BS: War of the Worlds film by the BBC (2018)

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds film by the BBC (2018)
From: keberoxu
Date: 12 Feb 20 - 12:05 PM

AMC Premiere, which is the AMC cable network's
commercial-free streaming service,
has made a deal to distribute
BBC's The War Of The Worlds.

announced 11 February 2020

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds film by the BBC (2018)
From: keberoxu
Date: 02 Dec 19 - 11:53 PM

Well, I will not spoil the BBC version further, in this post.
I will just say that (unable to watch, in the USA)
I looked online for reviews of the show,
the third and final episode just aired last night in the UK.

So I read the spoiler review elsewhere for the conclusion.
And WHOA!    Changes left, right, and center!
It sounds dreadfully confusing.

Now it comes out, in one soundbite in the news,
that one of the writer/editor/producer/adaptors
had suffered a bereavement at about the time
that this person was working on the H G Wells assignment;
and -- not naming the person, but the soundbite names them --
this person decided that
the bereavement would be a better way to end the film
than the actual ending that H. G. Wells wrote.

That kind of makes me ... feel ...
well, just as well I couldn't watch the show after all.

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds film by the BBC (2018)
From: Donuel
Date: 27 Nov 19 - 05:11 PM

The semiphore version of your haiku is even more powerful.

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds film by the BBC (2018)
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 27 Nov 19 - 12:00 PM

Haiku time:

Martians came to earth
In merc'ry powered rockets
Fuelled from Hg wells.



(my response to a haiku competition from the BSFA back in the 80s)

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds film by the BBC (2018)
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 27 Nov 19 - 07:38 AM

Superbly acted and filmed but I am not too sure about the choping and changing of both the timeline and the plot. I will certainly watch it through to see what they do with it. HG Wells it isn't!

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds film by the BBC (2018)
From: Donuel
Date: 27 Nov 19 - 07:20 AM

Where is the theme that the greater the adversity the more there is a unifying empathy? There is the tradjedy of self pity and the bravery of others. Spoiler alert: The smallest and meekest not only inherits the Earth it ...ta da...saves Earth.

btw in the movie Titanic, it sinks in the end.

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds film by the BBC (2018)
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 26 Nov 19 - 10:36 PM

Mrs Backwoodsperson loves it. I think it’s not so good (apart from the delicious Eleanor Tomlinson, for whom I would forsake my pension if she asked it of me!).

There seems to be far more - and far too much - ‘going on’ in the BBC production, when compared with the book, although that could simply be my old brain mis-remembering. And I always feel uncomfortable when movie-images clash with my own mental images derived from reading the book.

Or maybe I’m just becoming an old curmudgeon.

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds film by the BBC (2018)
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 26 Nov 19 - 04:38 PM

I've watched the first two parts. I don't know if I'll bother with the third one. It could have been great, but I think theyblew it with the way they"developed" HG Wells pared down story, and the totallyconfusing narrative structure they adopted.

H G Weels knew how to tell a story. They should have followed his lead.

A terrible disappointment.

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds film by the BBC (2018)
From: keberoxu
Date: 25 Nov 19 - 01:10 PM

Is anybody watching the series in the UK?

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds film by the BBC (2018)
From: keberoxu
Date: 16 Nov 19 - 02:41 PM

I cannot link to it, being in the USA and
not a subscriber.

But The Times [London]
published a feature story on the
BBC adaptation of The War of the Worlds.

The little I can make out, or have seen comments elsewhere on the story:
the journalist writing for The Times
considers the life, career, and reputation of
author H. G. Wells,
and how these are brought to bear in altering the storyline.

In particular there is the subject of Wells' relationships.
In real life, Wells went from one marriage to another, and
in one instance at least,
he left one marriage and moved in with his next intended
BEFORE the divorce;
it seems that said intended was named Amy.

And that, it seems, is why the BBC film's female protagonist,
living with a married man (the book's narrator),
is named Amy.


Anybody look at this published story first-hand?

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds film by the BBC (2018)
From: Rain Dog
Date: 08 Nov 19 - 09:12 AM

Episode 1 - 21.00 Sunday 17.11.19 on BBC 1

War of the Worlds

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds film by the BBC (2018)
From: Rain Dog
Date: 04 Nov 19 - 04:22 AM

Looks like it will be shown on BBC 1 UK in November. No date announced yet as far as I can see

War of the Worlds BBC 1 UK

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds film by the BBC (2018)
From: robomatic
Date: 30 Oct 19 - 11:59 PM

Yeah, I was wondering. The version I watched was the two part version. IMDB has it as a three parter.

