Guyday Friday: the softer, sweeter, gentler side

‘The Black Stallion.’ Well, two of them, actually.

I am currently watching a film that I can’t believe I have never watched before, 1979′s The Black Stallion.  Based on the first in a series of children’s books by Walter Farley, it was billed as a children’s/family film, which is not incorrect, but it’s more than that.

I’d call it a romantic film, a sort of love affair that takes place in the 1940s between a young boy who has lost his father in a terrible shipwreck, and a beautiful, wild black stallion. The boy and the horse, which had been captured and stabled on board the ship, are the Dover’s sole survivors.

Stranded on a tiny desert island together, the boy, Alec, determines to make friends with the magnificent, skittish creature he calls “The Black.”

Alex woos the stallion by talking “horse”  and presenting him with a large shell full of greens. Soon he has the animal eating from his hand and frolicking with him in the surf.

There is very little dialogue in the  island scenes and there doesn’t need to be. The gorgeous cinematography (the film was shot in Sardinia, Canada and at Cinecitta in Rome), the minimalist score, and fine acting by both Kelly Reno as Alec and, yes, that lovely and spirited equine, speaks for itself.

Alec and The Black are eventually rescued by some fishermen and returned to his hometown, where he and The Black are celebrated as local heroes. The stallion is frightened by garbage collectors one morning and dashes out of the fenced-in backyard, leading Alec on a not-so-merry chase.

As a result, the boy meets a former horse trainer, played by Mickey Rooney, who has taken the wandering stallion into his own stable. You know where the movie is going from here–a fast horse, a trainer looking for a comeback and a little boy with a lot of spunk. It makes the ride no less enjoyable.  Good performances all ’round, including Rooney, who has been known to ham it up a bit too much for my personal taste.

Kelly Reno in an autographed photo. Images courtesy of Bing.com

Watching this beautiful, proud, regal animal rearing up, tossing his flowing mane and stamping his feet, sniffing and snorting–well, it led me to think of someone else . . . can you guess who?

GIFS-click on the pretty henchman.

Oh, those manly sniffs!

My internet was down for several hours so I am behind in responding to comments. Time for me to take a walk, pick up the mail, and come back and wash this dirty mane of mine. Meeting with my writing partner tomorrow afternoon; hopefully having lunch with hubby beforehand.  Reading up on Children’s Literature for Dummies on my Kindle along with Heyer’s These Old Shades, a bargain e-book. See you later!

I really miss these two.

It’s Miss You Monday, and I miss the witty banter between Ros and Lucas, their knowledge colleagues are OK, and the way those two had each other’s backs. Along with the way they rocked the leather jackets and jeans and boots. And they were clearly not teenyboppers or callow twenty-somethings who seemed to still need their spook training wheels but real grownups. I felt a little bit more safe with Ros and Lucas on the case. Yeah, they were fictional spies, and not even for my own country. But still.

More of the ‘Black Sheep’ Squadron Armitage Style for Saturday Night

Because we love our Armitage “bad boys.”

 

 

 

 

Eupeptic Armitage: TAE Word for the Day

Eupeptic: (adjective) of good digestion; producting or relating to good digestion. Cheerfu, happyl; having a cheerful manner or disposition. Origin: from the Greek eupeptos

I unfortunately have acid reflux disease and have to take medication for it daily. Makes my tummy much happier, more eupeptic, you might say.

I try to be a eupeptic individual in the sense of how I conduct myself each day, to look at life seeing “the glass half full” and the positive side of things.

I think it’s safe to say that Harry Kennedy, that sunny-natured accountant with the sweetest smile that Richard brings to life in The Vicar of Dibley, is a man with a eupeptic nature.

And just think: Mr. A has said that the character most like him happens to be the delightfully eupeptic Harry Jasper Kennedy.  *sigh*

More Portah & Lucas!

Two for Teusday: Portah & Lucas!

Lucas, the cerebral, enigmatic, cool-as-a-cucumber spy and Portah, the tough-as-nails SAS soldier with the tender side. Dedicated heroes and alpha males who are also sexy as hell.  And So Not Dead! What’s not to love here?

Sunday SmoRgAsbord: More Early RA

Richard as stagedoor Johnny Percy Courtney in “Marie Lloyd.”

Oh, Paul, you misbehaved in the worst kind of way but you are a sexy guy.

Captain Ian again. Richard, water and a towel are a potent combination.

Sweetie John Standring, the painfully shy and awkward Yorkshire farmer with the steadfast heart, brought to life so memorably by Richard in 2002.

Sunday SmoRgAsbord: Armitage in earlier roles

Poor Benny has a sore back from helping his cousin move furniture from his late uncle’s apartment yesterday, so I volunteered my new heating pad. Gotta look out for my best beau. For some reason that Beatles song popped into my head: “Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I’m 64?”

Definitely.

Had a short night’s sleep, dreaming about, amongst other things, snakes. *shudder* I made the mistake of watching Dominic Monaghan‘s Wild Things on BBCA. Dominic is charming and truly enthusiastic about “wild things,” and it’s an interesting nature adventure show.

But.

Have I ever mentioned I have a thing about snakes ever since my dad was bitten by a rattler when I was a little girl? Or the time in my childhood my sister and I spotted a snake in the house which we never found and I was afraid to go to sleep because it might wriggle up under my covers? Not to mention the bad-guy snakes in “The Jungle Book,” “Riki-Tiki-Tavi” and the Holy Bible?

