I'm thoroughly confused. I feel like Doc when Louisa was talking about horses and carriages and doves.
Oh, wait, 1/1 scale means full scale; is that right? So you're saying Port Isaac is a full-scale replica of Port Isaac? Or Portwenn? And that digitally enhanced photo of PI with the description, "Port Isaac in Cornwall given the model village look" with Photoshop is a follow-up to the joke, right? Ack! Head hurts. Help! Send in the horses and doves.
Rob was being clever and saying that Portwenn does exist as a model village - it is just 1/1 scale and not 1/32 or whatever they usually use to build models.
The picture on the site I sent is one I found that someone manipulated to make it look like a model village instead of a real one. They did a pretty good job - I could just see some giant people standing at the back looking down at the village :cool:
Please, let us be attentive! Are we talking about Port Isaac or Port Wenn? Keep in mind that time and space are a vacuum in fairy tales. When you enter this portal you will find yourself in no particular country or time. Scale is unimportant; that your mind is transported is important... Remember that the 18th century philosopher George Berkeley told us that since an object like the village of Port Wenn is actually an idea, then Port Wenn is an idea. (The same would apply to Port Isaac.) I hope this clears up any misunderstandings...
I also think many of the women characters - particularly Louisa - benefitted when there was a woman writer, but suffered when the show had none. I know that Edana Minghella fought for a DM that had more humanity and some redeeming traits - not just grumpiness - so a woman like Louisa would be interested in the Doc romantically. Not just attracted to him because of his - and her - pathology. I'm glad she fought for that.
This is fascinating. A bit off topic, but I remember watching a snip of Caroline Catz being interviewed on some UK talk show. The interviewer asked something about Doc Martin's grumpiness and how does Louisa put up with that (or something to that effect) and Caroline said: "Well, she loves him!" It was so sweet and succinct that it could have been Louisa herself talking.
Well no I don't agree that the DM script writers write women well. Sorry I think most of the women are a foil for DM so their characters and personality traits are twisted from one ep to the next to allow DM to play off them or to make a point.
AR is a psychiatrist And has said: people can't change. LGs character morph s5 to me was totally unrealistic and in s4 AJ wAs shrewish. Thanks to people on here some of this can be explained away but if they had some or even ONE female writer it would be much less of a problem.
Edana Minghella was great while she was there : )
I've been doing a series rewatch on my own (got to do something down here in the Panamanian rainforest). You are s right about Edana Minghella scripts. So far (I 'm now in S2 for the 5th time or so) every episode that is emotionally pivotal has had her input. They are the ones that have impactful dialogue with Martin and Louisa or Martin and his Mum. (That one really cuts deep). And I agree some of the women have changed or behaved in unrealistic ways. Just my opinion . I have a dh and 2 college age sons and I sure can't figure out sometimes what makes them do what they do or think what they think. But C'est la difference, no?
Regarding wedding music....the main thing that I would prefer is that they don't use something that sounds like bad lounge music (respectfully ..Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered...no). Here's my imagining : In The Port Wenn Effect Martin declines Louisa's invitation to the dance saying,"I can't dance." I think that he was lying. Many prep schools (Goodbye, Mr. Chips) make sure their young students are learned in the social graces. DM is not really uncoordinated although he is involved in some mishaps. For a big man I think he runs and moves well......hilariously in MBB in raving and karaoke. I think the have some beautiful piece of music and have DM shock Louisa with a lovely wedding dance. So he lied.
For all you lucky geographers, carry on. At least you've been to Port Isaac. I'm envious.
Please, let us be attentive! Are we talking about Port Isaac or Port Wenn? Keep in mind that time and space are a vacuum in fairy tales. When you enter this portal you will find yourself in no particular country or time. Scale is unimportant; that your mind is transported is important... Remember that the 18th century philosopher George Berkeley told us that since an object like the village of Port Wenn is actually an idea, then Port Wenn is an idea. (The same would apply to Port Isaac.) I hope this clears up any misunderstandings...
