England trip on Twitter!

I will be in England for 2 weeks (leaving in a few days) and have decided to post photos on Twitter for anyone wishing to follow along. I will be seeing a few things related to period drama such as Kenwood House in Hampstead Heath above. As well as being the real home of Dido Belle Lindsay of the recent film Belle, it was dopy Mr. Rushworth's seat Sotherton in the1999 Patricia Rozema adaptation of Mansfield Park. It was also the setting for the scene in the film Notting Hill where Julia Roberts was filming a Henry James adaptation.

Ok, I am hardly excited at all. I will also be visiting Blenheim Palace, Winston Churchill's birthplace and as long as we are talking filming locations it was used for The Young Victoria, The Lost Prince and the new Kenneth Branagh Disney production of Cinderella starring Lily James (otherwise known as Lady Rose from Downton Abbey).Can't wait to take my niece to see that one!

So I will try to make my Twitter postings as visually appealing as possible and I promise not to Tweet any inanities! Feel free to make suggestions of places I should check out in London or in Oxfordshire/Buckinghamshire. Cheers!

@JAustenFilmClub 

P.S. I almost forgot to mention that I will be seeing Richard Armitage in The Crucible at The Old Vic Theatre in London. ;)

Impressionism, Fashion & Modernity (& Film!)

Claude Monet (French, 1840–1926)
Women in the Garden, 1866
Oil on canvas; 100 3/8 x 80 11/16 in. (255 x 205 cm)
Musée d'Orsay, Paris

Well, if you have been wondering why I haven't posted in a while, I have been in NYC on a business trip. I managed to get to a wonderful exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the museum set into the east side of Central Park) and wanted to share it with you.

Day Dress
American, 1862–64
White cotton piqué with black soutache
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of Chauncey Stillman, 1960

I was in heaven, as I adore both Victorian dresses and impressionist art and it was such a wonderful change from the optometry lectures I have been attending. The combination of paintings, dresses, early photographs, fashion plates and various accessories such as fans, shoes and corsets was brilliant. Kudos to whoever thought up this dreamy exhibit.

Albert Bartholomé (French, 1848–1928)
In the Conservatory (Madame Bartholomé), ca. 1881
Oil on canvas; 91 3/4 x 56 1/8 in. (233 x 142.5 cm)
Musée d'Orsay, Paris, Gift of the Société des Amis du Musée d'Orsay, 1990

For some paintings they found similar dresses to exhibit nearby, but in the case of the painting above, they had the actual dress! And was it ever gorgeous!!! (see below, but way better to be able to steam up the glass case in person, not that my nose was pressed that close of course)

Summer Day Dress Worn by Madame Bartholomé in the Painting In the Conservatory
French, 1880
White cotton printed with purple dots and stripes
Musée d'Orsay, Paris, Gift of the Galerie Charles and André Bailly, 1991

So if you would like to see this exhibit yourself, it is at The Met until May 27, 2013 and then moves to the Art Institute of Chicago from June 26- September 22 2013. The exhibition was organized by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Musée d'Orsay, Paris.

James Tissot (French, 1836–1902)
The Shop Girl, from the series Women of Paris, 1883–85
Oil on canvas; 57 1/2 x 40 in. (146.1 x 101.6 cm)
Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Gift from Corporations' Subscription Fund, 1968

If you would like some film recommendations, I was reminded of a few great films and miniseries today.

The Paradise is the new BBC series inspired by the 1883 Emile Zola novel The Ladies' Paradise. We have no word yet on when we will see this in North America, but some of my British readers are loving it! The BBC changed the setting from Paris to London but The Shop Girl above could easily be a character in the story anyway!

We however will soon see the ITV series Mr. Selfridge on PBS starting Sunday March 31. Although set a bit later in 1909, it gives a great feel of period shopping in London. And who wouldn't love to go shopping in London in 1909?

Claude Monet (French, 1840–1926)
Camille, 1866
Oil on canvas; 90 15/16 x 59 1/2 in. (231 x 151 cm)
Kunsthalle Bremen, Der Kunstverein in Bremen

And if you would like to see a fabulous story about some of the Impressionist painters (hey even Emile Zola the novelist is a character) The Impressionists is a wonderful miniseries. If you need any more coaxing, Richard Armitage plays Claude Monet and Amanda Root plays Alice Hoschedé, his second wife. When I get home tomorrow, I am digging out my DVD to see and hear my dear Richard as Monet again. And to see those gorgeous dresses of course!

