Poldark (2015)

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The 70's version and the new version?

Are you an elderly housefrau, OP?

I've seen the first season. Naturally the production values are much better but the acting is not. As long as the actor playing Poldark keeps taking off his shirt though, I don't think anyone will notice.

Can't wait.

I liked it. I also watched the original a couple of years ago and I enjoyed it but the acting seems more naturalistic in the new version. The new one doesn't stick as closely to the books as the original did.

I'm confused by it. The main character is espousing democracy, yet he's snarling at his servants to clean the floor. He's sure hot though.

It sounds worth watching. I love the historical series, but haven't run across one that I really enjoyed since Cranford.

Who is that r1? He has a great body. He looks a bit Middle Eastern. Is he, do you know?

His name is Aiden Turner and he's Irish, fully I believe. He does look a little middle eastern though, for some reason a lot of Irish people do.

Anyway, I found the show middle of the road for quality and acting. Good for rainy Sunday afternoon masterpiece theater watching.

It's a lot like Wuthering Heights, isn't it?: Hot tormented guy goes away for a long time, and when he comes back, gorgeous girl he loves has decided she may as well marry milquetoast. So they pine for each other and he broods constantly,

I like the Demelza character, although in some of the shots she was clearly wearing so much makeup on (to make her look glamorous, when she's supposed to be a down-at-heels urchin who dresses in rags and never touches a comb) it became kind of hilarious.

R6 when did he espouse democracy? And you can have democracy and still expect your employees to do their jobs and not steal from you. The house servants are almost comic relief in their horrible work ethic.

I watched it online when it aired in the UK. Aidan Turner is what makes the show worth watching.

I haven't seen it yet, but the original series Demelza was everything.

The editing also bugged me. Sometimes half an episode consisted of Ross and Elizabeth accidentally running into each other. Lots of very short choppy scenes.

The first episode condensed way too many events. The first 70s series had 16 episodes and the second one had 11. This new series only has 7. They changed some odd things, like giving Demelza a dog that she didn't have until she'd been married to Ross for years, making George Warleggan a schoolmate of Ross's and George's father his uncle... The original series made the way Ross and Demelza got together more dramatic than it was in the book, but it worked. The new series just seems as if it's trying to make itself different from the first series in pointless little ways.

Demelza and Elizabeth both look like they were rejected for the role of Jane Eyre somewhere. Looks wise they are both completely wrong. The original Demelza was too, but the actress had so much personality and chemistry with Poldark that it didn't matter.

Aidan Turner is handsome, with a good voice, but he plays Ross in such a one note way. Original actor RobinEllis gave him flashes of knowing humor and more dimension. And the supporting characters were played by much more distinctive actors in the original series.

It's not that this one is bad. It's just that it doesn't capture the essence of the books the way the original series did. It feels self conscious and it tries too hard to not be the 1970's version.

Aidan Turner was the vampire in the original Being Human in the UK. And he played Kili in the Hobbit movies. I have a thing for pretty shorter guys so he and his brother in the Hobbit movies were like cat mint to me. It would've been so hot if they were just super close friends and not brothers since I'm not into brother porn.

As a Brit who has seen the whole series and who is ancient enough to remember the 70s series, I'd agree the 70s incarnation followed the books better.

This incarnation is quite light and fluffy really. But it's been screened in the BBC's well-made but easy viewing Sunday night slot, and for that it's perfect.

We played a game of count-the-galloping-along-the-cliffs-shot most episodes. They must have spent days on end shooting those.

I find the character an annoying bore. He's always yelling and smacking and fighting and insulting people. Elizabeth dodged a bullet.

After getting her hair washed in cold water (as if that killed lice!) Demelza emerged a fashion model with long, windswept wavy hair, perfect coloring, greet makeup .....and no bonnet. Sorry, but females wore bonnets. Especially kitchen maids.

I like Phil Davis, but I saw some of the original Poldark a few years ago and the original Judd was hilarious.

I thought Poldark's scar was hair dye running down the side of his face.

Minnie the kitchen maid from Lark Rise as Poldark's cousin was a jolt.

Aidan Turner doesn't do it for me. I've never been attracted to conventional/model good looks. I understand, though, that most people are. But where does Poldark get the time to work on his abs with all that horse galloping he does?

