Welcome to Wacky Wednesday! We all like to imagine ourselves in every heroine role we read but have you ever considered which kind of hero would be your best match. Well, it's Quiz Time and that's what we're going to do!
Errol Flynn in THE SEA HAWK
Perhaps your best match is the Swashbuckling kind of Hero. Dashing, adventurous and little bit dangerous!
Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy from PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
Or perhaps he's more the Gentleman Lord kind of Hero like Mr. Darcy of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE - all charm and good manner but has possibly been around the block a time or two or three.
Daniel Craig as James Bond
Or perhaps you're better matched with the SPY/AGENT kind of Hero. The man of secrets and dangerous missions ...
Robert Redford as Sundance Kid
Or maybe you prefer the rustic character of a Western Cowboy Hero with his "awww shucks, ma'am" and cocky saunter.
Alex O'Loughlin in MOONLIGHT
And last, but not least, there's the Paranormal Hero who chases away the things that go bump in the night but might not be all that he appears in the daylight.
Now for the Quiz ... are you ready to find out which is your Best Match? Take this quick Quiz and then share with us which one is your Dream Hero.
Every time my husband and I watch the movie, LOVE ACTUALLY, which by the way has become our Christmas Eve tradition, you can nearly hear a pin drop or the dog snoring when Jamie remarks to his girlfriend, who has just said she would marry him, "You learned English." She responds with, "Just in cases." That's our favorite moment in the movie followed by the ending when everyone at the airport is greeting their friends and loved ones while the Beach Boys sing, "God Only Knows."
I love Christmas, Christmas movies and Christmas songs but have you ever thought about how many times Christmas has been used as the backdrop for many films that are NOT really Christmas movies? Well, there are many and I tend to watch these movies all year long because I enjoy the movie and not just because Christmas is mentioned it.
Take the movie, SERENDIPITY, starring Kate Beckinsale and John Cusack. It starts out at Christmas and ends at Christmas but in between is where the story grows. The true delight is that the romance occurs because of Christmas. Love that about it.
Many of my favorites are older films from days gone by such as BELL, BOOK, AND CANDLE starring Kim Novak and Jimmy Stewart. It's Christmas Eve, she's a witch, he's a publisher, she hates his girlfriend, he's enamoured of her, she wants revenge, and he ends up the poor victim. Of course, after she uses magic to steal him away from the vicious girlfriend, she falls in love and well, her New Year doesn't quite turn out the way she expected. Love this one!
And how about the most romantic, tear-jerker of them all - AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER, starring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr. Is there anyone, anywhere, who hasn't wiped away a tear of joy when they embrace at the end? Come on, I know you're tearing up just thinking about it. Well, what time of year is it when he discovers she's crippled and that it was why she didn't meet him at the top of the Empire State building in June?? It's CHRISTMAS, of course!
There are so many more wonderful movies that use Christmas as a backdrop or as an intricate part of the story and I could probably go on for days talking about them. For example, Tom Hanks has starred in a couple that I can think of right away.
I hope this has inspired you to check out some that I've mentioned and perhaps seek out a few of your own forgotten favorites. Perhaps you'll share one of your favorites with us.
Enjoy the season and Happy Reading (and Movie Watching) Everyone!
My Thursday was a very long day and I was very late getting to work on this post. Even as I am writing this, I'm tempted to just go to bed but since I guess I'm just a glutten for punishment, I'm going to stay awake long enough to do this - for you - my readers. : ) Please forgive if some things sound strange, you'd be surprised what you write when you nod off and continue typing. ; )
The other day, I was watching the movie PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, the rather less than elegant, Keira Knightley verson not the lovely bright and more elegant, Colin Firth- BBC version.
It's a toss up as to which version I like better but I actually lean toward the Keira Knightley version because it just seems more realistic - imagine if it had been made when Colin was Darcy. [sigh]
I thought about Keira Knightley's Lizzie with her less than perfect coif, her mutely colored dresses and the mud she seemed to have to muck through on a daily basis. I mentally compared her Lizzie to the BBC Lizzie whose hair was always perfectly coiffed and her light colored, usually brilliant white, dresses and began to wonder which was more closely accurate to the truth of life in Regency England.
There was Colin Firth's Mr. Darcy with his fine dress and slightly tossled wavy hair but always looking grand and proper - that seemed natural, too. After all, he dove into a pond in his fine clothes and still managed to look like a proper gentleman soaking wet.
Of course, as a man, he was allowed to take off his outer clothing so that he only got his breeches and blouse wet. Whereas, poor Lizzie ended up soaked to the skin wearing layers of clothing and mud caked to the bottom of her dress. As Caroline Bingley sniped upon seeing Lizzie's dress, "positively medieval."
One of the things I noticed most when comparing the two productions was the surroundings. Oh, the Pemberley of Keira Knightley's P & P was the grandest Pemberley of any of the P & P productions but the poor Bennetts lived in a comparative shack in comparison to the much grander setting in the BBC production.
The Keira Knightley production had dull, paint-washed walls, the outside of the house was in desperate need of paint or plaster, the windows paint was cracking and peeling. Inside the house, the hallways were dark and gloomy. Even in the drawing room which appeared a little brighter with its tall windows, there appeared to be sheets or something akin to them thrown over the settees. Whereas the BBC production was much lighter, brighter, neater, better kept and far more elegant. Both the ladies and their house were obviously cut from a better piece of society.
The BBC production Bennett house was much more elegant and sedate with manicured lawns and painted trim on the house. Their clothing was more elegant almost to the point of be extravagant for a large family of their meager means.
The ladies always appeared to be ready to head off to a ball or some other social gathering with only a moment's notice.
BBC Bennett Drawing Room
Whereas, in Keira Knightley's, their clothing seemed simpler, plainer and in comparison dowdy but these may well some of the reasons I prefer this one to the other. Although, the BBC production does have Colin Firth. ; )
When I think of the hygiene of the era, it wouldn't matter which style of living was had by the Bennetts or Mr. Darcy because ... well, think about it ... no toothpaste, no mouthwash, no real shampoo and heaven forbid you take a bath more than say, once a month. Water had to be heated over a fire to a temperture sufficient for a bath and with knowing that, you have to wonder how often a young lady washed her hair. I suppose the old "I'm washing my hair tonight" wasn't used much to get out of accepting a date from say, Mr. Collins.
I suppose that if everyone had that 'worn these clothes for more than once dance' smell about them then most gals wouldn't be offended by bad breath, dirty teeth and unwashed hair. Ewwwwww!
Then again, being able to sit under a spectacularly gorgeous ancient tree near the most beautiful estate on the planet might not be so horrible afterall if you can ignore the other things.
I'd like to pose a question to you:
If you could travel back in time to Regency England and become a member of the Bennett household, would you prefer to visit in the darker, plainer Keira Knightley production of Pride and Prejudice? OR would you prefer to visit in the somewhat brighter, more elegant setting as perceived by our friends from 'across the pond' at BBC??
Also, all things considered - if you were allowed to bring only three (3) items from the future into the past, what would they be? Please don't say, toothpaste, toothbrush and mouthwash, that's too obvious.
I'm thinking that I would bring a nice delicious smelling soap, definitely my favorite shampoo and since I still won't be able to take a bath or shower when I want - definitely deodorant. How about you?
By the way, which production of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE do you prefer?
