Anna Maxwell Martin- Actor of the Week

Anna Maxwell Martin is a brilliant actor who has starred in some of my absolute favourite films and miniseries. She has both an unusual look and an unusual voice (a slight lisp) which make her easier to recognize in period dress than some of her peers. She makes fun of her lack of cheekbones, but I love the fact that she doesn't look like so many other actresses. Anyway, here is a highlight of her career in period drama.

As Bessie Higgins in North and South, Anna Maxwell Martin stole my heart. She showed us what the life of a poor working girl in Victorian Manchester would have been like (pretty grim at times) and yet made us love Bessie and weep during her final scene. By the way, if you have not seen North and South do so immediately!!!! Richard Armitage is another great reason to watch this miniseries multiple times.

Bleak House was another tour de force for the BBC this time with Anna Maxwell Martin in the lead role. Esther Summerson is a wonderfully complex yet subtle character and Anna let us see what she was feeling with just a fleeting look. OK, now I have to watch this one again too.

In a comic role as Gaoler's Daughter in The Wind in the Willows, Anna said she had a hard time keeping a straight face as she was filming. Apparently Matt Lucas who plays Toad (and is the chubby guy in Little Britain and Gil from Bridesmaids) just kept cracking her up.

I have not seen this but it is now on my list of films to watch. Oh and to one of my readers Olga, this one might be a good quirky comedy to watch with a 10 year old! Has anyone seen this? Can you recommend this one?

As Cassandra Austen in Becoming Jane, she could not have looked more unlike Anne Hathaway who played her sister Jane Austen but they seemed to have a lovely warmth between them which helped to suspend disbelief. Again her sheer talent as an actress ripped my heart out when she got the news of the demise of her fiance. Brava!!!

By the way, how confusing would that have been for the director to have Anna and Anne playing the Austen sisters? But I digress...

In South Riding she got to play the thoroughly modern Sarah Burton, using her native Yorkshire accent. She went after this role as it was filmed in an area of Yorkshire where she used to play on the beach as a child.

I was just OK with this particular miniseries as it was a bit grittier than what I usually enjoy. I should give it another watch at some point and see if I like it better on second viewing.

And of course, her latest stint as Susan Gray in The Bletchley Circle has me on the edge of my seat awaiting the final episode this coming week. Surely ITV will make another series with this wonderful female foursome now that they know how much we all love them (on both sides of the pond)!

Hopefully we will get to see much more of Anna Maxwell Martin in the future. She is known as the young Judi Dench in Britain so hopefully her career will have the same sort of longevity.

Gillian Anderson- Actor of the Week

Gillian Anderson

Gillian Anderson is a wonderful chameleon actress. She switches effortlessly from English to American accent, as she was brought up on both sides of the pond. She is not afraid to make herself look less than glamorous, although she has been voted one of the sexiest women on the planet a few times. And refreshingly, she just doesn't seem to care what anyone thinks of her. I have to say that I admire her a lot!

Gillian Anderson as Dana Scully in The X-Files

Although I wasn't a big fan of the show, you could not have lived through the 1990s without appreciating the fact that a huge audience were hooked on Scully and Mulder of The X-Files. Gillian was only 24 years old and a total unknown when she got the part of Dana Scully in 1993. Winner of an Emmy, a Golden Globe and 2 SAG awards for this role, she was a great strong role model for young women.

Gillian Anderson as Lily Bart in The House of Mirth

In her first period role, she rocked the part of Lily Bart in Edith Wharton's The House of Mirth. This is sitting in my DVD collection waiting to be watched again. This winter just hasn't been long or cold enough to watch all the films I need to see. This one will move to the top of the pile however. It is wonderful!

Gillian Anderson with Rob Brydon in Tristam Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story

I have not yet seen Tristam Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story. I understand it is a bit unusual to say the least. A vehicle for the comic duo of Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon, it's a film-within-a-film about the essentially unfilmable novel Tristam Shandy (the 18th century "metafictional" novel). Anyone out there seen this one? People seem to either love it or hate it! I'll bet Gillian was good however.

Gillian Anderson as Lady Dedlock in Bleak House

I can however, wholeheartedly and enthusiastically recommend Bleak House, in large part because of Gillian Andersons amazing portrayal of Lady Dedlock. "Bored to death..."  If you haven't seen this stellar BBC production of Charles Dickens' Bleak House, you MUST see it. As it is a miniseries, you have to break it up over a few evenings, but you will have a hard time tearing yourself away from this one. Here is the link for my review of Bleak House.

