Welcome Aturia. I've checked out the Trevor Eve page and saw that you're a contributor to it. Nice pics. Don't think I've ever seen his earlier works; funny that he sort of looks like Bruce Boxleitner when he was younger. Have seen Heat of the Sun. IRL = in real life s/b = should be Somehow I can't imagine that they'd mess with the climatic graveyard scene. It is dramatic enough.

Imagine Heat of the Sun on the big screen! I thought it was terrific - I wish Carlton/PBS would do additional episodes. He's done many of these tormented, sinister, ruthless characters. Heat of the Sun is a change; he plays a decent man; he was excellent as Tyburn. Can't place Bruce Boxleitner; what sort of roles has he done?

Just a quick hello from a new member! I have long been a Possession fan, though it's been a while since I read the book and need to go back and read it again. Found you through Aturia and am glad to be here! Also huge JN and GP fan, also sorry to say, a fan of Robson Green. But I'll forgive you all:)! Anyway, great discussion and I look forward to putting my two cents worth in now and again. Yours, Bess

Should have done this before... Aturia and Bess!! Always glad to have more people talk about Possession. We'll forgive your lapse of good judgment about RG, Bess, so long as you don't talk about him. ;-D (Although Drool does have a RG topic if you so desire.) (Aturia) He's done many of these tormented, sinister, ruthless characters. I'm glad you mentioned this since Cropper is really an evil character. Byatt makes no bones about casting him in a Satanic light (always dressed in black, the black sedan with license plates of 666...there's probably lots more). BTW, Bruce Boxleitner was Scarecrow in Scarecrow and Mrs King in the 1980s and it's still showing in syndication on various channels. If you go here, you will see all sorts of images from the show. I'd link, but the real images are biggies. http://www.bruceboxleitner.co.uk/screen2.html

Welcome Bess! I imagine this topic will get very busy again when we see the film.

Thanks for the welcome! Bruce is also the stalwart Captain Sheridan on the wonderful sci-fi TV show, Babylon 5. They couldn't have picked a better guy! I've been a Bruce fan too, for many years, first having seen him, ages ago, on a show called How the West Was Won. We're talking 1970's here, I'm afraid, but it wasn't a bad show. Anyway, that's way off topic, sorry Karen :) ! Bess

Something I'd like to share with you. On Monday, the Dark Horizons website had a little item about Charlotte's Possession pictures. It linked to my webpage. Imagine my surprise on Tuesday morning, when Neil LaBute emailed Charlotte (via me) to compliment her on her pics and then expressed a hope that she enjoyed her time "on set." I have forwarded the email onto Charlotte, but thought you guys might like to know that people from the industry do check out those websites and that he was kind enough to take the time to write.

Shows a courteous side to NLB...thoughtful of him. Thanks Karen and Charlotte.

(Karen) ...thought you guys might like to know that people from the industry do check out those websites and that he was kind enough to take the time to write. A really nice gesture on NLB's part. Glad you let us know, his stock has gone up in my book. :-) It reminds me of a story that Steven Spielberg told on TV, I'm not sure if anyone ever heard this. But Steven was telling a true story of how he was monitoring a chat group that was talking about one of his films. He thought one of the posters had some particularly insightful remarks, and Steven decided to write to him. Well shortly thereafter, Steven was notified by AOL that if he continued to impersonate Steven Spielberg, he would be prosecuted. :-)

Cute story, Donna. Karen, how nice of him. There are some people that have many sites dedicated to them and ... sorry off topic. ;-) I hope you will start a line of communication with him and link him here. ;-) We dish it out but can he take it? ;-) He will have lots of questions to answer. Congrats, Charlotte!

Actually, he has answered me already re: the red hair! But no way will I steer him here...even though the worst abuse is over at BJD. Let me know what other burning questions you have, as he's indicated he doesn't mind a bit. Now about that red hair...purely a practical matter to differentiate between the two and, with blonde hair, JE looked way too much like Meryl Streep in the French Lieutenant's Woman. However, you betta believe I plan to follow-up on this. ;-)

And loved the story, Donna. If you're not Donna, I'm going to let AOL know and they may prosecute you! ;-)

Few quick questions for NLB: 1) Will we see a balance between both stories, or did he concentrate more on Maud and Roland? 2) Does he think that Roland's character adds more to the story being played as an American and why? 3) How long will the film be? 4) Have they finished filming?