I was actually referencing both. Portwenn is played by a 1/1 model called "Port Isaac" :cool:
Please, let us be attentive! Are we talking about Port Isaac or Port Wenn? Keep in mind that time and space are a vacuum in fairy tales. When you enter this portal you will find yourself in no particular country or time. Scale is unimportant; that your mind is transported is important... Remember that the 18th century philosopher George Berkeley told us that since an object like the village of Port Wenn is actually an idea, then Port Wenn is an idea. (The same would apply to Port Isaac.) I hope this clears up any misunderstandings...
"No, NO!" yells Mrs. T, "This is not how the fairy tale is supposed to end!"
Does Camelot exist? Or the bridge of the starship Enterprise (pick a version-original, B, C, or D)? Or the mortally wounded Captain in Band of Brothers? Or Doc Martin and Louisa Glasson and their son James Henry?
My cats would never understand it They have not the capacity to reason and to DREAM. All those I mentioned do exist - as surely as Santa Claus, Superman, and Homer Simpson. They are as real as we can make them with our human brains and imaginations.
We can imagine past, present, and future and weave things that have not been, or might have been and then we, like Walter Mitty, can go where we cannot otherwise go.
When Martin nearly kills Holly and then saves her, wow! When Louisa leaps into his arms after he proposes. WOW! When Martin tells Louisa "I love you. I think it was from the very first time I met you." WOW!!!
Reality can be a harsh thing and not always fun. These entertainments can be almost as real, and fun, and they can teach us things we might not ever have experienced.
Is Portwenn real? In our heads, it is a real as its alter-ego Port Isaac. Do, do, do-do... Twilight Zone.
When Caroline Catz walks on set she becomes Louisa. Martin Clunes says when he puts on the tight shoes, and the braces, and the suit, and frowns, he is Martin Ellingham. Are they real? Go ask those who have been to Port Isaac to see for themselves. Real? yes - THEY ARE... in our minds, they are real.
Please, let us be attentive! Are we talking about Port Isaac or Port Wenn? Keep in mind that time and space are a vacuum in fairy tales. When you enter this portal you will find yourself in no particular country or time. Scale is unimportant; that your mind is transported is important... Remember that the 18th century philosopher George Berkeley told us that since an object like the village of Port Wenn is actually an idea, then Port Wenn is an idea. (The same would apply to Port Isaac.) I hope this clears up any misunderstandings...
"No, NO!" yells Mrs. T, "This is not how the fairy tale is supposed to end!"
Does Camelot exist? Or the bridge of the starship Enterprise (pick a version-original, B, C, or D)? Or the mortally wounded Captain in Band of Brothers? Or Doc Martin and Louisa Glasson and their son James Henry?
My cats would never understand it They have not the capacity to reason and to DREAM. All those I mentioned do exist - as surely as Santa Claus, Superman, and Homer Simpson. They are as real as we can make them with our human brains and imaginations.
We can imagine past, present, and future and weave things that have not been, or might have been and then we, like Walter Mitty, can go where we cannot otherwise go.
When Martin nearly kills Holly and then saves her, wow! When Louisa leaps into his arms after he proposes. WOW! When Martin tells Louisa "I love you. I think it was from the very first time I met you." WOW!!!
Reality can be a harsh thing and not always fun. These entertainments can be almost as real, and fun, and they can teach us things we might not ever have experienced.
Is Portwenn real? In our heads, it is a real as its alter-ego Port Isaac. Do, do, do-do... Twilight Zone.
When Caroline Catz walks on set she becomes Louisa. Martin Clunes says when he puts on the tight shoes, and the braces, and the suit, and frowns, he is Martin Ellingham. Are they real? Go ask those who have been to Port Isaac to see for themselves. Real? yes - THEY ARE... in our minds, they are real.
The thing that fascinates me and makes me question myself when I watch DM is are these writers and actors so clever that they really design foreshadowing and symbolism or are we.,am I...reading into certain things more than is intended. MC says the scripts take a long time to write and in Conniej's last posted interview states that PB and a panel of writers sit down together first. I found it interesting that MC gets very cross when things in the script aren't to his liking. No doubt he has final veto eh?
