Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Laff a Minute


As miserable bastards go, Thomas Hardy takes some beating. His eeyorish tendencies manifested themselves in developing exquisitely drawn characters and then subjecting them to a damn good kicking as a result of:

  1. Developing ideas above their station.

  2. Falling in love with dashing Calvary officers.

  3. Being good at business but a bit shite at maths.


My personal favourite is Jude the Obscure. Poor Jude Fawley falls in love with his first cousin Sue, aspires to an unobtainable University education, and dies friendless and alone on a sofa under the gaze of the heartless Arabella, his first wife. It really isn’t a chuckle a minute.

Thankfully the film adaptation of Jude the Obscure includes a cracking shot of Kate Winslet’s beaver. That is, I suppose, a meagre, and hirsute, compensation for nigh on two hours worth of god awful miserableness.

Depressing as it is, I think it’s preferable to listening to Morrissey warbling on about feeling happy and fulfilled. Fuck's sake, I’d be feeling happy and fulfilled if I was living the Dolce Vita in Rome and had a couple of squillions in the bank.

13 comments:

Arabella said...

You can't beat a good hanging off the back of a door.

garfer said...

Or three.

Arabella said...

Snigger.

FirstNations said...

class angst fiction makes my butt itch. Jane Austin was a major offender. and Charlotte Bronte.
i always thought jane Eyre should have blown her nose in one of Blanche Ingrahams watercress sandwiches. wotta dishrag.

Arabella said...

I beg your pardon?

FirstNations said...

whup!
time to turn on the wibbly jiggly spam killer!

Inwardly Confused said...

deary deary me I clicked it...I CLICKED IT...*is damaged for life*

S.I.D. said...

How long into the film for Katie's beaver?

Check your DVD/video counter for accuracy please.

Post here.

garfer said...

Tis only a brief glimpse Sid.

You shall have to endure the misery and find it yourself.

No gain without pain, as they say.

Kyahgirl said...

why don't you just buy a nice skin magazine then you can ogle the beaver for as long as you like?

or better yet, I'll send you a 5 cent coin. its got a beaver on it. That's our official Canadian animal eh?

garfer said...

The glimpse is erotically superior to the ogle Kyahgirl.

That's why the Victorians had a thing about ankles.

©gloop said...

I'm sorry, but Thomas also penned some of the funniest narrative going.

Seriously.

Jude the Obscure was infinitely depressing though - agreed!

Rowan said...

sounds like my kind of movie, is it avail in canada? I've never heard of it.