Comments on: Francesca recommends books: Revenge is Sweet

By: Theatrehussey

Theatrehussey — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 03:27:45 +0000

A few weeks ago you recommended Oscar Brockett’s book. Now you recommend Sweeney Todd with George Hearn and the Lansbury.

Will you marry me. Our babies would have great taste. But they wouldn’t taste great.

Don’t eat your babies, people.

By: m

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 11:50:03 +0000

Must commend Francesca for her excellent taste. Dumas on the page – fantastic. Caviezel in sweeping cape and Van Dyke beard? Superfantastic indeed.

From the FWC:
Morte (Dan Hedaya): “What do we have to do?”
Brenda (Bette Midler): “You have to PAY!”

mUAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

By: Bridey

Bridey — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 00:13:29 +0000

Yay for the Branagh Hamlet! Yes, Branagh does make one staggering misstep in his choice for one character — a shocker of a stupid decision, unsupported by the text. But it’s otherwise so strong that it makes for a wonderful movie.

Plus, the Branagh version is the whole play, or nearly so. None of the standard cuts, and a glorious four-plus hours. It makes an enormous difference from the cut-down versions (not that those aren’t often wonderful) because it shows the weight of the political goings-on in the play — just as important as all Hamlet’s personal angst.

And I think it shows Hamlet himself in a much more complete, and less flattering, light. Whether Hamlet is a bad person or not (I think he’s an overeducated, self-indulgent and generally destructive twit, myself), he’s a really, really terrible Prince of Denmark.

By: Em

Em — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 23:17:40 +0000

The Angela Lansbury, she is indeed superfantastic. As is everyone in that production of Sweeney except the Johanna, who, I’m sorry to say, is dreadful.

By: LindaRuth

LindaRuth — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 20:53:40 +0000

My absolute favorite revenge movie is Kind Hearts and Coronets, in which a scorned young man successfully and hilariously murders all the members of his family who stand between him and the ducal title. All the murderees are Alec Guiness. Waylon Jenning’s song, Mental Revenge, is awfully good too. Sample lyrics: “I hope that the train from Caribou Maine runs over your new love affair. You walk the floor from door to door and pull out your peroxide hair.” Poetry!

By: TeleriB

TeleriB — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 19:00:37 +0000

class-factorum: I had the exact opposite reaction! I so badly wanted to love that book. I did love the beginning and the end. But for a great part of the middle, Edmond is such a force of nature that I felt no tension. Not one of his plans went wrong for hundreds of pages; there was no doubt in my mind that revenge would be his. Near the end, when he runs into a sudden complication, I found it much more page-turning.

By: Sistercoyote

Sistercoyote — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 17:57:26 +0000

Inquiry: Is the Angela Lansbury not always superfantastic in everything?

By: class-factotum

class-factotum — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 16:34:05 +0000

“The Count of Monte Cristo” is one of the best page-turners of all time! I loved that book!

By: Twistie

Twistie — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 16:02:47 +0000

While I adore the superfantastic Shakespeare all to bits and back again, my choice for revenge theater of the era is and always will be John Webster. If you’re one of the people who failed to laugh during Shakespeare in Love when the boy tells Shakespeare that’s his name, go out straightaway and find a copy of ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore or White Devils or the superfantastic The Duchess of Malfi. John Webster is the ne plus ultra of Jacobean high-bodycount theater.

By: Toby Wollin

Toby Wollin — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 13:21:52 +0000

OOO, First Wives Club. I love this film and I love everyone in it. I always feel sad and a bit angry now, though, because I know the author of the book this was based on died having cosmetic surgery. She wrote an empowering story – but in the end, was still driven by the “must look young at any cost” pressures.