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'To Walk Invisible' - BBC Biopic on The Bronte sisters (December)


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Old 30-12-2016, 17:46
smude
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The parsonage got it's water from a spring which ran through the churchyard. It was probably contaminated from the bodies of people who died of consumption. Gruesome I know but this is a theory that I heard. The story of the younger sisters is sad. They died young as a result maybe of the brutal conditions they encountered when they were sent to boarding school.
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Old 30-12-2016, 17:55
Kitty_Martinez
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they're girlie books

I accept that they are classics, but I've no desire to read one

tim
Nothing remotely girlie about Wuthering Heights. People have this misconception that it's romantic but it's actually dark and rather brutal.
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Old 30-12-2016, 17:58
anyonefortennis
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Nothing remotely girlie about Wuthering Heights. People have this misconception that it's romantic but it's actually dark and rather brutal.
I agree. The comment was obviously made by someone who judged the novel without knowing anything about it. Just because something is written by a woman doesn't necessarily mean it's girlie.
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Old 30-12-2016, 18:10
Granny McSmith
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The parsonage got it's water from a spring which ran through the churchyard. It was probably contaminated from the bodies of people who died of consumption. Gruesome I know but this is a theory that I heard. The story of the younger sisters is sad. They died young as a result maybe of the brutal conditions they encountered when they were sent to boarding school.
I have read this, too. I also read that the Rev Patrick Bronte was instrumental in getting the water supply for Haworth cleaned up.

Haworth churchyard is one of the grimmest, bleakest places I have ever visited, and I'm a churchyard aficionado.
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Old 30-12-2016, 18:15
Granny McSmith
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they're girlie books

I accept that they are classics, but I've no desire to read one

tim
Made me laugh.

I'm not keen on the books, either. I'm really only interested in the Brontes because they lived down the road from me. I thought Villette was unreadable, Wuthering Heights was downright nasty, Jane Eyre (the character) was irritating and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall too boringly pious.

Give me Jane Austen any day of the week (though her books really are girlie ).
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Old 30-12-2016, 18:37
jelleygirl
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Wuthering Heights has been my absolute favourite since I was a teenager, and my daughter's middle name is Ellis as a tribute to that! I'm always having to explain why she has a 'boys' name, hopefully a few people will have seen this and realise what I'm on about now!
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Old 30-12-2016, 18:37
Tiggywink
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They were all born in Yorkshire so wouldn't have Irish accents. Only their father came from NI, their mother from Cornwall. You have the accent of the place you grow up in, not that of a parent....
From what I've read about them, the father educated them for some time at home and as they had a lot less contact with people outside the parsonage, historians think they, esp Charlotte spoke with an Irish brogue like her father.

Branwell is a wimp.
The actor was brilliant IMO. As the only son in a family of (originally) 5 girls, the weight of expectation was always going to be on his shoulders. Coupled however with the fact that, again as the only son, he was probably spoilt, he was never going to be made of strong stuff. He was self indulgent and certainly weak. He had been made to believe he was the bee's knees which of course made failure unbearbale to him and indeed the family.

I wish it had just focused on the sisters. Their story is a lot more interesting.
But living with an alcoholic made a huge impression on their daily lives and indeed some inspiration for their characters; Hindley, says Emily, is based on her brother and TofWH (Anne's) is all about alcoholism and how it destroys lives.

Am quite impressed with the actor playing Branwell and he has done quite a few things: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1835523/
I thought he was fantastic.

Have never read any Bronte.
This makes me want to.
Most people have their favourites. I started off with WH and still think it's the most gripping one of all. I tried to read JE but I dislike the first person narrative so I prefer the film versions.
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Old 30-12-2016, 18:52
theid
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Loved Wuthering Heights when I was young and first read it, but the Brontes and Austen pale by comparison with Dickens and Balzac, who cover every part and strata of society and don't limit themselves to a small area or class.

Wasn't expecting much of this docu-drama but it was brilliant. Getting to the point where I would expect nothing less from Sally Wainwright!!!
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Old 30-12-2016, 20:29
the_lostprophet
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Have never read any Bronte.
This makes me want to.
Well worth it - I have found each novel that I've read very gripping. Haven't read Emily's poetry yet though.

Re. post - #54 - I don't know much about the father's background but it was said in this that he went to Cambridge so he was certainly well educated - that could account for a certain amount of 'poshness'.