I can't give it high marks for the reason I stated above. The acting was okay, the period backgrounds were like Downton Abbey. But the story and the dialogue were sub-par. I've already gone into it above.

Meanwhile there is about to be another miniseries "War of the Worlds" which I think is done in French. It is going to be released in November I think. I'll try to get to see it.

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds film by the BBC (2018)
From: keberoxu
Date: 30 Oct 19 - 02:08 PM

Another review, this time by a New Zealand critic.

"part period-romance, part Armageddon, and wholly British"

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds film by the BBC (2018)
From: robomatic
Date: 23 Oct 19 - 01:39 PM

I've now seen the second episode in the series and I am a bit less bloody minded than I was after the first.

It has tried to use TWOTW as a sounding board for issues of today. Which is what H.G. Wells did with his stories and novels. So the writers took liberties for their own ends.

SPOILERS FOLLOW

But I do not find it terribly well put together. It goes back and fortch between the 'battles' themselves and a post-Martian future where the main characters are eking out their survival with food and clean water hard to find.

It makes the end of the Martians a debate between government claiming the Martians were defeated and the dawning of a more evidence based claim that 'nature' did them on. Despite the fact that the Martians introduced their own natural plants, red of course, to displace earth's life.

The going back and forth is confusing except for the redness of the afterwards and the change in Amy's hair. And it gives away the tension yet left in the hundred year old story.

Possibly the writers figured if they played with the tale it would become more PC-of-the-moment and introduce surprise if not tension. Indeed, Ogilvy cropped up in Part 2, face marred by a pretty crappy looking makeup job to indicate burn injury.

At the end of the second episode most of this is clear, so I'm wondering what the third one has in store. I can only think it will go to restoration of a better world order post-Martians. Or a Martian second landing?

Because of the messaging and extra plot introduced, the story is longer, but I found it rather tedious and I do not think it will live on. It reminds me of the recent 3-D reimagining of DUMBO which looked expensive, barely comprehensible, and klutzy.

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds film by the BBC (2018)
From: keberoxu
Date: 21 Oct 19 - 01:25 PM

Courtesy of the Canadian online reviewer,
all three episodes are now well and thoroughly spoiled on the Internet.

There are even some pages that have
stolen the episodes themselves for dodgy downloading,
which I don't know how to do even if I wanted to.


Now, I haven't watched anything beyond the BBC trailer.
So my opinions are based on the reviews and remarks of others.

HERE WE GO WITH THE SPOILERS   

There is no emotional reunion at the end of the series!
The reunion is definite in H. G. Wells's denouement,
and they decided to do WITHOUT it.

The astronomer/scientist Ogilvy is kept alive, although injured,
in order to keep the other survivors company,
and largely -- when the government is blasted to pieces,
and the survivors are turning to the church ministers and religion --
to debate science versus religion with the leaders of the survivors.

Nobody, but nobody, will confirm
that H. G. Wells's HMS Thunderchild
appears in the BBC adaptation.
That said, I have seen no statement that positively denies it either.

One of the lead characters in the adaptation --
not saying which one --
fights with a Martian
and gets eaten for lunch.


Someday something may be presented to the public
that really is faithful to H. G. Wells's original,
but the BBC version is NOT it.

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds film by the BBC (2018)
From: keberoxu
Date: 18 Oct 19 - 04:11 PM

Australia:
I see an announcement that the
streaming version of this show
will be presented on 7-8 November.

BBC One:
mutterings about
29 October for the first episode broadcast;
don't know about IPlayer or whatever it is.

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds film by the BBC (2018)
From: keberoxu
Date: 18 Oct 19 - 03:46 PM

A Canadian reviewer online has reviewed
two episodes, the third not having been broadcast yet.

Episode Two makes much of an English beach.
The reviewer made no mention of the Thunderchild,
although that perhaps was intended to keep the review spoiler-free.

And it does seem that
we have not seen the last of Ogilvy the scientist.

