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elabyWTF, mate?
Okay, so I wanted this (nicely cheap) collection of old Holmes movies for two reasons: one, because it contains the Arthur Wontner movies that I watched while puppysitting![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
_melisande_'s dog and rather enjoyed, and two, because it contained a version of The Speckled Band that I hadn't been able to find anywhere else and which contained, said a review on a very thorough website, that Elaby-Holy-Grail of male/male friendship/shipping/what have you: hugging.
After watching, I have one thing to say: That was not a hug.
I'm not sure why I'm surprised; I probably should have known better than to expect physical affection between grown men from a movie made in 1931. But since the slashy elements described on this website have always been pretty accurate before, if somewhat (only somewhat) exaggerated, I figured I could trust it. Unfortunately, I figured wrong.
That was not a hug. That was a shoulder-pat. It may have been an opposite-shoulder-from-the-side-Watson's-standing-on-pat, but that does not a hug make. Shoulder pats do not equal hugs.*
*madface*
This was such an old movie (and such a bad copy or strange edit) that people often flicked from one position or one side of the room to the other, as if the camera had been shut off in between and the film just spliced together. It was incredibly hard to hear the dialogue (and no subtitled track, unfortunately). As for the actors themselves, the girl playing Helen Stoner was swoony and shrill (she actually grabbed Holmes's shirt front and cried "Ooo!" at one point in fear), Watson was bald but appropriately calming, compassionate, and intelligent (that's one point for the film, anyway), and Holmes looked like Mr. Rogers but he at least acted like Holmes. Which is to say that he had facial expressions in a movie where those were rare things indeed. He was smug and thinky and amused and sarcastic, and that was good enough for me in this context. I suppose that if I hadn't been expecting a hug, I would have thought it was pretty good, considering the film quality and how I feel about the acting style of that time period.
But I bought this for the hug, and that was not a hug ;_; As much as is wonderful in the Granada Holmes, there is caressing and a great deal of arm-grabbing but there is no hugging. You can't imagine how much I was looking forward to this. Well, you probably can imagine, since you all know me.
I think sleep is in order.
*Unless you're movie!Aragorn and Legolas, in which case, they kind of do.
Okay, so I wanted this (nicely cheap) collection of old Holmes movies for two reasons: one, because it contains the Arthur Wontner movies that I watched while puppysitting
_melisande_'s dog and rather enjoyed, and two, because it contained a version of The Speckled Band that I hadn't been able to find anywhere else and which contained, said a review on a very thorough website, that Elaby-Holy-Grail of male/male friendship/shipping/what have you: hugging.After watching, I have one thing to say: That was not a hug.
I'm not sure why I'm surprised; I probably should have known better than to expect physical affection between grown men from a movie made in 1931. But since the slashy elements described on this website have always been pretty accurate before, if somewhat (only somewhat) exaggerated, I figured I could trust it. Unfortunately, I figured wrong.
That was not a hug. That was a shoulder-pat. It may have been an opposite-shoulder-from-the-side-Watson's-standing-on-pat, but that does not a hug make. Shoulder pats do not equal hugs.*
*madface*
This was such an old movie (and such a bad copy or strange edit) that people often flicked from one position or one side of the room to the other, as if the camera had been shut off in between and the film just spliced together. It was incredibly hard to hear the dialogue (and no subtitled track, unfortunately). As for the actors themselves, the girl playing Helen Stoner was swoony and shrill (she actually grabbed Holmes's shirt front and cried "Ooo!" at one point in fear), Watson was bald but appropriately calming, compassionate, and intelligent (that's one point for the film, anyway), and Holmes looked like Mr. Rogers but he at least acted like Holmes. Which is to say that he had facial expressions in a movie where those were rare things indeed. He was smug and thinky and amused and sarcastic, and that was good enough for me in this context. I suppose that if I hadn't been expecting a hug, I would have thought it was pretty good, considering the film quality and how I feel about the acting style of that time period.
But I bought this for the hug, and that was not a hug ;_; As much as is wonderful in the Granada Holmes, there is caressing and a great deal of arm-grabbing but there is no hugging. You can't imagine how much I was looking forward to this. Well, you probably can imagine, since you all know me.
I think sleep is in order.
*Unless you're movie!Aragorn and Legolas, in which case, they kind of do.
