sailorsam

I have never read the Peake books so I cant say how close this is to the original material. I found the (mini)series unique; the opening few minutes are too confusing, the cook character revolting (of course, he was supposed to be! and the fight between him and the Butler, Flay, is funny). The show quickly settles down to Steerpike's plotting; I found him alternatly heroic (the poor boy trying to get ahead) and revolting (starved the poor spinsters). I think that's the idea; plotting against Fay is unsympathetic, but I couldnt help root for him in dealing with the Secretary, and was glad when his character was removed. The family is flawed; the Earl is human but ineffectual; the wife is determined and formidable, but cold and sour, compared to Fuschia, who is warm and emotional to a fault. My favorite character was the Doctor, often portrayed as a sort of bumbler but quietly heroic ('put the baby by the keyhole so itll get fresh air') and I'm glad he survived (most of the main characters don't); Steerpike evolves into a Nazi accountant, so we know he was evil after all, and gets his at the end. I think it was a little too cute/garish, but was certainly worth watching. The parts with the schoolmasters are just irrelevant; Steerpike is the engine of this story, love him or loathe him, and fittingly it ends with his death. Enjoy

MaxBob was a six-episode series, apparently never intended to be a 'regular' series, based on an Elmore Leonard novel set in FLorida. I saw the episodes before reading the book, and I have to say the show was better, though both were mean-spirited and vulgar (what novels or tv are not any more?) In the book, MaxBob was a dried up little codger wanting to off his wife, a former beauty who was gaining weight and dabbling in mystical bogusness. Kiersten Warren in the show was a delight, and I enjoyed the family with the glasses (the large twins were not in the book). My favorite episode dealt with MaxBob's ex wife, involved with Cuban freedom fighters, none of which was in the book. Atmosphere and 2dry characters were terrifically done, and Mr Bridges portrayal of a larger-than-life-political-southern-judge was terrific, better than the book's character. Not as good was a subplot involving a young man impersonating a (female) mermaid in an aquatic show; typical liberal attitude; The People are Negative and Ignorant, but we will overwhelm them with our Artistic Presentation and make them think the way We want them to think, with all the subtlety of a 10 pound splitting maul. Eventually this will probably surface on Bravo or at least VHS; try it.

Undoubtedly this film played better in the 60s. Pretty to look at in all its technicolor meditteranean glory. Maximilian Schell makes a real good con/gang leader, and those two pros Robert Morley and Peter Ustinov are always worth watching, but frankly Ms Mercouri looks haggish (forgive the chauvanism, but she does have the cheesecake role) and the plot drags and has annoying characters (Akim Tamiroff's cook; he is a good performer but the role wasnt much). The actual heist looks like the inspiration for the one in 'Entrapment'. Movie is worth a look but nothing special.