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds film by the BBC (2018)
From: robomatic
Date: 17 Oct 19 - 07:06 PM

Ah, Keb, hanging on to hope like a drunk hangs to his near empty bottle.

I'll try to catch the next episode. Either it'll be better or there will be more to hate on. Win, win, really.

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds film by the BBC (2018)
From: keberoxu
Date: 17 Oct 19 - 05:23 PM

It remains to be seen in the two later episodes, I suppose,
whether or not the
THUNDERCHILD
makes an appearance courtesy of the BBC.

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds film by the BBC (2018)
From: robomatic
Date: 17 Oct 19 - 03:10 PM

Yikes.... Okay Keb, I've only seen the first episode. Ogilvy is played by a nice character actor Robert Carlyle. He's got the good natured pumpkin face of the guy who thinks the girl is his until she meets the protagonist. Anyway, I didn't see that he got 'deaded' (to use Bluebottle's phrase). The writers/ directors brought in another non-Wells character named Stent to act all huffy and get burned up limb by limb as the Martians' true nature reveals itself. On the other hand imdb only lists Robert Carlyle for one episode, therefore for all intents and purposes, he's toast.

The show has good coloration, good CGI quality but bad effects, and does this irritating time shift between the events of the invasion and the after-effects of a destroyed landscape with people mucking uselessly about. It's a sort of "Downton Abbey meets Independence Day which settles into Years and Years".

(SHOW SPOILER ALERT:
Among the many irritancies the first Martian 'meteorite' is a great sphere (instead of H.G. Wells' cylinder) and all the human characters are for some reason shoveling dirt aimlessly in front of it- WTF? And then the effect with the sphere is anti-gravitational and rather stupid, it evaporates into confetti.
END OF SHOW SPOILER ALERT)

Thumbing through imdb came up with a new entry for WOTW (without THE definite article) which is supposed to come out soon be 8 episodes and take a European-like view of the theme only with Gabriel Byrne and Elizabeth McGovern (Downton Abbey!)

I'm gonna include the blurb:
In January 2019 Hollywood Reporter announced that Hereditary star Gabriel Byrne and Downton Abbey actress Elizabeth McGovern will head the ensemble cast of War of the Worlds, a new television re-imagining of the H.G. Wells sci-fi classic, created by veteran British writer Howard Overman (Misfits, Atlantis). Lea Drucker (Le Bureau des legendes), Natasha Little (Silent Witness), Daisy Edgar Jones (Cold Feet), Stephane Caillard (Genius), Adel Bencherif (The Prophet) and Guillaume Gouix (The Returned) have also signed on to star in the eight-part series, which Urban Myth Films is producing. Shooting on the series has already begun in the U.K. and France. Gilles Coulier (De Dag) and Richard Clark (Versailles) are directing.

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds film by the BBC (2018)
From: keberoxu
Date: 17 Oct 19 - 02:03 PM

As far as I can make out:
in November, the show is broadcast in Australia.

Right now it is being broadcast in New Zealand.

I'm not clear where else it can be viewed in the month of October.   


Here is a New Zealand review.
Before providing the link, here is the takeaway sentence/quote:

"The War of the Worlds succeeds because of the quality of the acting,
the impressive Ben Hur cast,
and a narrative that delves into
the deceitful fabric of late 19th-century society."

Martians resemble manure in The War of the Worlds remake

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds film by the BBC (2018)
From: keberoxu
Date: 17 Oct 19 - 01:28 PM

... but no response to my question about
the character of Ogilvy ...

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds film by the BBC (2018)
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 16 Oct 19 - 08:52 PM

well... errrr.. I have seen movies where when in private
powerful politicians and corporate leaders
remove their lifelike human masks
to reveal....

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds film by the BBC (2018)
From: robomatic
Date: 16 Oct 19 - 01:36 PM

So do you want to know if we are currently under Martian occupation?


Opinions differ!


But most of us think real Martians are smarter than that!

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds film by the BBC (2018)
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 16 Oct 19 - 01:30 PM

I've not read the book since the early 1970s.

So.. yes spoilers can still apply to the book readers with lousy memories...

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds film by the BBC (2018)
From: robomatic
Date: 16 Oct 19 - 01:25 PM

Interesting question in that for all intents and purposes there can be no spoiler as to the H G Wells original, since it's 100 years old. But there can be a spoiler as to the adaptation. So I'm going to hold off on that one for now if you don't mind. In fact, I'm going to re-read the book if I can, because I haven't read H.G. since I was a lot thinner than I am today!