I mean what is the story with Louisa having 2 apples and a onion on her dashboard . No question about 2 tomatoes and a zucchini in Doc's hand. What do the Buddhas mean? I love, " I suppose it might be time for something new." I sometimes think it is a sophisticated joke on us. And I love it!
So gentle, intelligent and titillating in its very own way. I believe in it. (And the Enterprise too, mostly classic.)
The thing that fascinates me and makes me question myself when I watch DM is are these writers and actors so clever that they really design foreshadowing and symbolism or are we.,am I...reading into certain things more than is intended. MC says the scripts take a long time to write and in Conniej's last posted interview states that PB and a panel of writers sit down together first. I found it interesting that MC gets very cross when things in the script aren't to his liking. No doubt he has final veto eh?
I mean what is the story with Louisa having 2 apples and a onion on her dashboard . No question about 2 tomatoes and a zucchini in Doc's hand. What do the Buddhas mean? I love, " I suppose it might be time for something new." I sometimes think it is a sophisticated joke on us. And I love it!
So gentle, intelligent and titillating in its very own way. I believe in it. (And the Enterprise too, mostly classic.)
Apples may mean sweetness contrasting with the sharp taste and smell of an onion. The bitter with the sweet? Or on a baser note the fruits and veg represent female reproductive attributes.
We're you reading that without your glasses? That is a pound (£) sign, not a "3"
Ha! I have a new MacBook Air with a very small screen. Now already small 6 pt type looks like 2 pt type - but it fits in my bag! Wonder how many other things I have been misreading. From now on anyone who disagrees or wants to discount anything I have to say - just tell me I need my glasses!
I mean what is the story with Louisa having 2 apples and a onion on her dashboard . No question about 2 tomatoes and a zucchini in Doc's hand. What do the Buddhas mean? I love, " I suppose it might be time for something new." I sometimes think it is a sophisticated joke on us. And I love it!
We think we know the story of the Buddhas. Dominic Minghella says he thinks he came up with the Buddha as an ironic statement: the "Chinese God of Happiness" confronting the Doc who is often not happy.
Ha! I have a new MacBook Air with a very small screen. Now already small 6 pt type looks like 2 pt type - but it fits in my bag! Wonder how many other things I have been misreading. From now on anyone who disagrees or wants to discount anything I have to say - just tell me I need my glasses!
Yeah - and I just noticed my autocorrect made me look like an idiot. (we're - were)
Apples may mean sweetness contrasting with the sharp taste and smell of an onion. The bitter with the sweet? Or on a baser note the fruits and veg represent female reproductive attributes.
The thing that fascinates me and makes me question myself when I watch DM is are these writers and actors so clever that they really design foreshadowing and symbolism or are we.,am I...reading into certain things more than is intended. MC says the scripts take a long time to write and in Conniej's last posted interview states that PB and a panel of writers sit down together first. I found it interesting that MC gets very cross when things in the script aren't to his liking. No doubt he has final veto eh?
I mean what is the story with Louisa having 2 apples and a onion on her dashboard . No question about 2 tomatoes and a zucchini in Doc's hand. What do the Buddhas mean? I love, " I suppose it might be time for something new." I sometimes think it is a sophisticated joke on us. And I love it!
So gentle, intelligent and titillating in its very own way. I believe in it. (And the Enterprise too, mostly classic.)
Your comments about the foreshadowing, etc. are interesting and something I can't help but wonder about. I can understand how it can work across a series as MC always says "it takes a long time to write the scripts and get them right", which is where I imagine that kind of symbolism and foreshadowing and every other little tidbit can get attended to. As to "final veto", I'm not so sure whether that comes pre-production, or just as part of the filming when something isn't working. We've heard MC talk about that. And it is not unusual for scriptwriters to do rewrites overnight even when needed. One of the reasons "Saving Grace" was easier than normal to make according to the director (I think), was that the scriptwriter was also one of the main characters (actor/comedian Craig Ferguson), who therefore was always on hand to do rewrites when things weren't working.
