Bliss: Six Days (tv post)

[mary-the-fan.livejournal.com]

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Six Days is about Anna, a stoic but sensitive farm woman in a disappointing marriage to an older man, Jake. After Jake suffers an accidental injury, Anna finds herself needing help on the farm. Callum plays Mike, the hired hand. Anna and Mike quickly grow close. They find that they have real feelings for each other, just as Jake is to be released from the hospital.

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The IMDB page: Bliss: Six Days, 2002

Six Days was based on the story of the same name, by Marlene Wildeman. The episode was written by Sheila Prescott-Vessey and directed by Sylvie Rosenthal.

(These credits are from the DVD. IMDB lists no director for Six Days. It is not on Rosenthal’s IMDB page. TV.com lists Susan Musgrave as the writer and Holly Dale as the director.)

Michele Duquet is a Canadian actress who works in three languages. As far as I can tell neither she nor Paul Stewart (the Canadian actor who plays her husband) has worked with Callum in anything else

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Cast / Characters:

Michelle Duquet Callum Keith Rennie Paul Stewart Kathleen Fee Bob Brewster Charles Doucet Sam Stone

Anna Mike Jake Etta Schmidt Yard Boss Stocky Man Red-Faced Man

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Year: 2002

Runtime: 22 minutes

Country: Canada

IMDB rating: Six Days, no rating (fewer than five ratings). Bliss, the series, 5.1/10 (74 votes).

Genre: Drama/Romance

Keywords: Sex Bra Undressing Scene Female Nudity Lingerie Lesbian Kiss Lesbian Sex Nipples Clothes Ripping Thong Caught Having Sex Underwear Panties Lesbian Interest Erotica Anthology

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Awards:

Gemini Award: six nominations and one win for the series.
• Nominated for Best Dramatic Series, 2002 and 2004.
• Nominated for Best Direction in a Dramatic Series, 2003.
• Nominated for Best Production Design or Art Direction, 2002 and 2004.
• Nominated for Best Picture Editing, 2003.
• Won Best Sound in a Dramatic Series, 2004.

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There are no user comments for the episode, but several comments on the series that refer to Six Days.
One example:

Interesting series from a female point of view. 17 April 2006

Author: highwaytourist from United States

I stumbled upon this series by accident, while channel surfing. As Oxygen Network plays it on late Sunday nights, I don’t always get the opportunity to watch. The series is entertaining, even though there are times it strains credibility. Most of the stories are shallow, in spite of the occasional attempts at character development, and they’re not that hard to predict. Though the series is supposed to be for a female audience, men will certainly enjoy it. The episode regarding a lesbian historical boutique owner and her butch younger girlfriend entertained me, but I don’t know if straight women would enjoy such a thing. On the whole, “Bliss” is a fun time-filler for hard-up insomniacs.

Probably the best episode is “Six Days”, in which the beautiful yet authentic Anna (Michelle Duquet), an unhappily married farmer’s wife is left alone on the farm after her annoying bore of a husband Jake (Paul Stewart) suffers an accident that temporarily incapacitates him. So she finds someone to help her keep up the farm while he recovers. Of course, Mike (Callum Keith Rennie), the man who volunteers to work for her, is nice-looking and virile. And it’s obvious what they’ll do once they’ve been alone for a few days. Yet the story works just the same. We see the alienated wife and the loner farm hand connect as people, not just as genders or bodies. It’s clear that both are not trusting people. He has moved from place to place since leaving home, while she’s never been out of her hometown even though she’s never liked living there, yet they’re both drawn to each other for the same reasons. So when they smile and laugh together, there’s a real sense of release and fulfillment. It’s almost as much about the effects of loneliness as it is about sex. The actors get much of the credit, yet they work with the story. The only weakness of the story is, why did Anna marry Jake in the first place, not only because he’s so much older than her, but because he’s such an exasperating personality? But in the end, it doesn’t matter.


