Stuart, A Life Backwards - ont telly next Sun

[Herbsman.]

I take it this isn't available on video or DVD? I'd like to watch it. (missed the first hour last night so didn't keep on watching, would rather watch the whole thing)

 

[girasol]

Ive found the programme quite hard to follow at times because i couldnt understand what he was saying. It was nicely done .

I ended up putting subtitles on and it all made sense

Tom Hardy was very good as Stuart, but also I did think his teeth looked, well, strangely well kept.

Very sad, very fucked up, I never read the book though, but purely on its own, with nothing to compare against, I think it worked very well. It certainly made me cry and I'm still quite upset about it.

 

[dash_two]

I thought it was moving and impressive, in the tradition of 'Edna the Inebriate Woman'. It had to have some dark humour in, otherwise it would be too harsh to watch. A good corrective to the 'They make £200 a day begging' line of thought, too.

 

[Rosco]

I watched it and thought it was good. Doesn't every town in the UK have a character like that though?

 

[sojourner]

I thought it was really well done - am glad it was Masters that did the screenplay, it could have gone horribly wrong in the wrong hands.

Foo - I did wonder if you knew him at all, given the area. The premier sounds fucking awful - did you make your feelings known?

Agree with all comments regarding 'Stuart's' physique!

 

[DRINK?]

Read the book, very moving not sure how it would translate to film certainly makes you think....there for the grace of God and all that

 

[Neva]

I haven't read the book but I watched it last night and thought it was dire, just really, really bad.

The friendship came across as totally false and the whole thing was just dull. Those little animations they tried to liven it up with were fucking annoying as well. They shouldn't have tried to make it film length imo although I expect they got a lot more money this way, cut it back by a third and just have an hour long programme and it would have been better.

 

[trashpony]

That sounds awful foo

I'm afraid I wimped out too - just found it too distressing. And then I ended up having a dreadful dream that I saw an urbanite who'd been really badly beaten up by her boyfriend (also an urbanite) which I'm sure isn't true but now I will have to check they're okay

 

[sojourner]

I haven't read the book but I watched it last night and thought it was dire, just really, really bad.

The friendship came across as totally false and the whole thing was just dull. Those little animations they tried to liven it up with were fucking annoying as well. They shouldn't have tried to make it film length imo although I expect they got a lot more money this way, cut it back by a third and just have an hour long programme and it would have been better.

the animations were, I think, taken from the real-life Stuart's drawings. I could be wrong on this.

Perhaps the book would have provided a little more background for you Reno. Did that fact that it was a true story not move you, even a little? Tbh, the mother's role was collapsed somewhat - her feelings were really harrowing in the book.

 

[girasol]

I thought the animations were good.

 

[madzone]

I haven't read the book but I watched it last night and thought it was dire, just really, really bad.

The friendship came across as totally false and the whole thing was just dull. Those little animations they tried to liven it up with were fucking annoying as well. They shouldn't have tried to make it film length imo although I expect they got a lot more money this way, cut it back by a third and just have an hour long programme and it would have been better.

I didn't get the impression that the animations were meant to liven it up, more that they showed us harrowing stuff in a more acceptable way i.e. sticking the broken glass in his throat.

 

[Neva]

the animations were, I think, taken from the real-life Stuart's drawings. I could be wrong on this.

If that's the case then at least there's a reason for them being present I guess although they were still annoying. Anyway they came across to me as just being flights of the imagination from the writer guy, like to try and show he was a whimsical and creative figure or whatever. I'm pretty sure that they explicitly showed the first of the animations being drawn by the writer actually now that I think about it.

 

[Throbbing Angel]

oh ffs
forgot it was on

 

[Neva]

I didn't get the impression that the animations were meant to liven it up, more that they showed us harrowing stuff in a more acceptable way i.e. sticking the broken glass in his throat.

Meh, maybe. I'm an adult though and if I can handle him headbutting the mother of his child and holding a knife to her throat than I don't see why I need to be protected from watching a guy self-harm. They also showed him naked, screaming and covered in blood at one point didn't they?

So if that was the intention of them they were used in such a haphazard way as to be made redunant imo.