Richard Armitage in The Hobbit

For any of you who are aware of my weakness for all things Richard Armitage, (oh my, that deep basso voice!) you will not be surprised to hear that I took The Squire to see The Hobbit this past week. I admit freely to never having read The Hobbit. I think I will read it now however, as I thoroughly enjoyed it. Richard Armitage and the dear Martin Freeman may have something to do with that however.

I admit to some surprise when I heard that my Richard was going to play a dwarf. I mean really, a 6'2" dwarf? Some special effect trickery brings this off (I mean look at the photo above-he is a giant!). And he is the biggest, hunkiest, bravest dwarf of course. But even a very heavy costume and a load of hair cannot conceal this handsome man from the rest of the world now. Hollywood has noticed him. Or his voice at least. And he sings...oh he sings!

Oh, I guess I had better let you know how I liked the film. Ahem, sorry for digressing. Yes, the film is very good. In general, except for the Harry Potter films which I have watched faithfully, fantasy films are not really my cup of tea. I saw none of the Lord of the Rings films. But this one was very enjoyable even to someone not acquainted with the story. The special effects are fairly impressive. The acting is wonderful. The scenery makes you want to jump on a plane for New Zealand immediately.

Some of you may not know that my day job is as an optometrist. Normally, this has nothing to do with my interest in period film. But I do have to weigh in on the 3D, 48 frames-per-second, nausea controversy. First of all, I do not like 3D films. I see the world in 3D every single day. I know what that looks like. And 3D films, particularly this one, in no way resemble real life. In The Hobbit, there is a distinct foreground, and one or two midgrounds and then the background. And then every once in a while, something pops out and dangles above the head of the person in front of you. Hmmmmmm. Not impressed. And many amblyopic  and strabismic patients are paying extra for what they see as a regular 2D film. They cannot see the 3D, but have to wear the glasses anyway.

But on to the blur/nausea controversy. Some are saying that they have to leave the film during the action sequences because of blur and nausea. I can absolutely agree that the action scenes are not enjoyable. However, I don't think it is because of the 3D or the 48fps. I think that the super large screens as well as the quick movement in the foreground especially is just too hard for the human eye to follow. I have seen 2D 24fps films that gave me similar blur but this film may have been a bit worse for whatever reason. I would have thought the 48fps would have reduced this blur in the action sequences. I think to paraphrase The Emporer in the film Amadeus, "My dear fellow, there are in fact only so many things the eye can see in the course of an evening!"

Thank-you, my rant is over. As a side note, I like the large screens and the amazing detail of digital film for slow moving period films. I saw Jane Eyre 2011 in an Ultra AVX theatre and it was amazing! It felt like I was right there with Rochester and Jane by the fire. But there is not much action in Jane Eyre to cause blur or nausea!

And for those of you who would like to see RA without all the hair and make-up, here he is as the wonderful Mr. Thornton in North and South. If you have not seen him in this please do yourself a favour and purchase this DVD for your collection. You are going to want to see it a few times. Trust me.

Brendan Coyle- Actor of the Week

Brendan Coyle

An obvious choice for actor of the week (thanks for the suggestion sis!) is Brendan Coyle, as we have been enjoying him so much recently as Mr. Bates in Downton Abbey. And yet, he has done so much more period drama than just Downton Abbey.

Brendan Coyle as Nicholas Higgins and Richard Armitage as Mr. Thornton in North and South

If you haven't yet seen North and South, then you have a real treat in store for you. Brendan Coyle plays a working man in the North of England, a "hand" in a cotton mill and Richard Armitage plays the sexy Mr. Thornton, a mill owner. There is romance, politics, romance, strife and...romance? OK, Mrs. Gaskell does kill off a few too many of her characters, but otherwise this is the perfect book/miniseries combo.

Claudie Blakely and Brendan Coyle as Emma and Robert Timmins in Lark Rise to Candleford

In Lark Rise to Candleford, Brendan Coyle plays the intelligent but sometimes opinionated and difficult stonemason Robert Timmins. Again, he brings this working class man to life with a tempestuous but loving relationship with his wife Emma, played by the always brilliant Claudie Blakely.

Brendan Coyle as Mr. Bates in Downton Abbey

Brendan Coyle seems quite bewildered by the sex symbol status he has achieved with his Mr. Bates, the valet to the Earl of Grantham. We got attached to his character in the first series as he struggled with his injury from the Boer War and his new position at Downton. Now we are cheering on his romance with Anna. Go Bates!

