The Forsyte Saga

The Forsyte Saga was very interesting. It really kept my attention & I couldn't wait to start the next episode. The characters in the movie were so different & unique it was fun just trying to imagine what would happen next. It was so crushing when Ioan's character was killed :( It did give a good twist to the movie though. I just wish Ioan's part would have been a bit longer, LOL!! The guy who played Soames is gonna have a new tv series called "Life" on NBC. I think I'm gonna have to check it out. He did an amazing job in the saga so I wanna see how he does in this type of show.

Yes! Should be fun to watch and see how it turns out........

Yeah, I'm anxious to watch Life also and see what the show is like. :)

Me, too. I'm looking forward to LIFE. I agree that it was so shocking and sad to see Ioan's character die so suddenly. I wonder if he has that in a contract somewhere (dramatic death or illness scene) - :wink: POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOR OTHER FILMS.******** King Arthur, Forsyte Saga, Solomon and Gaenor, Warriors ( near death), AG (severe illness), HH(in the line of death), Another Life - just a little fun and drama for the fans.

Well, I finally watched The Forsyte Saga all the way through and I must say that I'm glad I finally did. Yes, I did miss having the Bossiney character in the later sections, but his spirit permeates the story in terms of Irene and June's love for him and in the form of Robin Hill. POSSIBLE SPOILER***** Even after watching the whole thing I still couldn't figure out why so many men were attracted to Irene. She was certainly warmer and more compassionate around other characters, but generally speaking I think Gina McKee underplayed her. She was repressed by Soames, but there wasn't enough liveliness in her when she was with others. They would talk about her passion for life, but I didn't see it other than that she had an interest in art. And she was not such a beauty or give off an aura of beauty that it would seem a physical attraction. I would have prefered seeing more of an arc in her character. ************************** Besides Damian Lewis, there are two more castings of people who have worked with Ioan in another project: Christian Coulson (HH - Jack Hammond) as Jolly Forsyte and Amanda Ryan (Cuby in Poldark) as Holly Forsyte.

I did miss having the Bossiney character in the later sections, but his spirit permeates the story in terms of Irene and June's love for him and in the form of Robin Hill. **POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT** Exactly my thought when i watched it again too! The last episode in series 1 was a tearjerker..............I had a good weep. Even after watching the whole thing I still couldn't figure out why so many men were attracted to Irene. Yes GG that puzzled me too. But clearly the Forsyte men all saw something in her. Her character is very gentle and somewhat mysterious. I suspect she was meant to be a great beauty and perhaps if you do not find Gina McKee attractive then you would miss that point. Perhaps a look in the book might allude to that ? Also Bossiney..........as much as I adore Ioan, his character was prone to impulsive and somewhat irrational decisions. He appeared to have no moral fibre or sensibility and certainly ran on his passions and creativity. I don't think he meant to hurt June he was simply caught up in this whirlwind of infatuation where all he could see and breath was Irene. My heart bled for June. She was so young and so in love with him. As you watch you realise how much she and her father were alike; both so compassionate. The way she defended Phil and then organised his funeral. And as her last act convinced her grandfather to buy Robin Hill so that the house would be lived in the way Phil had wanted it and designed it for. Susie D

POSSIBLE SPOILERS ***** I liked June, also. She was one of my favorite characters along with Rupert Graves' Joylon. I almost said in my earlier post that if the woman who played June had played Irene, I could see the attraction. She was pretty enough, lively, yet could play the compassion, gentleness and charisma I wanted to see in Irene. I don't dislike McKee, but just don't see her as the best choice. I agree that Bossiney didn't deal with June well at all. Your description of him being impulsive and infatuated is very apt. His artistic side wanted beauty and sophistication and likely at that time June was too young and immature to supply that and he felt the more mature Irene could. I wonder if Ioan's performance matches the character in the book as so many people remembered him for so long. Though I did like Irene better once she spent time with the older Joylon. Her icy exterior started to break. And by the time she was with the younger, she showed more of her compassion and ability to love. It was a subtle performance, just sometimes too subtle. Something I just read that struck me as a possible reason that I have a hard time believing the young Irene is the difference in the characters age and Gina McKee's. She was in her early 40's playing a woman who starts at 20 and is 23 when she meets Bossiney. Because of the shape of her face, her age is not immediately given away, but most people acquire a certain maturity as they age - voices deepen. Even for the best actors playing that much of an age difference for a sustained period is nearly impossible. The fact that her co-stars are supposed to be contemporaries and are ten and twelve years younger makes it a more difficult task. Just something to chew on.

Hi Ladies, Irene strikes me as a good example of the old saying, "Still waters run deep". Just get her behind closed doors and then,.........well,you know. She seemed overly demure to me,too, but then I got to thinking she made the best possible compliment to Phil's dreaminess, outward displays of passion, and brought out the best in him professionally. True, he is an inexcuseable cad where Junie is concerned; but, with Irene by his side, he knows that the two of them, passions and all, can whip the world--------until his untimely demise, that is! Irene's passsion is internal;Phil's more external-----opposites attract.

You are right about her passion being internal. I guess I just wanted one or two scenes where we see her passion before she agrees to marry Soames that shows her liveliness, so it would contrast more with her life with him. She does dance with June while she should be in mourning, but that is more from June's encouragement than her own sense of breaking with convention. Oh well, can't remake it, so I'll just have to write my own.

You go, Girl! Passion on Irene's part does a very sloooooooow simmer, then KERPOOOOOW!, you know??!!

Something I just read that struck me as a possible reason that I have a hard time believing the young Irene is the difference in the characters age and Gina McKee's. She was in her early 40's playing a woman who starts at 20 and is 23 when she meets Bossiney. Because of the shape of her face, her age is not immediately given away, but most people acquire a certain maturity as they age - voices deepen. Even for the best actors playing that much of an age difference for a sustained period is nearly impossible. The fact that her co-stars are supposed to be contemporaries and are ten and twelve years younger makes it a more difficult task. Just something to chew on. I also found that Gina McKee was not entirely believable as the young Irene, a character almost 20 years her junior. BTW, Bosinney and June were supposed to be 26 and 17 when they became engaged, so even in the case of June an actress (Gillian Kearney) was chosen who had to portray a character that was over 10 years younger than she was in real life.

n the case of June an actress (Gillian Kearney) was chosen who had to portray a character that was over 10 years younger than she was in real life. Yes..........but to me June was so believable as a sweet innocent and incredibly naiive 17 year old. perhaps we all just have a little difficulty with the casting of Gina McKee as Irene? Look at her character in "Notting Hill", very gentle and accepting. Although she could smile in that one. Irene's passsion is internal;Phil's more external-----opposites attract. I'm with you there Shipmate....excellent point! I did like Irene better once she spent time with the older Joylon. I agree. Me too. You see a softer side of her and warm to her. Oh well, can't remake it, so I'll just have to write my own. Yeah I'm with Shipmate........go for it GG!!! Do you ever wonder if Bossiney hadn't met such a sad fate...(someone commented elsewhere on this but gosh Ioan does do such a good dramatic death scene!!!) would he have stayed with Irene? Susie D

perhaps we all just have a little difficulty with the casting of Gina McKee as Irene? Look at her character in "Notting Hill", very gentle and accepting. Although she could smile in that one. Yes, I think that a younger, more passionate actress would have done the trick for me and I would have like Irene better. Your mention of Notting Hill makes me wonder whether it is Gina McKee who favours characters that can be described as demure, gentle, accepting or if there is something in her that make so that she is called to play such characters.

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