You can find all the comments for the series here.

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Callum Quotient: 90%

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Pictures:













All pictures from stormymouse’s fabulous site Cap it! Before I die of waitin’!.

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Quotes:

• Jake (to Anna): I wish you wouldn’t let your cigarette hang from your mouth like that. It makes you look tough, like a man.


• Mike (about the farm): It’s nice. I mean, you put a lot into it.
  Anna: Thanks. I wouldn’t leave it for anything.


• Mike (in the bathtub): Have you ever done anything in your life that you haven’t completely thought through?
  Anna: Of course.
  Mike: So get in.


• Mike: Slow…….


• Mike: Look, Anna, I’m sorry. You’re going to have to tell me how to be with you. I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry.
  Anna: Don’t hold me down like that. With your leg.
  Mike: Ok. No leg. Arm?


• Mike: You alright?
  Anna: What do you mean?
  Mike: What do I mean. Are you alright? Are you going to manage?
  Anna: How’re you going to manage with your broken heart?
  Mike: You don’t have to stay. You can come with me.

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Bliss Trivia:

• Lynne Stopkewich, who wrote and directed Suspicious River, also directed two episodes of Bliss: “Value of X” and “Voice”.


• Mina Shum, who directed Callum in Double Happiness, directed one episode of Bliss: “Tying Up Gerald”.


• Adam Beach is one of the two leads in the episode “Valentine’s Day in Jail”. Beach appeared with Callum in both Now & Forever and The Last Stop. He also starred in Bruce McDonald’s Dance Me Outside.


• Callum’s friend Babz Chula plays “Gloria” in the Bliss episode “Valentine’s Day in Jail”.

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Interesting scenes:

• Mike and Anna discuss her farm. This establishes her strong ties to the place.


• Mike teases Anna as she hangs the laundry.


• Anna finds Mike in the bath and they have sex on the kitchen floor.


• Mike and Anna wake up together. Anna struggles with guilt and anger (and some other baggage, apparently. About legs). Mike coaxes her back into a happy, safe state of mind.


• Mike dances for Anna as he dries the dishes. This is the third time he’s made her laugh, which is essential in making this story work.


• Mike and Anna talk as she loads firewood. Anna is prickly and pushes him away, but Mike persists until she admits her feelings.


• The last scene.

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Do I want to show this to my parents / friends / co-workers?
[Poll #1273550]

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Mike
[Poll #1273551]

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Does he die?
You really want to know? Are you sure? Really sure? Well, then. (highlight to read)

::Not dead. Broken-hearted is all.::

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Articles/interviews

Written by women, produced by women, created by women and directed by women, the full-length DVD features eight episodes of the best of women’s erotic fiction, creating a diverse, edgy and provocative drama that honestly explores women’s sexuality. Bliss is co-produced by Galafilm of Montreal and Back Alley Productions of Toronto.

(Bliss) features Peter Wingfield (Catwoman, X2, Highlander), Adam Beach (Windtalkers, Joe Dirt), Callum Keith Rennie (Blade: Trinity, H2O), Mitsou Golinas (Coyote, The Barbarian Invasions), Gina Wilkinson (Love and Betrayal: The Mia Farrow Story), Frank Schorpion (The Day After Tomorrow, Dead Awake), Torri Higginson (The English Patient, The City), Michelle Lipper (Undressed, The Growing Pains Movie), Paule Ducharme (Head in the Clouds), Tara Spencer-Nairn (Big Spender, H-E Double Hockey Sticks), Jason MacDonald (The Wool Cap), Mikela J. Mikael (Crown Heights), David Lovgren (See Grace Fly, Antitrust), Michele Duquet (The Virgin Suicides, Three Men and a Baby), Jenny Levine (Lovewrecked, Godsend), Victoria Sanchez (P.T. Barnum, Mambo Italiano), and Maurizio Terrazzano (Further Tales of the City).