 

[foo]

the animations appear in the book too - and i think madz is right about why they were there. the drawings were Alexander Masters irrc.

know what you mean in your earlier post iemanja - i still feel a bit done in and flat after watching it last night to be honest.

 

[madzone]

Meh, maybe. I'm an adult though and if I can handle him headbutting the mother of his child and holding a knife to her throat than I don't see why I need to be protected from watching a guy self-harm. They also showed him naked, screaming and covered in blood at one point didn't they?

So if that was the intention of them they were used in such a haphazard way as to be made redunant imo.

Fair enough - but you seem to be in a minority of one. The general consensus seems to be that it was an extremely powerful within obvious limitations.

 

[madzone]

know what you mean in your earlier post iemanja - i still feel a bit done in and flat after watching it last night to be honest.

In retrospect I don't think I should've watched it. It's stirred up all sorts of stuff for me and I had a truly dreadful night. There were some things 'Stuart' said where I just felt liked I'd been physically punched and I'm pretty shaky today.

It'll pass

 

[foo]

In retrospect I don't think I should've watched it. It's stirred up all sorts of stuff for me and I had a truly dreadful night. There were some things 'Stuart' said where I just felt liked I'd been physically punched and I'm pretty shaky today.

It'll pass

yeh, and me.

maybe i'm just tired.

 

[sojourner]

yeh, and me.

maybe i'm just tired.

aye, and me

It's easier to ignore knife scenes in a book

 

[aqua]

aye and me too but I'm glad I watched it

 

[trashpony]

aye, and me

It's easier to ignore knife scenes in a book

And me and I didn't even watch it all.

 

[LDR]

you had to be there i suppose LDR. the laughter was inappropriate, and sneering. seriously, it was horrible.

Thanks sounds awful. I was quite naive and used to think that people like that didn't exist until I worked in the city and listened to my colleagues talk about hassling homeless people for a giggle. I left not long after as I couldn't stand to be around people like that.

 

[AndyO'C]

the actor who played Alexander comes across as much more uptightly middle class than the man himself. the real Alexander is a lot more quirky and odd. i didn't really believe in the friendship when i watched the film.

Watching the film I felt that Alexander was just using their friendship to get a book out of Stuarts story. Good to hear that that isn't totally true.

 

[moomoo]

And me and I didn't even watch it all.

I *couldn't* watch it all.

 

[sleepyhead]

Damn, totally forgot about it. Anyone know if it'll be repeated at all?

 

[Orang Utan]

I thought it was rather disappointing. Didn't like the way they told the story at all. Not enough detail about Stuart's childhood.

 

[foo]

Thanks sounds awful. I was quite naive and used to think that people like that didn't exist until I worked in the city and listened to my colleagues talk about hassling homeless people for a giggle. I left not long after as I couldn't stand to be around people like that.

yeh but these were people who worked in the system, and local polititians etc. the 'good and the worthy' of this fair city.

still, they were able to go home to their nice middle class comfortable lives after putting a cheque in the winter comfort box. the smugness in the room was stifling. i might have a bit of a chip on my shoulder, i do realise that, but it wasn't just me who felt sickened by them.

we got interviewed about it on the local radio station for the homeless. i sound like a ranting haridan. oh well. fuck em.

 

[foo]

Watching the film I felt that Alexander was just using their friendship to get a book out of Stuarts story. Good to hear that that isn't totally true.

don't think so, although he's quite dry and hard to figure out.

i felt happier when we were talking to Stuart's mum and sister cos they said Alexander had given them half his dosh, and still came round to see them loads.

edit: though fuck knows why they got a woman with a west country accent to play his mum.

 

[AndyO'C]

i felt happier when we were talking to Stuart's mum and sister cos they said Alexander had given them half his dosh, and still came round to see them loads.

That sounds like the right thing to have done.

edit: though fuck knows why they got a woman with a west country accent to play his mum.

Artistic licence

 

[beeboo]

I can't believe I missed this!

Although by bizarre coincidence I was out having a chat with a girl who worked for a homeless hostel in Cambridge - I was quizzing her about her perspective on the book and she hadn't read it.

I thought the book was fantastic though. Any word on a repeat?