Re: Television programmes [2]

by Eldorion Tue Dec 27, 2016 5:09 am

The great irony of late 18th/early 19th century Franco-American relations is that we won our independence with help from the French monarchy, then fought an undeclared naval war against France while they were a republic, and then became co-belligerents against the UK with them after they became an empire.

by halfwise Tue Dec 27, 2016 2:17 pm

Mrs Figg wrote:
"The first phase of the French Revolution took much inspiration from the works of Montesquieu, Thomas Jefferson and John Locke, whose ideas the revolutionaries in America had also touted. Their ideas came to the fore in the early phases of the revolution, when the National Constituent Assembly replaced the absolute monarchy of the Ancien Régime with a constitutional monarchy, Montesquieu's favored system of government. In 1789, the same assembly passed "The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen," a document that draws deeply from the works of John Locke and from Thomas Jefferson's "Declaration of Independence."
The influence, however, was not only philosophical. France fought on the American side in the American Revolution, causing them to go deep into debt. To resolve this debt crisis, French officials attempted to pass a land tax that the aristocratic and religious classes, who had formerly been exempt from such taxes, would have to pay. When representatives from French society met to discuss the tax, members of the Third Estate, which represented all French citizens who were not clergy or nobility, asked for more say in the matter. This request set off the events that ultimately became the French Revolution." wiki

This is the first I've heard that the debts incurred by France in supporting the American revolution led to taxes and class warfare that culminated in the French revolution. I was under the impression the connection was more inspirational than economic. If French debt in support of the American revolution led to their own then it must count as one of the greatest ironies of history.

by Mrs Figg Tue Dec 27, 2016 2:42 pm

yep its odd how it panned out for the French monarchy. Nod

by David H Tue Dec 27, 2016 6:00 pm

USA, Toppling Governments since 1792!
:carrot:

by Eldorion Tue Dec 27, 2016 6:02 pm

halfwise wrote:This is the first I've heard that the debts incurred by France in supporting the American revolution led to taxes and class warfare that culminated in the French revolution. I was under the impression the connection was more inspirational than economic. If French debt in support of the American revolution led to their own then it must count as one of the greatest ironies of history.

It was one of the contributing factors to the economic crisis that led Louis XVI to convene the Estates-General, yes. The underlying issues with France's social and economic structure had been in place for a long time though and needed only a spark (as it turned out, Louis XVI reviving an institution that had lain dormant for 175 years) to erupt into revolution.

by bungobaggins Fri Dec 30, 2016 3:25 pm

Watched "The OA" on Netflix. Very good. Would recommend not watching a trailer or reading anything about it before watching.

by halfwise Fri Dec 30, 2016 8:11 pm

So I shouldn't look up what "OA" stands for?

by bungobaggins Fri Dec 30, 2016 10:15 pm

I didn't. The meaning is explained, though in the latter part of the season.

I binged the whole show yesterday after work and this morning.

by halfwise Fri Dec 30, 2016 10:55 pm

Okay, now I have to look it up to figure out why it's so bingable, bungo.

by bungobaggins Fri Dec 30, 2016 11:09 pm

Well, I liked it. You might not. It has a lot to do with

Spoiler:

by Forest Shepherd Sat Dec 31, 2016 12:56 am

I am so loooooooossst...!

by Pettytyrant101 Sat Dec 31, 2016 4:45 pm

{{Becoming a yearly tradition- Charlie Brookers review of the year}}

by Mrs Figg Sat Dec 31, 2016 5:06 pm

is Sherlock on tomorrow?

by Eldorion Mon Jan 02, 2017 4:52 am

Thanks for posting the Brooker video, Petty. The yearly wipes have become a tradition for me too.

by Pettytyrant101 Tue Jan 03, 2017 1:44 pm

{{This is probably one more for the Brits, but I think it would be an interesting tale regardless, a docudrama charting the beginnings of one of the UK's greatest ever double acts- Morcambe and Wise. Brilliant performances all round and a tight script that doesnt waste anything (and if you dont watch it you might want to jump to 49 minutes to see how they portray the infamous Glasgow comedy circuit of the period and its hecklers Twisted Evil

}}}

by Pettytyrant101 Wed Jan 04, 2017 10:03 pm

{{A live show of a favourite of mine form the radio- where it normnally is- Im Sorry I haven't a Clue- its been running for donkeys years and its regulars are some of the finest comedians of their generation- you make recongnise two of the Goodies here, but those not UK (and some in) might not know Barry Cryer- that man is a comedy legend though he spent most of his career largely off camera writing comedy material. He wrote for the Two Ronnies, Tommy Cooper, Rory Bremner, Brice Forsyth, Kenny Everett, Ronnie Corbert, the Goons, Morcambe and Wise, Jim Davidson, Dick Emerry, Les Dawson, Frankie Howard, the Carry On Films, David Frost, Tom Jones, Stanley Baxter, and its just scratching the surface. Basically if you've laughed at a joke on British TV from a British comedian in the last 50 years he probably wrote it. He is a writing idol of mine. Havent actually watched this yet, so dont know if its as good as the normal radio version, but bet his wit is just as sharp }}

by azriel Wed Jan 04, 2017 10:05 pm

Love that show, Laughing

loved "Round The Horne" as well, I enjoy sarky wit Smile

by Pettytyrant101 Wed Jan 04, 2017 10:10 pm

{{'Just a Minute' is good too Nod

Paul Mertons a regular on it. Heres one to show how long its been about- heres a young Peter Cook on it. And the host, Nicholas Parsons (still the host to this day Shocked

) mentions the show has been going on for donkeys years at that time! }}}

by azriel Wed Jan 04, 2017 10:25 pm

Awh yes !

Have you ever had your proclivities lifted lately ?

by Pettytyrant101 Thu Jan 05, 2017 8:01 pm

{{For any UShobbits out there who have BBCAmerica- planet earth II is heading your way- highly recommended}}

by halfwise Thu Jan 05, 2017 8:06 pm

Nobody does nature documentaries better than that crew.

They must also be absurdly expensive to make. I hope they make a boatload of money off it.

by halfwise Thu Jan 05, 2017 8:15 pm

Actually I found the whole BBC series (the original) only cost 8 million pounds for 11 episodes. "absurdly cheap" comes to mind in comparison to most popular movies or TV entertainment, yet it was the most expensive documentary series BBC ever made.

by Bluebottle Thu Jan 12, 2017 12:44 pm

I'm currently watching the first season of the Expanse[/code], while reading the first book. Discovered them abt the same time, so been doing both concurrently, which at times has been rather bewildering. (Forgot where I was in the book at one point.) But it has been interesting from an adaptational point of view, going through the original and the adaptation at the same time. There are some weird storytelling choices, where you just scratch your head and ask, "why did you change that?", but hopefully it'll all make sense by the end.

Season 2 coming in february. Smile

by Forest Shepherd Fri Jan 13, 2017 7:19 am

I watched a few episodes of Black Mirror this evening. Quite the line-up of British actors!

It hit me with a bout of melancholy. Not that surprising, given the show's theme.

by Pettytyrant101 Sun Jan 15, 2017 5:13 am