The first season was written by Laurie Finstad Knizhnik (Man with a Gun), Tamara Griffiths (Sway, The Boot), Carol Lazare, Maureen McKeon (The Associates), Sheila Prescott-Vessey (The Saddle Club), Sharon Riis (Loyalties, The Wake), and Lynne Stopkewich (The Atwood Stories, Kissed). The series was directed by Penelope Buitenhuis (Ladies Room, Metropia), Holly Dale (Stargate: Atlantis, The Collector), Adrienne Mitchell (Straight Up, Drop the Beat), Sylvie Rosenthal (La Bombe au Chocolat), and Lynne Stopkewich.

From here.

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Sexy Canadian Series Bliss Comes to Showcase

The women come out on top in Bliss, an eight-part half-hour Showcase Original anthology series based on women’s erotic fiction, adapted by female screenwriters and directed by acclaimed female Canadian filmmakers. Bliss airs Fridays at 9 p.m. ET/PT beginning June 6 as part of Showcase’s “Fridays Without Borders” lineup.

Each episode of Bliss follows a female protagonist exploring an aspect of her sexuality. The first episode, entitled Valentine’s Day in Jail, is based on a short story by poet/novelist Susan Musgrave (Cargo of Orchids) and stars Torri Higginson (The English Patient) and Adam Beach (Windtalkers) and was directed by Holly Dale (Jeremiah). While teaching in a prison, Kate (Higginson) falls in love with Angel (Beach), a man serving a ten-year sentence for drug smuggling. The couple plans a clandestine encounter inside the prison.

“Bliss is a truly unique series in that it is erotica created by women, for women. But with its sexy storylines, impressive cast and directors, and high production values, this series will ultimately appeal to women and men alike,” said Laura Michalchyshyn, Senior Vice-President of Programming for the Dramatic Networks.

The acclaimed Canadian directors of Bliss include Lynne Stopkewich, Holly Dale and Adrienne Mitchell. The cast includes Callum Keith Rennie (Due South, Flower & Garnet), Jenny Levine (Outer Limits, PSI Factor) and Peter Wingfield (The Chris Isaak Show, Highlander). The erotic stories are penned by such writers as Sharon Riis, Laurie Finstad Knizhnik, and Carol Lazare.

Bliss is a Showcase Original series and was nominated for two Gemini Awards for Best Dramatic Television Series and Best Production Design in a Dramatic Series in 2002.

Bliss is a series from Montreal’s Galafilm and Toronto’s Back Alley Films. The series was created and executive produced by the Gemini Award-winning team of Janis Lundman and Adrienne Mitchell (Straight-Up, Drop the Beat, Talk 16), with executive producer Arnie Gelbart, who has produced such critically acclaimed features as The Hanging Garden and Lilies, and producer Ian Whitehead (The Worst Witch, Two Thousand and None).

Showcase – Television Without Borders – is the number one destination for uncut, daring movies and provocative series. For more information, please visit www.Showcase.ca.


Found here.

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Bliss Episode Guide at tv.com.

Found here.

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Bliss Wikipedia page

Found here.

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Links

scriggle posted fabulous picspams. Christ on a bike, he’s hot.

vsee posted some great Bliss-related observations here.

omphale23 posted a Bliss snippet here.

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Availability

Bliss: Season One is available through amazon.com here.

Through amazon.ca here.

Through pricegrabber.com here.

Through Movies Unlimited here.

And through Netflix here.

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Final Thoughts

How to Make Very Soft Porn for Girls

1. Choose a heroine who is pretty, but not so pretty as to be un-relatable.
2. Establish that she’s unhappy.
3. If she’s married, make the husband unsympathetic
4. Choose a lover who is very attractive, but real.
5. Force the heroine and the lover to be together for some reason.
6. Establish that the lover appreciates her in ways that her husband doesn’t.
7. Make their first physical contact happen accidentally.
8. After their first intimate moment, she should resist. This is very important!
9. All sexual contact should be accompanied by meaningful looks or dialogue.
10. No genitals! Breasts and butts only
11. He must make her laugh. This is essential.
12. Make it clear that he loves her and wants to stay with her.

