Death at a Funeral..

[fajrdrako]

Yesterday I watched Death at a Funeral with maaseru and josanpq. We all laughed out loud - a lot. It's written rather like a stage farce: things go askew in the beginning and then one thing builds on another until chaos ensues - corpses to get rid of, suicides pending, and Uncle Alfy screaming on the toilet. And amidst all the craziness, it manages to have a rather good moral stance as well, beautiful delivered by Matthew Macfadyen.

And Alan Tudyk's performance had me in stitches.

The story? Father has died. The family (and friends) reunite at the funeral, held at the elegant, respectable family home. There's sibling rivalry between the sons (Robert being a successful novelist, Daniel an unsuccesful one). One attendee has brought a bottle of highly-potent hallucinogenic tablets in a vallium bottle, which keeps falling into the wrong hands. And then... Father's hitherto-unknown gay lover tries to blackmail the family. And they have to do something about it.

Comments

[gaycrow.livejournal.com]

I watched this at a friend's place, and thought it was hysterical. I kept saying "Oh my god!" like one of those squeeing MySpace writers. :D

I'm not sure what my friend thought, because she talked all the way through it, but not about the movie ... that was distracting.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I kept saying "Oh my god!" like one of those squeeing MySpace writers.

Yes, it's the kind of movies that brings that out in a person. All the more so when you can see what's coming - like whenever someone took a "vallium" and you could tell more craziness was coming uyp.

I'm not sure what my friend thought, because she talked all the way through it, but not about the movie ... that was distracting.

Strange! Some people do that. If they just want to talk, you wonder why they bother with the movie.

[gaycrow.livejournal.com]

Yes, especially when I could see what was coming! I knew the coffin would fall off ... I guessed what was coming a lot of the time, and was giggling madly almost all the whole way through.

I also really like Rupert Graves, and I haven't seen him in anything lately, so that was a plus.

I need to borrow this movie again, so I can watch it uninterrupted. :D

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I knew the coffin would fall off ...

Yes. It just had to!

I haven't seen Rupert Graves much recently, either.

I wonder if it will be as funny a second time?

[silverwhistle.livejournal.com]

Which is Peter Egan's character? (He was lovely when he was young!)

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I believe he played Martha's father - one of the people at the funeral. He didn't want his daughter to marry the Alan Tudyk character. He's one of the few characters who didn't take the LSD or get involved in murder - !

[silverwhistle.livejournal.com]

We can be thankful for small mercies!
He was very sexy and funny as Seth Starkadder (Cold Comfort Farm 1968), yummy as Southampton in Elizabeth R and as Raoul the immortal Templar in Dark Side of the Sun. Utterly poignant in A Perfect Spy, too. I wish I'd seen him as Millais in the 1975 Pre-Raph drama doc series!

(And his wife was in Doctor Who once!)

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

yummy as Southampton in Elizabeth R

Ooh, yes, I remember that. Very nice.

I wish I'd seen him as Millais in the 1975 Pre-Raph drama doc series!

Which I take it isn't available - ? I'd love to see that.

Peter in his heyday

[silverwhistle.livejournal.com]

Ooh, yes, I remember that. Very nice.

I have screencaps… He's the only man I can think of who looks scrumptious rather than ridiculous in sky-blue trunk-hose with canions. "A nice bit of ruff", to coin a phrase.



I wish I'd seen him as Millais in the 1975 Pre-Raph drama doc series!
Which I take it isn't available - ? I'd love to see that.

Sadly not. Love School, aka The Brotherhood, also starred Ben Kingsley as Rossetti.
I do have Lillie, in which Peter played Oscar Wilde.

Re: Peter in his heyday

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Sadly not.

What a pity.

also starred Ben Kingsley as Rossetti.

Woo! Fun.

in which Peter played Oscar Wilde.

What interesting casting. Stephen Fry made such an impression on me in Wilde that he's the actor I immediately think of as Oscar.

Re: Peter in his heyday

[silverwhistle.livejournal.com]

Peter mainly played Oscar when he was young, slimmer, and predominantly straight. He had only a few brief scenes later on when they made him look fatter. He looked great in 'aesthetic' dress (this is the Oscar of the Sarony portraits). I didn't see him in the lead role in The Prince Regent: from the early pics from it, he looked great in 18C costume, but of course, later on in it, the poor lad was engulfed in a fat suit which left only his eyes visible!

Peter was quite a crush among some of us in the early 1980s (the entire population of University Hall TV room lusted after him in Dark Side!). If I recall correctly, he's still quite distinguished-looking, though with less hair (he's now about 61), but unfortunately, despite some superb dramatic roles, such as A Perfect Spy, he's become typecast in the popular mind as a sitcom actor.

Re: Peter in his heyday

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

unfortunately, despite some superb dramatic roles, such as A Perfect Spy, he's become typecast in the popular mind as a sitcom actor.

That happens, which is too bad for us fans of drama, but probably not so bad for the actor in terms of availability of roles and popular exposure.

I'd love to see The Prince Regent too.

Re: Peter in his heyday

[silverwhistle.livejournal.com]

He does the good stuff, like Chekhov, on stage. Unfortunately, this means most of us don't get to see it. TV over here is now utterly lousy at screening the classics. When I was younger, one used to get Shaw, Ibsen, & c on TV. Not any more.

Re: Peter in his heyday

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

He does the good stuff, like Chekhov, on stage.

Yes. Theatre's gain. My loss.

this means most of us don't get to see it.

Especially when we live in Canada and can't afford frequent trips to the UK!

When I was younger, one used to get Shaw, Ibsen, & c on TV. Not any more.

We never got classics much, but sometimes. No longer. Or... hardly ever.

Re: Peter in his heyday

[silverwhistle.livejournal.com]

Yup. It breaks my heart that the BBC seems to have abdicated any cultural responsibility. Everything is measured by viewing figures, so pandering to the lowest common denominator is the direction in which broadcasting has gone… hence all these 'reality' shows and talent shows and gambling/game shows.

Re: Peter in his heyday

[silverwhistle.livejournal.com]

As to "exposure", I re-watched his 1968 debut in Cold Comfort Farm the other night. Nice chest…

Re: Peter in his heyday

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

What fun.