Wideacre

Please READ!!!

A fanmade video based off of Philippa Gregory's Wideacre, the first book in the Lacey trilogy.


So I did a video for the second book, The Favored Child, and thought - why not start at the beginning? So here is my attempt. It might be confusing to those of you haven't read it. For people in that category, I'll give a brief synopsis and try to keep the majority of the spoilers out.

Beatrice Lacey is the passionate and willful daughter of a country squire but since she's a girl she's doomed to never inherit her beloved estate Wideacre. However, she meets a gypsy, Ralph, who is just as wild and unscrupolous as she, and together they concoct a plan to gain control of the estate. However, when things go awry, Beatrice cannot deal with the conseqences and betrays her childhood friend to ease her conscience, setting in motion a tangled web of lies deceptions, betrayal, incest and murder. A book NOT for the faint of heart or the squeamish reader, Wideacre takes one deep into the mind of an 18th century sociopath. A woman of unbridled passions, ruthless ambition and devilish cunning - you will never forget Beatrice Lacey - the Mistress of Wideacre Hall.

This video has also been censored and certain relationships alluded to rather than shown. Because even as an avid fan of the book, I'm sure at least 60% of it is probably inappropriate for general audiences. So in order to respect everyone's sensibilities, I have been very tactful in putting it together.

Ok... Now SPOILERS and explanations for those who HAVE read the book.

It was a little difficult to do this one because I wasn't absolutely sold on the girl I cast for Beatrice. Unfortunately I couldn't find a suitable period red-head (that had more than a five minute cameo appearence). Juliette Binoche is a pretty woman, but she doesn't seem as beautiful as I envisioned Bee and she looks so nice - not really cruel or manipulative. Oh well. I LOVED the men in this video - the two guys I casted for Ralph were perfect (well I thought so, they fit my vision so well that they came to mind right away - I always envisioned Ralph as a Heathcliff). I liked the blonde guy I casted for Harry as well. Fans of the book will notice that several key characters are absent - the Haverings, the tenants, the servants and John MacAndrew. You can just combine John and Harry into one vapid character - neither of them I found very appealing and there wasn't another guy to cast so John isn't in here. (Sorry... I think I hated him the most out of everyone so my bias is showing...lol). And there weren't enough people to play all the servants and tenants on Wideacre. This is more of an emotional video concentrating on the relationship between Beatrice, Ralph and Harry; but mostly on the obsessive, volatile history between Beatrice and Ralph.

Both characters played by Juliette (Catherine Earnshaw and Cathy Linton) are supposed to be Beatrice and the two dark-haired guys (Heathcliff & Hareton) are both Ralph, in different stages of life. SPOILERS The video starts with the passionate relationship between a young Bee & Ralph (sepia clips) until Ralph convinces her that if they murder her father she will gain the estate. After her father dies, she cannot live with the guilt and begins to blame Ralph for what he's done, thus cooling the relationship between them. The scene of the two of them running through the woods is supposed to represent Beatrice luring Ralph into the man-trap. After Ralph's alledged death, Beatrice is tormented by memories of him (gray clips) and haunted by his ghost (blurred images). For awhile, she tries to find comfort with Harry but karma eventually catches up to her as she slowly grows mad and Ralph finally returns to Wideacre to wreak his vengeance.

Clips property of the 1993 Wuthering Heights starring Juliette Binoche and Ralph Fiennes.

Music: "Let it Die" by Three Days Grace. Great song and how appropriate for the subject matter.

No copyright infringement intended. I do not own anything. This is just another one of my fanmade videos, because I'm mildly obsessed with this stuff...lol. :D

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• wideacre
• philippa
• gregory
• beatrice
• lacey
• harry
• ralph

[castigatedx]

I haven't read the book, but this is a really, really great video. ^^ I'll definitely check it out now.

[Gemini12590]

Thank you! I hope you don't mind - I fell in love with Let It Die when I first heard it on your Tudors video so I decided to use it here (since the subject matter is different). It's a pretty relevent song for the whole trilogy - the books are kind of disturbing, well... very disturbing. But thats what makes them so captivating, I think. You become very attached to the characters; either you LOVE them or positively HATE them.

[castigatedx]

If you like Let it Die, you should totally check out Just Like you or Riot, which are my other two favorite songs by Three Days Grace. They're all great, though.

Yeah, it sounds very, very interesting. I'm not a huge fan of Philippa Gregory's novels, but I think this is different than her writing badly aobut Anne Boleyn, so it sounds great. -makes mental note to go to book store-

[Gemini12590]

I liked her Wideacre trilogy MUCH BETTER than her Tudor sagas. Her ridiculous inconsistencies (ex.The Boleyns) grew irritating when I realized that people who didn't know the history might take her word for gospel. I've noticed that she seems to use very black & white characterization - Mary being pure & good, Anne scheming & evil. She writes like this in most of her books, which is alright if the chracters are her own creation and she's not butchering the reps of known historical figures.

[castigatedx]

Don't even get me started on how much I hated her portrayal of the Boleyns. Everyone I know is looking forward to the movie coming out of The Other Boleyn Girl, and I'm just dreading it. It's taking her stereotypes to a mass level, and that bothers me to an extreme. Have you ever read any of her other fake historical books, like The Virgin Queen, for example? Oh God, that one is terrible!

[Gemini12590]

Her Tudor books pretty muched convinced me that she is a historical FICTION writer, not a historian, as she claims to be. TOBG was guilty pleasure reading, but the other books she hit way out of the ballpark. Catherine of Aragon was apparently a scheming girl who deliberately lied to win the throne of England? Mary was really a persecuted saint while Elizabeth was a slut? Give me a break! The only lady she treates nicely is Anne of Cleves. And she calls herself a feminist...lol.

[thespongepuppy]

I'm reading Wideacre now and I have a hundred pages left and I don't really like it as much as I like her other books. I'm honestly getting annoyed with Beatrice. Did anyone else feel like that?

[Laeyto]

why are these people so old???? beatrice and ralph are supposed to be 15 in the beginning, these people look 30. also this actress does not convey the firey confidence of beatrice. i didn't realize there were movies.

[TheChelseab03]

@sha1594 The Favored Child is a tough read for you do hate one of the main characters, but the story tell, or the person whose voice tells the story you will actually like. read it

[TheChelseab03]

I am on the last book in the trilogy, and I loved the first two in a disturbing way. I found I hated Beatrice with a passion yet I couldn't put it down. I highly suggest this book to anyone who wants a page turner that you will totally get into the character far too much.

[CAinslieI]

ohhh the black rider at the end was AWESOME!

[CAinslieI]

@sha1594 you should definitely read it! It is actually quite sad, and you get more Ralph (drool) :P The only book I didn't like a whole bunch was Meridon.. but it was alright.

[ledesmah]

i want to watch this movie, does anyone know where to get it?

[xHistoryGirl23x]

I love this. The wideacre trilogy is one of my fave series even if theres the whole incest thing. The story itself is passionate. Im going to check out your favored child vid since thats my fave of the three books.

[PowerpuffButtercup1]

i read wideacre. it totally was nasty. but awesome at the same time. now everybody at school wants to read it but i tell them don't. really have to be mature. the fc and meridon were good. one of my fav series.

[zoogirly1]

wide arce is my favorite book ever. if you loook past all of the sex stuff it is amazing. the favored child is also very good. however i was a bit disapointed with meridon. but it was ok as well