10 Most Popular Posts of 2012

#1. Yes, ladies my number one most popular post of the year was the rather attractive and talented Tom Hiddleston. He has quite a following now after an exciting few years starring in The Avengers (Loki), War Horse and Midnight in Paris. He was already on my top 10 list for Miss Austen Regrets and Cranford. You will see much more of this talented actor in the future!

#2. The hunks were ruling this year with Jonny Lee Miller coming in second. He had quite a year as well, with his take on Sherlock Holmes, Elementary, set in NYC with a female Watson (Lucy Liu) doing quite well on CBS. Elementary is absolutely worth seeing, although as you can see from the photo above, he will always be Mr. Knightley to me (but his Edmund Bertram was pretty hot too)!

#3. Again, here we have another cutie. Matthew Macfadyen was wonderful in Anna Karenina in which he was working again with Keira Knightley and Joe Wright from Pride and Prejudice 2005. You will see him again soon in Ripper Street, as a Victorian police detective working on the Jack the Ripper case. I have to say that his role as Sir Felix Carbury in The Way We Live Now is still one of his best, IMHO.

#4. Michael Gambon was my fourth most popular post of 2012. He certainly belongs in my hall of fame with his appearances in Emma, Wives and Daughters, Gosford Park, Cranford, and The King's Speech among many other period drama roles.

#5. Great Expectations 2011/2012: Battle of the Miss Havishams was my 5th most popular blog post. I still can't comment on the Ralph Fiennes/ Helena Bonham Carter version as it has not yet had a wide release in North America. Here's hoping we get to see it in 2013. The miniseries version with Gillian Anderson was very good. Not earth shattering, but very good.

#6. One of my favourite posts of the year was a comparison of Sense and Sensibility 1995 vs 2008. Lots of comments on this post as so many of my readers have a definite opinion on which is the best version! And there was not a consensus of opinion by the way. Just what I was hoping for. A spirited discussion, as both versions are worthy of the designation of "best".

#7.  Although Benedict Cumberbatch was in the public eye for much of this year for his modern day Sherlock series, I prefer him in his many period roles. Although perhaps not in a powdered wig. And yet, the longer I stare at that photo, the hotter he seems to get...
Other films to get your Cumberbatch fix include Atonement, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and War Horse. Yum!

#8.  Happily, Castle Howard was my 8th most popular post of 2012. One of the most wonderful locations for shooting period drama, it is a main character in both Brideshead Revisited versions as well as the brilliant The Buccaneers from 1995. Having been there myself a few years ago, it is well worth the visit.

#9.  Romola Garai is one of the best actresses in England today. The fact that she does lots of period work is very lucky for a fan like me. Emma, Daniel Deronda, Amazing Grace, Atonement, Vanity Fair, I Capture the Castle...the list goes on and on. That reminds me, I still haven't seen her in The Hour. It looks brilliant!

#10.  Last but not least, Helen Mirren gets the nod as my 10th most popular post this year. Well deserved for films such as The Queen, Elizabeth I, The Last Station, Gosford Park and The Passion of Ayn Rand. I can't wait to see her with Anthony Hopkins in Hitchcock.

Miss Austen Regrets 2008

Miss Austen Regrets 2008

As close as we have to a biopic at this point in time, Miss Austen Regrets is a sweet, slightly sentimental film about the end of Jane Austen's life. It reflects on her history and choices with alternating regret and satisfaction.  As most Jane Austen lovers (and all Jane Austen scholars) have strong opinions about what she was actually like, there will never be a biopic which satisfies everyone. I liked this little film however, and it certainly makes you think. Was she anything like Olivia Williams portrays her? Likely not (she was definitely not that handsome) but it's wonderful to speculate isn't it?

Fanny Knight and Jane Austen- Miss Austen Regrets

The well known loving relationship between Jane Austen and her niece Fanny Knight is portrayed brilliantly in this film. Both Olivia Williams and Imogen Poots (is that a great name or what?) do a wonderful job alternately joking affectionately and then sparring which is what you would expect from a relationship this close.

Cassandra and Jane Austen- Miss Austen Regrets

Greta Scacchi does a marvelous job as Jane's sister Cassandra as does Phyllida Law as her mother Mrs. Austen. We only get a peek at two of Jane's six brothers however, and only a few of her nieces and nephews appear but then again this is only a 90 minute production.

Jane Austen and Rev. Brooke Bridges- Miss Austen Regrets

The most contentious issue in this film would have to be the portrayal of the various men in Jane Austen's life. Cassandra Austen made sure that this topic would be debated for centuries when she burned the majority of Jane's letters (which was her prerogative by the way) so I suppose this is one version of the truth, drawn from the letters which remained.