Lizards, spiders, I don’t mind.Spiders remind me of “Charlotte’s Web,” although we could do without the black widow spider Benny found in the utility shed.

But Dom, you can keep the snakes, hon.

An RA intervention was needed to fill my mind with more pleasant prospects this morning.

Been playing with adding some images of said fair creature to Pinterest and Tweeting a few. And now to further cleanse my psyche of those deadly writhing creatures, may I present a second helping of our Sunday Smorgasbord. Take it away, Mr. Armitage’s earlier ChaRActers!

One of Richard’s earliest credited television roles was playing the love interest of one of the doctors on Casualty.

Richard was gorgeous as sportsman and possible murder suspect Philip Turner being investigated by Inspector Lynley in the episode, “In Divine Proportion.”

Epiphanes didn’t say a lot in the made-for-television production Cleopatra, but my, my, how he rocked the Roman haircut, toga and early Guyliner.

Paul Andrews, the probation officer accused of serious misconduct in Between the Sheets. One of his most controversial roles and one in which he keeps you guessing.

Richard looked spiffy in 30s period dress as the cuckolded husband in the entertaining mystery Malice Aforethought.

Richard as Captain Ian Macalwain in Ultimate Force. He doesn’t manage to build a lot of camaraderie with his regiment of misfits, but boy, does he look great in his rugby gear. Poetry in motion!

RA in the Scottish Play: Video Clips

You may recall Richard mentioning when he spoke to the press at the Japanese premiere of The Hobbit that he’d already traveled to Tokyo. He first visited the city as part of an RSC touring company of Macbeth, performing the role of Angus during portions of 1999-2000.

The production, starring Antony Sher and Harriet Walter, was filmed for television at the Round House in London. Someone put together all the scenes with Richard into a video. Thought you might enjoy seeing a younger version of Bearded Richard (doesn’t he rock a beret? Angus, Ian, John Porter. Love it.) treading the boards in the Scottish play. Even with the “dirty” face, he’s quite fetching.  The intensity of those eyes. And, of course, there’s that voice . . .

In 2005, Richard would play Peter Macduff in the BBC’s Shakespeare Retold:Macbeth and turn in another fine performance. James MacAvoy (who is about to perform in the lead role of Macbeth in London) and Keeley Hawes played the ambitious Macbeths.

Related articles

• James McAvoy does Macbeth Tarantino-style for Graham Norton Show (thesun.co.uk)
• Richard’s first appearance in a big budget blockbuster. Nope, not The Hobbit. (thearmitageeffect.wordpress.com)

Guyday Friday: Always Catching My Eye

 

 

Did someone say “Sexiest?” Bring it on, Sir Guy!

Guyday Friday arrives early!

“I’m tired, Sir Guy,” Ladywriter said, smothering a yawn. “I am seriously thinking of reading a bit more of that Anne Perry book and then packing it in.”

“You do know you shall likely awake at 3 a.m. if you fall asleep before ten.” Sir Guy tilted his dark head and raised one skeptical brow.

She smothered another yawn. “Yep, I know. But it was a long day. The way that wind kept roaring–I thought we were back in South Dakota for a while–and if I wake up, well, I wake up.”

Ladywriter took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes, which were watering like mad. “Don’t worry, dear Sir Guy. I will put up the first Guyday Friday post early.”  Slipping her glasses back on, she glanced up at him with a smile. “After all, can’t disappoint your devoted admirers, can we?”

A flash of gleaming white teeth.  “Oh, no. That would never do,” Sir Guy purred.

She loved it when he purred . . .

Coincidence? I don’t know. But it’s PERFECT.

It’s a blustery, cold, wet day here in Lower Alabama. Upper Alabama just may get some wet snow out of this massive storm system moving across the Southeast.

A day to stay in with a big mug of coffee and do some Richarding! Last night I was joking on Twitter about feeling like Pavlov’s dog. You know, any sight or hearing or mention of a certain TDHBEW, and I practically start drooling.

So what did I see in my inbox this morning? My A.Word.A.Day email. And what was the word, you ask? Heeheehee.

Salivate: (verb) (1) to show great relish in anticipation of something desirable. (2) to produce saliva.  From the Latin salivare (to salivate). Earliest documented use: 1669.

Let me say I laughed aloud. Coincidence? Fate? Who knows. But it’s a perfect word for the effect Mr. A and his chaRActers have on me. I can feel my eyes light up, my lips part as I softly, rapturously exhale,  a fatuous grin crossing my face when I see images like this:

So, do you salivate when you see/hear/contemplate Mr. A and his sensational selection of alluring, adorable, amazing ChaRActers?

Anyone else getting Black Sky Fever?

Todd Garner, producer of Black Sky, Richard Armitage’s next film project, is teasing and tempting us again via Twitter.These showed up today:

Hmmmm.
Richard. Wet. Shirt clinging to his wet skin. Richard. Wet.

Awwww. Richard as good dad Gary, with cutie Nathan Kress as his son. I love Richard in Caring Dad Mode. While we are at it, let’s look at some other Black Sky images of our TDHBEW.

Told you he looked good wet. Above, the genuine fake movie poster I made for Black Sky which got a positive comment from Todd Garner.

Todd, if you had any doubts the Ardent Armitage Aficionados were eagerly looking forward to the chance to see more of Richard on the big screen–put them aside. Bring on the tornado and that handsome and heroic Oklahoma school teacher, Gary Morris!