What ho!
I have loved Jeeves and Wooster, and by extension, Fry and Laurie for over half my life.
At a later date, I promise I will extol F & L's virtues to a far greater and highly deserved extent. But for now, let's just bask in the goodness of this major highlight of their collective oeuvre.
The Granada television series is being re-released in its entirety on DVD TODAY. For an affectionate review of it in PopMatters, and a nice synopsis go here.
You can watch the first three episodes on YT here. If you want to watch the rest, give me a ring. I've got an earlier edition of the entire series.
To prime you, a jaunty little musical number sample:
Aside from he sheer brilliance of F & L, the edge for the series is that the visual treatment is a pleasure of its own. It hasn't a stylistic misstep that wasn't intentional. The whole thing is menswear heaven. Like, if I were I guy I would covet all the clothes. What little female duds they have going on I absolutely love. If I could live in any time period for the design alone, art deco and the era so nattily depicted in Jeeves and Wooster is my number one pick. We could parse the finer issues of cultural appropriation rife in that school of design, but I occasionally prefer my aesthetic love to suspend its critical knee-jerk. Though it does rear its ugly head again during the blackface episode. It's more than a bit rummy if you ask me.
Don't neglect to read the actual books however. While there are tons of riotous stories told in the TV series, P.G. Wodehouse created so many fanciful frivolous fops and endless schemes and capers not only with the gentleman and his valet, but with host of other colorful personalities. They are not to be missed. Vouching for the virtue of PG Dubs's raconteur chops, Hugh Laurie, Bertie Wooster made flesh, writes how Wodehouse saved his life. Those books certainly added much needed levity to my oft-unfunny high school literary experience too.
At a later date, I promise I will extol F & L's virtues to a far greater and highly deserved extent. But for now, let's just bask in the goodness of this major highlight of their collective oeuvre.
The Granada television series is being re-released in its entirety on DVD TODAY. For an affectionate review of it in PopMatters, and a nice synopsis go here.
You can watch the first three episodes on YT here. If you want to watch the rest, give me a ring. I've got an earlier edition of the entire series.
To prime you, a jaunty little musical number sample:
Aside from he sheer brilliance of F & L, the edge for the series is that the visual treatment is a pleasure of its own. It hasn't a stylistic misstep that wasn't intentional. The whole thing is menswear heaven. Like, if I were I guy I would covet all the clothes. What little female duds they have going on I absolutely love. If I could live in any time period for the design alone, art deco and the era so nattily depicted in Jeeves and Wooster is my number one pick. We could parse the finer issues of cultural appropriation rife in that school of design, but I occasionally prefer my aesthetic love to suspend its critical knee-jerk. Though it does rear its ugly head again during the blackface episode. It's more than a bit rummy if you ask me.
Don't neglect to read the actual books however. While there are tons of riotous stories told in the TV series, P.G. Wodehouse created so many fanciful frivolous fops and endless schemes and capers not only with the gentleman and his valet, but with host of other colorful personalities. They are not to be missed. Vouching for the virtue of PG Dubs's raconteur chops, Hugh Laurie, Bertie Wooster made flesh, writes how Wodehouse saved his life. Those books certainly added much needed levity to my oft-unfunny high school literary experience too.
posted by Em @ 12:00 AM
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