Cloak billowing in the wind, tricorne hat
perched proudly on his head, he galloped across my television screen and
changed my life forever.
Hyperbole? Not by much.
Robin Ellis as Ross Poldark |
Aidan Turner as the New Poldark |
Fortunately, initial word on the new Poldark,
which has already aired in the UK, has been reassuring. Winston Graham passed away in
2003 (at 95, a year after writing Bella Poldark, the 12th and last Poldark novel!),
but Robin Ellis is still living and plays a cameo role in the new series.
Several British newspapers have interviewed Ellis about both Poldarks,
and he has had only positive things to say
about his involvement with them. Ellis also told the Daily Mail, "The key to the enduring
popularity of Poldark is the characters and the story and the writing . . .
Winston Graham created this community where there is love, hate, poverty,
riches, all human life is there. But he does it in a three-dimensional way so
you fall in love with it. You care for the characters."
That
particular quote gladdens my heart because I came to love the novels as
much as the miniseries—and because Graham has been a huge influence on my own work.
Waltz with a Stranger and A
Song at Twilight are both set largely in
Cornwall, though a century later, and
I have striven to capture the same sense of place and community, the same
wealth and range of emotions that Graham does in The Poldark Saga.
Demelza tries to comfort a brooding Ross |
My books also contain what I think of
as “Poldark moments”—scenes in which desire and attraction play out against the
dramatic Cornish landscape.
Like this scene in Waltz with a Stranger, where the heroine, Aurelia—wading in the sea—first sees James in
his native element:
Photo courtesy of the Daily Mail |
The wind off the sea whistled in her
ears and flapped the wide brim of her hat. On impulse, she loosened the ribbons
under her chin, took off the hat, and stood bareheaded in the sun, letting the
breeze ruffle her hair, tease it loose from its pins. Her skirt billowed around
her, and she stepped forward more boldly into the surf. The cold felt merely
invigorating this time, and she stood with the sea swirling about her ankles,
gazing toward the horizon, where the deepening blue of the sea met the softer
blue of the sky.
She did not hear the hoofbeats at
first, and even when the sound reached her ears, she did not immediately
identify them as such. They seemed nothing more than part of the sea’s rumble.
Not until she felt the ground quiver beneath her feet did she look up to see
the lone horseman galloping toward her.
Beneath the open sky, horse and rider
moved as one, the latter’s head gleaming with the same inky gloss as his
horse’s hide, making his shirt seem whiter by comparison. Watching him
approach, Aurelia experienced a jolt of recognition almost physical in its
intensity. No London dandy, transplanted from his usual environs of Hyde Park
and Rotten Row.
No London dandy—but James Trelawney,
Earl of Trevenan, in his rightful place.
(From Waltz with a Stranger, Ch. 18)
Every grain of sand, every blade of marram grass matters in Graham’s world, and no character is too insignificant to have a backstory and an inner life. Whatever their station, Graham’s characters love and hate, work and dream, fight and make peace, and involve us—the readers—in their struggles. What more can one ask of any story? The family saga may be out of literary fashion at the moment, but I for one would love to see it revive.
Winston Graham with "Demelza," "Ross," and "Jud" |
Dear Robin,
I have so far watched twelve instalments [sic] with hyper-critical gaze and have never seen you put a foot wrong.
You've played many parts and will have many more, but I doubt if
you'll play another character in which you achieve a greater identity with what
the author intended, or give him – and about ten million other people – so much
pleasure.
Winston, Christmas 1975.
What particular authors or works have
strongly influenced or inspired you?
Pamela Sherwood
I remember watching the original Poldark and loving it. Aiden Turner is one of my fave English actors, so I'm sure he'll be brilliant in it. I hope I don't miss it! Will have to set my Tivo to record.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen Aidan Turner in anything but the Hobbit movies, Ashlyn, but I'm prepared to give him a chance in the part! From what I can tell so far, he's got the brooding thing down pat, though Robin Ellis has a lock on Ross's smoldering powder keg attitude that's also so much a part of the character in the books.
DeleteI am looking forward to the series too. I'll probably have to catch it on DVD or Netflix.
ReplyDeleteDownton Abbey in the winter, Poldark in the summer! What lover of costume dramas could ask for more? :-)
DeleteThe original Poldark was also one of my favorites. Robin I remember as the dashing hero. Aidan, smoulders through this role. When he is on the screen, he owns it. Personally, he's more my idea of Poldark of the novels. Ross was sorta of a bad boy grown up, and Aidan nails that.
ReplyDeleteI'm open to new interpretations, Sally, though I will say I think the new Elizabeth is a misfire, so far. Trying to make her this nice, sweet girl pressured by her ambitious mother erases all the character's ambiguities in the books. She cares for Ross, but she also hungers for comfort, security, and a settled existence, which aren't necessarily things he can provide. She's also supposed to be a blonde!
ReplyDeleteOne fascinating detail: Winston Graham found his physical ideal of Ross in the person of a young flying officer he met on a train during the war. "Lean, bony, scarred, heavy-lidded eyes of a pale blue, and an air of high-strung disquiet"--which is why I get goosebumps whenever I look at Robin Ellis in his Poldark get-up...and I wonder if Graham did too.