Suffragette

I finally got to see Suffragette this weekend and it is well worth seeing. Carey Mulligan plays Maud Watts, an East London laundry worker who gets caught up in the Suffragette movement of 1912. After 50 years of politely asking for the right to vote, Mrs. Emmeline Pankhurst and her Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) decided that more militant tactics were required. Although they threw rocks and blew up mail boxes they were careful not to endanger any lives if possible. "Deeds Not Words" got many of them jailed and their treatment there was shocking to say the least.

Suffragette has a star filled cast including Anne-Marie Duff as a fellow laundry worker, Helena Bonham Carter as an educated activist, Romola Garai as the wife of a cabinet minister, Meryl Streep as Mrs. Pankhurst herself, it also has Brendan Gleeson as a police inspector and Ben Whishaw as Maud's husband.

I wish the film had been longer as we don't get quite attached enough to the characters and their stories as there is so much historical fact to cram into one feature length film. Still, it's a well done piece and absolutely worth seeing. Maybe a director's cut on the DVD would be an idea?

Here is the trailer. This is a story that needs to be told and a reason for all women to value and exercise their right to vote in every election no matter where or how small. Just think of the women who fought for our right.

Stay for the timeline of women's voting rights at the end of the film. Some countries still aren't there yet...

Suffragette Film October 2015!

I have been eagerly awaiting the trailer for the Suffragette film due out this October and wow was it ever worth the wait. I  have watched them three times now and I have cried each time. Give Carey Mulligan the Oscar now!




A who's who of British (and Irish and American) actors are in this. Carey Mulligan, Meryl Streep, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne-Marie Duff, Romola Garai, Ben Whishaw, Brendan Gleeson and Samuel West to name just a few!

I have never printed quotes before a film was released but here they are!

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Male voice over: Women should not exercise judgement in political affairs.

Male voice over: If we allow women to vote it will mean the loss of social structure.

Man: You work at the Glass House Laundry?
Maud (Carey Mulligan): I was born there. Part time washer from when I was 7, full time from when I was 12."

Mrs. Pankhurst (Meryl Streep): For 50 years we have laboured peacefully to secure the note for women. We've been ridiculed, battered and ignored.

Maud: All my life I've been respectful. Done what men told me. Well I can't have that anymore.

Maud: We break windows. We burn things. Cause war's the only language men listen to.

Maud: What are you going to do? Lock us all up? We're in every home. We're half the human race. You can't stop us all.

Judge: What would the vote mean to you?

Mrs. Pankhurst: Never underestimate the power we women have to define our own destiny. We have been left with no alternative. Defy this government!

Mrs. Pankhurst: We don't want to be law breakers. We want to be law makers!"

Edith New (Helena Bonham Carter): The only way is forward!

Violet Cambridge (Anne-Marie Duff): Votes for women!

Alice (Romola Garai): The power is in your hands!


Join me watching this in October. And bring your mother, daughter, friend and spouse!

Far From The Madding Crowd

I was able to see the latest adaptation of Thomas Hardy's Far From The Madding Crowd this weekend (despite it's limited release) and it was wonderful. I am turning into quite a Carey Mulligan fan! Mulligan does an admirable job bring to life one of the first truly modern women in English literature, the fabulously named Bathsheba Everdene. With just the right blend of sauciness and impetuosity she takes us through the difficult journey of a Victorian woman ahead of her time.

Matthias Schoenaerts at first seems an unlikely choice for the solid, trustworthy and aptly named Gabriel Oak. One would think that the mere fact of his Belgian accent would at first rule him out for this quintessentially English character. And yet, even though he occasionally loses his tenuous grip on a West Country accent, he really works in this role. There is a grounded sensual quality to him which is lovely opposite Carey Mulligan's impulsive headstrong Bathsheba.

Michael Sheen as Mr. Boldwood, the middle aged farmer who falls for the valentine joke hook, line and sinker is just perfect. His mad mooning over our heroine hits just the right tone and it certainly feels as if Mulligan's Bathsheba is tempted to put him out of his misery and marry him (if only for that amazing house!).

But of course, what is a gorgeous house compared to a sexy soldier in a scarlet uniform? Especially one who whips out his sword and takes her breath away with her first kiss. Well, if you don't already know how this ends, I shan't spoil it for you.

I have to give a shout out to Jessica Barden who steals a few scenes as sidekick Liddy. Now I have to go back and watch her in the modern day version of FFTMC Tamara Drewe. She was hysterical as the teenage Jody in that little gem! Juno Temple is fine as poor Fanny Robin but has only a few brief scenes. Apparently most of her work ended up on the cutting room floor. Pity.

