2016 RTE Drama: Rebellion - no spoilers please (mod warning in post #1)

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

mick malones mauser wrote: »

Its a woefully bad attempt to portray the events of 1916.
Terrible pity because it really is a story worth telling no matter what your political views.
The acting is generally poor, the sets abysmal, the gleeson character must have been some boyo, in city hall fighting at the start where is own brother captures him and let's him go. Gpo next for a bit more then over to the mount street bridge/ Northumberland road battle and back to the Gpo in time to surrender. Such nonsense, but he is Brendan s son so he needs to use up most of the budget I suppose, and charlie Murphy running off in her wedding dress to take part in the revolutionary action.
Dreadful nonsense, of course they will probably award each other 20 iftas.
Do we still have iftas?

I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure most of it was filmed in real buildings. Maybe the tenement house interior might have been built in a studio but for the most part there aren't a lot of sets.

Strazdas

The Rape of Lucretia wrote: »

This still jars. The Irish being victims of a Machiavellian manipulation of themselves by Connolly et al by this provocation of the British in order to foment antipathy towards them is cynical in the extreme. It is embarrassing that our forefather didnt see through this ploy, and allowed the rebels to pursue their own little aims so easily.

The drama hasn't really touched on why Connolly and Pearse thought Home Rule wouldn't be enough and how it was an "Irish Republic" or nothing as far as they were concerned (though Connolly as a socialist / Marxist may have had ideas of toppling the entire social order that pervaded in Ireland at that time).

Rebellion does show that Connolly was astute in reading what might happen post-insurrection.

TCDStudent1

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure most of it was filmed in real buildings. Maybe the tenement house interior might have been built in a studio but for the most part there aren't a lot of sets.

There is a street set. It was discussed in one of the extras segment on RTE player.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

TCDStudent1 wrote: »

There is a street set. It was discussed in one of the extras segment on RTE player.

I assume it's the one that keeps reappearing then? Where Frances and the soldier caught the locals looting, Peter was shot in it a while later. It's the only one that looks slightly off, but not in a wobbly 1960's soap kind of way.

The Rape of Lucretia

KingBrian2 wrote: »

Cork was raised to the ground by the Black & Tans.

It was ?

TCDStudent1

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

I assume it's the one that keeps reappearing then? Where Frances and the soldier caught the locals looting, Peter was shot in it a while later. It's the only one that looks slightly off, but not in a wobbly 1960's soap kind of way.

Yep, that's the 1.

The Rape of Lucretia

josephryan1989 wrote: »

Arguably if the Rising did nothing else it helped to galvanize republicans and broader Irish nationalism and created a grassroots movement that would oppose the introduction of conscription saving thousands of lives.

Not thousands of other lives though.

I'm all right Jack.

mick malones mauser

Tickle me elmo

Sorry by sets I didn't strictly mean an indoor studio set.
Yes you are correct in assuming that it was mainly filmed in real buildings, city hall features and lots of scenes seem to be in the back of disused army barracks,
Whatever word you want to describe the" sets" they don't look even slightly authentic.
Should have asked the BBC to do it for us ( oh the irony) instead of some middle class twit who once did a course in film studies in dun laoghaire and read a book about easter week

Strazdas

The Rape of Lucretia wrote: »

Indeed. Anyone trotting out the Downton line is not watching it at all, but is only superficially seeing British dress of 1916 and making a link to Downton.
Sloppy folks. Sloppy.

I'm amused in any event that a comparison to Downton Abbey is seen as something entirely negative. Downton Abbey has been sold to dozens of countries around the world and won many awards such as Baftas, Emmys and Golden Globes : they must be doing something right.

The Rape of Lucretia

Strazdas wrote: »

Upstairs Downstairs was soapy but is also regarded as one of the finest ever historical TV drama series.

I think you would struggle to back that up with any serious commentators.
Successful yes. Pretty, yes. Soap opera does big house and white tie, yes.
Finest ever historical TV drama series ? Well then I'm a Dutchman.

The Rape of Lucretia

maudgonner wrote: »

If done well I think it could have been incredibly compelling. Band of Brothers was hugely successful, not just among WW2 buffs, because it was beautifully written, acted and directed. You grew to love those characters, worry for them, care about them.

BOB is one of the best series ever made. And a very high benchmark.

But we cannot have that all the time unfortunately. Every piece of music is not Cosi fan Tutte. That doesnt mean another cannot have merit and be worth listening to.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

mick malones mauser wrote: »

Tickle me elmo

Sorry by sets I didn't strictly mean an indoor studio set.
Yes you are correct in assuming that it was mainly filmed in real buildings, city hall features and lots of scenes seem to be in the back of disused army barracks,
Whatever word you want to describe the" sets" they don't look even slightly authentic.
Should have asked the BBC to do it for us ( oh the irony) instead of some middle class twit who once did a course in film studies in dun laoghaire and read a book about easter week

Which in particular don't look authentic? Apart from the modern surface on O'Connell St and apparently some yellow lines at some point I can't say I've noticed anything that sticks out. Obviously some locations don't exist anymore or are so drastically changed that filming in/at them would be impossible but I can't say I've noticed anything wrong with the locations.