I found this a bit slow and disappointing for the first hour and Charlotte and Emily in particular weren't how I imagined them to be. However the second hour was an improvement and I got into it much more. So sad that Emily and Anne died five months of each other....and not long after Branwell! Poor ol' Charlotte left behind. No wonder they were so scared of 'catching a chill' in those days when you think that Emily's TB was triggered just from that.
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Old 30-12-2016, 20:32
alan29
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People who think that because a woman wrote something its feeble need to sit in on a childbirth.
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Old 30-12-2016, 20:35
the_lostprophet
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Nothing remotely girlie about Wuthering Heights. People have this misconception that it's romantic but it's actually dark and rather brutal.
Yep I was actually surprised how much violence and general discord was in it considering it was written by a relatively young girl in the 19th C. Some crazy as hell characters in that!
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Old 30-12-2016, 20:41
the_lostprophet
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There was no recording equipment back then so we have no idea of how one particular family would have spoken.
Have downloaded Wuthering Heights as my first Bronte book as a result of watching it.
If you've downloaded it, it might not come with a character map. I found that my copy didn't as I read it on my Kindle. I found the various family links confusing and couldn't work out how they were nearly all inter-related so went looking for a map and it really helped. Here is one incase you want it: http://www.wuthering-heights.co.uk/genealogy.php
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Old 30-12-2016, 21:06
alan29
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If you've downloaded it, it might not come with a character map. I found that my copy didn't as I read it on my Kindle. I found the various family links confusing and couldn't work out how they were nearly all inter-related so went looking for a map and it really helped. Here is one incase you want it: http://www.wuthering-heights.co.uk/genealogy.php
Cheers for that.
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Old 30-12-2016, 21:26
Horace Wimp
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Quite a tender and moving scene the sisters preparing their brother's body for burial.

However, we all are sort of glad that intimate task is now undertaken by the, erm, well, undertaker.
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Old 30-12-2016, 21:33
Crawley Cutie
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Does the title "To Walk Invisible" refer directly to Branwell, so this is his story..... He was eclipsed by his sisters but may have had as much talent.....

The Bronte sisters, 'Walked invisible' because of their status as women. In order to publish, they had to acquire pseudonyms..
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Old 31-12-2016, 00:06
ennui 57
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they're girlie books

I accept that they are classics, but I've no desire to read one

tim
If they were so 'girlie' how come it was accepted that they were written by men?

I was actually moved to a little tear at the end. (Perhaps I was just tired)
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Old 31-12-2016, 00:32
barrowgirl
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I visited the temporary house they built on nearby Penistone Hill which stood in for the Parsonage .It was brilliantly done , it's a shame they had to pull it down.I was amazed by the reception the sisters got in London - declaring they were the real authors .I really doubt that would have been that easy to overcome men's prejudice then and the men just fawned at their feet ! .

As far as I knew the family lived in abject poverty and in winter they froze in their tiny inadequate slippers (on show in the real Parsonage ).Also the image I had of meek and mild dad was nothing like I imagined .I thought he compounded their misery by forcing them to take menial jobs .The depiction of Branwell with his bright red hair and juvenile behaviour was a shock too ! I imagined he'd be dark haired with a brooding dark nature , hooked on laudenum to help him express his dark thoughts into art.

Haworth is bleak in the winter and lethal underfoot on that cobbled steep main street but it's worth the journey if you are into the Bronte's and the past
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Old 31-12-2016, 09:14
Sammmymack
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WH gets all the attention due to all the movie adaptations.
....and thanks to Kate Bush!
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Old 31-12-2016, 09:28
gomezz
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I watched this as a matinee yesterday afternoon and really enjoyed it.
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Old 02-01-2017, 09:28
pondsman
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I've never read any of the books, I've only seen films or TV adaptations of the novels.
I did visit the parsonage many years ago and remember it as a very bleak place.
However, I found this film excellent as an attempt to show the lives of the Bronte family and how the sisters got their work out to the public. I agree that the enthusiastic reception of Charlotte and Anne in London seemed unlikely considering the place of women in society at that time, but it seems it did happen like that.
I'm sure that I enjoyed the film so much due to the excellent casting and writing. All five principal characters were very well portrayed by fine actors who had a very good script to work with. In particular, the roles of Branwell and Emily were very good. Not easy to portray difficult people on screen and engage the sympathy of the audience for them, but I thought the two actors did that very well here. Really enjoyed the two hours!
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Old 02-01-2017, 11:09
holly berry
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I also enjoyed Wainwright's unsentimental take on the key relationships at the parsonage and in particular the relationship between the sisters, the father and Branwell who, as a child, was seen as the one most destined to achieve artistic greatness.

Just goes to show how wrong you can be
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Old 02-01-2017, 13:42
IRITALIA
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What a fabulous drama that was.
Thank you iPlayer.
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Old 02-01-2017, 19:30
daziechain
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What a fabulous drama that was.
Thank you iPlayer.
Yes ... it was great to have it tucked away. I knew I could rely on it today to fill a boring afternoon.
A real treat and fabulously acted by all. I wanted more of it though, could have happily had another episode of the same length.
Wuthering Heights is one of my fave books. Extraordinary that Emily could write such a book when her life was pretty confined. This drama gave such an insight though into her passionate nature.
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Old 04-01-2017, 04:13
SULLA
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Why are they featuring Bramwell so much when he was the least famous and least interesting member of the family.
Moree to write about I guess

Does the title "To Walk Invisible" refer directly to Branwell, so this is his story..... He was eclipsed by his sisters but may have had as much talent.....
or it's about all the attention being given to him rather than his sisters

WH gets all the attention due to all the movie adaptations.
and they usually only cover the first half of the book.
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