But no way will I steer him here... Thank you....that would be the end of the communication ;-) Good questions Moon.

If Neil searched hard enough he could find us. I did a search on Possession the other day and this conference came up. I hope NL does not change his e-mail before Possession comes out. I am sure Karen might have a few words to say to him about it. :-)) I would have loved the Meryl Streep comparsions. Both MS and JE are actresses of immense talent.

v.g. questions, Moon. Will keep them handy. I expect they are finished with all the filming. The IMDB says "post-production." So, our place came up in a search, huh? Maybe I better do some tidying up. ;-) I feel like Rick in Casablanca. Of all the gin joints... ;-)

(Karen) So, our place came up in a search, huh? This place came up in a search for Stephen Dillane on Yahoo, too. (#4 on the hit parade.)

I know the CC comes up in searches for CF and others. Guess I didn't think too much of it. Anyhow, look what I found that came up: http://www.contentville.com/expert/e_contributing.asp?ExpertID={E2F80D25-2CEF-11D4-ABFA-00C0F037C0E1} At the end it says his favorite web link is the IMDB, so maybe he submitted all the info. ;-)

"Now about that red hair...purely a practical matter to differentiate between the two and, with blonde hair, JE looked way too much like Meryl Streep in the French Lieutenant's Woman." I don't want to nit-pick, especially since this is my first time posting, but Meryl Streep *was* a readhead in French Lieutenant's Woman. I really enjoy this conference. Thank you.

Or a redhead, for that matter.

LOL Shug! That is priceless, so right (am looking at the video cover right now) and I think I'll use it. Welcome to the conference (I'll put up the official sign tomorrow; it's too late) *yawn* BTW, nit-picking IS the official pastime here. ;-)

Welcome, Shug! BTW, nit-picking IS the official pastime here. ;-) Here, there, everywhere. ;-)

See some comments on Possession's Gwenyth Paltow in the (gasp) babes conferecnce.

Thanks, Terry, but have seen the article. Nothing new about the movie.

Correction: Have gone back and reread what he wrote. They are fully aware that JE will look just like Meryl Streep in TFW. Phew! Caught myself before made total fool out of self.

(Karen)They are fully aware that JE will look just like Meryl Streep in TFW. I *wish* Jennifer could pick up Meryl Streep's mantle:-))That comparison has been made before even without the red hair.

(Evelyn)I *wish* Jennifer could pick up Meryl Streep's mantle:-)) They are different in many ways, of course, but I certainly think that they are both equally talented so there is no reason JE couldn't be the next Meryl Streep. Wouldn't it be interesting if she were to star in a remake of FLW? She'd make a very different Sarah, wouldn't she? And who would we get for Charles? CF?

Hello, I've only just found this forum, but I've been looking for one similar for ages. I can't believe it's so specific to my interests - I'll explain. Possession has been a favourite novel of mine since it was published because I live in Lincoln (getting all the Tennyson references) and I've been a fan of Byatt for longer. I applied to be an extra for the film when the set came to Lincoln (being a student) but I wasn't quick enough, but I did go down to the set for a few days. I spoke to a few of the crew (including the man in the funny hat in the British Museum snaps) because my dissertation is on filming locations & heritage properties etc. I have loads of articles on the filming (most are posted here) as I intend to use it as a case study. It's also just so exciting for me for something that has been so much an interest of mine, to come to my home town, which I suppose is only right. I even attend to college which is the model for Lincoln University in the novel (by coincidence)! I hope you don't mind me popping in and out, and I'll post what I have too when I get it all in order including my photos I took at at Lincoln uni set. Cheers, Lucinda.

WELCOME LUCINDA I am so glad you found us.Had we known you were out there, we would have gone after you What luck to have your overriding interest right in your own backyard!! We are v. eager to hear about your experiences on the Possession set, chats with any of the crew and oh pictures. Thanks for sharing...

Shug* and Lucinda!! How nice that you've found us and we'd love to hear anything you've learned about the movie from talking with the crew. Or if you'd like to discuss the book, there are many who are always agreeable to a Possession discussion of any type. Aside from the university and the train station, were there other locations used in Lincoln? The newspapers talked about an inn possibly being a site, but I never saw anymore on it. Aside from a couple of exterior shots, it would seem to me that if they were shooting the scene where Maud and Roland meet up with Euan and Toby the lawyer (no Val as we've heard she's been dropped) to discuss the quasi-will Toby has in his possession, then that could all be done at the studio. BTW, did you see Tom Hollander in Lincoln? We've been wondering what part he plays. *See, I told you I'd get around to it ;-)

Welcome, Lucinda! I second everything that Evelyn and Karen have said.