Her darling children- Miss Austen Regrets

So, all in all, I would highly recommend this film. I think it much better than Becoming Jane (which I still enjoyed, largely because of James McAvoy) and since I got it as a bonus when I purchased Sense and Sensibility 2008, I really can't complain. So go ahead and enjoy another sumptuous offering from the wonderful BBC. What would we do without the Beeb?

War Horse- 2011

War Horse- Movie Poster

The Squire and I just went to see War Horse last night. Absolutely worth seeing, I would say this one is an instant classic. It would be good to take pre-teens and teenagers to, but the second half of the film is too intense for young ones.

It is essentially a war movie (an anti-war movie to be specific), but it has a wonderful story about the journey of the horse Joey from the gorgeous countryside of Dartmoor, Devon in the west country of England to the horrors of the trenches in France in WWI.

Jeremy Irvine as Albert Narracott in War Horse

Young Jeremy Irvine is absolutely transfixing as Albert Narracott, the boy who trains and loves the gorgeous thoroughbred his father buys at auction instead of a good working plough horse (Oops-seemed like a good idea at the time).

Peter Mullan and Emily Watson as Albert's parents in War Horse

Emily Watson (one of my fave actors) is wonderful as the pissed off mother Rose Narracott who rightly takes a strip off her alcoholic husband Ned (played brilliantly by Peter Mullan), but stands by him and loves him through everything.  Awww!

Benedict Cumberbatch, Patrick Kennedy and Tom Hiddleston in War Horse

Joey the horse is unfortunately not able to be kept at the farm after war is declared and so is sold to a Cavalry officer Captain Nicholls (played by the ever wonderful Tom Hiddleston). Pull out your tissues at this point in the film.

Grandfather and Emilie with Joey and friend in War Horse

Not only does Joey make an equine friend (Topthorne, the black horse) but the two horses go from the Germans, to a French girl and her grandfather, back to the Germans and then a very dramatic scene at the front where Joey ends up in no man's land, between the English and German trenches. The no man's land scene is the best scene in the entire film, and you can see the hand of both Lee Hall (Billy Elliot) and Richard Curtis (Four Weddings, Love Actually) in the wonderful writing.

Joey and Albert in the beautiful Devon countryside in War Horse

I was sobbing at parts of this film, more because I was thinking of my two great-uncles who died in the Great War (they never thought there would be another), one of whom was born in Devonshire. So  you may not find it as much of a weeper as I did, but still I would not have missed it for anything.

So I give this one two hooves up!

Tom Hiddleston- Actor of the Week

Tom Hiddleston

Tom Hiddleston is getting lots of press lately for his role in War Horse. But we have seen him in a few other period dramas in the past few years (and a Superhero film too!).

Tom Hiddleston as John Plumptree in Miss Austen Regrets

The first time I was aware of Tom Hiddleston was as the adorably clueless John Plumptree trying to woo Jane Austen's niece Fanny Knight in Miss Austen Regrets. He was just so EARNEST!

Tom Hiddleston as William Buxton in Return to Cranford

His lovely curly hair was again on display as the perfectly sweet and wonderfully egalitarian William Buxton in Return to Cranford. Wouldn't we all love to untie that cravat?

Tom Hiddleston as Loki in Thor

This is the only time I have seen his hair dark and straight! As the bad boy Loki in the Superhero flick Thor, he looked like he was having fun NOT being the good guy for a change. He reprises his Loki role later this year in The Avengers.

Tom Hiddleston as F. Scott Fitzgerald in Midnight in Paris

His hair is slicked down into waves for F. Scott Fitzgerald in Woody Allen's wonderful Midnight in Paris. I have seen this film 3 times and I would love to see it again. Ooo-la-la!

Tom Hiddleston as Captain Nicholls in War Horse

Now look at those expressive eyebrows as Captain Nicholls in War Horse. I have not seen this one yet, but my birthday is coming up so perhaps The Squire will accompany me to the cinema. He really does have quite extraordinary brows doesn't he?

Tom Hiddleston and horse in War Horse

Apparently he is now working on playing Prince Hal opposite Jeremy Irons in Henry IV, a TV miniseries production from NBC Universal being distributed by BBC2 and PBS. Can't wait, sounds great!

Have you got a favourite out of these or other roles of Tom Hiddleston's? By the way, is that a great English name or what?

P.S. He got a double first in Classics at Cambridge University (Pembroke College). For those of us not in the UK, that means he's really really smart as well as cute!

