From: StephenP
Category: Amis
Date: 7/19/99
Time: 8:47:56 AM
Remote Name: 195.171.125.1
Noone's mentioned, in defence of big Craigie, the French Lieutenant's Woman. Like it or loathe it, it's a 'literary' novel with lots of Bill's favourite postmodern touches like Fowles himself appearing in the railway carriage to pontificate at us. Harold Pinter translated these authorial commentaries to the screen by having, rather than the author, the leading actors Meryl and Jeremy discussing the film, Victorian mores etc. Nice touch, Harry, I think it works. So we just need the actor playing Samson Young (John Hurt would be good) to address the camera from the green room to talk about what he's up to. Perhaps he could double the parts of Samson and Asprey.
'Not for Cadwallader and all his goats' is a quote from Henry V, since you ask. Cadwallader was a Welsh King who introduced the wearing of the leek as a symbol of resistance to English oppression. Pistoll says it to Fluellen, and the latter then forcefeeds Pistoll with said pungent veg. So Craigie's run-in with Murphman can be understood as a throwback to the long-gone days of Anglo-Welsh bitterness.