Aiden Turner is gorgeous in a fascinating way; he has a very, pleasantly watchable face and does well with close-ups. I like the feeling of "Poldark" and by the end of the episode, it started a bit slow but by the end I became interested in the fate of these characters. I have to admit, I haven't read the book/serials so the beginning of the episode I mostly devoted to getting the character relationships rights. I'll keep watching.

R5 - Have you actually read the books? This new adaptation sticks MORE closely to them than the old one, not less.

R9 - His name is AidAn Turner, with an A, not an E. I point this out specifically because there is an actor with an E who is an entirely different person. And Aidan doesn't look remotely Middle Eastern IRL. They've given him more of a swarthy, tan look in the show. He has pale Irish skin IRL.

R14 - The original series covered much more of the books in more episodes. It covered the first book in 4 episodes, and this one does the same, so your comparison of episode numbers is wrong/irrelevant. Also, I have no idea about the dog in the 70s series, but he was with Demelza from the start in the books, as he was in this TV version - Ross rescued the dog as well as her in the book as well. And they didn't make George's father his uncle; they just didn't include George's father in this, making Uncle Cary (who was in the books) the paternal figure, mainly to stop a show with limited time to do things being too stuffed full of characters. And the "pointless little ways" it's making itself different are by keeping to the novels - the 70s TV version of how Ross and Demelza got together was way off-book and hated by the author of the novels. IMO this captures the essence of the books very well. It's clear you're a fan of the 70s show, and some of those people are determined to be biased against this. I mean, judging Aidan Turner's performance as 'one note' based on one episode during which Ross was meant to be feeling mostly grumpy? Really?

R16 - Another person who apparently hasn't actually read the books.

As a general point, people who are using the 70s TV version as the standard to compare this are going to find much to grumble about, because it was never the intention to remake that - it's a new adaptation of the novels (although it looks like no one here has actually read those).

Something about the production seemed flat to me? The lighting looks pretty artificial in some scenes, the scar was a running joke, and Poldark so far is not the likable character, the actress who plays Elizabeth is not very compelling either, her lips are distracting. I am willing to give it a go but so far it feels a little cheap.

R19 has stated her boundaries.

There will be no further misspellings of names.

There will be no further comparison of this show and an old tv show of the same name.

There will be no non-positive reviews of an actor's performance based on one episode.

[italic] She's read the books, for God's sake [/italic]

I'm sorry, do you think this is funny, R21?

Do you think this is some kind of a joke?

How would you like to write a paper this weekend? A comparison of Ross Poldark and Soames Forsyte. I want five pages. Mind that you spell the names correctly! I do not want to read a word about the "Forsythe Saga"!

The rest of you take note: There will be no dissent. Stay seated, watch the television program and be quiet! No comments from the peanut gallery!!

Once again, R21, you've ruined it for the whole class.

Maybe R1 in motion will placate R22.

Does Masterpiece edit the originals? I downloaded Poldark when it was running in the UK and I loved it so I looked in on it last night and it seemed as though some scenes were missing, although I can't be sure. I'm probably wrong but I have noticed that the music is different in a lot of the contemporary detective shows, probably because the rights are too expensive. The US versions use really corny, generic songs. Call the Midwife also does that a lot.

R19 yes I have read the books, all of them up to The Black Moon (not the later ones) and I think the old series stuck closer to the books than the new series has. If you don't agree fine, that's up to you but quit shrieking about how everything everyone else says is wrong, how I view the subject matter is not up to you to decide. In *my opinion* I think the original series is more like the books. Now go have your aneurism and get it over with.

Verificatia of Cornish size meat?

[quote]it's a new adaptation of the novels (although it looks like no one here has actually read those).

Mary!

I'm glad Idun'tknow'd retired but his apprentice at R19 is a bitch.

It's utter shite. While the original series managed high production values as in 'sticking to one period', this is bull shit all over the place. Very much like that awful Pride and Prejudice with Keira Knightly. About as historically perceptive as Pirates of the Caribbean. None of the characters are remotely believable. All hollywood pretty faces instead real people, or real people from that period. Quoting the chick who plays Elisabeth: 'I don't care about my reputation'. Yeah, not caring about your reputation or your family was all that life in olden times was about. All about Hollywood romance, those people were. Bullshit. What was good about the original was how good they were at showing how different people, relationships and economics were back then. This is trite, filmed with lots of 'hobbit' filters.

I absolutely loved Pride and Prejudice with Kiera Knightly. Poldark wishes it could be so good.