Return to Cranford for Christmas

The Ladies of Cranford return for Christmas!

Return to Cranford, or The Cranford Christmas Special is worth a view this December to get you in the Period Drama Christmas spirit!  If you adored the ladies of Cranford, you will especially love this continuation of the story which was done for the Christmas season of 2009 in Britain, but aired in North America the following January.

Joining the lovely ladies above are a few new characters and new storylines.

Return to Cranfod with Mr. Buxton (Jonathan Pryce)

Recently widowed, Mr Buxton has returned to his native Cranford with his son William and niece Erminia after a two-year absence. He can be blunt and volatile, often speaking and acting before thinking, but he is loyal, generous and down to earth. Though personally happy to live a quiet, unassuming life in the country, he has great ambitions for William, whom he is determined to see "marry up" and enter into politics.

Return to Cranford with William Buxton (Tom Hiddleston)

Mr Buxton's only child, William is bright and capable but, having dropped out of Cambridge when his mother fell terminally ill, he now struggles to find direction for himself without her gentle guidance. What is certain is that he has no interest in his father's political ambitions for him. He's far more excited by the technological and scientific advances of the modern age and engineering, in particular. But standing up to his formidable father and forging his own way will prove to be the greatest test to his character.

Return to Cranford with Peggy Bell (Jodie Whittaker)

The younger child of Mrs Bell and the deceased Curate of Cranford, she lives in an isolated cottage outside of town with her family. Though she's bullied by older brother, Edward, and ignored by her mother, she seems to have accepted her lot in life with good grace because she has a gentle and loving nature. But her solitary life has made her live too much in her own head, making her appear dreamy in public. Miss Matty feels for Peggy and actively encourages a friendship between Peggy and Erminia and William. Though different in many ways, Peggy enjoys this friendship and her true, surprisingly strong, character blossoms as a result.

Return to Cranford with Lady Glenmire (Celia Imrie)

A character from the original novel, Cranford, Lady Glenmire is the sister-in-law and social superior of Mrs Jamieson, though by far the more down-to-earth of the two. A genteel Scotswoman on the surface, she is intelligent, lively and very sociable – the exact opposite, therefore, of Mrs Jamieson. The Amazons are disappointed at first to find Lady Glenmire is far from grand but, once they get to know her, they secretly prefer her company to that of their old friend, Mrs Jamieson. And they are not the only ones who enjoy her company – Captain Brown finds her charming, sensible and energetic.

Return to Cranford with Erminia Whyte (Michelle Dockery)

The orphaned daughter of Mr Buxton's younger sister and now his ward (and William’s cousin), Erminia has lived abroad and has recently finished an expensive education in Brussels. She is pretty, musical and full of life. At first Erminia befriends Peggy Bell out of a sense of kindness and duty, but she quickly sees the true value of Peggy's character and they become firm friends.

Return to Cranford with Lord Septimus Ludlow (Rory Kinnear)

Lady Ludlow's seventh and last-remaining child, Septimus is much talked about in the novel My Lady Ludlow but never actually appears, so he is a newly-created character. He arrives in Cranford from Italy after many years absence, bringing his bored and louche companion, Giacomo, with him. Lord Septimus is beautifully dressed, prone to enthusiasms and schemes, but is easily distracted, particularly when these schemes involve hard work. He is also sentimental and nostalgic.

Return to Cranford with Signor Brunoni (Tim Curry)

A character from the original novel, Cranford, Signor Brunoni is an "Italian magician" advertised as Grand Magician of Arabia and Wizard to the King of Delhi. When tragic events in Cranford lead to his show being cancelled, Peter Jenkyns determines to invite him to return for a special Christmas performance. Colourful and quick-witted, Brunoni immediately sees through Miss Pole's attempts to discover the secrets of his show and finds ways to disconcert even the ever-certain Miss Pole.

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Thanks to the BBC for the wonderful character descriptions. There are some great plot lines in this one, from the train wreck to the magician Signor Brunoni coming to town.  I particularly enjoyed Francesca Annis as Lady Ludlow in this series, as well as Tim Curry as Signor Brunoni and Imelda Staunton as the hilarious Miss Pole.  This series is not meant to light the world on fire but it will entertain you delightfully and it brings Elizabeth Gaskell's wonderful characters to life right before your eyes. This is the BBC at it's best.

Feel free to play the game of "I have seen that actor in..." below in the comment section. All of these actors have been in other period dramas and British productions so see if you can name a few without going to IMDb. Oooooh, now that's a challenge!