My goodness what a slap!!!

[A.I.Collins]

Hi guys!

  Adra here.
   I must say that when Quentin slapped Samantha today i could feel her pain.I do believe that it was the hardest and "real" slap during the show's entire run.That scene was great and Virginia Vestoff and David Selby have such great chemistry together.I just hated seeing her get abused like that!...what a mess...

Adra

[Philippe Cordier]

You're right, that was a very realistic slap.  I'll have to re-watch the scene now, but I'd be willing to bet Vestoff and Selby agreed that he would really slap her.  (One actress who has insisted on truly being hit is Ann-Margret, as in her harrowing performance in "A Streetcar Named Desire.")

As much as I abhore violence, domestic or otherwise, I have to say my thoughts on viewing this effective scene with Quentin and Samantha were "she deserves it."  Of course, hitting someone is wrong, but Samantha's unrelentless taunting of Quentin about Tad almost make that slap justified.  (And he didn't continue to beat her, so it was just one push and one slap, which were not unprovoked --

[spoiler]especially when we later find out she's lying about it anyway.[/spoiler]


Someone in another thread recently opined that the writers had changed Samantha's character from the original conception of the characer.

I disagree with that assessment.  There have been a couple of hints along the way -- by way of statements other characters have made --  that Samanthat is devious and cunning ... we just haven't seen evidence of that until now.  To this I would give credit to the writers/concept people for writing Samantha as a real, layered character, someone whom it takes a while for us to really know.  And we'll continue to learn more about her character as the storyline continues.

I would contrast this with the very abrupt and unjustified re-writing of Beth's character in the 1897 storyline.

[The Ghost of Sarah Collins]

That scene was very emotional, although Samantha went right into that slap by mentioning Quentin's paternity, which he clearly warned her about.
Think Samantha!

  Sarah's

   :-   
   a skeleton chorus line 

[A.I.Collins]

How exactly was Beth's character changed Vlad?....I saw those episodes but i can't quite figure out what you mean....

Adra

[Gerard]

That was a darn, good slap.  I'm still trying to figure out if it was real, or did they finally pull off a fake one where everything lined up.  Usually, with the DS fake ones, they fell far short, the hand and cheek missing each other by an obvious mile while the sound-effects man miscoordinated his loud, off-stage clap, making them look like the deliberately phoney ones on a Carol Burnett skit.

During the filming of the scene in Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte in which Olivia DeHavilland slaps Bette Davis around in the car, Davis refused to accept the hits.  So her stand-in had to get rosey cheeks from DeHavilland, the takes then editted together.

Gerard

[Julia99]

You're right, that was a very realistic slap.  I'll have to re-watch the scene now, but I'd be willing to bet Vestoff and Selby agreed that he would really slap her.  (One actress who has insisted on truly being hit is Ann-Margret, as in her harrowing performance in "A Streetcar Named Desire.")

Another **real** slap scene is in Chinatown when Jack Nicolson is trying to find out who the "girl" is and Faye Dunaway says.  "my daughter, my sister, my daugher, my sister"  According to Faye, she finally insisted Jack really slap her otherwise it looked too silly. . .

[Julian]

While on the subject of movie slaps, I've read that Vivien Leigh got a bit enthusiastic when she hauled off and slapped Butterfly McQueen during the filming of GWTW.  It's the scene on the stairs when Prissy admits she's not going to be much help when it comes to Melanie's imminent delivery.  Butterfly is reported to have walked off the set in protest and didn't return until an apology was forthcoming.

[Gothick]

Samantha is one of the few elements of 1840 that works consistently throughout the storyline for me, and it's all thanks to Virginia Vestoff's brilliant, bravura performance.  I wouldn't be surprised if Vestoff demanded a real slap, but would be a little doubtful whether Selby would actually hit her, since he seems like such a tender-hearted fellow.

The non-supernatural stuff involving the Quentin/Samantha/Gerard triangle is the springboard for the best scenes in the entire final period of DS' history.

G.

[A.I.Collins]

Brilliantly said!

  I think Virginia Vestoff was one of the best actresses on the show. I wish she could have made it on the show earlier so we could have seen her in other roles.
Anyone think she could have did Beth Chavez?

Adra

[Philippe Cordier]

How exactly was Beth's character changed Vlad?....I saw those episodes but i can't quite figure out what you mean....

Adra,

I was referring to when Beth goes to work for Count Petofi.  My feeling was that this had nothing to do with her character development but was rather an abrupt editorial decision.

V.

[grayson67]

That slap made me hurt just watching it. OUCH!

And on the subject of Virginia Vestoff, I'm amazed as I watch 1840 this time around just how superb she can be. I think my opinion may have been colored by the fact that the first time I saw this storyline I jumped in during the middle and didn't care for the character of Samantha all that much. Watching her characterization of the role I can even sympathize with Samantha, which is something I never had done before. The way I'm seeing it now Samantha has a softer, kinder side (as shown by her affection for Tad and Roxanne¢â‚¬¦ and even how kind she was to Julia) but as mistress of Collinwood she was put in a position where being devious was the only way to have any control in the house at all.

Of course, I have some issues with her choice of Gerard over Quentin¢â‚¬¦ but I'm pretty sure that has very little to do with Samantha and more to do with the fact that I would choose Quentin!
 

grayson67 (Melissa)