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds film by the BBC (2018)
From: keberoxu
Date: 16 Oct 19 - 10:38 AM

I could not watch, myself.
Forewarned is forearmed.
Reading all the blurbs and advance publicity, linked to on this thread,
toughened me to the intrusion of the romantic angle.

The reason the romance has any bearing whatever on H. G. Wells,
is because -- slight spoiler here --
at the very end / denouement of the novel of origin,
there is an extremely emotional reunion staged.
True, Wells focussed exclusively on the man
who is included in the reunion,
as he is the protagonist/narrator throughout Wells' novel.

So, fleshing out the young mother
who is part of the reunion
goes beyond Wells's intentions, and that is a fact.

What did you think of Ogilvy the scientist, robomatic?
Was Ogilvy killed during the invasion,
as happens in the book?

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds film by the BBC (2018)
From: robomatic
Date: 16 Oct 19 - 01:36 AM

Saw the first episode:

They try to be honest with the period Wells lived through. Unfortunately whoever they entrusted to do the screenplay put in a tiresome love affair that might -MIGHT- have been endurable on Downton Abbey, but simply slows down the overall story and reduces the level of interest by this incursion of banality into the sci-fi of Wells' imagination.

So I am disappointed with the lack of vitality. The screenwriter appears to be Peter Harness who has writing credits for some Doctor Who, Jonathon Strange and Mr. Norrell, which would appear to be good background, but I am unfortunately not familiar with how his particular work turned out on the screen. But I am not impressed with what I've seen so far. And it's a pity.

Oh, well, we've still got Gene Barry or the musical.

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds film by the BBC (2018)
From: keberoxu
Date: 11 Oct 19 - 01:26 AM

Australia television watchers:

November 2019 is your month.
The War of the Worlds is to seen on
Fox One or Foxtel,
starting 7 November.

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds film by the BBC (2018)
From: keberoxu
Date: 10 Oct 19 - 06:01 PM

New Zealand television watchers:

the 13 - 20 - 27 October dates
may apply to broadcasts on
TVNZ1.

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds film by the BBC (2018)
From: keberoxu
Date: 09 Oct 19 - 08:20 PM

Before I forget:
I have searched, or tried to search,
the website for BBC America
which is actually affiliated somehow with the AMC cable channel.

And I could not find much of anything about
this BBC One adaptation of The War of the Worlds.

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds film by the BBC (2018)
From: Rain Dog
Date: 09 Oct 19 - 09:25 AM

Not scheduled yet on BBC. According to the Radio Times it is due to be shown sometime between now and Christmas

Radio Times - War of the Worlds

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds film by the BBC (2018)
From: keberoxu
Date: 08 Oct 19 - 02:57 PM

Oh, dear, I'm unhappy about the quality of the information
that I'm culling from my online searches.

There was the Canadian cable network that was said to start
October 6 with the first episode.
And I can find no evidence whatever that this happened,
so I think the information was wrong.

There is however another website that says:

Episode 1         13th Oct '19 8:00 PM
Episode 2         20th Oct '19 8:00 PM
Episode 3         27th Oct '19 8:00 PM

not the Canada network,
but BBC One itself in the UK.

we will see...

(well, I won't see, as I'm in the US)

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds film by the BBC (2018)
From: keberoxu
Date: 07 Oct 19 - 02:30 PM

Link to an interview with the actor, Robert Carlyle,
who plays astronomer Ogilvy in the BBC three-part series
The War of the Worlds

"This version is not Independence Day"

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds film by the BBC (2018)
From: keberoxu
Date: 01 Oct 19 - 02:09 PM

Two ongoing questions for which
I cannot find answers.

No, I don't know if the United States
has negotiated a deal to broadcast this series.

No, I don't know when England plans to air the series.

The articles linked to, in earlier posts on this thread,
report on deals around the world,
Europe, Africa, Australia, Canada ...

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds film by the BBC (2018)
From: keberoxu
Date: 29 Sep 19 - 05:17 PM

With the Canadian TV premier of this three-part adaptation
starting a week from tonight,
6 October 2019 for three consecutive Sundays
the channel is called "T & E" I believe …


now the BBC has released the official trailer for the series,
and mass media on both sides of the Atlantic
are showing off the trailer.