I adored the Poldark from the 1970s. The acting was more heightened, and it suited the material. It felt so immediate. Angharad Rees was a treasure.

Angharad Rees looked very young and was also small and very skinny, like a poor runaway from an abusive family would be. She did not look like she just stepped out of a fashion shoot.

I didn't like it as much as I thought I would, but I'm sticking with it.

I just loved the melodrama of the 70s version. Everything was less self conscious and sterile back then.

Everyone start studying the books. Tomorrow night there will be a new episode and if you want to discuss it, you'd goddamn well better know the books. And watch your spelling of names. And don't negatively criticize the acting or the production values ---- or anything, as a matter of fact. I will be the judge of all of those things. I will be reading all of your comments and correcting your idiotic interpretations and ridiculous comparisons to the books and to the television series of the same name which was broadcast [italic] 40 fucking years ago! [/italic]

I've seen this new version already and I loved it. Great cinematography, good looking actors, nice story line. It's a great period drama. The 1970s version was good but looking at the production from that era, it reminds me a little bit of the "Dark Shadows" TV soap as far as quality. Aidan Turner is very smoking in this role.

Is there any of the homosex among those dirty, muscly young scalawags?

I can't sit through it. It's too boring. It looks like a fashion shoot with modern high fashion models dressed in period clothing.

I really dislike how PBS takes two episodes of a TV series and smushes then together. They're too long

I'm unlikely to watch the second season. There's too much soap opera drama and I already got sucked into that with Downton Abbey.

New is not better. The color scenery of Cornwall is lovely, that much is better in this version. The older series had much better actors. Poldark (Robin Ellis) and Demelza (angharad Rees) had great chemistry. The characters of Jud and Prudy were very colorful, the actors portraying them had great comic timing. The new series condensed too much into 8 episodes. One week Demelza looks like a guttersnipe who can barely mutter, three episodes later she is playing the pianoforte and curtseying about.

A whore gets killed. Her husband escapes. Poldark loses his copper smelting business. The town is stricken with plague. Demelza and Julia get sick. Julia dies. Demelza survives. Poldark gets arrested. End scene.

MARY!

I probably won't watch the new series as the old series (I haven't read the books) was one of the best costume miniseries on PBS back in the day. I wonder if the new series will include the stunning ending of the old series, which made clear how trapped women of the time, even those in the aristocracy, were. In fact the original was full of bittersweet endings even for the characters who survived (and a fitting, private torment for the villain George Warleggan), which certainly isn't the style of TV now, even "prestige" television.

I swear Ross and Demelza's hair make up 50% of their characters. No matter what the scene, their hair is the third star of this show,

In those days, only an insane woman would walk about with her hair like. Demelza's. Women wore their hair up and they often wore bonnets indoors to keep their hair as low maintenance as possible. When in public, some sort of headgear was worn. Bonnet, hat, styled scarf. You simply didn't appear in public without a hat of some sort.

And when she was a kitchen wench, Demelza would have worn some kind of mob cap, servants were not allowed to walk around with their hair down. It ain't right and it ain't fittin.

People rarely washed their hair in those days. Getting the head wet was thought to be unhealthy and could lead to disease. So elaborate pomaded hairstyles and and wigs were the order of the day for the upper classes. For the poor, hats covered the head, especially when outdoors.

Notice how Demelza's hair was artfully arranged on her pillows was when she was dying? Ha!

Here's a mobcap, which would be worn by every kitchen maid and cook.

So fucking boring.

I loved it but I wasn't born yet to see the 70s one.

Ross shares the photo with his hair

Another hair shot

Both stars pose with their respective hairs

Left hair, now right hair

Don't worry, my darling. We've still got our windswept hair

Robin Ellis will be narrating one of those "Making of" shows on my PBS station tonight. His voice is so ... old.

I know, I know. He's an old guy with diabetes who writes cookbooks now. Of course he's going to sound old.

He wrote on his blog how different the two shows were when he did the first series compared to his playing the magistrate on the new one. They actually used to rehearse their lines on the old show, as if they were doing a play.

I'll probably watch it. But "making of" shows mean one thing. Pledge Month is starting.

Damn you, Pledge Month!

Series Two

The actress who plays Caroline is absolutely abysmal. Where did they find her? The UK has great drama schools and they turned out someone like this? She's very pretty, but Christ, she seems to be following a different rhythm than the other actors.