Thankfully Sparky the dog got lots of screen time however as Old George. :)

In any case this is a wonderful film adaptation of Thomas Hardy's Far From The Madding Crowd. It does suffer from the usual adaptation issues arising from the compression of a novel into less than two hours time, as well as the need to "modernize" the language. I totally understand the need for both so thankfully it will drive many fans back to the original novel as it did for me. In fact I reread the book for the first time in fifteen years before and after seeing the film. Reading it after the film was actually way better! So bravo to all involved. Mission accomplished.

I will be adding this one to my DVD collection with pleasure. Gorgeously filmed and well acted!

Far From the Madding Crowd and other upcoming films!

Far From The Madding Crowd will be released May 1, 2015 and promises to be one of the best Period Dramas of 2015. It stars Carey Mulligan (Pride and Prejudice, The Great Gatsby), Michael Sheen (The Queen, Masters of Sex) and from what I can tell, Carey Mulligan does her own singing. While I am waiting for this one, I may reread the Far From The Madding Crowd, the sad tale of Bathsheba Everdene by Thomas Hardy. Or perhaps see one of the film versions, either Julie Christie's from 1967 or the newer Paloma Baeza version from 1998. All are well worth revisiting.




There are a few films which should have been in wide release by now which are being held up in distribution. I am not amused!

Effie Gray, which stars Dakota Fanning, Greg Wise and Emma Thompson was released to mixed reviews in the fall in the UK but is supposedly making it across the pond on April 3, 2015. It concerns the odd relationship between artist John Ruskin and his teenage bride. Fingers crossed! I love Emma Thompson and she wrote this one so I still have fairly high hopes.

A Little Chaos has fared a bit better with reviewers, and yet has still had it's released pushed back to April 17, 2015. I hope they mean in North America, not just in the UK. Directed by Alan Rickman and starring Kate Winslet, Stanley Tucci and Rickman himself (not to mention newcomer Matthias Shoenaerts from Far From the Madding Crowd), it is an unlikely tale of two landscape gardeners competing to design a fountain at Versailles for Louis XIV.

And if you can wait until fall of 2015, Suffragette is about the early feminists fighting for equal voting rights in Edwardian England. This one is star studded, with Meryl Streep as Emmeline Pankhurst and Carey Mulligan (I love her!), Helena Bonham Carter and Anne-Marie Duff as some of the suffragettes. My readers will know that this is a topic which I think deserves more attention. Some of my post links are below:

http://janeaustenfilmclub.blogspot.ca/2013/05/suffragettes-in-film-deeds-not-words.html
http://janeaustenfilmclub.blogspot.ca/2011/02/mary-poppins-and-suffragettes.html
http://janeaustenfilmclub.blogspot.ca/2013/05/iron-jawed-angels-american-suffragettes.html

So it would appear that 2015 will be a wonderful year for Period Drama! And now if only some film maker would take on a Georgette Heyer adaptation. Fingers crossed!

Cheers!

Gatsby IS Great! (well, in my opinion anyway!)

Just ignore the critics. Go and enjoy the spectacle that is The Great Gatsby. It was a pleasant surprise, after reading some fairly critical reviews.

The costumes were breathtaking. I mean truly breathtaking. Along with the sets. I particularly liked the way they dressed the little house next door to Gatsby's mansion where Nick Carraway lived. Arts and Crafts decor done to perfection. Makes me want to see it again. 

The acting was pretty fab too. Leo DiCaprio does have a knack for this, truly. And Tobey Maguire should be recognized for his amazing take on Gatsby's only friend, in the end. Carey Mulligan is being criticized for being too...too...vapid? But that is who Daisy Buchanan is, right? In any case she is just gorgeous to look at and that is what attracts Gatsby anyway. It certainly wasn't her scintillating conversation!

The music was wonderful (Thanks to Jay Z and friends). And although it doesn't have an uplifting ending to the story, I didn't feel depressed coming out of this one like I did with Anna Karenina. Actually it was a pretty exhilarating experience. Much better than reading the book in high school. And now I want to read the book again. That is the best compliment you can give a film adaptation of a novel methinks.

Well, let me know how you like it. There were some twenty somethings dressed in flapper/gangster garb waiting for the next show when I saw it. Fun! And just so you know, both Leo and Tobey really rocked those old black tank style bathing suits. Yup, I am seeing this one again soon.

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!