Tag: Comedy

3 must-see period films

Emma1 Comment

Lost in Austen (BBC, 2008)

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This show (seen last year on BBC) is a MUST-SEE for all Jane Austen fans!  It has a great cast (including gorgeous/talented new faces), looks beautiful (costumes, cinematography, lighting), and is full of humor.  There are jokes viewers of ALL ages will get, BUT there are also in-jokes for devoted fans of Jane.  (I liked those jokes best, of course!)

Amanda (Jemima Rooper) and Elizabeth (Jemma Arterton)

Amanda Price is a modern-day JA fan who enters into her fave novel, Pride and Prejudice.  She takes the place of P&P’s main protagonist Elizabeth Bennett.  But life in Georgian England is NOT as easy as it seems in the book!

The newest Mr. Darcy (Elliot Cowan)

Amanda meets the the entire P&P gang, plus a few NEW characters (Mr. Collins has brothers- LOL!)  Alex Kingston (ER) and Hugh Bonneville (Daniel Deronda, Miss Austen Regrets) are TERRIFIC as the Bennett parents.  

But the best part is Amanda’s complicated relationship w/ the newest Mr. Darcy!  As in the novel, Darcy is tall, imposing, and irritatingly proper.  (His voice is VERY cool, too!)  At first, he is shocked by Amanda’s (modern/odd) behavior.  She doesn’t want to fall for Darcy- she wants to keep  things EXACTLY like the novel.  But things quickly go wrong!     

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An interview w/ Elliot Cowan:

http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/celebrity/article4635114.ece

 

 

Middlemarch (BBC, 1994) 

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I bought this DVD a few weeks ago b/c it was a VERY good price.  (If you’re a fan of Austen or Dickens, you should definitely check it out!)  It’s a miniseries based on George Eliot’s most famous novel.  She (the pen name of George was in honor of her long-time love, George Henry Lewes) was a writer who could describe a wide swath of society, much like Dickens.  There are MANY interesting/young people trying to carve out a place in the world w/o compromising their dreams.  (These include Jonathan Firth, Colin’s younger brother, and the unusually handsome/intense Rufus Sewell.) 

Dorothy (Juliet Aubrey)

The main female character is intelligent, serious-minded, natural beauty Dorothea Brooke (Juliet Aubrey).  She and her younger sister Cecilia (a more conventional girl) were orphaned before their teens, so they live on the estate of their wealthy bachelor uncle, Mr. Brooke.  (The estate is near to the town of Middlemarch.)  Though she has many fine qualities, Dorothea wants to “do something more” w/ her life than what’s expected of a young woman of her time.  She draws up a plan for improving the cottages of Brooke’s tenants, but he doesn’t want to spend money on the project.   

Even though her youthful/outgoing neighbor (Sir James Chettam) is in love with her, Dorothea merely sees him as a friend.  But she quickly grows interested in Rev. Casuabon, a VERY serious/middle-aged/scholarly man.  Dorothea thinks that she can help him in his work.   They have a brief courtship before marrying, much to the disappointment of her family/friends.   

During most of their honeymoon in Italy, Casuabon buries himself in libraries while Dorothea sees the sights with handsome/young Will Ladislaw (Casuabon’s cousin).  Will paints for fun, but wants to find a profession where he can make an impact.

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Back home, Dorothea is impressed by the painting of a beautiful lady hanging in her house.  Will tells her the story of the unconventional romance between his British grandfather and Polish grandmother (in the picture).  Sadly, the lady wasn’t treated very well by her in-laws.  As he tells it, she is full of quiet amazement at the idea of such a relationship.  (We KNOW Dorothea hasn’t married for love.)     

Casuabon is emotionally distant and refuses his young wife’s help w/ scholarly work.  Dorothea desperately wants to make him happy, but she grows disenchanted with the cold, lonely marriage.  But she never complains. 

Will, who begins work as her uncle’s assistant, continues to see her as a friend.  Casuabon suddenly prohibits Will from coming to his house.  Dorothea is shocked- they did nothing wrong!   Did her husband sense something neither she nor Will can admit?              

Dr. Lydgate (Douglas Hodge)

The main male character is intelligent, ambitious, and worldly Dr. Tertius Lydgate (Douglas Hodge).  Unlike most of the others in the provincial town of Middlemarch, he is a well-trained MD (w/ specializations done in Scotland and Paris.)  Most docs of that day were NOTHING like ours!  Lydgate is a newcomer who elicits much attention- sometimes of the negative kind.  The other doctors bristle against his techniques (such as warning patients against wacky potions and refusing to operate when not needed).   They feel he’s too young to overstep them.

Like Dorothea, he gives part of his time to the poor.  (They become friends as the story goes along.)  Lydgate’s an idealist who hopes to create BIG changes.  In his personal life, he is quickly drawn to the vivacious and chatty Rosamund Vincy, the daughter of a tradesman.  They fall in love and marry, though he’d intended to wait until he was financially/professionally more stable.   Rosamund dreams of status and money, ignorant of the goals he has.  Will marriage curtail Lydgate’s ambitions?