Thank you for such a warm welcome - it is so refreshing to find a nice forum. It was more luck than judgement that I was at the railway set as that is how I get into Lincoln, I was actually on the way to the university to have a look around! So I bypassed the station as most of the work seemed to have been done, but when we (my best bud & I) arrived at the uni, so did GP. People kept asking us what was going on and the man of local news asked us if we wanted to be on tv, but we politely declined! I did see a large dark lady going into make-up, but I wasn't sure whether Leonora Stern would appear in the film (?). That night I was in Lincoln and most of the crew were in my favourite, but rather expensive pub. In the local paper the next day it said GP had been in there too, but we didn't see her. They also filmed at the White Hart (the hotel in the book which does exist, I know because I walk past it everyday and to be honest inside isn't up to much!) which is where most of them were staying. Unfortunately, no I didn't see Tom Hollander, but then I wasn't looking for him because when they were filming at Lincoln only a few cast members had been announced. Plus I'm not the most perceptive person in the world! I did find some lovely pics in an article in the Lincs Echo which I had missed while on holiday, but my html skills aren't up to much and I'm not quite sure how to post them here. My pics are mostly of the set, though one does have GP's back as she got something out of her car, and I was too slow! My Aunt was in Whitby while they were filming, but didn't make the connection for which she was severely told off! As an aside, while researching my dissertation (I'm in my second year, but I'm enthusiastic!) I went on Leighton Hall's website and found an article on the filming. It's a shame they decided on Lancashire for that part of the filming, as a friend of mine works at Grimesthorpe Castle, Lincs who told me they had been seriously considering using it instead! Grimesthorpe has been used quite a bit for Middlemarch, The Buccaneers etc, but it how I imagined Seal Court. I'm just biased I suppose!

Very interesting, Lucinda. We had all the articles from the Lincolnshire Echo, plus one pic (as I recall) posted here. Were there more? To answer your question about posting pics, it is very easy to do but the pic must already be on the Internet someplace. They can't be posted from your hard drive as you do for attaching pics to an email. If you don't have that ability, you can always email them to me and I'll post them. However, they have been uploaded, this is the HTML string: img src="http://www.mypersonalwebspace.com/picname.jpg" Then you put the pointy brackets around the whole thing. The file must be a jpg or a gif to be posted. Hope this helps. Everyone here has acquired some very fundamental and even advanced html knowledge which adds to our fun on other topics (especially parties).

I noticed this article in particular as it had quite a number of lovely pics esp of AE! I will hunt out my digital pics and attempt to scan the Echo (papers don't scan well though) and with my simple brain, it might be easier to post them to someone who knows what they're doing! I also found something from a Yorkshire paper about how it hoped the crew and actors from Hollywood didn't think people in England still relied on steam powered trains!

Just email them to me at nomdedrool@yahoo.com

Hi Lucinda, oh you are so lucky to have been on the set of Possession, do you know what scene they were filming when you wee there and did you see any other actors, AE, Jeremy Northam or Jennifer Ehle. One question as you are an admirer of the book, what do you think about the fact that they have changed the colour of Christabel's hair to red when they are so specific about it in the book. I know they say they have to differentiate between the two Christabel and Maud, but that sounds a bit weak to me as they look completely different GP and Jennifer Ehle and anyway will be dressed completely differently. I hope they don't make too many changes like this and I am also sorry that Valere is not to be in the film. Any little stories you might have about your experience on set will be most welcome.

A warm welcome from me too. Thanks for all your interesting comments, Lucinda. how it hoped the crew and actors from Hollywood didn't think people in England still relied on steam powered trains! LOL! I hope people in America don't think that -after seeing Mission Impossible- the Eurostar and other high speed trains are dieseltrains that somehow manage to go 300km/h. Incredible, isn't it;-)

(Lucinda) I noticed this article in particular as it had quite a number of lovely pics esp of AE! Wot? Where? When? Can we see them???:-) Welcome, Lucinda, and all our other newcomers!

Thanks again for the welcome! I will try and e-mail the pics sometime this week. Ann W - it might lose some of the edge if JE's hair isn't blonde, visually it would make it easier to understand how Maud & Christabel were related. Does that mean the little girl who is playing May/Maia will have blonde or red hair? If she was RHA's daughter she'd probably be a bit darker as it was?!?