It is so formulaic that it’s funny. But let’s go with it for a minute. Because it is soft porn for girls, and we know that going in.

So what do we want from it? (Besides the sex and the gorgeousness. Which I’m not going to talk about yet. Observe my restraint.) What do you want from a beautiful man you just met? You want him to like you just as you are. What do you want from that man, when he wakes up to a steaming cup of your sexual baggage and idiosyncrasies? You want him to say, “Tell me how to do it right.” What do you want from him, when he’s going away? To say, “Come with me.”

Given the task of creating 20 minutes of (very) soft porn for women, I can’t say that anybody put a foot wrong. I quibble with one or two lines, but otherwise the package is perfect. It’s just so perfect that it has the effect of taking you outside the piece a little bit to consider how well-crafted it is.

Do we mind? I dunno. I have to say that part of the delight is seeing all the machinery of the story and just enjoying it anyway. Let’s call it “classic”. It’s really a lovely work, on those terms.

It’s beautiful to look at, from start to finish. Gorgeous shots, especially the exteriors. And really nice, understated acting by both leads. Michele Duquet was unknown to me, but I found her very believable. It was a moving performance, which I didn’t expect. She starts out stoic, a little dead inside, and opens up very realistically. Especially considering she has only 20 minutes to do it.

Callum does a great job. As usual, he just is the guy. Beautifully minimal, of course, and you really believe that he wants to run away with this woman after six days.

I love that he’s able to create a little arc in that very small space. Mike starts out as an easygoing guy who seems to be a listener, an observer. He sees Anna clearly. He sees that she needs something and he takes a small risk to lure her across the line so she can be with him. As he gets more involved, he helps her take each step along with him. And she does need help.

This is best shown in two scenes: the one in bed and the second-to-last, where she’s angrily loading firewood. Anna’s frustrated with her life and the affair just makes her feel that more sharply. She’s taking it out on Mike, being a little touchy. But Mike gently stops her and redirects her emotion. The firewood scene, in particular, is nice because at this point he’s involved enough that you can see his pain a little bit too. But he’s not someone who lashes out, he works through it. He’s able to reach past her defenses and touch her where (presumably) no one else does.

And then look at his face in the very last scene. Throughout this little jewel box of a thing, Callum gets every emotional beat right and then just sticks the landing.

Ok, restraint over. Hoooooly mother of god. I just… First of all, no matter what your favorite body part is, you get a little of it here. (You know, except for that one. And that one.) I’m a bit of an ear man, myself. *g* Second: the little things, because it’s the little things that dissolve you into random character strings. The scene rolling around in the leaves, there’s something about that scene --- you can almost feel and smell him. The eyes across the kitchen table. The very challenging and lust-drunk look he gives her when she first comes upon him in the bathtub. His back and arms around her on the kitchen floor. The legs! The finger biting. The sex face! The way he acts in the bed scene, when he says, so gently, “I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry….No leg. Arm?” The jeans and the boots and the floppy blonde hair. The fleeting tortured look in the firewood scene. His face in the last scene. Delicious from beginning to end. This whole piece is a gift.


Many thanks to c_regalis for taking a chance on the new girl and to akamine_chan for her very kind, patient and detailed assistance to the technically impaired.

Comments

[mary-the-fan.livejournal.com]

Hey, everybody. I have a strong feeling I wasn't able to find all the Bliss goodness out there, so if you have links, I'd love to edit them in. Thanks!

[green-grrl.livejournal.com]

Do you have some issues with the nosy neighbor? *eyes you* Hee!

It's kind of sappy, over-the-top romantiporn, but HOT DAMN HE'S PRETTY NAKED!

