"Historical" Movies

[Catherine Delors]

An online friend of mine, Ellen Moody, who is a Professor of English lit and a JA fan, has great reviews of the adaptations on her blog.
http://server4.moody.cx/
She reviews Trollope adaptations too. Somehow I tend to be less territorial about the latter, though I love his novels, but I am very picky about anyone who dares adapt Jane Austen. One of the things Ellen doesn't like about the Andrew Davies adaptations (yes, the ones with Colin Firth and Kate B) is that they are very male-centric. Like Darcy in a wet shirt, for instance...

[MLE (Emily Cotton)]

[quote=""michellemoran""]Oh gosh, really?!!! I may have to become a vegan...

This is probably an ignorant question, but do llamas produce milk that's considered drinkable?[/quote]

Llama crias find it quite drinkable! But no, I haven't heard of anybody milking llamas for human consumption. The milk itself is essentially the same as camel's milk, which is a food staple all over the world. But if you ever tried to milk a llama (now and then, when a baby can't figure it out, I have) you'd know why it isn't commercially viable. There's nothing to grab onto, as llama udders have no teats to speak of! In the emergency mentioned above, you have to milk them with your thumb and forefinger, a laborious process that gives you cramp in the connecting muscle. Plus they only 'let down' a little at a time, their babies take three sucks, walk four steps, get another two sucks in, mom walks off, and so forth.

When we watched our first pair do that, we thought the doe was the world's worst mom. Now we know it's just the way llamas are wired.

[Catherine Delors]

[quote=""MLE""]The milk itself is essentially the same as camel's milk, which is a food staple all over the world.[/quote]

Really, MLE? I have never tasted camel's milk... What is it like?

[MLE (Emily Cotton)]

[quote=""Catherine Delors""]Really, MLE? I have never tasted camel's milk... What is it like?[/quote]
Me neither. My daughter did when she was in Kenya, said it tasted like the thorn brush they'd been eating. No surprise there.

[michellemoran]

Plus they only 'let down' a little at a time, their babies take three sucks, walk four steps, get another two sucks in, mom walks off, and so forth.

Really fascinating... thanks MLE!!

[Catherine Delors]

Oh good, at least I am not the only one in this forum who hasn't tasted camel's milk. I will put it on my list of things-to-do-before-you-die, though.

Yes, those llamas are so cute and fuzzy. All this llama talk reminds me of the credits of Holy Grail. Now that was outstanding historical fiction on film!

[Telynor]

Hooting over the bit with camel's milk and the care of crias. Llamas are beautiful creatures, but with nursing habits like that, it's amazing that they've survived. I take it that the nursing period isn't that long? And yes, sadly, milking animals will take on the taste of whatever it is that they've been munching on. Sometimes, it's really really good, and sometimes -- well, it's scary.

Back to historical films. I love 'em. I don't mind a slight shift from the original material, and I do confess like watching Colin Firth... One film I really enjoyed for the amount of detail was Onegin, from the Pushkin poem, and I was very impressed by the level of costuming in it -- they got it right, for men's costumes, and Ralph Fiennes was so elegant in that one.

I'm still in the middle of watching Cranford, and that's another good one for clothing.

[Hunter]

My wife and I enjoyed Cranford.

Another series we recently watched and really liked was The Duchess of Duke Street, starring Gemma Jones. A couple of episodes weren't all that, but overall, the series was fantastic.

Hunter

[Volgadon]

I don't think I've had camel milk, but I have eaten roast camel and rice, which isn't half bad, just a little greasy.
THe costumes in Onegin were superb, but I'd love to rewatch it now that I've read the poem in Russian, see how it compares.

[Catherine Delors]

Hadn't heard of Onegin, but Ralph Fiennes, Pushkin and good costumes make a winning combination.
My uncle tasted camel during a trip to Egypt, and didn't think much of it. Some French people (not me or anyone I know) eat horse meat, but camel meat is pretty much unknown around here.