Good point, Lucinda, thanks.

However, in the book, RHA gets a plait of her hair and it is as white blonde as Christabel's, remember? Everyone thinks the woven bit of hair in the watch is hers, as no one knows that he has met Maia.

Does that mean that Maia's hair will be red in the film also in order for people to make the same assumption?

Maia's hair color: Good question to ask NLB... Lucinda...we are awaiting the pics...thanks.

(Lucinda) Does that mean that Maia's hair will be red in the film also in order for people to make the same assumption? But it should be so obvious, even without the hair color...if you knew this: ;-) http://www.castlewales.com/motte.html

Oh you sly cat, Karen....I bet NLB doesn't know this;-)

Didn't I say from the very beginning, the names meant something? ;-)

LOL Karen - I study Castles as part of my degree and that is one of the first things I picked up on. I am at the moment scanning the lovely AE pic I found (I hope it's not here already), but you all seem to have a few of the Lincoln shots here and I haven't scanned all the GP ones - there can be too many! I am also working on a map that I will e-mail of Lincoln locations (if I can find a street map on the net).

I agree about the hair. Why does such an obvious thing have to be changed. In my mind, M&R and C&A were similar types. This is not what NLB has done. Loved the castles. Thank, Karen!

(Lucinda) I study Castles as part of my degree What a fun degree! Looking forward to your pics. I contacted several people where they did the steam locomotive thing and none came through.

(Karen) What a fun degree! It is, I also get to study Country Houses, Museums and Archaeology within it! I've sent the pics to the nomdedrool address didn't you get them? The train thing is another freaky coincidence of this whole thing, because I was on it for a whole day in the summer. A week later or so they were filming. But then it was the same with Alnwick Castle and the Harry Potter film!

I'll go check, as I don't use it all the time.

These are Lucinda's: The locations at which they shot in Lincoln Trailers at the university:

Gwynnie arriving at uni From the Lincolnshire Echo, taken at the train station: As you can see, it's the same as the one that was up before, but we didn't get the inset with AE (and he's even taller than her...argh!) http://www.spring.net/karenr/possession/paltrow_lincoln.gif

Am I getting sloppy, here it is...

Great pics, Lucinda. Thank you and to Karen for posting them. Is that Gwynnie's stand-in arriving with her in the Mercedes? Too thin to be the bodyguard;-) I don't remember AS Byatt saying anything about Roland's undershirt hanging out of his sweater...do you? *;-)*

I don't remember AS Byatt saying anything about Roland's undershirt hanging out of his sweater...do you? *;-)* Or hugging Maud at the train station. Thanks for the pics.

Thanks ever so much Karen, I really appreciate you putting them here. Evelyn, I'm not sure if she was her stand in or her PA, but I saw her in Lincoln that evening. I couldn't get over how scruffy GP was - the trials of being an actress I suppose! ;-)

My guess is PA. A stand-in doesn't hang around with the star nor arrive with them. They are fairly low in the pecking order. Never saw Minnie or David's stand-ins anywhere near them.

I found some more piccies in old Lincs Echos, may I e-mail them to you again Karen? They're only small, but they're of filming inside the uni.

Of course, we'd love to see them. Thanks, Lucinda, I'll be on the lookout at the other email address.

Bless you Lucinda and Charlotte for looking out for us. [Hey, boss..I bet NLB would like to see them:-)]

Have you heard from NLB yet?

No, I think I scared him away. :-(

I am e-mailing the pics now. I will hang around for a while to see if you can upload them at the moment. If not I'll come back tomorrow and explain them!

Gotcha! Here are Lucinda's latest: The first two are inside the University's atrium taken from 01/09 This last one was GP in Lincoln, I was sat in the pub to the left (The Wig & Mitre) while she was next door scoffing pies! Tell us more, when you get back online. :-)

I'm sorry about the quality, but scanners don't like newspapers! I only found them recently also, they were in an article about being an extra for the day (rubbing in the fact that I wasn't!). The first two are within the Atrium at Lincoln uni, which anyone can walk into, they have a nice cafe! I'm guessing that they were going up to the LaMotte Research centre, like in the novel. There is a very similar Tennyson Research centre at Lincoln Central library! The third was taken near the White Hart (where they were staying) and I was in the pub to the left while GP was in Browns. In the article with it, it said the release date was October 2001 in the US and January 2002 in the UK. However, at the moment they are building a new Multiplex Odeon in Lincoln, near the uni, and on the news they said they wanted to show Possession as their opening film (as the cinema will probably be in the background!) that will be autumn 2001.