I'm not a huge fan of some of the writing but if it's the write you're referring to as a "middle class twit who once did a course in film studies....." you're way off the mark.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

The Rape of Lucretia wrote: »

BOB is one of the best series ever made. And a very high benchmark.

But we cannot have that all the time unfortunately. Every piece of music is not Cosi fan Tutte. That doesnt mean another cannot have merit and be worth listening to.

BoB also had a budget of about 12.5 million per episode, so not really comparing like with like.

mick malones mauser

Elmo
The" street" ( and it seems to be the same one all the time) where they shoot the looter, where the British army have their checkpoint/ barricade and where the tenement dwellers seem to hang out is ludicrous, it's like basil fawlty changing hats and pretending he is the bar man, priest, train driver or whatever and we are meant to suspend our disbelief, where did the budget go. .oh that's right young gleeson is in it

maudgonner

The Rape of Lucretia wrote: »

Indeed. Anyone trotting out the Downton line is not watching it at all, but is only superficially seeing British dress of 1916 and making a link to Downton.
Sloppy folks. Sloppy.

Jeez, how condescending is that! How is it surprising that people will compare & contrast a historical drama to the most successful historical drama in recent years? That happens to be set in the same time period. Since the makers have chosen not to create a political/military/factual thriller, but instead a fictional piece that, at least initially, focused on the relationships of the three central characters with their boyfriends, friends and families. They've even got an upstairs/downstairs theme going with Elizabeth and Jimmy.

It strikes me as a logical comparison to make. Especially since a lot of people were expecting Rebellion to be very different to what we got.

And you know what? Rebellion might be better than Downton Abbey in many ways, but it's poorer in many others - for characters, performance and direction, Downton wipes the floor with it.

Strazdas

The Rape of Lucretia wrote: »

I think you would struggle to back that up with any serious commentators.
Successful yes. Pretty, yes. Soap opera does big house and white tie, yes.
Finest ever historical TV drama series ? Well then I'm a Dutchman.

I did say 'one of' the finest. I'm struggling to think what British TV historical dramas would have topped it : Brideshead Revisited? The Jewel In The Crown? Pride and Prejudice?

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

mick malones mauser wrote: »

Elmo
The" street" ( and it seems to be the same one all the time) where they shoot the looter, where the British army have their checkpoint/ barricade and where the tenement dwellers seem to hang out is ludicrous, it's like basil fawlty changing hats and pretending he is the bar man, priest, train driver or whatever and we are meant to suspend our disbelief, where did the budget go. .oh that's right young gleeson is in it

It makes sense though that the army would set up a checkpoint on a street that the rebels had been using to move about and also one that there was looting on. To be fair I don't think we're supposed to believe it's a different street every time we see it. I'd imagine most of the budget probably went on securing the real locations could be used. I doubt they were just allowed march into City Hall, Dublin Castle etc. and start setting up their lights and cameras.

The Rape of Lucretia

Strazdas wrote: »

I did say 'one of' the finest. I'm struggling to think what British TV historical dramas would have topped it : Brideshead Revisited? The Jewel In The Crown? Pride and Prejudice?

The question marks above are not needed. All three leagues above Downton. Countless others.
Downton's problem was the lack of a plot. Rebellion has a flow to the story which is also way beyond the ricepaper thin strands that were the excuse for linking scenes in DA.

mick malones mauser

Elmo
No I don't think they could just walk into Dublin castle or wherever and go lights camera action, of course not. But is that the best they could do.
It's woeful, almost as bad as Love Hate filming in cars most of the time to cut down on expenses. And there wasn't even any gleesons in that. Or was there.
Any way I think they all get killed in the end accept young gleeson who was actually the 8th signatory of the proclamation and survived to become ireland s first president. Sorry for the spoiler

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

The Rape of Lucretia wrote: »

The question marks above are not needed. All three leagues above Downton. Countless others.
Downton's problem was the lack of a plot. Rebellion has a flow to the story which is also way beyond the ricepaper thin strands that were the excuse for linking scenes in DA.

Downton was brilliant in series 1 because it had very clear story arcs. The heir is dead, Mary can't inherit, what will we do? Pretty much everything else was built around that. Series 2 onward were a steady decline until they finally put it out of it's misery. In my opinion

The Rape of Lucretia

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

Downton was brilliant in series 1 because it had very clear story arcs. The heir is dead, Mary can't inherit, what will we do? Pretty much everything else was built around that. Series 2 onward were a steady decline until they finally put it out of it's misery. In my opinion

Yes, that's about it. Looks like there was no expectation for it to be the success that it was. But had shot its plot bolt in S1. Thereafter was just milking the cash without having to comeup with anything new. But that how soap works, for decade after decade. But some people like that. Not that it makes it any good.

