Feeding the heart and the soul all at once
I disappeared again for a bit from blogosphere but amongst other 'going-ons' in my life, I discovered this whole new world of vlogosphere. May I hastily add I don't refer to my own vlogs but rather I've been sadly, madly and most of all happily hooked to those of one of my favourite fictional characters- Elizabeth Bennett.
Elizabeth, or Lizzie to those of us who feel like we know her so well, has been brought to life (yet again) by a group of terribly creative people across the pond in sunny California.
The vlogs have been running for almost an year, and by some happy coincidence share the start date with my birthday (I feel a bond already). However I only discovered their existence two months ago, hurriedly skimming through an article on '200 years of Jane Austen' on the tube 30 seconds before my stop arrived. Always wary to see adaptations of my favourite book, I gingerly clicked on the first episode one evening and then found myself up till the early hours of the morning unable to stop!
For someone who prides (aah that word!) oneself on her self-control I found myself shockingly intemperate in watching, re-watching and re-re watching episodes of The Lizzie Bennet Diaries or 'LBD' as the series is popularly called.
It took me a few evenings to catch up on 95 episodes (each about 5 to 10 minute long) and a whole range of associated social media including the twitter, tumblr accounts of the characters who have been imaginatively re-incarnated into their 21st century American avatars.
The basic storyline stays true to the book but I loved the way some of the characters were given many more dimensions and how they sometimes appeared in unexpected forms and places. I hesitate to tell more for fear of spoiling it for those who intend to see it (please see them right from the start to make sense of what's happening!) but the two big surprises for me were the roles played by Lydia (esp the first half of the story) and Mr Collins.
LBD's Lizzie was fun but it took a while for my head to accept her as 'our modern-day Lizzie'. As each episode progressed, apart from willing her to change her mind about Mr D, I always looked forward to seeing the outfits and accessories she wore. I only recently found out that most of the cast wear their own clothes (That's a great wardrobe Lizzie (Ashley) and Jane (Laura)!). Charlotte brought just the right level of normality required to balance the chaos of the Bennet household.
Needless to say I had no peace of mind till I reached the episode when William Darcy finally makes an appearance. My first impression, much like Lizzie's, was of disappointment. Couldn't tell exactly what it was- too arrogant, too stiff, too much eye rolling, pointy nose? (Oh wait a minute, isn't that what Darcy is supposed to be like...) Anyhow it only took me two more episodes till I joined the million other women who agreed that we need to thank the make-up artist and the camera persons because no one can actually be that ridiculously good-looking and behave so Darcy-like at the same time. (Whew- glad I got that confession out of my system)
For the social media-cynic that I am, LBD has for better or worse succeeded in making me an avid follower of all LBD-related online activity including Google hangouts, trending Youtube mentions and watching the reaction of the fan clubs that are springing up everywhere on the webworld. I even started a ThisisMyJam account (thanks Gigi, I must be losing me marbles).
As they say all good things come to an end and sadly LBD just ended this week with their 100th episode. However for once I'm glad that the internet is 'forever', because the vlogs are just a click away to brighten the many dull grey days that define this island that was Lizzie's home and that of her brilliant creator.
Elizabeth, or Lizzie to those of us who feel like we know her so well, has been brought to life (yet again) by a group of terribly creative people across the pond in sunny California.
The vlogs have been running for almost an year, and by some happy coincidence share the start date with my birthday (I feel a bond already). However I only discovered their existence two months ago, hurriedly skimming through an article on '200 years of Jane Austen' on the tube 30 seconds before my stop arrived. Always wary to see adaptations of my favourite book, I gingerly clicked on the first episode one evening and then found myself up till the early hours of the morning unable to stop!
For someone who prides (aah that word!) oneself on her self-control I found myself shockingly intemperate in watching, re-watching and re-re watching episodes of The Lizzie Bennet Diaries or 'LBD' as the series is popularly called.
It took me a few evenings to catch up on 95 episodes (each about 5 to 10 minute long) and a whole range of associated social media including the twitter, tumblr accounts of the characters who have been imaginatively re-incarnated into their 21st century American avatars.
The basic storyline stays true to the book but I loved the way some of the characters were given many more dimensions and how they sometimes appeared in unexpected forms and places. I hesitate to tell more for fear of spoiling it for those who intend to see it (please see them right from the start to make sense of what's happening!) but the two big surprises for me were the roles played by Lydia (esp the first half of the story) and Mr Collins.
LBD's Lizzie was fun but it took a while for my head to accept her as 'our modern-day Lizzie'. As each episode progressed, apart from willing her to change her mind about Mr D, I always looked forward to seeing the outfits and accessories she wore. I only recently found out that most of the cast wear their own clothes (That's a great wardrobe Lizzie (Ashley) and Jane (Laura)!). Charlotte brought just the right level of normality required to balance the chaos of the Bennet household.
Needless to say I had no peace of mind till I reached the episode when William Darcy finally makes an appearance. My first impression, much like Lizzie's, was of disappointment. Couldn't tell exactly what it was- too arrogant, too stiff, too much eye rolling, pointy nose? (Oh wait a minute, isn't that what Darcy is supposed to be like...) Anyhow it only took me two more episodes till I joined the million other women who agreed that we need to thank the make-up artist and the camera persons because no one can actually be that ridiculously good-looking and behave so Darcy-like at the same time. (Whew- glad I got that confession out of my system)
For the social media-cynic that I am, LBD has for better or worse succeeded in making me an avid follower of all LBD-related online activity including Google hangouts, trending Youtube mentions and watching the reaction of the fan clubs that are springing up everywhere on the webworld. I even started a ThisisMyJam account (thanks Gigi, I must be losing me marbles).
As they say all good things come to an end and sadly LBD just ended this week with their 100th episode. However for once I'm glad that the internet is 'forever', because the vlogs are just a click away to brighten the many dull grey days that define this island that was Lizzie's home and that of her brilliant creator.
Comments
Post a Comment