Brendan Coyle as Manuel Mendoza from The Glass Virgin 1995

Mmmmm...this is one miniseries I have got to get my hands on. Based on a Catherine Cookson book, The Glass Virgin is a 1995 miniseries (1995 again-what a great year for period drama!), IMDb gives this description:

"Set in 1870s England, the story tells of Annabella Lagrange and the terrible secret her wealthy parents have kept from her. When she finally learns the truth, she runs away and eventually finds solace in the company of her family's former groom, a young Irishman with the very Spanish name of Manuel Mendoza. Together they travel the Northumbria countryside from job to job in his horse and caravan, Annabella trapped in limbo between her upper class upbringing which has rejected her, and the working class who are sometimes suspicious of her, only Manuel understanding her situation."

Apparently there are a whole slew of Catherine Cookson's novels which were dramatized in the last 20 years by the BBC. Sounds like another order from Amazon for me!!!!

Lately Brendan has been working on a Victorian thriller called The Raven, "a fictionalized account of the last days of Edgar Allan Poe's life, in which the poet pursues a serial killer whose murders mirror those in the writer's stories."    He is also working on a new TV series called Starlings, about a typical working class family in Derbyshire.

Brendan Coyle. Small baby or big hands?

And to leave you with, here is a photo which may give you baby lust (if not Brendan Coyle lust). The infant he is holding is, I believe, the offspring of one of his colleagues on Starlings. And by the way ladies, he is straight and he is single!

Top 10 Posts of 2011

Helena Bonham Carter with Tim Burton and kids Billy and Nell

1. Helena Bonham Carter-Actor of the Week. This photo specifically of HBC with her family seemed to interest a lot of readers.

Clueless with Alicia Silverstone

2. Clueless 1995...A Modern Emma Turns 16! Appropriately for this blog, the modern version of Jane Austen's Emma was one of my most popular posts.

Victoria & Albert

3.Victoria and Albert 2001 starring Victoria Hamilton, Jonathan Firth and Penelope Wilton  I love this miniseries about the real life romance between Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. My readers loved it too. It stars Jonathan Firth, Colin's brother as Prince Albert and he does a fabulous job along with Victoria Hamilton.

William and Catherine-The Official Photo

4. Royal Weddings, Gowns and Hats, Oh My!  Didn't we all have fun at the end of April watching the royal wedding? Well I sure did. Glad my readers agreed!

Hugh Laurie as the Prince Regent in Black Adder

5. Hugh Laurie- Actor of the Week  This goofy photo of Hugh Laurie as the Prince Regent in Black Adder drove a lot of folks to my blog. Thanks Hugh!

David Cassidy, Bobby Sherman and Donny Osmond-My Tiger Beat past!

6. David Cassidy to Richard Armitage, My ever changing taste in men!  This is one of my favourite posts ever, so I am glad my readers agreed!

Jennifer Ehle

7. Jennifer Ehle- Actor of the Week  I have loved Jennifer Ehle since she was snogging Colin Firth in Pride and Prejudice 1995. She now has a great role as a dead doctor (I kid you not) in an American TV show called A Gifted Man. She is also addicted to twitter and can be found here.

Kirsten Dunst as Marie Antoinette

8. Gorgeous but disappointing films- Marie Antoinette and Girl With a Pearl Earring  This post celebrated a couple of beautiful films that didn't quite satisfy me in the plot and acting departments. Both still worth seeing for the eye candy however (and a bit of historical enlightenment).

The Tudors with Jonathan Rhys Meyers as a skinny sexy King Henry VIII

9.  The Tudors Marathon I watched this series while laid up with a bad throat infection last January. Absolutely heavenly but of course Henry VIII is skinny and sexy and the women all have perfect teeth and blow dried hair. Again, good eye candy and entertaining to boot!

Billy Elliot 2000

 
10. Billy Elliot- The Film (2000) This one was a stretch to call a Period Drama but it was set in 1984, so there! I just love this film and so, apparently, do my readers.

Happy New Year and may we all enjoy lots of good Period Drama throughout 2012. I am really looking forward to the new Downton Abbey season 2 (and Christmas Special, whenever we get that!) and also Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy if it ever goes into wide release. It is stuck in the big cities right now, but it will soon come to my little independent cinema in Waterloo Ontario!

Cheers!

Richard Armitage- Actor of the Week

Richard Armitage as Mr. John Thornton from North & South

Richard Armitage. Two words which can set the entire period drama community swooning. OK, yours truly is swooning...anyone else here with me? This man's voice is like melted butter. Yum!

