selcouth-self

“She’s a deeply unhappy woman, married to a sweet but childlike man, John Cariani’s endearingly well-etched Itzik. And in the few short scenes she gets, Sieh has to reveal to us a whole character, and with that the depth of Iris’s caged despair, the anger she experiences at a spouse who seems unwilling to grow up. This Sieh accomplishes, poignantly, and, against the undertow of Itzik’s innocent charm, without turning Iris into a drudge, or a villain.” -Peter Marks, Washington Post

“Kristen Sieh should have been nominated for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.” -Jesse Green, NY Times

“So meeting him again is like meeting an old friend, you know? An old friend that you haven’t seen for years, but you still love him, and still you know him.”

And I also love it because it catches a small moment that, according to Edward Hardwicke, turned out to be important for him in defining how he would play Watson. This episode, “The Abbey Grange,” was the first episode of the Granada series that he ever filmed, and on the DVDs there’s a little interview with him where he shares some memories about the experience. He mentions that he remembers feeling like he was getting a bit lost in the costume and hadn’t really honed in on the little characterization points that would solidify his sense of who Watson was. Then they got to this scene, and the director of the episode came over to him and gave him a small note: “Keep the cigarette close to your face,” he said.

Hardwicke found that incidental bit of direction incredibly helpful. He said that, even though it didn’t really ‘mean’ anything, there was something about that close, contained gesture that clicked with him – it suggested intelligence and concentration and careful listening and he thought: oh yes, there’s Watson.

“You think it’s silly.”

“No!”

“No? You like… Umm Kulthum?” 

“Yes!”

 “No!” 

@claremonte asked:  the band’s visit or once?

Classic Film Appreciation!

‘My Fair Lady’ 1964 

Audrey Hepburn as Eliza Doolittle 

Katyusha, a popular Soviet song

Yul Brynner’s character in The Journey (1959) could totally sing this.

Hear it with subtitles here

A soviet general with orders to investigate a red haired lady with a secret. He latter becomes divided between his country and his love for the girl, which prevents him from handling her over to his superiors.