The Day of the Triffids - Synopsis for the new TV show

I always enjoyed the idea of John Wyndham’s The Day of The Triffids, but the old film never really did anything for me. However, I have fond memories of the old BBC series (although lots of it just seemed to be people standing around, chatting and looking miserable). This synopsis does seem to hit the spot and Eddie Izzard as the bad guy could be good. Be warned though as there are an awful lot of spoilers for the new BBC series.

The film is due out later this year. I just hope the Triffid's look cool.

Scientist Bill Masen (DOUGRAY SCOTT), has dedicated his life’s work to the study of the complex plant species called Triffids, Genetically modified, they are mass-produced for their ‘Triffoil’, a vital source of renewable fuel. Bill has noticed an unnerving change in their behavioural patterns. The Triffids are starting to communicate. Meanwhile, crowds gather across the globe to witness a much-anticipated solar storm. But the spectacle blinds all those who watch it and the world goes into free fall. In London, fear and panic rage as the blind desperately depend for survival on the few remaining sighted. An even greater nightmare awaits. The Triffids are hungry and moving toward the cities for the most abundant source of their prey - mankind.

Having narrowly escaped blindness, Bill forms an instant attraction with a fellow sighted survivor – the outspoken journalist, Jo Playton (JOELY RICHARDSON). They meet Torrence (EDDIE IZZARD), a flagrantly amoral opportunist, who delights in his new appointment: presiding over the weak and the blind - laying down the foundations for his autocratic government. The Triffid invasion is the perfect crisis for Torrence to work to his own spurious agenda. Despite his feelings for Jo, Bill knows he must leave London. Their one chance of survival lies in reaching the only man who knows more about the Triffids than he does - his estranged father, Dennis (BRIAN COX).

On his perilous mission, Bill breaks free of Torrence and his henchmen, is offered as a sacrifice to the Triffids by the maniacal, messianic community leader Durrant (VANESSA REDGRAVE) and rescues two sisters, Imogen and Susan. These children have lost everything and seek his protection in the final leg of an extraordinary journey. Jo finally finds her way to Bill and the children but their happy reunion is short lived. The desperate efforts of Bill and Dennis to stop the Triffids’ pollination are interrupted by Torrence and his army who surround their house. Caught in the crossfire between the bullets of Torrence’s subordinates and a fast approaching horde of Triffids, Bill’s hopes of saving his newfound family seem doomed to fail. With insurmountable odds against them - how will they make it out alive?

Source: 24FPS

Discuss in the forum or leave a comment below.

HOME

The Prisoner and The Day of The Triffids posters

Dougray Scott, Brian Cox, Joely Richardson and Eddie Izzard with a gun in this poster for the BBC's remake of The Day of The Triffids. I personally think it is a bit of a poor poster design, but I am looking forward to seeing the show.

I do like the poster for AMC's The Prisoner series. Jim Caviezel is Number 6 and Ian McKellan is Number 2.

Source: io9

Leave a comment on this post below.

HOME

Eddie Izzard & Jason Priestly in Day of the Triffids

Comedian Eddie Izzard and veteran actor Vanessa Redgrave are to star in BBC1's new adaptation of the sci-fi novel The Day of the Triffids.

In an all-star cast, they will be joined by Dougray Scott, Joely Richardson, Brian Cox, and Jason Priestley.

The two-part drama, which is due to air later this year, has been written by Patrick Harbinson, whose credits include the US series ER and Law & Order.

BBC1's new adaptation, which is currently in production, is based on John Wyndham's best-selling post-apocalyptic novel, first published in 1951.

Set in the near future, the drama tells the story of the search for an alternative fuel supply leading to the discovery of the triffid, a plant cultivated for its fuel but which seems to have a life of its own.

When spectators gather worldwide for an anticipated solar storm, billions are left blinded and the few sighted survivors watch as society collapses into chaos. The triffids find their way out of captivity and, free to roam the planet and with a fatal sting and a taste for human flesh, begin to rapidly start breeding.