Richard Armitage and Mr. Thornton are to the new millennium what Colin Firth and Mr. Darcy were to the 1990s. Be still my beating heart! If for some reason you haven't seen the amazing adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell's classic Victorian novel North and South from 2004 you are in for a real treat. If you love it already, maybe you are due to watch it again (or at least watch the brilliant final scene on YouTube!). By the way, this is not the American Civil War saga from the 1980s. The reference is to the industrial North and the agricultural South of England.

Richard Armitage as Harry Kennedy from The Vicar of Dibley

When Dawn French as the Vicar of Dibley had to find herself a love interest for the Christmas/New Years special of 2006/2007 she knew who to ask for. And he is such a good sport that he jumped at it.  Wouldn't you love this adorable accountant to move in down the street? If you have never seen The Vicar of Dibley, make sure you watch some older episodes before you watch the one above.

Richard Armitage as Guy of Gisborne in Robin Hood

If you like your men a little darker and scruffier than the smiling accountant above, perhaps Guy of Gisborne from the recent BBC Robin Hood series is more your style...

Richard Armitage as Lucas North from Spooks

If dark and dangerous is more your style, then the cool spy Lucas North from the wonderful television series Spooks (known as MI5 in North America) may fit the bill. Armitage had to lose weight and learn Russian for this role. His tattooed bod is quite something, but of course it is the acting we are interested in, right? And the acting is brilliant.

Richard Armitage as baddie Heinz Kruger from Captain America

Hollywood thinks of him as a baddie apparently as seen here in Captain America where he plays the thoroughly evil Heinz Kruger.

Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield in The Hobbit

And as Dwarf leader Thorin Oakenshield (he is a 6'2" Dwarf by the way) he is not exactly looking his usual hunky self. But if it raises his profile in Hollywood, then maybe we get to see more of him!

"You don't need Henry to explain..."

I leave you with a loving glance from John Thornton minus cravat for a change. Mmmmmmm.....Is my bias showing? (Favourite actor!!!)


P.S. Any other roles you particularly liked him in?

The Impressionists with Richard Armitage as Claude Monet

Richard Armitage and Amanda Root in The Impressionists

Three reasons to see The Impressionists:

1. Richard Armitage as a young Claude Monet (this is reason enough, surely!).
2. Some of the most gorgeous photography you will ever see in film, as the director tries to make the film look like an impressionist painting (and succeeds). 
3. And he ends with Amanda Root at the end of the film (no spoiler as you can see them in the photo above).

This is not the best miniseries you will ever see, nor does it have the best acting you will ever see. And yet it is so great to watch. All you need is an appreciation for the beauty of impressionist paintings, or an appreciation for the beauty of Richard Armitage. Granted he is in some pretty odd costumes with some unusual facial hair, but after a while this all fades away and you start to appreciate him as Monet.

I had two reasons for purchasing this DVD. The first one is listed above as number one. But the other reason was that I am hopefully going avec ma famille to Paris this summer and I wanted to imbibe some French scenery and culture before I go. I have to watch Amelie and La Vie en Rose as well so I'll review those at a later date.

Old Monet in The Impressionists as played by Julian Glover

This is a three part miniseries done in flashbacks as an 80 year old Monet recalls his early days as a painter, with his friends and associates in the Impressionist movement, to a visiting journalist. I guess you would call it a docudrama and that is really the best way to think of this film. You will learn a ton about the painters, their famous paintings and the stories behind them, and you will enjoy it much better than if it was a straight dry documentary. The English accents may jar you at first, but this is a BBC production after all.

You will absolutely fall in love with not only Monet, but the young Bazille, who I knew nothing about. And Renoir comes off as an absolute sweetie in this. Manet is fascinating to watch, as is the crazed Cezanne but I really wanted to slap Degas by the end of this film. What a wanker as the Brits would say (it's not such a bad word in Canada so I can say that!).

The Impressionists DVD cover

Anyway, go ahead and watch this one as it is a feast for your senses and a real treat for someone like me who is tired of winter and longing for the scenery of Giverny, Normandy and Provence.

Now I had better just keep reading my French phrase book in order to avoid a disaster like last time in France when I said "Excusez-moi. Mon francais est pauvre" instead of "Mon francais est mauvais". My french is impoverished??? Well, perhaps it is. Needs money!