[mary-the-fan.livejournal.com]

Nah, but I figured if he were going to kill anyone... *g*

It's kind of sappy, over-the-top romantiporn, but HOT DAMN HE'S PRETTY NAKED!

See? I could have just said that instead. Well done. ;-D

[spuffyduds.livejournal.com]

The poll for this was just hilarious. HEEEEEEE!

And I've actually seen this one, but I didn't realize that the show was an anthology--I thought it was an ongoing story, so I was like, "Sheesh, we're supposed to STAY INTERESTED in that woman after she PASSED ON CALLUM?"

It makes a lot more sense as a one-shot.

[mary-the-fan.livejournal.com]

*curties* Thank you, dear. I'm so happy you liked it! (I had a fun subject.)

Yeah, hard to understand her motivation. Or going back to the husband. *shudders* I'm thinking separate bedrooms. You know, on account of his health. :-)

[china_shop]

Best poll ever! ♥

[mary-the-fan.livejournal.com]

Aw, you're so nice! *sprinkles you with hearts*

[meresy.livejournal.com]

Callum is pretty, the end.

I have to hide during some of the dialogue. It's just so... argh. And her laugh is annoying. But, hey, PRETTY. *licks Callum*

[mary-the-fan.livejournal.com]

Hee. So pretty.

Yeah, I know. My least favorite: "How're you going to manage with your broken heart?" Just...ow. I give her credit for the fact that I have never actually laughed right out loud. She pulled it off as best she could.

[nyn17.livejournal.com]

I love your poll :)
And, yeah, Callum is gorgous(and so young ok maybe not that much younger in 2002, but I've been looking at recent pics :P) and the rest is mostly sap. But how pretty it is *g*

[mary-the-fan.livejournal.com]

*g* Thank you! It was fun to write.

He's soooo beautiful in this that I just want to kiss the cinematographer on the lips. Cause half of the pretty is the light and the way it's shot.

[aunt-deen.livejournal.com]

Okay, the poll made me laugh out loud. Twice. Wait ... no, three times. Or maybe that last one was after the poll.

Whatever. You made me laugh and I'm having a very bad week, so thank you.

What do you want from a beautiful man you just met? You want him to like you just as you are. What do you want from that man, when he wakes up to a steaming cup of your sexual baggage and idiosyncrasies? You want him to say, “Tell me how to do it right.” What do you want from him, when he’s going away? To say, “Come with me.”

I think you nailed the appeal of the whole thing here. Women love it when men notice things. We love it when the guy sees us at our most neurotic and bitchy and unreasonable and reacts by looking closer to see what's really going on. When his response isn't anything that even hints of indulgence or weary patience or, god forbid, amusement. When he looks and sees a complicated human being and not a hormonal problem to be defused.

(Listen to me, the relationship expert.)

Callum really does seem to excel at playing this guy. Sure, he's good with the serial-killer thing too, but this is better. There are flashes of it in Due South, but what I'm mostly thinking is Hard Core Logo and Wilby Wonderful. He plays the guy who watches and notices and understands. However, he's most focused on men in both of those, so we need to thank Bliss for bringin' it to the ladies. After all, we're the ones who can best appreciate it.

[mary-the-fan.livejournal.com]

Thanks, deen! Happy to help.

Yeah, I agree that Mike is written (and played) to be extremely insightful and sensitive. To a point that, for me, it's almost funny. That's why I'm torn between the "awww" and the "heh" on Bliss.

But, like I said, I come at it as fluffy soft porn, and judge it on that scale. Based on those expectations, it succeeds.

And you're right, Callum plays it totally straight, and he does it well, and I heart him for that. I see the similarities you're talking about. I think Duck in Wilby Wonderful (a better movie...on a whole nother Better Movie Planet, in the Galaxy of Better Movies...) is a good comparison.