Scott, whose credits include Mission Impossible II, will star as Dr Bill Masen, who leads the battle against the triffids. Nip/Tuck actor Richardson will appear as Jo Playton; Brian Cox, whose credits include the first two Bourne movies, will take on the role of Dennis Masen; Redgrave, who will soon be seen in the new Robin Hood movie Nottingham, will appear as Durrant; Izzard, who starred in The Riches, will take on Torrence; and Jason Priestley, who appeared in the original Beverley Hills 90210, will star as Coker.

The show is a co-production between Power, the independent producer behind The Devil's Whore, and Canadian company Prodigy Pictures.

Julie Gardner, the head of drama at BBC Wales and an executive producer of the show, said: "The incredible cast lined-up for The Day of the Triffids is testament to the quality of Patrick Harbinson's script. We hope audiences, both old and new, will be captivated by this modern take of John Wyndham's classic best-selling novel."

Justin Bodle, executive producer for Power, said the "amazing effects and iconic locations" would will deliver the "drama mini-series event of 2009".

Filming is due to take place in south-east England until April. The drama is being produced by Stephen Smallwood, whose credits include Murphy's Law, with The Summit's Nick Copus directing. Jay Firestone will also executive produce for Prodigy Pictures.

The Day of the Triffids was first adapted by BBC Radio in 1953 and then again in 1957 and 1968, with a BBC television production in 1981, starring John Duttine as Bill Masen. In 2001, writer Lance Dann adapted the series for two hour-long episodes for the BBC World Service.

Source: Guardian

Discuss in the Forum

Valkyrie - First 5 minutes

Here are the first 5 minutes of Valkyrie for your viewing pleasure.

n a country in the grips of evil, in a police state where every move is being watched, in a world where justice and honor have been subverted, a group of men hidden inside the highest reaches of power decide to take action. Tom Cruise stars in the suspense film, Valkyrie, based on the true story of Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg (CRUISE) and the daring and ingenious plot to eliminate one of the most evil tyrants the world has ever known. Director Bryan Singer (THE USUAL SUSPECTS, X-MEN, SUPERMAN RETURNS) re-teams with Academy Award®-winning USUAL SUSPECTS screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie to bring to life the story of the men who led the operation to assassinate Hitler. The film also stars an acclaimed cast including Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Carice van Houten, Thomas Kretschmann, Eddie Izzard, Christian Berkel and Terence Stamp.

A proud military man, Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg is a loyal officer who serves his country all the while hoping that someone will find a way to stop Hitler before Europe and Germany are destroyed. Realizing that time is running out, he decides that he must take action himself and joins the German resistance. Armed with a cunning strategy to use Hitler’s own emergency plan – known as Operation Valkyrie – these men plot to assassinate the dictator and overthrow his Nazi government from the inside.

With everything in place, with the future of the world, the fate of millions and the lives of his wife and children hanging in the balance, von Stauffenberg is thrust from being one of many who oppose Hitler to the one who must kill Hitler himself.

Valkyrie is produced by Bryan Singer, Christopher McQuarrie and Gilbert Adler. McQuarrie co-wrote the original screenplay with Nathan Alexander who also serves as co-producer. The executive producers are Chris Lee, Ken Kamins, Daniel M. Snyder, Dwight C. Schar and Mark Shapiro. The film was shot in Germany at various locations where many of the actual events occurred, including the historic Bendlerblock. Recreating the atmosphere of urgency and paranoia inside the German resistance is a team that includes Singer’s frequent collaborators Newton Thomas Sigel (SUPERMAN RETURNS, X2, X-MEN) as director of photography and editor/composer John Ottman (SUPERMAN RETURNS, X2); as well as production designers Lilly Kilvert (two-time Oscar-nominee for THE LAST SAMURAI and LEGENDS OF THE FALL) and Patrick Lumb (THE OMEN) and costume designer Joanna Johnston (MUNICH, SAVING PRIVATE RYAN).

Home / Forum / Guestbook

Valkyrie, 2008 - Movie Review

Director: Bryan Singer
Starring: Tom Cruise, Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Terence Stamp, Eddie Izzard, Christian Berkel, David Bamber
Running Time: 120 minutes
Score: 7 / 10

This review by James Meeley.

