Character Ramblings

 

(Notice how so many of my post titles involve the word "ramblings" these days)

 

I've just recently watched the 2011 Jane Eyre film, and why I waited this long, who knows. I still think the miniseries incarnation, with Ruth Wilson and Toby Stephens is a more comprehensive, accurate version. The 2011 film could have used with more time to develop the characters further - but, it was misty, gorgeous, and the cast was stellar. I especially loved Michael Fassbender's portrayal of Rochester (I love when a favorite actor plays a favorite character).

 

The movie got me thinking. I like to draw from classic literature whenever I can, and the characters themselves are the most obvious evidence. Fitting with this series, I think, given it's called "Dartmoor" and it doesn't get much more English than that...even if I'm writing mostly-American bikers. Mercy as a kinder, gentler (well, sometimes) Heathcliff. Michael as a way-less-charismatic(and that's saying something) Rochester. Walsh ended up being a bizarre conglomeration of the men in Bathsheba Everdene's life in Madding Crowd (though largely Farmer Oak). Suffice to say, I like those English character archetypes, and I like using their spirits in contemporary settings. Their stories are not the stories of Heathcliff, Rochester, or Oak, but there are sparks of those characters inside them. And I don't usually know who I'm referencing until I get inside his head.

 

Except for Aidan. I've known him all along. Prince Hal, circa Henry IV, parts I and II. Hal's relationship with his father was the primary inspiration behind  the Ghost and Aidan dynamic. Which would make Ghost Henry IV himself - very fitting. Here's hoping Aidan can grow into a full-fledged Henry V.