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May 19, 2014 6:02 pm  #41


Re: The Yellow Birds

Recently, I read a blog post about the hair/make-up for his role in TFE.  They used a bald-cap and wig because Benedict was growing his hair for Sherlock.

Am I a bad person for being happy because that wretched white hair was a wig?

 

May 19, 2014 6:09 pm  #42


Re: The Yellow Birds

I understood only some of it was wig.


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http://professorfangirl.tumblr.com/post/105838327464/heres-an-outtake-of-mark-gatiss-on-the
 

May 19, 2014 6:36 pm  #43


Re: The Yellow Birds

Tinks wrote:

yes, I bet the book sales increase now!
I'd be interested to know what those of you who read it think of it?

I am halfway through. In case I forget to tell you what I think of it please remind me. 


------------------------------
"To fake the death of one sibling may be regarded as a misfortune; to fake the death of both looks like carelessness." Oscar Wilde about Mycroft Holmes

"It is what it is says love." (Erich Fried)

“Enjoy the journey of life and not just the endgame. I’m also a great believer in treating others as you would like to be treated.” (Benedict Cumberbatch)



 
     Thread Starter
 

May 19, 2014 6:53 pm  #44


Re: The Yellow Birds

I will thanks, Susi.


"And in the end,
The Love you take
Is equal to the Love you make"
                                             The Beatles
 

May 19, 2014 7:21 pm  #45


Re: The Yellow Birds

SusiGo wrote:

Tinks wrote:

yes, I bet the book sales increase now!
I'd be interested to know what those of you who read it think of it?

I am halfway through. In case I forget to tell you what I think of it please remind me. 

When you finish, you can give us a review/preview of Sterling's role.
 

 

May 19, 2014 8:06 pm  #46


Re: The Yellow Birds

I will do my best. 


------------------------------
"To fake the death of one sibling may be regarded as a misfortune; to fake the death of both looks like carelessness." Oscar Wilde about Mycroft Holmes

"It is what it is says love." (Erich Fried)

“Enjoy the journey of life and not just the endgame. I’m also a great believer in treating others as you would like to be treated.” (Benedict Cumberbatch)



 
     Thread Starter
 

May 20, 2014 7:51 pm  #47


Re: The Yellow Birds

Warning - this post contains spoilers.

So, I am keeping my promise. I finished the book today and was very moved and impressed. I never so read about war in such poetic yet unsentimental voice. It is definitely worth reading. But I will not give away the whole story and tell you about Benedict's character. 

He is one of three major characters: Bartle (the narrator), his friend Murph and their sergeant Sterling. 

Sergeant Sterling is 24 (yes, I know) but he seems much older and I was surprised to find out late in the book that he is so young. 
How shall I describe him? He is a complex character. Brutal in way, sometimes obscene, disillusioned, but he cares deeply for his men, maybe too deeply. He understands them well and sees things in them long before they themselves realise what is happening to them.
I think they will enlarge his character because there is much interior monologue in the novel which somehow has to be translated into action. He is very often in the mind of the narrator who tells about their harrowing experiences in the Iraq and I suppose that most of these reminiscences will be dramatised in the script. 
But I think it is best to have the author himself tell you something about Sterling: 

"He was harsh, but fair, adn there was a kind of evolutionary beauty in his competence. (...) The way he'd remove his helmet slowly, showing his cropped blond hair, his blue eyes scanning the brush at the wood line."

And I love this passage:

"Thinking about him now, I've come to realize that Sergeant Sterling was not one of those people for whom the existence of others was an incomprehensible abstraction. He was not a sociopath, not a man who cared only for himself, seeing the lives of others as shadows on a thinly lit window. (...) The truth is he cared nothing for himself. I'm not even sure he would have realized he was permitted to have his own desires and preferences."

Warning:
He dies. Again. 


 

Last edited by SusiGo (May 20, 2014 7:53 pm)


------------------------------
"To fake the death of one sibling may be regarded as a misfortune; to fake the death of both looks like carelessness." Oscar Wilde about Mycroft Holmes

"It is what it is says love." (Erich Fried)

“Enjoy the journey of life and not just the endgame. I’m also a great believer in treating others as you would like to be treated.” (Benedict Cumberbatch)



 
     Thread Starter
 

May 20, 2014 7:56 pm  #48


Re: The Yellow Birds

Ah, Susi, many thanks for this. Very interesting review. Another book I have to read because of Benedict. 


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ten:" I'm burning up a sun just to say goodbye."

Sherlock: "I heard you.”

