Vanity Fair

[JaneJeffer]

I'm finding Rebecca annoying. I haven't read the book so have no idea if she's meant to be.

I did wonder why they didn't just talk to Matilda about getting married, yes.

Becky was probably encouraged by Matilda saying that she loved it when people ran away to get married in secret - but she really meant other people, not her own family

Exactly - like in Sense and Sensibility when Fanny Dashwood befriended Lucy Steele, and told her that any family in the land would be proud to welcome her into their bosom - until she found out that the little schemer was engaged to her own brother, whereupon she threw her out of the house! (Harriet Walter was BRILLIANT as Fanny).

I watched the first to episodes of VF, and 10 minutes of the third, but I can't be doing with it at all. SO disappointed with it - almost all characters are miscast (except, as someone else has pointed out, George Osborne's father), the characters have lost all of their edge, Becky has no bite to her at all and the whole lot has gone to hell in a handcart.

I doubt I'll watch any more, but I also am very likely to have a nosey into your comments here. Keep 'em coming!

Last night's episode was better I thought. The scenes at the opera and ball were suitably lavish (lovely dresses, flowers, jewellery, men in uniform - what's not to like). I thought the actress playing Amelia did a good job conveying her despair and mortification at her realisation of the betrayal of her husband and best friend.

What I do think is interesting is the decision of the production team to throw money at the military aspects of the book. Surely clothing numerous extras in uniform plus horses and all that army jazz costs and absolute bloody fortune, and so they have cut costs by having dodgy CGI. That carriage scene last week was so laughably awful, I still can’t stop thinking about it. I'm curious as to why they have done this when Thackeray places such emphasis on it not being a military book.

“We do not claim to rank among the military novelists. Our place is with the non-combatants. When the decks are cleared for action we go below and wait meekly. We should only be in the way of the manoeuvres that the gallant fellows are performing overhead.”

So why scene after scene after scene of soldiers marching about? Surely some clever scripts (or I dunno, actually use the words the characters speak I the book?) and some decent acting and you can convey to the viewer that a great army is marching out of the city to an uncertain outcome without having to show us George and Dobbin plus numerous others sat on a horse or marching forth looking constipated with worry.

^^I wondered that too about all the scenes with the militia, although I don't think it was lavishly done. It looked a little too school play for most of the episode, most noticeably during the ball(s) and in the square. I thought the British army looked to be sparse/lacking in soldiers. The scene at the end where the wives were gathered in the partially CGI'd square was odd. And looked terrible - the entire production is just so cheap looking (which is ridiculous given the money Amazon must have spent), and forced. They're also totally missing the point of Thackeray's novel and the characters.

I was a little disappointed that Becky wasn't wearing a feminised version of the militia's uniform. I think ITV missed a trick there, although the scarlet dress was pretty.

Can you tell I'm not liking it at all?!

The scenes in the square had just enough soldiers to make me think “bloody hell how much has all that lot cost you?” and yet not enough to make me believe that’s what it really would have looked like.

I did like the ball scene though, I genuinely enjoyed the spectacle and didn’t cringe at all. The opera scene looked genuine too, wondered where they’d filmed it and if all the people there were real or pasted in later with a computer. That’s why it’s so weird. Splurge here and cheap and nasty there.
Someone down thread at the start said maybe the dodgy drawn sets are done on purpose, to make it look like the theatre that Thackeray states VF is in the prelude.
I am genuinely enjoying it though, even though it’s a bit crap.
Dd1 is absolutely enthralled, to the point that such was her excitement about last night's episode that dd2 came and watched the whole episode with us, and she’s will pretty much only watch complete shite on YouTube, so that’s something.

ScribblyGum

I wrote this upthread: 'At the opening of Monday's episode I remember thinking how fake Rawden looked against the backdrop of Queen's Crawley and I do wonder if this was deliberate to back up they're all Thackeray's puppets to do with as he will. In fact, I do think there's a level of inauthenticity about all the sets that makes them look like stage sets, thus further underlining they're all puppets.'

Is that what you're referring to? I found myself wondering this again last night but I honestly don't think ITV are that clever. Even so, I do wonder if it's deliberate.

I also found myself wondering if some of the soldiers were CGI! It's just such a strange production.