I do think that actors that know their characters often have something to contribute that the writer or director haven't thought of and it gets included when it is recognized as right. And MC's wicked sense of humor can come up with any amount of comedic touches, I truly believe.
As to his crossness, part of his attitude came out in an interview where he talks about writers suddenly wanting to be also an associate producer or some other such "bigger" credit. And we know that part of why he loves Philippa is that she doesn't "big herself up." I think he likes when people just do their job, as that's pretty much how he is, which is why we like him and think he is so down to earth.
Absolutely agree with your last paragraph. Something very sublime!
Ha! I have a new MacBook Air with a very small screen. Now already small 6 pt type looks like 2 pt type - but it fits in my bag! Wonder how many other things I have been misreading. From now on anyone who disagrees or wants to discount anything I have to say - just tell me I need my glasses!
Whew!! Glad to hear it's just another technological wonder problem! I was worried.;)
and there is (or wras) a cameraman named Roger Onions.
I think sometimes they do play around, e.g., with movie allusions, and the fruits and veg, but also give us hints and foreshadowing of what is going to happen == someone used the word "subliminal" to
describe their expository technique and that seems about right for lots of it.
"No, NO!" yells Mrs. T, "This is not how the fairy tale is supposed to end!"
Does Camelot exist? Or the bridge of the starship Enterprise (pick a version-original, B, C, or D)? Or the mortally wounded Captain in Band of Brothers? Or Doc Martin and Louisa Glasson and their son James Henry?
My cats would never understand it They have not the capacity to reason and to DREAM. All those I mentioned do exist - as surely as Santa Claus, Superman, and Homer Simpson. They are as real as we can make them with our human brains and imaginations.
We can imagine past, present, and future and weave things that have not been, or might have been and then we, like Walter Mitty, can go where we cannot otherwise go.
When Martin nearly kills Holly and then saves her, wow! When Louisa leaps into his arms after he proposes. WOW! When Martin tells Louisa "I love you. I think it was from the very first time I met you." WOW!!!
Reality can be a harsh thing and not always fun. These entertainments can be almost as real, and fun, and they can teach us things we might not ever have experienced.
Is Portwenn real? In our heads, it is a real as its alter-ego Port Isaac. Do, do, do-do... Twilight Zone.
When Caroline Catz walks on set she becomes Louisa. Martin Clunes says when he puts on the tight shoes, and the braces, and the suit, and frowns, he is Martin Ellingham. Are they real? Go ask those who have been to Port Isaac to see for themselves. Real? yes - THEY ARE... in our minds, they are real.
Fairy tales because..."Deeper meaning resides in the fairy tales told to me in my childhood than in the truth that is taught by life." (Friedrich von Schiller) In that the fairy tale helps us to transcend our daily mundane lives and gives us the chance for transformation, I would think, Rob, that we are in complete agreement. This is what the world of creativity and fantasy is about! As for my comment on George Berkeley's Idealism, perhaps it was uncalled for here. Although I do hold with his notion that reality (i.e. the real world) can only be known through ideas in the mind; thus everything we know in the real world is actually an idea. Anyway, I was being a bit facetious in my comments because of the confusion over scale and probably should have used a ";)". I'll end with two favourite quotes: For Mrs Tishell: "What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from." T.S. Eliot For you, Rob: "To know is nothing at all; to imagine is everything." Einstein
P.S. I don't know about your cats, but mine are fond of Mozart and there is something definitely going on behind those beautiful eyes!
Last Romantic - love your choices - .
What about Gershwin's (1927) Love Walked In:
Love walked right in and drove the shadows away
Love walked right in and brought my sunniest day
One magic moment and my heart seemed to know,
That love said "Hello"
Though not a word was spoken. . .
The meeting of DM & LG at the interview process S1E1
Thank you, marchrand! Sorry, I missed replying to you yesterday. You've provided the perfect song for that scene. Perhaps we'll have to match a variety of songs to the episodes and scenes? Quite a task knowing how unpredictable the two of them are....