A GREAT in-depth review of this film:

http://costumedramas.wordpress.com/2009/04/18/middlemarch-1994/

The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006)  movie_WindThatShakes

  We have a responsibility to attack the mistakes and brutalities of our own leaders, past and present.  If you lie about the past you won’t tell the truth about the present.– British director Ken Loach  playing

You may not have heard of this film that came on recently on Encore; I saw it first in the BBC catalog.  It’s a glimpse into the Irish war for independence in the early 1920s as seen through the eyes of a group of very young men in rural County Cork.  At the center of the group is idealistic/sensitive Damien O’Donovan (Cilian Murphy- a native of Cork; The Way We Live Now, Red Eye, Batman Begins) and his older/charismatic brother Teddy (Padraig Delaney).  Damien is soft-spoken, slightly built, and well-respected for his smarts.   Teddy is tall, talks forcefully, and a natural leader.    harassment

Though most of his scrappy country pals are IRA (led by Teddy), Damien is about to go to a London hospital for training.  Then he witnesses some humiliating, unnecessary, and violent events perpetrated by the Black and Tans (British soldiers sent to quash the growing rebellion).         damien_sinead

He takes up arms quickly- his community needs him.  Even Damien’s long-time female friend is part of the rebellion- she works as a messenger.      bros

This film juxstaposes the beauty of Ireland with the violence of the rebellion.   In some cases, long-time friends are pitted against each other b/c they have to preserve themselves.   Freedom is not the only issuse; in one scene Damien examines a little boy who’s near starvation.  How will this rag tag group of guys defeat the soldiers?  When a compromise is reached with England, Damien and Teddy are pitted against each other.  

More info re: this film: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wind_That_Shakes_the_Barley_(film) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0460989/   cillian

More info re: Cilian Murphy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cilian_Murphy http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0614165/

Movie Review: “The Ghost and Mrs. Muir”

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I couldn’t believe my luck in finding this film on sale at F.Y.E. in Astoria recently!  I had wanted to see The Ghost and Mrs. Muir for a long time.  This is an exceptionally well-made Hollywood classic (out in 1947) film starring theatrically-trained/powerhouse actor Rex Harrison (the ghost, Captain Daniel Gregg), one of Hollywood’s most beautiful movie stars Gene Tierney (Mrs. Lucy Muir), charming/rakish comedian George Sanders (Miles Fairley), respected character actor Edna Best (Martha), and a very adorable 8 year old Natalie Wood (Anna Muir).  The unusually beautiful music will stay with you long after the film; the composer also worked on Citizen Kane and collaborated many times with Hitchcock.  It was a big success when it first came out, and also received great reviews from critics- you’ll see why!  It combines the genres of thriller, romance, and comedy.  But romance is key!

 

The story opens at the start of the century (1900 that is) in London.  Young widow Mrs. Lucy Muir, whose husband passed away a year ago, is living with her mother-in-law, sister-in-law, daughter, and housekeeper.  The ladies are all dressed in mourning clothes.  She expresses a strong desire to live on her own (with the income from her husband’s gold shares), much to the shock and disapproval of the in-laws (two hysterical, overbearing ladies).  Mrs. Muir has decided that the seaside will suit her well; she sets off with the eager Anna and loyal Martha. 

 

Upon arrival at Whitecliff-by-the-Sea, Mrs. Muir seeks out a “house agent” to find a suitable place.  Mr. Coombe, the agent, thinks he knows better than the young lady, but Mrs. Muir decides to rent Gull Cottage, a house said to be haunted by the ghost of Capt. Gregg (a seaman who died mysteriously 4 years ago).  She is not frightened away by disembodied laughter like previous tenants.  She says the house is “perfectly fascinating.”  So begins the adventure…

 

The cranky ghost of Capt. Gregg, dressed all in black except his silver buckled belt, reveals himself to Mrs. Muir soon after the family moves in; he’s not happy to have people in his house.  But she stands up to him; she’s not scared by his actions (noises, swearing, extinguishing candles).  She earns respect for that.  In that (first meeting) scene, their faces are only lit.   Light and shadow are used very cleverly and purposefully in this film.

 

Capt. Gregg is unlike the ethereal, other-worldly ghosts we’re used to in modern/special-effects laden movies.  He seems “real” to the audience, because Rex Harrison creates a very masculine, humorous, and witty character.  Harrison uses his strong physical presence (a must for any leading man), commanding voice (after all, he was chosen for My Fair Lady even though he couldn’t sing), and (especially) his eyes to “bring life” to the ghost.  But we also wonder if he is a figment of Mrs. Muir’s imagination?  Harrison is great at reacting to his fellow actors- a big part of acting.  In my honest opinion, the only way to get through the over-hyped Cleopatra is to focus on his portrayal of Julius Caesar.    

 

 

The ghost and the widow become friends; they “occupy the same domestic space like a married couple” (Jeanine Bassinger, chair of the Women’s Studies department at Wesleyan points out on one of the commentary tracks).  However, he has no body, so Mrs. Muir is safe; this satisfied the censors of the day.  When her investments fail, her in-laws come to visit; they urge her to go back with them to London.  But Capt. Gregg forms a plan- he “ghostwrites” a book to boost her finances.  Over some months, Daniel dictates to Lucy (or “Lucia” as he prefers to call her) the story of his lusty, adventurous life.  They work together and fall deeply in love.  It’s a sad fact that she is alive and he is dead! 

 

When Mrs. Muir goes up to London to see a publisher, she catches the eye of Miles Fairley, a well-dressed, smooth-talking, wealthy man in the office.  He’s not exactly her type of man, but he’s real.  Will Mrs. Muir let this (corporeal) man into her heart?    There is a similar choice to be made in Anthony Minghella’s first film, Truly Madly Deeply (if you want to know more). 

 

I highly recommend this film to everyone, not only fans of classic black and white films.  It seems modern to me, in many ways.  The music, lighting, costumes, etc. all work to create a memorable picture.  The exchanges (even the ones without words) that Harrison and Tierney have are terrific; you can see that their characters care about and respect each other.   The film is also “very literate” (Bassinger comments).  This is an intelligent viewer’s movie, though it also evokes emotions.  It is about loss, yearning, and “the dream of love.”  In reality, men are not perfect.  And not everyone has love in their life.  But we all dream!