TCDStudent1

mick malones mauser wrote: »

Elmo
No I don't think they could just walk into Dublin castle or wherever and go lights camera action, of course not. But is that the best they could do.
It's woeful, almost as bad as Love Hate filming in cars most of the time to cut down on expenses. And there wasn't even any gleesons in that. Or was there.
Any way I think they all get killed in the end accept young gleeson who was actually the 8th signatory of the proclamation and survived to become ireland s first president. Sorry for the spoiler

Brian Gleeson who is in Rebellion was also in Love/Hate (Season 1).

I really doubt he was the most expensive of the cast to be honest. Other actors have a more impressive body of work and should be able to command more, so not sure why you think he is the reason for Rebellion not having better sets

mick malones mauser

Tcd student
I was being tongue in cheek, but also half in earnest. Read back a few of my posts and you might see what I mean. The sets/ locations are rubbish though.
Also Mario rosenstock did a very funny sketch about all the gleesons getting all the parts in all the irish dramas
Begrudgery is good

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

mick malones mauser wrote: »

Elmo
No I don't think they could just walk into Dublin castle or wherever and go lights camera action, of course not. But is that the best they could do.
It's woeful, almost as bad as Love Hate filming in cars most of the time to cut down on expenses. And there wasn't even any gleesons in that. Or was there.

Brian Gleeson was actually in Love/Hate but why you think he's getting paid a fortune is beyond me. All 3 female leads have far more impressive CVs as do a lot of the rest of the cast.
I think you're missing my point about the real locations used. They have used loads of them but they would have had to pay fees and I'd imagine huge insurance costs to film in historic buildings like that. There's a fairly large cast, if you include extras, all of whom need to be dressed in period costume, transported, fed etc. If you want to shut actual streets down so you can film on them you have to pay for that too. Then there's the cost of post production. €6 million is actually a pretty small budget for a 5 part TV series. As I said in a previous post Band Of Brothers had a budget of 12.5 million per episode. That's twice as much as this whole production had for 5.

I get what you're saying, it might get a bit annoying if it's obviously the same set being used as different locations, although I don't think that was the case, but I think you're being a little unrealistic in your expectations of what €6 million gets you.

maudgonner

Strazdas wrote: »

Must say too I've enjoyed the Rebellion version of Pearse. Sure, the portrayal is a little negative in terms of his politics but they do capture the natural charisma of the man and his powers of oratory. Even physically it's a good effort, the actor being tall and imposing and with a presence about him.

Pearse wasn't tall in real life though, he was described as average height and of sturdy build. And the most notable thing about his appearance was a squint that he had from childhood. He was very self-conscious about it and that's why you always see him depicted in portrait.

I'm not overly upset about the historical inaccuracies but I really think they missed the mark with Pearse, in just about every way.

mick malones mauser

Elmo
Maybe I am unrealistic, but it is fairly woeful, acting, location/ sets and gleeson the super hero.
The serious point is and I think every one of us knows it and every one who watched it knows it. ..It.could be better
Forget the politics, and even the over abundance of lesser spotted gleesons. It could be an awful lot better

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

mick malones mauser wrote: »

Elmo
Maybe I am unrealistic, but it is fairly woeful, acting, location/ sets and gleeson the super hero.
The serious point is and I think every one of us knows it and every one who watched it knows it. ..It.could be better
Forget the politics, and even the over abundance of lesser spotted gleesons. It could be an awful lot better

Nobody has claimed it's perfect. The writing is what lets it down though, and one or two performances, Stephen springs to mind. Everything else is pretty impressive or at the very worst on par with other productions of a similar scale.

jmcc

The Black Oil wrote: »

In 2116 RTE will commission a series based on the warring factions in this thread. :pac:

Wonder if the RTE faction will play themselves?

Regards...jmcc

Lt Dan

Strazdas wrote: »

Absolutely right. A five part docudrama about the leaders of the Rising would essentially be a history lesson brought to life and would be a very different type of programme. Rebellion is a drama and is meant to be entertainment : most historical TV dramas go down the route of having fictional characters in the lead roles.

How on earth can you make entertainment out of the Rising?

Lt Dan

TCDStudent1 wrote: »

Well we know jimmy is black listed and can't work. That's a pretty good reason to be disillusioned and to become involved in a socialist movement.

Elizabeth is a bit more complicated alright.

Jimmy was likely black listed because he joined the Socialist and probably was involved in the Lock Out.

Remember Strumpet City? Remember the guy who played Charlie in Fair City ? His character in Strumpet City was black listed from getting causal work because of his Union activities

As for Liz, one can only assume that her College Lecturer who was a commander in 1916 instilled the Republicanism in her? Maybe the Lock Out disgusted her. She made comments about the behaviour of rich people like her father towards the poor.