I was sat in the pub to the left (The Wig & Mitre) while she was next door scoffing pies! Fuzzy or not..we love seeing these pictures. How come GP can look like that gorging on Brown's pies and I can't!! In the pic with Roland she is wearing the same outfit as the one meeting him at the train station...so they must be going to the La Motte Library as you said. I hope Lincoln gets the first shot at "Possession"! (Castaway with Tom Hanks was premiered at a small Texas town near here where they had filmed some of the movie. The whole cast attended) Thanks again...

It would be really nice to open the new cinema with 'Possession'. I would be there with bells on! I'll keep on the look out for more piccies!

Interesting article in The Telegraph about Margaret Drabble, AS's sister, and about the book she's written that is based on their mother. Always wondered about those two and their relationship. If you take The Game as semiautobiographical, the thought of their relationship gives chills. Have a pile of Margaret's books here that I picked up at used book store's going out of business sale. Must read them some day. :-) http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/et?ac=000576481449931&rtmo=kCqZeZop&atmo=rrrrrrrq&pg=/et/00/12/30/badrab30.html

"my mother was very protective about me when I was little, perhaps because I was an intense and neurotic child" Operative word here"neurotic". Sounds as if she never got over it. I don't think sibling rivalry esp. in the same field is not unusual. And all mothers are hard to please.But as we grow -up we realize they did it with the best of intentions.I'm not apologizing for her behavior, but have to agree with AS .."'I would rather people didn't read someone else's version of my mother", she said. "That is her [Drabble's] experience. Mine belongs to me.'" BTW Antonia (AS)and Margaret look v. much alike.

Also from today's Observer-included in the Review for 2001 "MY FILM HIGHLIGHT OF THE COMING YEAR" Philip French Possession:The Movie A.S. Byatt is no stranger to having her work adapted for the screen, but 2001 will be a bumper year for the Booker prize winner. Next year will be an interesting one for ASB and her fans, with foreign directors taking a lively interest in her work. The American Director Philip Haas, whose Angels & Insects (an adaption of Dame Antonia's novella, Morpho Eugenia) was shown in competition at Cannes five years ago, is prepareing a version of its companion novella of Victorian cultural life. The Conjugal Angel, will possibly star Helen Mirren as Emily Tennyson, the Poet Laureate's wife. Meanwhfile, the Australfian filmmaker George Miller, who was pleased and astonished to hear that Byatt was a great admirer of his Mad Max movies, is working on an adaptation of her adult fairy story, The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye. But the movie I'm really looking is NLaB's Possession, based on Bytat's 1990 Booker Prize-winning nove. This marvelous novel, deceptively subtitled "A Romance" but the kind of thing that gives post-modernism a good name has parallel plots and is about two late twentieth-century academics who live through and fight over the lives of a pair of Victorian poets, CLaM & RHA. It's a fiendishly difficult book to adapt, mainly because it's very literary (letters and poems, some 10 pages long, are part of its texture), but partly because for the past decade it's been taught in universities around the world, and a very discerning audience will bre awaiting it.

cont. The film has been on the stocks for some fyears, and there have been rumours of unsuccessful scripts, of Jane Campion being a possible director, and Sean Connery playing the Browningesque Ash. Now it's in post-production after location shooting in England and France, with GQ (sporting another English accent) and LaB's regular AE as the present-day writers, and JN and JE as the Victorians. LaB's three previous filsm, In the Company of Men, Your Freidns and Neighbours and Nuirse Betty - show him to be aman of literary bent with a strong interest in language, early in his career, he had a graduagte fellowship to stdy at the Royal Court in London, so he's not stranger to this country. Dame Antonia, though not involved in the scripting or production, has apparenly taken a lively interest in the movie, and has from time to time tendered advice. On a visit to the set she was very impressed by the look of the film and the work of the production designer, and is pleased that the ending remains that of the novel. "You get the feeling of people working on something they're excited about, she told me. "You never know, of course, how things will turn out, but the auguries are good and I'm looking forward to seeing Possession in the summer". Do you think we are going to see Possession in the UK before the US? I am really looking forward to 2001, Possession, BJD and now possibly Hamlet. apologies for typing errors, kept expecting to be cut off.

is pleased that the ending remains that of the novel. Oh goodie! I do hope that means it ends with that lovely scene. Ann, just a hint. With longer articles or any for that matter, try typing them up offline, in a word processing document. Then cut and paste them here when on line. Much better to do that, especially is connection time is a problem.