David Cassidy to Richard Armitage, My ever changing taste in men!

A Tiger Beat from 1972 which is probably where I got my poster of David Cassidy

After seeing way too much of Justin Beiber lately, I got thinking about my first love, David Cassidy.  I had a poster of him on my bedroom wall in about 1972 which I had to take down because I was too shy to undress in front of it. True story. I used to hide behind my bed and wiggle out of my clothes, convinced that his eyes were following me. I still watched a lot of The Partridge Family after this but that was the end of my David Cassidy phase, the only remnant of which is my old Partridge Family Album (LP of course).

Pa Ingalls (Michael Landon) was another early crush

Michael Landon was probably my next minor crush, as I watched Little House on the Prairie every week. I loved the books and I adored the television show. I still have my "autographed" photo of the Little House cast as I sent a fan letter to California in the 1970s and they sent me the photo in return. I think I liked Pa Ingalls more as a father figure, but he was rather cute. I wished I was Half-Pint for a good chunk of the 1970s.

As you wish, Westley (Cary Elwes)

The 1980s were a rather quiet time for my crushes as I was in University for most of the decade and too busy for such nonsense. (OK, not true, but not much money for movies, no cable, and VCRs were something you rented from the video store in a big silver case).
However, 1987 brought me not only my future husband, but also Westley (aka Cary Elwes) who are forever united in my mind as The Princess Bride was our first date movie. Ah, Westley. Sigh! As you wish...

Oh, Mr. Darcy! Colin Firth was my 1990s crush

1995 brought me my Mr. Darcy.  Pride and Prejudice came onto Canadian television the winter I was at home on maternity leave with my second son. I was smart enough to tape the entire five episodes on my VCR as I had seen a photo of Colin Firth in a cravat and Jennifer Ehle in a bonnet on the cover of our TV Times that first week and I was hooked. I knew nothing of the actors and I knew nothing of Jane Austen. I know! Gasp in horror if you will, but I had studied science for six years of University with not one literature course on my transcript. I had just started reading the Bronte sisters' works and gleefully started reading all six Austen novels that year. Emma Thompson's Sense and Sensibility came out later that year as did the film adaptation of Persuasion. Then in 1996, Gwyneth Paltrow's Emma hit the theatres. Wow, the 1990s were really good to me. Lots of lovely leading men in these films too. Hugh Grant, Alan Rickman, Ciaran Hinds and Jeremy Northam.

Hugh Grant as Edward Ferrars

Alan Rickman as Colonel Brandon

Ciaran Hinds as Captain Wentworth

Jeremy Northam as Mr. Knightley

Yes, the 90s were a very good decade. But this new millennium has brought lots of cuties as well. I have to say the big one for me has been Mr. Thornton, otherwise known as Richard Armitage in the 2004 adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell's North & South. For any of you not lucky enough to have seen this one, I am not talking about the 80s Civil War miniseries, I am talking about the BBC miniseries about a man from the industrial North of England and a woman from the bucolic South of England and their story. You know how it goes. Boy sees girl. Boy likes girl. Girl dislikes boy. Boy pursues her anyway and is rebuffed. Girl realizes she is a fool and that she has greatly misjudged this sexy guy. There is a misunderstanding. They are separated. They are reunited. They kiss at a train station. Sigh!

 

Richard Armitage as Mr. Thornton.

Even my husband aka The Squire, admits that Richard Armitage is a handsome man. He never understood what I saw in Colin Firth however. I can't explain it to him. He has Michelle Pfeiffer, so it's all good!

Of course, I am rather fickle with my "crushes". I have had a few sighs over Jonny Lee Miller as Mr. Knightley in the new 2009 version of Emma.

Jonny Lee Miller. Angelina Jolie has good taste in men (except for Billy Bob!)

And I have a few blogging buddies who rather fancy Hugh Bonneville as the Earl of Grantham in Downton Abbey. I can see his appeal although my sister disagrees as she can only picture him as the doltish Mr. Rushworth in Mansfield Park 1999. Personally, I began to find him attractive in Daniel Deronda, even though he played a baddie, he was a sexy baddie. Actually, that film also has the lovely Hugh Dancy in the titular role. And it has Romola Garai wearing some of the most gorgeous Victorian dresses I've ever seen.

Daniel Deronda- two Hughs and some fabulous dresses

Sorry Richard, it looks like I may have to watch either Daniel Deronda this week, or finish watching my DVD of Downton Abbey for the second time. So many leading men, so little time.