French Revolution

[Vern Gagne 0]

So it's not a CE. Still, the special about it was on the History Channel.

 

 

What a bloody mess. The monarchy was either cruel or plan naive to the plight of the people. The people who led the Revolution, proably turned out to be even worse. Anyone who spoke out...off with their heads. No wonder Napoleon was able to gain power in such a short amount of time.

 

A few things. Had no idea that King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were the same age, and married at 15 and 14 years old. Also, though Marie was the like the 3rd wife.

 

Watching the special, you see how well the American Revolution went. Thank your lucky stars that we had Ben Franklin, John Adams, Thomas Jeffeson, George Washington, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and others as the founding fathers.

[Highland 0]

The guillotine hadn't made it over to the Americas.

Fitting that an invention designed to offer quick executions previously reserved only to the nobility (the commoners either hanged or otherwise tortured) too everyone was in fact used on everyone.

Edited January 18, 2005 by Highland

[Jingus 0]

French Revolutions (there've been a bunch of them, large and small) are weird little puppies. Usually they start out innocently enough, a bunch of inspired peasants rightfully fighting back against The Man who had oppressed them... but at some point after those peasants gain power, they usually turned into ridiculously violent tyrants themselves, and eventually self-destructed. Even Napoleon fell victim to this trend (a guy as smart as him really should've known better than to invade Russia).

[Slayer 0]

Did I wake up and it's 1789 again?

 

 

 

 

...so, you think Robespierre can it done?

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

I went to see Les Miserable on Sunday -- that's all I got. One of my favorite parts of that production is when...

 

***OMG SPOILERS AHEAD***

 

That brat gets shot looking for ammo...

[Dr. Tyler; Captain America 0]

A few things. Had no idea that King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were the same age, and married at 15 and 14 years old. Also, though Marie was the like the 3rd wife.

 

What are you talking about?

 

Marie Antoinette was Louis XVI's only wife. She owned him, and that was partially what made him such a weak ruler.

[Jingus 0]

I went to see Les Miserable on Sunday

Actually, if you want an interesting semi-contemporary account of one of the smaller French revolutions, you could do a lot worse than Victor Hugo's original novel. But get the uncut version, as all the abridged ones tend to just focus on the plot and cut out all his social commentary.

[2GOLD 0]

When I first saw these I thought the French people had started another revolution and were looking to take over France.

 

Imagine my disappointment when I see it's the old school revolution.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

I went to see Les Miserable on Sunday

Actually, if you want an interesting semi-contemporary account of one of the smaller French revolutions, you could do a lot worse than Victor Hugo's original novel. But get the uncut version, as all the abridged ones tend to just focus on the plot and cut out all his social commentary.

Huh? I just went because that's what the better half wanted for her b-day. She bitched at me a while back because she didn't understand why I didn't know she wanted to go see this. Her strategy of having me notice what she wanted to do for her b-day was to put the newspaper ad for this performance out on the dining room table. Of course, the table is covered with other letters/papers/etc. of her shit so of course I didn't notice. Even if that ad was the only thing on the table I wouldn't have known, so c'est la vie.

 

Oh yeah, fuck France, and fuck people who arrive late to these artsy events. I thought once the doors closed that was it -- guess I was wrong...

[Vyce 0]

I've always enjoyed "A Tale of Two Cities" with its rather chilling depiction of the Revolution.

 

Oh, and coming from stock that is predominantly British & German (at least on my father's side): yes indeed, fuck France.

[godthedog 0]

'a tale of two cities' is terrible. dickens did the worst kind of melodramatic, soap-opera pandering.

 

and the french make great movies.

[Guest CronoT]

I went to see Les Miserable on Sunday

Actually, if you want an interesting semi-contemporary account of one of the smaller French revolutions, you could do a lot worse than Victor Hugo's original novel. But get the uncut version, as all the abridged ones tend to just focus on the plot and cut out all his social commentary.

Huh? I just went because that's what the better half wanted for her b-day. She bitched at me a while back because she didn't understand why I didn't know she wanted to go see this. Her strategy of having me notice what she wanted to do for her b-day was to put the newspaper ad for this performance out on the dining room table. Of course, the table is covered with other letters/papers/etc. of her shit so of course I didn't notice. Even if that ad was the only thing on the table I wouldn't have known, so c'est la vie.

 

Oh yeah, fuck France, and fuck people who arrive late to these artsy events. I thought once the doors closed that was it -- guess I was wrong...

Women do need to learn the difference between being subtle and being absolutely uncomprehensible.

 

Also, yes, the doors are supposed to be closed once the production begins. But, like all things in life, money greases the wheels when they should stay still.

[Vern Gagne 0]

A few things. Had no idea that King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were the same age, and married at 15 and 14 years old. Also, though Marie was the like the 3rd wife.

 

What are you talking about?

 

Marie Antoinette was Louis XVI's only wife. She owned him, and that was partially what made him such a weak ruler.

I'm talking about what I wrote. I didn't know that was Louis only wife.

 

Oh, if a mod wants to move the thread, feel free.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

Also, yes, the doors are supposed to be closed once the production begins. But, like all things in life, money greases the wheels when they should stay still.

Trust me, the white trash that arrived late, after buying orchestra-level seats, would not have the scrilla to pay off the ushers, who were all 80+ year-old ladies. I also think the trash were throwing a temper tantrum because I heard some yelling outside the doors when the show was 15 minutes in -- guess they thought there would be previews.

 

That was the last time I go to an afternoon show. The evenings shows I've been to don't have this problem, or at least it seems that way. Damn under-class...

[Vyce 0]

'a tale of two cities' is terrible. dickens did the worst kind of melodramatic, soap-opera pandering.

You're clearly insane.

[Kahran Ramsus 0]

French Revolutions (there've been a bunch of them, large and small) are weird little puppies.  Usually they start out innocently enough, a bunch of inspired peasants rightfully fighting back against The Man who had oppressed them... but at some point after those peasants gain power, they usually turned into ridiculously violent tyrants themselves, and eventually self-destructed.  Even Napoleon fell victim to this trend (a guy as smart as him really should've known better than to invade Russia).

No kidding. In 100 years they had eleven of them. Most of which were localized to Paris, where Parisians would revolt despite popular opinion in the country (in the Second Republic, most of the country ended up electing the same representatives that they already had under the July Monarchy). And people think Toronto is bad as far as having a me-me-me attitude.

 

Of note, the only regime of that period that had any sort of long lasting positive effects for France, was the Second Empire of Napoleon III. France entered the modern age in that period, and once again reclaimed its spot as the most respected power in Europe. Then he got forced into a war with Prussia (public opinion was overwhelmingly in favour of the war), he goes out himself to lead an army under pressure despite that fact that he hated the battlefield, fought bravely at Sedan, and then is turfed from power a couple of days after being captured by the Prussians and blamed for the war. Then they continue the war and proceed to get Paris nearly obliterated. The country, to this day, has never recovered all of what they had before the war.

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

'a tale of two cities' is terrible.  dickens did the worst kind of melodramatic, soap-opera pandering.

You're clearly insane.

I thought Dickens had lost a bet and had to write a book where he had to cram as many characters as possible into it. It was just too hard to keep track of the 30+ characters throughout the story. I think the actual French Revolution parts were good but the rest of the book was the usual Dickens crap.