Yes it was exactly your post Stella. Since reading it it's made me wonder if that’s what they were trying to convey (because that would be quite clever) and then immediately doubting that very much and asssuming they had to do it that way as the silver frondy epaulettes department all got drunk at a epaulette decisions meeting and spent up half the production costs resulting in Frances de la Tour suffering the indignity off pretending to be in a bumpy carriage ride whilst someone lay underneath her jiggling her chair all sat in front of a green screen.

I loved that last scene CGI and all. Had a wonderful surreal nightmare quality to it. Hearing the cannon boasts was terrifying.

Can't see why Kate a Bush was playing though, The end music has a purpose in Handmaids Tale ( the rememberance of freer times long past). No point in this. Although possible added to the oddness of it all.

The uniforms definitely have a school play quality to them. They’re too clean and perfect. I’ve been watching Outlander recently and the redcoats look a lot grubbier, their clothes well-worn. These look like Halloween costumes.

The modern music has been a bit weird and irrelevant. It seems to be a bit of a trend now to make period shows with modern touches, like Reign on Netflix for example. I think it works ok as trash TV, just nothing that will be taken seriously. I think they would have done better to do a completely modern version of Vanity Fair as at least it wouldn’t be compared to the other adaptions.

I am still enjoying it, modern music, dodgy CGI and all!

Don't Mr Sedley and George's dad look very similar? I keep getting them mixed up.

I read an interview with the guy who plays George in the TV guide saying that the next episode is very much battle-centric, and he had to spend hours learning to ride a horse properly etc etc. He acknowledged that Thackeray didn't dwell much on the battles in the book but said that they wanted to write more of that in. Maybe this is where the money has all being spent unnecessarily.

I did VF for GCSE and this is a bit of a poor cousin to the BBC production but nonetheless am finding it an easy watch and enjoyable enough if I don't analyse it too much. I agree it is miscast in places and feels a bit cheap. The actress playing Becky is quite fun to watch though, despite not really capturing the character's true amoral, scheming self (which is just as much the fault of the writer and director, obviously). And what is Michael Palin actually contributing?!

I seem to remember in the book, Thackeray does say that Becky and Rawdon should perhaps have gone down on their knees before Miss Crawley and poured out their love story, then she may have relented. But, as he added wryly, then the book would have had to end there!

"And what is Michael Palin actually contributing?"

yes, I wondered that too!

Thackeray in the book does make lots of wry little comments so I can see why he is a character in any adaptation. Perhaps Michael P will contribute a bit more as it goes on!

I feared the worst but Major and Mrs O’Dowd are good. Standouts in a badly cast production. Thought the Lady Bareacres snobbery bit was handled quite hamfistedly though.

I think the actress who is playing the psychopath in Eve would have made a better Becky. I always imagined a more sly face. This Becky just feels too laid back and lacking in energy. She never looks as though she’s constantly manipulating and calculating her next move. The use of the modern music seems terribly shoe-horned in too. I have read this book three times so I’m going to be a harsh critic but nevertheless this feels awfully flat.

I think the theatrical/artificial styling is deliberate. As someone here said, it adds to the feeling that they are all players or puppets in a glittery yet unsubstantial world - searching for the things 'not worth having' as WMT says. Rather like those toy theatres where the 'actors' are moved about on the end of sticks.

Saw an interview with Dobbin? Can't remember but apparently Amazon wanted battles and coughed up the extra dosh.

I think the whole tone is quite regency, an era of artifice and style over substance. The introduction sets the tone well for the whole production. For ITV its not bad at all.

The production is a bit odd, I agree, but as far as making her a more sympathetic character than in the book, I can completely understand that. No one watching it who hadn't read the book would like it. Audiences don't have a great deal of tolerance for unsympathetic female characters. It would be a guaranteed flop.

Anyone explain something to me? What was the card with names on that George's father was crossing out a name? One name was Frances, the other was presumably George's name being crossed out. But why is his name George Sedley Osborne? Are the Sedley and Osborne families related? And who is Frances?

I'm really enjoying this adaptation-I didn't think I would as I've actually loathed vanity fair in all other previous guises. I think this looks very stylish and quite modern. Even dd1 likes it and she hates it when I make her watch anything even vaguely period drama-ish.
The only character I liked when I read the book was of course Dobbin. I know you aren't meant to immediately like Becky and I don't but I especially don't like Amelia. (Because she ignores poor old Dobbin)

Clawdy, in happier times, the Sedleys and Osbornes were close. Amelia's father, Mr now bankrupt Sedley, was George's godfather.

Ah, so was George named after him? It just confused me seeing the two names together! Thanks.