The thing that fascinates me and makes me question myself when I watch DM is are these writers and actors so clever that they really design foreshadowing and symbolism or are we.,am I...reading into certain things more than is intended. MC says the scripts take a long time to write and in Conniej's last posted interview states that PB and a panel of writers sit down together first. I found it interesting that MC gets very cross when things in the script aren't to his liking. No doubt he has final veto eh?
I mean what is the story with Louisa having 2 apples and a onion on her dashboard . No question about 2 tomatoes and a zucchini in Doc's hand. What do the Buddhas mean? I love, " I suppose it might be time for something new." I sometimes think it is a sophisticated joke on us. And I love it!
So gentle, intelligent and titillating in its very own way. I believe in it. (And the Enterprise too, mostly classic.)
I've wondered about that too--how much meaning is intended? How much am I missing? Well obviously, a few things! When did Louisa have the apples and onion and Martin, the tomatoes with zucchini?
I was interested to notice when I got a Doc Martin DVD from the library and was stopping it frame by frame on my computer how carefully the set had been designed for the scene where the pregnant Louisa is visiting the old man whose house she is hoping to rent. The place is extremely messy (as it would be for someone in that situation) but small details had been attended to that one would probably not notice being caught up in the story with the scene passing by quickly. Perhaps this is the art of drawing the audience in--very clever and affecting!
Fairy tales because..."Deeper meaning resides in the fairy tales told to me in my childhood than in the truth that is taught by life." (Friedrich von Schiller) In that the fairy tale helps us to transcend our daily mundane lives and gives us the chance for transformation, I would think, Rob, that we are in complete agreement. This is what the world of creativity and fantasy is about! As for my comment on George Berkeley's Idealism, perhaps it was uncalled for here. Although I do hold with his notion that reality (i.e. the real world) can only be known through ideas in the mind; thus everything we know in the real world is actually an idea. Anyway, I was being a bit facetious in my comments because of the confusion over scale and probably should have used a ";)". I'll end with two favourite quotes: For Mrs Tishell: "What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from." T.S. Eliot For you, Rob: "To know is nothing at all; to imagine is everything." Einstein
P.S. I don't know about your cats, but mine are fond of Mozart and there is something definitely going on behind those beautiful eyes!
If the set designers were in the U.S they should get an Emmy for their achievement. The sets are almost always wonderfully well thought out and subtle, like everything else about this series.
DM is at once utilizing the structure and form of fairy tales and myths and poking fun at it, as in the opening scene of S3, E1.
Interesting that MC has been quoted as saying, e.g., that the wedding coming off in S3E6 would have been "a fairy tale ending" and I think he said that disapprovingly. Perhaps a lot of the tension that hooks us in to DM is that we keep expecting a resolution that resonates with such traditional tale-telling, but so far it has never quite come, and it is like listening to a piece of music with the final chords still unresolved. (to mix metaphors wildly).
On a lighter note, Last Romantic, you might enjoy googling for "tropes used in DocMartin." It's quite good fun.
Somewhere earlier in this very long Part, we had a discussion of Joseph Campbell, and somehow that segued into a discussion of common themes in story telling. I learned a lot.
If the set designers were in the U.S they should get an Emmy for their achievement. The sets are almost always wonderfully well thought out and subtle, like everything else about this series.
In Mr. Routledge's house, where LG lives for a time, the scene with the midwife and her "paddling pool" there is a photo on the table in the corner. A close look shows six kids in school uniforms (I think) holding up signs. I suppose this represents a school thing, like best art prize or best starfish story, etc. For the photo to exist in that scene shows the sort of detail that they use, pardoning the traveling Buddha, of course.