Gillian Anderson and Tom Hollander as The Duke and Duchess of Windsor in Any Human Heart

In the relatively small role of The Duchess of Windsor (Wallis Simpson) in Any Human Heart she was, again, amazing. The miniseries was pretty good but not anything I really have to watch again soon.

Gillian Anderson as Mrs. Castaway in The Crimson Petal and the White

As a brothel owner in Victorian London, Anderson is almost unrecognizable. It looks like she had a bit of fun with this role and why not? This is a wonderful series but a bit gritty (OK, a lot gritty) so if that's not your cup of tea, take a swerve on this one. If you don't mind a bit of grit (and nudity) this one is awesome!

Gillian Anderson as Miss Havisham in the latest BBC Great Expectations

As she was so good as Lady Dedlock, she was a natural for the role of Miss Havisham in Great Expectations. The Brits have seen this one already (and loved it) but we get it soon on PBS Masterpiece. Click here to read my teaser about The Battle of the Miss Havishams.

So there is a little look at Gillian Anderson and her forays into period drama. I'll bet there is lots more to come from this talented lady. Yay!

Bleak House in the Bleak Midwinter

Bleak House BBC cast photo

My birthday present to myself this year was yet another Amazon shopping spree. It was pointed out to me by a few of my readers when I photographed and posted my DVD collection for snooping, that I was missing a couple of critical Dickens/BBC biggies, namely Bleak House and Little Dorrit. Both of these I had seen on television and so somehow never bought. Well, after Downton Abbey, the timing was perfect for another wonderful series to take the place of the schlock on TV this winter.

If you have never seen this adaptation of Dickens' scathing take on the legal profession (as only Dickens can do), you need to buy, borrow, rent or otherwise procure this series, as it is one of the best things the BBC has ever produced. EVER!

Gillian Anderson as Lady Deadlock-"Bored to death!"

Gillian Anderson, having been brought up on two continents, switches effortlessly to a British accent (no Scully here) and is amazing to watch as the "bored to death" Lady Deadlock. Her situation as the wife of an older rather soulless aristocrat makes her an odd object of pity. She is, simply, riveting to watch.

Anna Maxwell Martin as the true heroine, Esther Summerson

Anna Maxwell Martin does a wonderful job of portraying the main character, Esther Summerson, a role which could be bland and boring, but is not at all in Martin's capable hands. Unfortunately, she looks nothing like her supposed mother in this so suspend your disbelief if you will.

Denis Lawson as Red Two (Wedge) in Star Wars-I knew I had seen those eyebrows somewhere!

Denis Lawson a few years later as Mr. John Jarndyce

Denis Lawson does a lovely job with another character that could come off as bland, Mr. John Jarndyce. Apparently, he invented a back story to explain why John Jarndyce is still a bachelor at this age (a crushingly broken heart of course) which helped him bring the character to life.
I had to look up Denis Lawson on IMDb to find out where I had seen him before, and of course it was as one of the X-Wing fighter pilots in the 3 original Star Wars episodes. Apparently, his role as Red Two (Wedge) inspired both of his nephews in their careers. One nephew, Ewan McGregor, became an actor and another nephew, Colin McGregor became a pilot in the RAF!

Philip Davis as Mr. Smallweed "Shake me up Judy"

OMG my husband (the Squire) is still walking around saying "Shake me up Judy" two weeks after watching this! This was one of the most hilarious things I have ever seen on the screen. Philip Davis must have had a blast with this character, and character is definitely the word!

Burn Gorman as the unforgettable Mr. Guppy

Speaking of characters, they could not have cast Mr. Guppy any better than they did with the odd looking Burn Gorman. He has a face that was meant to play a Dickens character. The scene where he proposes to Esther is absolutely priceless. "My Angel!"

Charles Dance as the oily evil Mr. Tulkinghorn

Patrick Kennedy as Richard Carstone and Carey Mulligan as Ada Clare "The Jarndyce Wards"

Nathaniel Parker as Mr. Harold Skimpole "I am like a child..."

Well, I could go on and on but in short, you have to see this. You have missed one of the best period dramas ever if you miss this one. If you only saw it on PBS, it looks much better on DVD. Not as dark and easier to see the action. I felt like I was missing half of this the first time I saw it, but it comes through beautifully in high definition with DVD. The half hour episodes are great too as you can decide how much or how little you want to watch at one sitting.
 
Warning, it is like potato chips...hard to stop at just one episode!