By all appearances, the movie Cranford is as modest and quiet as the little town itself. However, there are treasures to be found if you care to scratch the surface. Based on the novel (of the same name) by Elizabeth Gaskell (North & South), Cranford is a small English town that prides itself on tradition and decorum. However, beneath it's sleepy depths beats the hearts of its most prominent residents: the industrious, albeit sometimes twittering and romantic women.The story begins with several new residents moving into the neighborhood. Chief amongst those is a bachelor by the name of Dr. Harrison (Simon Woods - Pride & Prejudice). He is young, handsome and exceptionally skilled in his field, so of course it does not take long for the women to begin scheming and match-making, even some who are twice his age! The story also follows a young and vibrant woman named Mary Smith who goes to stay with two eccentric, yet sweet sisters Matty and Deborah Jenkyns (Dame Judi Dench and Dame Eileen Atkins respectively). Most of the plot revolves around them; their daily comings and goings, letters, garden parties, shopping, afternoon tea and of course the occasional scandal (watch for cats digesting lace and a fabulously funny Imelda Staunton - Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix).All of these events would seem to make for slow going, but I assure you the mini-series felt anything but tedious. Underneath the seemingly superficial nature of their lives, these women learn to cope with love, loss, heartbreak, tragedy, even death. Their indomitable spirit, willingness to help one another, and rallied attempts to resist change (the new railway line) all make for some fascinating British television. So please, take out your best quilt, heat yourself a warm cup of tea, and settle down with your favorite fluffy kitten to enjoy the warmth, humor and fun that is Cranford.
"All around us, England shifts and changes, but Cranford stands fast."
I just want to start this review by simply stating: I loved absolutely everything about this movie!
Bleak House is a classic story of love, mystery, and ultimately forgiveness, all spun masterfully around one woman's dark secret. Lady Dedlock (portrayed by an unrecognizable and brilliant Gillian Anderson, The X-Files) has a forbidden past that she will go to any lengths to cover-up. Around her life we see the other characters inter-twining and mingling to create a brilliant and complex mystery.
The book, Bleak House, is over 1,000 pages long, which could make any kind of screenplay for this Dickens masterpiece potentially hazardous. However, Bleak House moves along at a brisk pace, with several sub-plots all revolving quickly around one another (thanks to fantastic screenwriter Andrew Davies, Pride & Prejudice). It's also chocked full of all the gorgeous cinematography, costumes and locations you would expect to see from a BBC production.
The characters themselves, are enigmatic and delightful to say the least. Dickens has always been known for balancing the tragic, the absurd, and the love-able all together. It's easy to see the world of Victorian London through his eyes: the naive young lovers John and Ada, the cheerful and lovely Esther Summerson, the besotted and strange Mr. Guppy, and the sinister and evil Mr. Tulkinghorn (to name a few of the players in this well-rounded cast). Watch for British favorite Anna Maxwell Martin (Becoming Jane, North & South) as the heroine Esther, as well as a brief cameo from the outstanding John Lynch (Moll Flanders, Sliding Doors, The Secret Garden).
Bleak House is a refreshingly different British film that has jumped to #1 on my must-own list, and was even enjoyed by my husband *gasp* (who was as caught up in the mystery and characterization as I was). BBC does it again! Absolutely outstanding!
Movies from my library are only $1, which is still cheaper than the newly reduced rental prices at Blockbuster. Plus, they have more of a selection of older movies....So, I have been raiding the shelves looking for the next great movie to add to my list of favorites. Enter: BBC's "Wives and Daughters". It's another costume drama about women and the men that they love. (It is important for me to mention as a side note that nothing will ever compare to "Pride and Prejudice" so please lower your standards just a little bit girls)!
The main character, Molly, is a beautiful sweet-tempered girl who is forced to make a place in her predictable yet satisfying life for her new stepmother. (I personally tend to like the bad girls myself, but even though Molly is uncomplicated and chaste, she still has depths to her which make for a compelling drama). Molly's stepmother is a little on the overbearing side (think Mrs. Bennett), and things get even more interesting when Molly's beautiful and willful stepsister, Cynthia comes to town. Cynthia is played by the fabulous Keeley Hawes (BBC's MI-5), who loves Molly, yet unwittingly steals her man! With a few twists and turns even I couldn't predict, "Wives and Daughters" was a wonderful romance set in beautiful England. The movie also turns out another great performance from Michael Gambon (Dumbledore from the Harry Potter movies). "I'm not saying she was very silly, but one of us was silly, and it wasn't me." BBC does it again!
*Spoiler: The ONLY complaint that I had with this movie was that I waited 4 hours, and there is NO KISS at the end.
The story begins with several new residents moving into the neighborhood. Chief amongst those is a bachelor by the name of Dr. Harrison (Simon Woods - Pride & Prejudice). He is young, handsome and exceptionally skilled in his field, so of course it does not take long for the women to begin scheming and match-making, even some who are twice his age! The story also follows a young and vibrant woman named Mary Smith who goes to stay with two eccentric, yet sweet sisters Matty and Deborah Jenkyns (Dame Judi Dench and Dame Eileen Atkins respectively). Most of the plot revolves around them; their daily comings and goings, letters, garden parties, shopping, afternoon tea and of course the occasional scandal (watch for cats digesting lace and a fabulously funny Imelda Staunton - Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix).
All of these events would seem to make for slow going, but I assure you the mini-series felt anything but tedious. Underneath the seemingly superficial nature of their lives, these women learn to cope with love, loss, heartbreak, tragedy, even death. Their indomitable spirit, willingness to help one another, and rallied attempts to resist change (the new railway line) all make for some fascinating British television. So please, take out your best quilt, heat yourself a warm cup of tea, and settle down with your favorite fluffy kitten to enjoy the warmth, humor and fun that is Cranford.