We all know this is all pretend? .. yes!;) :rolleyes:
I don't think we do know it's pretend, but it is not because we are crazy. Prior to RubyRedi's post, I had been reflecting on why I care so much about these characters, and have concluded that the evolution of my reptilian brain has not caught up with the technology of today. More than other TV shows, often during highly emotional scenes the shooting has DM and LG looking right into the camera. As I sit in front of a 40" high definition TV, the characters are looking directly at me. They are talking to me. Coupled with the incredible acting, I don't think my subconscious emotional center really does know the difference between whether this is real or not. Emotionally, I have met these people and they have been in my home.;)
Fairy tales because..."Deeper meaning resides in the fairy tales told to me in my childhood than in the truth that is taught by life." (Friedrich von Schiller) In that the fairy tale helps us to transcend our daily mundane lives and gives us the chance for transformation, I would think, Rob, that we are in complete agreement. This is what the world of creativity and fantasy is about! As for my comment on George Berkeley's Idealism, perhaps it was uncalled for here. Although I do hold with his notion that reality (i.e. the real world) can only be known through ideas in the mind; thus everything we know in the real world is actually an idea. Anyway, I was being a bit facetious in my comments because of the confusion over scale and probably should have used a ";)". I'll end with two favourite quotes: For Mrs Tishell: "What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from." T.S. Eliot For you, Rob: "To know is nothing at all; to imagine is everything." Einstein
P.S. I don't know about your cats, but mine are fond of Mozart and there is something definitely going on belhind those beautiful eyes!
Morning all....not the forum for "Two and a Half Men" eh?
Comments
Please, let us be attentive! Are we talking about Port Isaac or Port Wenn? Keep in mind that time and space are a vacuum in fairy tales. When you enter this portal you will find yourself in no particular country or time. Scale is unimportant; that your mind is transported is important... Remember that the 18th century philosopher George Berkeley told us that since an object like the village of Port Wenn is actually an idea, then Port Wenn is an idea. (The same would apply to Port Isaac.) I hope this clears up any misunderstandings...
This is fascinating. A bit off topic, but I remember watching a snip of Caroline Catz being interviewed on some UK talk show. The interviewer asked something about Doc Martin's grumpiness and how does Louisa put up with that (or something to that effect) and Caroline said: "Well, she loves him!" It was so sweet and succinct that it could have been Louisa herself talking.
I've been doing a series rewatch on my own (got to do something down here in the Panamanian rainforest). You are s right about Edana Minghella scripts. So far (I 'm now in S2 for the 5th time or so) every episode that is emotionally pivotal has had her input. They are the ones that have impactful dialogue with Martin and Louisa or Martin and his Mum. (That one really cuts deep). And I agree some of the women have changed or behaved in unrealistic ways. Just my opinion . I have a dh and 2 college age sons and I sure can't figure out sometimes what makes them do what they do or think what they think. But C'est la difference, no?
Regarding wedding music....the main thing that I would prefer is that they don't use something that sounds like bad lounge music (respectfully ..Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered...no). Here's my imagining : In The Port Wenn Effect Martin declines Louisa's invitation to the dance saying,"I can't dance." I think that he was lying. Many prep schools (Goodbye, Mr. Chips) make sure their young students are learned in the social graces. DM is not really uncoordinated although he is involved in some mishaps. For a big man I think he runs and moves well......hilariously in MBB in raving and karaoke. I think the have some beautiful piece of music and have DM shock Louisa with a lovely wedding dance. So he lied.
For all you lucky geographers, carry on. At least you've been to Port Isaac. I'm envious.
I was actually referencing both. Portwenn is played by a 1/1 model called "Port Isaac" :cool:
Yes, wrong, wrong, wrong. First book by Sam North is 5.59 pounds.:)
"No, NO!" yells Mrs. T, "This is not how the fairy tale is supposed to end!"
Does Camelot exist? Or the bridge of the starship Enterprise (pick a version-original, B, C, or D)? Or the mortally wounded Captain in Band of Brothers? Or Doc Martin and Louisa Glasson and their son James Henry?
My cats would never understand it They have not the capacity to reason and to DREAM. All those I mentioned do exist - as surely as Santa Claus, Superman, and Homer Simpson. They are as real as we can make them with our human brains and imaginations.