"Temptation coursing through our veins " 
(Tony Hadley)

 
 

May 20, 2014 7:58 pm  #49


Re: The Yellow Birds

It has been translated into German but I cannot remember that it was very successful. I had never heard about it which is a pity. The story is quite universal. 


------------------------------
"To fake the death of one sibling may be regarded as a misfortune; to fake the death of both looks like carelessness." Oscar Wilde about Mycroft Holmes

"It is what it is says love." (Erich Fried)

“Enjoy the journey of life and not just the endgame. I’m also a great believer in treating others as you would like to be treated.” (Benedict Cumberbatch)



 
     Thread Starter
 

May 20, 2014 7:59 pm  #50


Re: The Yellow Birds

Thanks for sharing this with us, Susi.
It sounds intriguing and gripping and Benedict's role in it seems to be a great opportunity for him to show yet another aspect of his talent. Especially this makes me look forward a lot to what he will do with this character: "Brutal in way, sometimes obscene, disillusioned, but he cares deeply for his men, maybe too deeply."
 

Last edited by SolarSystem (May 20, 2014 7:59 pm)


___________________________________________________
"Am I the current King of England?

"I see no shame in having an unhealthy obsession with something." - David Tennant
"We did observe." - David Tennant in "Richard II"

 
 

May 20, 2014 8:47 pm  #51


Re: The Yellow Birds

Hmm - some aspects remind me of another character of his ;)
Thanks so much, Susi for the info.
I'm not sure how I feel about this one, honestly. It seems it could be another of his projects that takes a while to get off the ground? It also seems it might be quite brutal which is something I can't take too much of in Movies, so I'm not sure I could handle seeing it (a selfish point to make, I know).
And also - another peripheral character? Albeit an interesting one.
He'll be great in it, I know he will, but I still think he's not getting what he deserves; a director having the confidence in him to give him a brilliant part in something that's ready to go!
Sorry if this sounds like I'm putting this down - I don't mean to, I just think things should be really moving for him right now.


"And in the end,
The Love you take
Is equal to the Love you make"
                                             The Beatles
 

May 20, 2014 8:54 pm  #52


Re: The Yellow Birds

It may seem that his character is similar to Sherlock but this is not true: he is a soldier through and through. 
And you are right, there are some very brutal scenes but they are fully justified by the story. Which does not mean that they are easy to stomach. 
I would like to see him as a lead, too, but remember that they have to turn this novel which centres on the thoughts of the narrator into a a script. So his character might be quite important and present in many scenes. 
I agree that I would like to get some dates (which seems to happen for Martin all the time so why not for Benedict?). 


------------------------------
"To fake the death of one sibling may be regarded as a misfortune; to fake the death of both looks like carelessness." Oscar Wilde about Mycroft Holmes

"It is what it is says love." (Erich Fried)

“Enjoy the journey of life and not just the endgame. I’m also a great believer in treating others as you would like to be treated.” (Benedict Cumberbatch)



 
     Thread Starter
 

May 20, 2014 9:06 pm  #53


Re: The Yellow Birds

That's something I've noticed too, Susi.
Martin is actually the one who seems to be working constantly, while Benedict is still takng on small supporting roles and parts in indie films that are still looking for finance, etc.
Even with Hamlet, there is a wait of over a year, yet Martin's Richard III was announced with a date just months away.
This isn't to moan about Martin, but in some ways Benedict doesn't seem to have done as well from Sherlock as he has; he still seems to be slogging away waiting for that big break where the work comes flooding in.
But back to topic; if and when this film gets made, I'll try to be brave enough to watch it!


"And in the end,
The Love you take
Is equal to the Love you make"
                                             The Beatles
 

May 20, 2014 9:49 pm  #54


Re: The Yellow Birds

Thanks for your review, Susi! From the character description I would never have thought of Benedict as the ideal cast, I can´t easily see him as an obscene and brutal soldier.. although on second thought I´m sure he can do it quite convincingly. In a way it´s certainly a role right up his street, complex and combining some rather extreme and opposed personality traits.. he seems to like this kind of challenging stuff . Or maybe directors like to cast him for such roles.. might be the reason why he does more indie/smaller productions. Not exactly what mass market demands. 

Anyway sadly I won´t be able to watch it, I get physically sick from war movies. I´ll have to rely on your reviews again when it´s out .

 

May 20, 2014 11:15 pm  #55


Re: The Yellow Birds

Zatoichi wrote:

Thanks for your review, Susi! From the character description I would never have thought of Benedict as the ideal cast, I can´t easily see him as an obscene and brutal soldier..