"a right proper little War of the Worlds"

Robert Carlyle is the fellow with the spectacles.

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds film by the BBC (2018)
From: keberoxu
Date: 05 Sep 19 - 11:11 AM

CANADA! The latest from CANADA!   

The Canadian channel (cable??)    "T & E"
will broadcast the BBC film version in one month's time.

The War of the Worlds
Starting October 6 [2019]
Three consecutive Sunday evenings
at 10 PM (ET/PT)
[T & E]

"This long-awaited three-part drama has been generating massive buzz since the BBC first announced its commission. Based on H. G. Wells' seminal tale, and set in Edwardian England, the story follows a terrifying alien invasion where people must fight for their lives against an enemy beyond their comprehension. Directed by the award-winning Craig Viveiros, the series stars Rafe Spell, Eleanor Tomlinson, Rupert Graves and Robert Carlyle."

here's the online report
TV, eh? What's up in Canadian Television

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds film by the BBC (2018)
From: keberoxu
Date: 06 Aug 19 - 02:20 PM

Yes, well, the thread title says "2018"
and that's when the broadcast was promised.

However, it's 2019 and we still haven't seen this adaptation.
Here's an update.

"still coming to TV"

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds film by the BBC (2018)
From: robomatic
Date: 14 Jul 19 - 10:53 PM

Meanwhile if you want to watch something science-y that'll scare the pants off ya, check out "Chernobyl" on HBO.
Several times I've felt like vomiting out of sympathy with the radiation exposed characters.

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds film by the BBC (2018)
From: keberoxu
Date: 14 Jul 19 - 04:10 PM

Still no evidence of
a publicly stated broadcast date for this thing.
However, the story ABOUT this version
has not gone away completely.

You have to scroll through this journalist article,
but "The War of the Worlds" from BBC1
is one of several television series
in which budgeting and expensive visual effects
are discussed. No [new] photos.

Drama Quarterly, May 2019

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds film by the BBC (2018)
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 23 Jun 19 - 06:48 PM

The Spielberg started off alright..
but then rapidly became stupid when tiny Tom needed to start doing his ludicrous heroics......

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds film by the BBC (2018)
From: robomatic
Date: 23 Jun 19 - 06:38 PM

Stay on top of this. I'm still trying to get the bitter taste of that Spielberg attempt out of my head, and the other one with Gene Barry was fun but is so Space Family Robinson.

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds film by the BBC (2018)
From: keberoxu
Date: 23 Jun 19 - 06:33 PM

Well, nobody still will tell us about
release or broadcast dates.

However, the UK site for Amazon is
accepting pre-orders,

caution though:
probably PAL format
and you can't, if you're in the USA,
playback that format on a USA player, can you?

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds film by the BBC (2018)
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 18 Apr 19 - 04:22 AM

Delamere forest is a delightful area to explore. If you can get out of the many pubs... :-)

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds film by the BBC (2018)
From: Little Hawk
Date: 17 Apr 19 - 12:16 AM

Good to see that you're keeping an eye on this. I await further news.

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds film by the BBC (2018)
From: keberoxu
Date: 14 Apr 19 - 12:00 PM

Okay, so I looked up Delamere Forest.
An American like me is readily impressed by things like

"the hunting forest of the Norman Earls of Chester."

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds film by the BBC (2018)
From: keberoxu
Date: 13 Apr 19 - 09:52 PM

Where is Delamere Forest?
By one journalist report,
the residents of the area have been distracted
by nighttime filming in the forest,
with extremely bright lighting.
One of a number of series filming in that forest
is said to be the BBC One three-part series
of The War of the Worlds.

Still no broadcast date announcement.

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds film by the BBC (2018)
From: keberoxu
Date: 12 Apr 19 - 12:35 PM

So did I, pfr.
An eight-part series, if it's the same one I read about.

Has something to do with
public domain, I suppose --
there are multiple WOTWs going on.

Subject: RE: BS: War of the Worlds film by the BBC (2018)
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 12 Apr 19 - 12:33 PM

I recently read somewhere something like sci fi channel,
or maybe a more mainstream USA channel
is in production of a modern day setting War of the worlds series...???