Annie Lennox and David Stewart, “together for the first time in five years” apparently on Parkinson – very cool.

Is there anyone else that thinks Annie Lennox bears a moderately disturbing likeness to David Bowie, especially when she is wearing a suit and tie?

“Of course he has a knife; we all have knives! It’s 1183 and we are all barbarians.”

Thus spake Glenn Close, as the glorious Eleanor of Aquitaine.

I have finally seen this movie – the remake; one day I’ll see the original too (a familiar refrain). Sean Connery was fabulous, and Glenn Close… well. I didn’t much like Richard in this movie – he was very much the thug, and also quite insecure. John was a snivelling little wretch – definitely no revisionism here – but the most interesting character, I thought, was Geoffrey. He was great! I know so little about him; I wonder if there is any good bios about him? I will have to re-read my Eleanor bio – I really enjoyed that. I’m not sure I really liked the portrayal of her here; she was insecure, too, and emotional… I didn’t mind the deviousness and cunning, but I can’t decide whether they brought her down too much or not. And I think it would be interesting to find a really good, as-objective-as-possible bio of John.

The movie was great. Glorious costumes and buildings – although, I realise, almost all of it was set inside a castle, which was clever. I’ve just read a short thing on Robin Hood movies, comparing the Golden and Gothic portrayals of the Middle Ages. I think this walks a line between the two… it’s not completely clean and sanitised, but it’s also not Excalibur.