Obscene: have you seen 'Atonement'? Smarmy, disgusting, obscene pedophile rapist sums up the character. Hated that movie, but couldn't get the smarmy %&%*$ out of my head and was rather amused when I later fell for Benedict and realised that he played Paul Marshall.

Brutal soldier: have you seen 'Little Favour' and 'Star Trek Into Darkness'? Benedict can kick %&@%!

Benedict can play anything! This sounds like another interesting role that I can look forward to.

Mary
 


John: That's clever. So you scratch their backs and...
Sherlock: Yes. And then disinfect myself.
 

May 21, 2014 4:11 am  #56


Re: The Yellow Birds

And maybe this won't be such a supporting role after all. As Susi mentioned, there seems to be the possibility that his role ends up being bigger than we might expect right now. And I know we've been over this before, but I prefer him to decide for a role in an interesting movie that provides him with a challenge instead of going for a lead role in a mediocre film.
I'm looking forward to this a lot, I have to admit. Sounds as if this could turn out to be what you would call an 'important movie'. And well, over the years I have probably seen almost every war/anti-war movie there is, so when it comes to the topic "The Yellow Birds" tackles this seems to be something I'll be thrilled by. But of course that's just my personal perception. 
Let's just hope that finances won't be a problem...
 


___________________________________________________
"Am I the current King of England?

"I see no shame in having an unhealthy obsession with something." - David Tennant
"We did observe." - David Tennant in "Richard II"

 
 

May 21, 2014 5:04 am  #57


Re: The Yellow Birds

Zatoichi, you and I seem to have similar sensitivities when it comes to Movies - I can't even watch Atonement, and I really struggle with War Movies!
Solar, I agree with all you say, and especially about the kind of roles he chooses.
I know I go around in circles on this, and I'm finding it hard to adequately explain what I mean, but I feel there must be roles out there that he'd love and that don't have to be delayed for months.
I do agree though, that this could be an important Movie - I just hope his character has enough presence for people to notice he's in it, if you know what I mean?


"And in the end,
The Love you take
Is equal to the Love you make"
                                             The Beatles
 

May 21, 2014 5:11 am  #58


Re: The Yellow Birds

maryagrawatson wrote:

Zatoichi wrote:

Thanks for your review, Susi! From the character description I would never have thought of Benedict as the ideal cast, I can´t easily see him as an obscene and brutal soldier..

Obscene: have you seen 'Atonement'? Smarmy, disgusting, obscene pedophile rapist sums up the character. Hated that movie, but couldn't get the smarmy %&%*$ out of my head and was rather amused when I later fell for Benedict and realised that he played Paul Marshall.

Brutal soldier: have you seen 'Little Favour' and 'Star Trek Into Darkness'? Benedict can kick %&@%!

Benedict can play anything! This sounds like another interesting role that I can look forward to. 

Oh, I didn´t mean to doubt him, not at all. I know he can play anything, and I´ve seen him kick %&@% before (didn´t see Atonement though). It´s just the combination that seemed unusual for him, but as I already said on second thought I know he can do it, and brilliantly so!

Fingers crossed for the finances, a date and his role to be a big one..! 
 

 

May 21, 2014 5:24 am  #59


Re: The Yellow Birds

Tinks, I agree with you that "there must be roles out there that he'd love and that don't have to be delayed for months." We'll probably never know why it seems to be more complicated for him than, let's say, for Martin to do stuff almost back-to-back. But maybe it really is of Benedict's own choice... and maybe he is very picky and takes his time to find the perfect role in the perfect movie.

And since you've mentioned "Atonement": I might be weird that way, but it's actually more difficult for me to watch a movie like this than an anti-war movie. I mean, both types of films often are difficult to bear, but for different reasons. Both types of films deal with the human condition to a certain extent, and as perverted as conduct of war certainly is... what we see in a film like "Atonement" to me feels even more perverted and unbearable, because you just don't expect things like these to happen in such an environment.
Does that make sense?


___________________________________________________
"Am I the current King of England?

"I see no shame in having an unhealthy obsession with something." - David Tennant
"We did observe." - David Tennant in "Richard II"

 
 

May 21, 2014 5:33 am  #60


Re: The Yellow Birds

It does.
But I seem to be alone in really not finding Paul THAT bad.
I mean awful person who does terrible things but..

Last edited by besleybean (May 21, 2014 5:33 am)


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http://professorfangirl.tumblr.com/post/105838327464/heres-an-outtake-of-mark-gatiss-on-the
 

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