What lovely scene Karen, I have forgotten, do you mean when they are reading Christabel's letter in the hotel room? Also thanks for the advice.

I meant the Ash/Maia encounter, but who knows as to what Byatt was referring. She may only have meant that the movie didn't change the overall ending of the book or the resolution of the big mysteries. But we'll just have to see. Summer? I just checked the upcomingfilms site, which is usually pretty current on release dates. Says Fall 2001. Also says that filming was completed in early December. But who knows?? ;-)

We are v. grateful to you Ann for taking the time to type the long article.Means a lot to all of us.:-)) ..and is pleased that the ending remains that of the novel. I think she means the meeting with Ash and Maia. (Bring a box of tissues!!) ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Glad ASB has changed her tune; she wasn't with Possession when I saw her in September, but was thrilled with these other two films that are mentioned: The Conjugal Angel and the adult fairy story that probably no one will ever see! But Possession was shooting then and I wonder if she adamantly insisted on the ending.

That's really nice that they are (hopefully) keeping the ending, because the audio version I have cuts that (and a lot of the pivotal bits) out. Tissues will definately be out then! It's a lovely article Ann. I was also wondering whether they would keep the France bit in, if they were going to make changes I thought it would be there. Also, I don't know if anyone's discussed it here and if you have tell me, but what sort of music will they have as the soundtrack. Will they half and half it with modern and incidental (which would be nice and complimentary to the entire theme of the novel) or will they just have incidental?

Thanks, Ann. A very interesting article. The Conjugal Angel and the adult fairy story that probably no one will ever see! I will and so will my DH.

Thanks for the wonderful article, Ann, and to Lucinda for the latest pics. So glad to hear that Byatt is feeling good about the film so far. You very well may get this one in the UK first; here, they'll hold it back until later in the year, to maximize awards exposure. It's the type of classy film that gets lots of attention come the end of year honors. Possession, Design for Living, BJD, Hamlet, Conspiracy--whew! What a year we have ahead of us!:-)

(evelyn)The Conjugal Angel and the adult fairy story that probably no one will ever see! (Moon)I will and so will my DH. What I mean't was that films like that only play on the two coasts,with luck. Sometimes Chicago.Whereas a NLB film will play all over the world.

The Buzz is starting... Apparently,"Possession" is featured as one of the films to look out for in 2001 in the current issue of Newsweek. The article reports how difficult it must have been to adapt the book for the screen and mentions all four leads, Paltrow, Eckhart, JN and JE. Has anybody seen the article?

Thanks for the heads up, Evelyn. Here it is. http://www.msnbc.com/news/507940.asp#BODY

This was in the Lincolnshire Echo tonight (I cheated and found the web version instead of transcribing!) Author adds new twist to pub fight by Jason Hippisley Prize-winning author A S Byatt has lent her support to the fight to save an historic city pub. As the sale of the Adam and Eve pub to Lincoln Minster School was due to be completed today, Dame Antonia has waded in to the controversy, saying the 400-year-old inn should be left alone. Campaigners fighting the closure of the pub under the school's �5m redevelopment plans have been given hope by the author's intervention a week ahead of a public meeting in the city. The pub was used as a location for the film Possession, the novel for which Dame Antonia won the Booker Prize in 1990, the year she was made a CBE. The movie, which stars Gwyneth Paltrow, was shot in and around Lincoln in September and is due for release later this year. Possession involves a moving scene in the snug of the Adam and Eve where Aaron Eckhart, Miss Paltrow's opposite number challenges his feelings for the star, who plays a colleague at a Lincoln university, which was filmed in parts of the University of Lincolnshire and Humberside. Dame Antonia (64) said: "I would be very upset if the pub closed. "I have known it since I was a child. "In places like Lincoln where there isn't much left, it really ought to be left alone." She visited the pub on a tour of the set as the film was being made. Her opinion echoes that of more than 4,000 people who have signed a petition against the closure and campaigned for a successful U-turn from the Church School Foundation. The foundation that runs the school is now trying to attract a brewery to sub-let the pub and keep it open. For the foreseeable future Scottish and Newcastle, which has sold the Adam and Eve for an undisclosed sum, will continue to manage the pub. The Save the Adam Campaign has even involved in its fight the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, who are patrons of the schools company. Jim Cowan, a farmer who has led the campaign to save the pub with teacher Mike Miller and archaeologist Naomi Field, said: "We have achieved an enormous amount and I think it shows the true strength of feeling for the pub that A S Byatt has now got involved. "We are very pleased she has come forward with her support, particularly at this stage as a public meeting looms," said Mr Cowan. Pub Regular Steve Crawford said: "It's great that A S Byatt has come on board, but we still need people to turn out to the public meeting." Called by the city council as part of its consultation on the school's change of use application, the meeting at the Lawn on Monday, January 22, starts at 7.30pm. I completely forgot the pub had been used as a location in Lincoln. I should have put it on my map, it is south-east of the White Hart on the eastern side of Wragby road where it meets Pottergate & Lindum Road. There's a trip up to the Adam & Eve for me this weekend!