We can imagine past, present, and future and weave things that have not been, or might have been and then we, like Walter Mitty, can go where we cannot otherwise go.
When Martin nearly kills Holly and then saves her, wow! When Louisa leaps into his arms after he proposes. WOW! When Martin tells Louisa "I love you. I think it was from the very first time I met you." WOW!!!
Reality can be a harsh thing and not always fun. These entertainments can be almost as real, and fun, and they can teach us things we might not ever have experienced.
Is Portwenn real? In our heads, it is a real as its alter-ego Port Isaac. Do, do, do-do... Twilight Zone.
When Caroline Catz walks on set she becomes Louisa. Martin Clunes says when he puts on the tight shoes, and the braces, and the suit, and frowns, he is Martin Ellingham. Are they real? Go ask those who have been to Port Isaac to see for themselves. Real? yes - THEY ARE... in our minds, they are real.
Thanks! Maybe I've been watching too much DM! I was being too literal, just like the Doc with the horses and doves!
We're you reading that without your glasses? That is a pound (£) sign, not a "3"
The thing that fascinates me and makes me question myself when I watch DM is are these writers and actors so clever that they really design foreshadowing and symbolism or are we.,am I...reading into certain things more than is intended. MC says the scripts take a long time to write and in Conniej's last posted interview states that PB and a panel of writers sit down together first. I found it interesting that MC gets very cross when things in the script aren't to his liking. No doubt he has final veto eh?
I mean what is the story with Louisa having 2 apples and a onion on her dashboard . No question about 2 tomatoes and a zucchini in Doc's hand. What do the Buddhas mean? I love, " I suppose it might be time for something new." I sometimes think it is a sophisticated joke on us. And I love it!
So gentle, intelligent and titillating in its very own way. I believe in it. (And the Enterprise too, mostly classic.)
Apples may mean sweetness contrasting with the sharp taste and smell of an onion. The bitter with the sweet? Or on a baser note the fruits and veg represent female reproductive attributes.
Ha! I have a new MacBook Air with a very small screen. Now already small 6 pt type looks like 2 pt type - but it fits in my bag! Wonder how many other things I have been misreading. From now on anyone who disagrees or wants to discount anything I have to say - just tell me I need my glasses!
We think we know the story of the Buddhas. Dominic Minghella says he thinks he came up with the Buddha as an ironic statement: the "Chinese God of Happiness" confronting the Doc who is often not happy.
Yeah - and I just noticed my autocorrect made me look like an idiot. (we're - were)
(normally a grammar nazi)
And onions have layers.
Your comments about the foreshadowing, etc. are interesting and something I can't help but wonder about. I can understand how it can work across a series as MC always says "it takes a long time to write the scripts and get them right", which is where I imagine that kind of symbolism and foreshadowing and every other little tidbit can get attended to. As to "final veto", I'm not so sure whether that comes pre-production, or just as part of the filming when something isn't working. We've heard MC talk about that. And it is not unusual for scriptwriters to do rewrites overnight even when needed. One of the reasons "Saving Grace" was easier than normal to make according to the director (I think), was that the scriptwriter was also one of the main characters (actor/comedian Craig Ferguson), who therefore was always on hand to do rewrites when things weren't working.
I do think that actors that know their characters often have something to contribute that the writer or director haven't thought of and it gets included when it is recognized as right. And MC's wicked sense of humor can come up with any amount of comedic touches, I truly believe.
As to his crossness, part of his attitude came out in an interview where he talks about writers suddenly wanting to be also an associate producer or some other such "bigger" credit. And we know that part of why he loves Philippa is that she doesn't "big herself up." I think he likes when people just do their job, as that's pretty much how he is, which is why we like him and think he is so down to earth.
Absolutely agree with your last paragraph. Something very sublime!
Whew!! Glad to hear it's just another technological wonder problem! I was worried.;)
and there is (or wras) a cameraman named Roger Onions.