[gothamnights.wordpress.com (from livejournal.com)]

Your polls made me giggle so much! It's a good thing I waited until I got home from work before I read this. I'm guessing you hated the nosy neighbor as much as I did, huh? I have to say I hated the husband more! The thing that sucks about girl porn is that you don't get enough story for it to be a legitimate series nor enough nakedness to make it good porn. Callum should've been more naked, is what I'm sayin'! And having sex more often, lol! That being said, I am always thankful for any Callum nakedness we can get. I also wanna kiss the cinematographer, who lit Callum exquisitely.

To end my rambling, I bought this series based on your recommendation just for this one episode, and it was totally worth the $10 I spent on it, to see Callum's naked self jump outta that tub! I also think the two of them are incredibly cute when hiding from the nosy neighbor.

[mary-the-fan.livejournal.com]

Hi hi hi! Glad you made it!

I'm glad I could make you giggle, thanks. #:-D (That's my Callum smiley. tm Me. You like it?)

Yes, the husband was much worse than the neighbor. Hey, you'll appreciate this. I thought it was interesting that they shot the entire scene between Anna and her husband from the outside, in through the window. So we're never in the room with them. And it's a double window --- there's always a window frame dividing their images. I think that was effective.

The thing that sucks about girl porn is that you don't get enough story for it to be a legitimate series nor enough nakedness to make it good porn.

You are so right. I mean, I made a conscious decision to judge it by the standards of girl porn, and by those standards, it's very well-made. But you're right. On an absolute scale, girl porn is not enough story, not enough sex. (We are girls, right? Last time I checked....)

I think, if anything, more sex. Because they get two good actors like that...and give us a little conversation, a little laughter, bad husband...I'm good. I'm good, I buy it, can we have sex now? I haven't watched the other episodes of Bliss, but I'm guessing we get exactly the same amount and "degree" of sex in those.

I am always thankful for any Callum nakedness we can get.

Yes, and this is the prettiest nakedness ever. (Though I am partial to Craig in that reddish light...*points* We owe Don McKellar some kisses too.)

[neu111.livejournal.com]

Coming back late to say how I love the way you love Bliss! You nearly got me convinced it's a master work, well done! And the polls were, shall I say, somewhat biased, but great fun!

[mary-the-fan.livejournal.com]

Why thank you! *g* You're very nice.

Heh. I had to make a conscious choice to judge it against girl porn, you know? So by that standard, it rocks! :-)

It was an odd piece to write a post on...at first I didn't know how to approach it. I didn't wanna post about how it's not as good as real movies and serious TV. Poor little Bliss...there's no sport in that! I think loving it is much more fun. :-)

Thanks for commenting!

[c-regalis.livejournal.com]

Six Days is about Anna, a stoic but sensitive farm woman in a disappointing marriage to an older man

Okay, I KNOW that this is just the description of what happens here, but. Hee! Not unsurprisingly it sounds like it's taken from the back of a romance novel. (Sorry, sorry, not too fond of the whole Bliss series. Ahem.)

Again, I am just stumped by the keywords IMDB users make up. Nipples? Panties? Thong? *shakes head sadly*

Mike: Ok. No leg. Arm?

Hee! Okay, I like that. I might actually have to watch that one again. Huh.

Your polls! *loves* ♥

And omg, your final thoughts! ♥ ♥ ♥ And yes, and yes, and yes.

It’s just so perfect that it has the effect of taking you outside the piece a little bit to consider how well-crafted it is.

Er. YES. And all that other stuff too. Yes.

So, well, AWSOME post indeed. ♥\c/♥

The original short story Six Weeks -- free to read, with permission of author!

[writedragon]

I am posting this here with express written permission of the author, Marlene Wildeman.

It is a digital copy of the original short story "Six Weeks", upon which the screenplay for Bliss: Six Days is based. I always find it interesting how stories change (or not) from the original when adapted for the screen. Enjoy.

https://archive.org/details/BarnClothesWAuthorNote