One of the tricky things about doing films based on a true moment of history, is that, oftentimes, the actual events are not nearly as interesting as the film will portray it. This will lead to a "Hollywood-ification" of history, which can hurt the believability of the film. It is only made more difficult, when you use a moment that is also very well known, such as this plot by the Germany army to kill Hitler, and in which knowing the outcome can cost you much dramatic tension. Fortunately, director Bryan Singer doesn't take many liberties with the actual history of events and produces a film that, while not perfect, is very much entertaining and somewhat moving.

First off, the look of the film is flawless. The cinematography, with its wide-angle shots and sweeping overviews of the landscape and architecture, truly captured the times in which this event took place. It really felt like 1940's Germany, under the Nazi Reich. It is, quite easily, the strongest point of the film.

The performances range a bit from adequate to very good. Tom Cruise's take on Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg is more the former. It isn't bad and he certainly plays up how Stauffenberg put his love of his country above everything else, but I never really got a very good impression of why he felt this way. There was no sense of depth to the character, which one would think would be key to such an important figure of this historical moment. The fact we saw little of Stauffenberg's interaction with his family also played a part in lessening the impact of his great gamble.

Fortunately, some of the others who support Cruise help to raise the film (and his performance) from being totally lackluster. Tom Wilkinson as General Friedrich Fromm, was certainly one of the standout performances. He played the character with a true sense of duplicity and cunning guile. The way he straddles the fence on the plot to killer Hitler, is very much in keeping with how many of the high ranking Nazis seemed to navigate the political schemes within the Third Reich. Also of note, is Christian Berkel as Colonel Mertz von Quirnheim and Terence Stamp as Ludwig Beck. Both of whom turn in excellent supporting roles and have key moments of tension within the story. And while David Bamber has very few scenes in the film, he is very effective in conveying the side of Adolf Hitler that was never shown very much to the cameras of the times.

In the end, "Valkyrie" is good, but falls a bit short of the truly epic scope it wants to have. This film will become a standard for high school history teachers, when they study WWII in class, as well as being a solid entry into the war movie genre. However, there are too many little things, like almost no one speaking actual German (or even using an accent like one), or the mediocre score that lacks any memorable feeling of emotion, which keep the film out of the realm of a truly great cinema experience. Still, it is a good film, which is fairly historically accurate with the events it depicts, has some wonderful cinematography, and has an excellent cast with some standout supporting performances.

It is no "Schindler's List" or "Saving Private Ryan," but it is an entertaining look at some of the events of WWII from within the Nazi Reich, from the view of those who were involved with the atrocities that were being committed in the name of Germany. While certainly not an uplifting film (especially if you know the outcome of the plot), it is still one that is worth seeing.

Home / Forum / Guestbook

Valkyrie - Trailer for Tom Cruise's new movie

In a country in the grips of evil, in a police state where every move is being watched, in a world where justice and honor have been subverted, a group of men hidden inside the highest reaches of power decide to take action. Tom Cruise stars in the suspense film, VALKYRIE, based on the true story of Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg (Tom Cruise) and the daring and ingenious plot to eliminate one of the most evil tyrants the world has ever known. Director Bryan Singer (THE USUAL SUSPECTS, X-MEN, SUPERMAN RETURNS) re-teams with Academy Award®-winning USUAL SUSPECTS screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie to bring to life the story of the men who led the operation to assassinate Hitler. The film also stars an acclaimed cast including Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Carice van Houten, Thomas Kretschmann, Eddie Izzard, Christian Berkel and Terence Stamp.

A proud military man, Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg is a loyal officer who serves his country all the while hoping that someone will find a way to stop Hitler before Europe and Germany are destroyed. Realizing that time is running out, he decides that he must take action himself and joins the German resistance. Armed with a cunning strategy to use Hitler’s own emergency plan – known as Operation Valkyrie – these men plot to assassinate the dictator and overthrow his Nazi government from the inside.

With everything in place, with the future of the world, the fate of millions and the lives of his wife and children hanging in the balance, von Stauffenberg is thrust from being one of many who oppose Hitler to the one who must kill Hitler himself.

The trailer is below. What do you think? Will Tom Cruise match is Hip Hop dancing producer in Tropic Thunder?

HOME / FORUM.