There's a trip up to the Adam & Eve for me this weekend! Way to go, Lucinda! Pl. give us a report . Thanks:-)

February's Movieline article "Directors on Sex" by Stephen Farber briefly interviews NLB and others. There's also mention of GP.

Thanks Aturia.The article is interesting ...interviews different directors re: how they shoot sex scenes.Including Anthony Minghella on TEP which I'll post on #136. �NLB has established himself as one of the most daring provocateurs on the contemporary scene. Referring to his second feature, �Your Friends & Neighbors, he says�I tried to do a whole film saturated in sexuality, even though I knew tht the American audience is wary of discussing it or seeing it. Actually, you only see one sexual act, in the first scene. Ben Stiller and Catherine Keener had qualms about it, as they should have. I told them I wanted them to remain covered at every moment, and that gave them a technical challenge and helped to relieve the pressure. It also helped a great deal that we had a female cinematographer. It made the actors feel safer to have a woman�s voice included� �I hope to return to the sexual arena in other films�, LB continues. � In my view, sex should be considered like a controlled substance. The less you control it, the less dangerous and less mysterious it becomes, and the less people are obsessing it into something darker that it needs to be.� �

More on article: �Filming sex scenes can make the challenge of elaborate action sequences or high-tech special effects seem easy by comparison...the weirdness of getting actors to do ultraprivte things under ultrapublic circumstances.� More on NLB: �The question all directors face in doing a sex scene is whether audiences will go along with them. �We all go through life in a modified state of high school,�saysNLB...�No one wants to be an outsider. So when people see a film, they think, �What�s the norm?� If it seems outside the norm, they feel uncomfortable watching. We�re all too desperate for normality.� ~~~~~~~~~``` [Well, his films haven't been exactly normal...One wonders what he'll do with P.]

Everything you always wanted to know about NLB. Too bad the writer kept getting the name of the movie wrong. ;-) http://metromix.com/top/1,1419,M-Metromix-Stage-0!ArticleDetail-10461,00.html

"I'm still fascinated by the duality of people," LaBute says. "Just because someone is a beautiful person, that does not mean that they are a good person. And yet we all get so invested in that." I keep getting the feeling that he's gonna make Randolph Ash a baddie.... IMO AS Byatt, at best, makes him a little disingenuous.

LaBute is nuanced and complex, but with a hard-egded, dare it be stated "modern" sensibility, which is a good counterpoint to the archaic, rarefied aura the novel's contemporary characters possess. I thought a curious devise in the book that the 19th Century characters were more "modern", if you will, than the late 20th Century ones.

Didn't get a chance to go to the Adam & Eve this weekend, but A.S's plight was not in vain, because they've decided to keep it open as a pub - hoorah!

From a Sunday Times article about Toby Stephens: First there was a part in Stephen Poliakoff's Family Tree, the follow-up to Shooting the Past, then the role of Fergus, a self-serving academic in Neil LaBute's adaptation of AS Byatt's literary mystery Possession. "He's a shit. It's rent-a-turd time again," chuckles Stephens, referring to his impressive list of sneering upper-class nasties. "He'll do anything to get what he wants - the money and the glamour." http://www.sunday-times.co.uk/news/pages/sti/2001/01/28/sticulthr02003.html

I absolutely loved Shooting the Past, but that's an aside. How can we ever forgive poor Toby for his silly hair in Onegin? Nice article cheers.