Gonna knock out a couple of posts today, to get caught up and post some additional stuff.
Today I watched Stephen Fry in America, a series of hour long travel documentaries of famed British actor and personality Stephen Fry.
I don't know much about Fry, except what clips can be found of him on youtube. He's apparently quite a big deal in Europe. So he decides to travel trhough American and see the sights, talk to people, and get a sense for what makes America so...Americany. In episode one he travels through the New England region, covering a handful of states in one hour.
What I learned: Having never been to New England, I felt like I learned a lot about the area. It's as beautiful as everyone says, that for sure. He spends time in Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey and New York State and meets some local fisherman, some goodfellas, and some witches. Little bits of trivia are thrown in along the way.
What I liked: Fry is immensely charismatic; the guy could make talking to a signpost entertaining. His greatest strength lies in his curiosity. Every new activity, every new person is met with such fierce enthusiasm you are instantly drawn in. He's like a child, sometimes even squealing in excitement.
What I didn't like: Though charming, Fry offers little to no actual commentary on the events that take place. He presents them, recites a few lines of information, then moves on with little insight to his views or their place within a larger picture. I don't know if it's his personality, or just his overly polite British upbringing, but Fry doesn't make a disparaging comment, or even witty joke at anyone's expense, the entire episode. And it's not like there wasn't a host of opportunities for comedic commentary- it seems the show went out of its way to find odd members of the American community to take part in the show; people with thick accents and unusual hobbies fill the episode. While I'm sure his intention was to be polite by holding his tongue, he instead comes off as being 'above' all this American nonsense, too apathetic to even mock it. Again, I know that's not his intent at all. I just am having problems wrapping my mind around the idea that he must be the kindest, most open minded man in the world.
Overall, it was a pretty interesting episode. I found myself less interested in the people and places and more in just Fry himself, how he'd react to certain things, and what he'd want to see next. The whole thing felt like less of a travel documentary and more of a close friend's recent vacation.
You can watch all the episodes on Netflix streaming.
And here is Fry on his other show, Qi, discussing American prison facts. This is what confuses me about his travel show. He obviously has no problem speaking critically about America, so why not on his travel show?
No comments:
Post a Comment