her brother violated a loan contract when he transported stolen goods in a truck.

Got all that?

And we haven't even gotten to the plots that JR has in the works. 

So there are no complaints with the plot. Things are just as deliciously soapy and implausible as they were last season. And the acting isn't even horrible--I still think the older generation is schooling the kids on how to be crafty, but the younger folks are holding their own.

But there's a cloud over the proceedings. And that cloud is the recent passing of Larry Hagman, aka JR Ewing, aka the guy who got shot and caused all America to lose their shit trying to figure out who did it. In case you hadn't heard, Hagman died back in November from complications associated with leukemia. He's still going strong on the current episodes of Dallas though (which were filmed before his death, obviously).

I've avoided spoilers as to how the show will handle his death, and this has actually caused me some anxiety. JR is such a central part of the show and Larry Hagman has been the best part of the show's return, he's so delightfully evil and sleazy. I only hope that they do him justice with a send-off since he's basically the founding father of Dallas.

Oh, and another reason I love watching Dallas is because I can talk about it with my (previously mentioned) friend Corey. He has a way with words that is quite entertaining. For example, here is a sample of a discussion we had regarding an earlier episode where a new character, Becky, joined the proceedings, as a witness in Christopher and Rebecca's divorce trial.

Corey: But that damn John Ross really wants it all sooooooooooo bad…..but you already knew that something was going to happen to the star witness….she came forward a bit too cool.

Me: Her “little southern girl” act was a bit too much. “Gee, I’ve never been in a nice hotel before, mister!”

Corey: Yeah you are like….yeah this is 2013…you don’t have to talk like emma stone in “the help”

"Emma Stone?? I was going more for Bryce Dallas Howard...you know, more ignorant and racist."

Dallas airs Monday nights at 9:00pm on TNT. 

Deception

Well, crap.

That's all I need right now--another show to get hooked on. I mean, seriously. There's only so many hours in a day! What am I, super woman?

Anyway, Deception is fun and you should totally watch it. The End.

What, you wanted more? FINE. Think of Deception as Revenge meets Veronica Mars. A wealthy socialite, Vivian Bowers, is found dead in a hotel room of an apparent drug overdose, but suspecting there might be murder afoot, Detective Joanna Locasto goes "undercover" to infiltrate the rich and powerful Bowers family to determine the truth of what really happened.

I say "undercover," because it turns out Joanna grew up with the Bowers family (her Mom worked for them) and Vivian was her best friend. She is welcomed back into the Bowers family, but they don't know she is a cop or that she is working with the FBI to discover whether any of the family members were involved in Vivian's death.

 

Any murderers in this room? No? Carry on then.

While the show is basically a Revenge rip-off...there is still a lot to like here. First off, the main character is a woman of color and is smart and capable. That doesn't happen a lot on tv, you know. Second, there are some great performances. Victor Garber as the head of the Bowers clan, Tate Donovan as his oldest son--both are really great.  There's just something about a rich family full of secrets that is just so delicious to watch. Each episode includes revelations regarding the Bowers family and possible motives--as of now the murderer could have been anyone. Which is just the way I like it.

If you don't have room on your viewing schedule for another Rich People Murder Show then you might want to leave this be, but if you never got around to watching Revenge or the new Dallas, check out Deception. I think you will find a lot to like.

Deception airs Mondays at 10pm on NBC.

Secrets within secrets within secrets...DECEPTION. (that was an Inception joke in case you didn't get it)