The production values of the 70s version were bare bones. But they were probably more close to what it was actually like in those days. Dark indoors, a little gloomy, gentility living in somewhat reduced circumstances in those big, damp stone piles. They were really producing a play, a theatrical production where the backdrops are more symbolic than real. This current version is more like a movie. The acting is more modernly natural. It's so much easier to shoot a series nowadays with digital camcorders and instant playback.

I'm not sure, but I think I remember reading Winston Graham disliked the 70s version.

I couldn't help wondering why, in the first series, Ross was out there bare chested, scything a harvest of Queen Anne's Lace. I guess he was planning to eat swallowtails?

George Warleggen looks like a 1960s mod rocker.

I'm not a Star Wars fan, but I understand the actress who plays Aunt Agatha played someone named Mon Mothma.

But I will always remember her as Marjorie Ferrar, the devil-may-care arty socialite in the old black and white series of The Forsyte Saga. I was a kid when I saw it and I thought she was the coolest, most composed character.

Poldark's Hair has its own twitter account. Aidan Turner is hot hot hot in this. I love the looks of it all and Cornwall. I rewatch to study the costuming details. Of course they get the hair and make-up wrong--that's the downfall of most period films and television. No one wants to see the flat, greasy hair and ugly mob caps that were actually worn.

Regarding the hair, PBS had a Thomas Hardy novel a few years ago. All of the young women looked like they were styled to audition for the Celtic Women who preform at the pledge drives. Hair loose and flowing with curls that are very modern. I don't expect the actors to look like they wash their hair once a year and understand the directors want them to look attractive, but now it has gotten to the point where it is distracting. Now it is noticeable with the men as well. Everyone looks like they are straight from the cover of a romance paperback novel

[quote] No one wants to see the flat, greasy hair and ugly mob caps that were actually worn.

Here's Pride and Prejudice, 1995. Do the women look too 90s? Do they look terrible, with their outdoor bonnets and period-correct empire waist dresses? Do they look dirty, with flat greasy hair and ugly caps?

I didn't see it in 1995, but saw it about 10 years after it was filmed and I enjoyed it. At least they tried a little bit to be authentic. It didn't make me feel like I was watching a fashion shoot or the filming of a shampoo ad.

OMG, Aunt Agatha just declared that Ross is "not a fan of" Elizabeth's mother.

Really? I didn't know "not a fan of" came from 1700s Corneall

Oh my god, let's all watch FRAU TV!

Now with 30% more FRAU!

Wheeee!

Women? On TV? Having roles in period-piece TV shows?

OMG! That's so frau!

Bump

In a word, dull (and I love Jack Fart(h)ing)

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The original series' actors and characterizations were more distinctive. The guy who played George Warleggan really looked like he was the grandson of a blacksmith instead of a petulant fop. Demelza was feisty not a gormless shampoo commercial model. Francis and Elizabeth were pretty little things ill-equipped to handle the rigors of Cornish life. Prudy and Judd were irredeemable drunks. Caroline was played by Judy Gleeson who had that classic 60s look yet her strong willed aristocrat was completely convincing.

The show seems to appeal to the middle class viewer only.

Is this fucking show over yet? It seems like it’s been on PBS every Sunday night without stop for years and years and years.

i liked the original show quite much. I was totally put off the new version by gym rat Ross. ALL the publicity for the show focused on his abs. I haven't watched it and doubt I ever shall.

For comparison the first episode of the original series. The actress who played Demelza was particularly enjoyable

Poldark 1977 episode 01

The original Poldark, Robin Ellis, became a cookbook writer. He married an American woman who worked for PBS in NY. They moved to France. When he developed Tupe 2 diabetes, he decided to change his diet to one that is more Mediterranean. He and his wife are stray cat magnets

I’m not sure if he still does, but he used to give an annual cooking lesson at his home on France.

Oh for fuck sake! This show is back! Will it never end? I swear it is on PBS 75% of the Sunday nights of the entire year. I hate it, I hate the Demelza grunge dresses and her hair being blown into her mouth half the time she’s outdoors. Woman, do not ever make me a sandwich with that hair of yours flying around.. She’s always pulling it across her face and getting it out of. her mouth. Is that supposed to be sexy? Like Miley Cyrus sticking her tongue out? It’s just sick making.

And I understand Aidan Turner is conventionally, swoonishly handsome but he does nothing for me. George is a prisspot & Elizabeth just arrived from a photo shoot. Oops. She’s dead, never mind.

I have become the I Hate Poldark Troll.