I think sometimes they do play around, e.g., with movie allusions, and the fruits and veg, but also give us hints and foreshadowing of what is going to happen == someone used the word "subliminal" to
describe their expository technique and that seems about right for lots of it.
Fairy tales because..."Deeper meaning resides in the fairy tales told to me in my childhood than in the truth that is taught by life." (Friedrich von Schiller) In that the fairy tale helps us to transcend our daily mundane lives and gives us the chance for transformation, I would think, Rob, that we are in complete agreement. This is what the world of creativity and fantasy is about! As for my comment on George Berkeley's Idealism, perhaps it was uncalled for here. Although I do hold with his notion that reality (i.e. the real world) can only be known through ideas in the mind; thus everything we know in the real world is actually an idea. Anyway, I was being a bit facetious in my comments because of the confusion over scale and probably should have used a ";)". I'll end with two favourite quotes:
For Mrs Tishell: "What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from." T.S. Eliot
For you, Rob: "To know is nothing at all; to imagine is everything." Einstein
P.S. I don't know about your cats, but mine are fond of Mozart and there is something definitely going on behind those beautiful eyes!
Thank you, marchrand! Sorry, I missed replying to you yesterday. You've provided the perfect song for that scene. Perhaps we'll have to match a variety of songs to the episodes and scenes? Quite a task knowing how unpredictable the two of them are....
I've wondered about that too--how much meaning is intended? How much am I missing? Well obviously, a few things! When did Louisa have the apples and onion and Martin, the tomatoes with zucchini?
I was interested to notice when I got a Doc Martin DVD from the library and was stopping it frame by frame on my computer how carefully the set had been designed for the scene where the pregnant Louisa is visiting the old man whose house she is hoping to rent. The place is extremely messy (as it would be for someone in that situation) but small details had been attended to that one would probably not notice being caught up in the story with the scene passing by quickly. Perhaps this is the art of drawing the audience in--very clever and affecting!
If the set designers were in the U.S they should get an Emmy for their achievement. The sets are almost always wonderfully well thought out and subtle, like everything else about this series.
DM is at once utilizing the structure and form of fairy tales and myths and poking fun at it, as in the opening scene of S3, E1.
Interesting that MC has been quoted as saying, e.g., that the wedding coming off in S3E6 would have been "a fairy tale ending" and I think he said that disapprovingly. Perhaps a lot of the tension that hooks us in to DM is that we keep expecting a resolution that resonates with such traditional tale-telling, but so far it has never quite come, and it is like listening to a piece of music with the final chords still unresolved. (to mix metaphors wildly).
On a lighter note, Last Romantic, you might enjoy googling for "tropes used in DocMartin." It's quite good fun.
Somewhere earlier in this very long Part, we had a discussion of Joseph Campbell, and somehow that segued into a discussion of common themes in story telling. I learned a lot.
And I am of the "chair-kicking" school.
In Mr. Routledge's house, where LG lives for a time, the scene with the midwife and her "paddling pool" there is a photo on the table in the corner. A close look shows six kids in school uniforms (I think) holding up signs. I suppose this represents a school thing, like best art prize or best starfish story, etc. For the photo to exist in that scene shows the sort of detail that they use, pardoning the traveling Buddha, of course.
I don't think we do know it's pretend, but it is not because we are crazy. Prior to RubyRedi's post, I had been reflecting on why I care so much about these characters, and have concluded that the evolution of my reptilian brain has not caught up with the technology of today. More than other TV shows, often during highly emotional scenes the shooting has DM and LG looking right into the camera. As I sit in front of a 40" high definition TV, the characters are looking directly at me. They are talking to me. Coupled with the incredible acting, I don't think my subconscious emotional center really does know the difference between whether this is real or not. Emotionally, I have met these people and they have been in my home.;)
Morning all....not the forum for "Two and a Half Men" eh?
In the chorus:
So when you sense a change
Nothing feels the same
All your dreams are strange
Love comes walking' in...
And the last lines:
Ohh, there she stands in a silken gown,
Silver lights shining down.