Period Movies and Series

* This is a work in progress...please forgive any tardiness towards 

writing about movies/series I've watched. 
Pictures will be added when the computer stops freezing 
and acting silly. *

As some of you might know, I'm a very big fan of the 'period' drama. If you don't know what a 'period' drama is, it's one that is set in the past (in my case, generally pre-1950s). 'Period' refers to the historical setting that is being displayed within the drama. Sometimes the era can be accurately depicted within the show, at other times they are deliberately inaccurate, such as the 'Carry On' movies.

Here I hope to instill some of my enthusiasm for period dramas (both movies and series) onto those that visit this page. Or, if you want, you can just read to further your knowledge on the topic.

By the way, I'll be linking most of the movies and series that I put up here to either YouTube, an official website, or the Internet Movie Database (imdb.com). The main link for the movie/series will generally be an official website.

So, without more ado...the beginning of it all...

Pride and Prejudice (1995 BBC TV series as the favourite)
This is the novel that generally all young ladies read once in their life, either in their teens or their early twenties. I was introduced to the 1980 BBC TV series when I was about eleven or twelve years old. When I was fourteen the new version came out, and there was no going back to the older series. I loved the series so much that I bought the book with Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth on the cover and read it at school (so uncool), and on holidays when we were meant to be doing other things. What I remember most about that first reading of the novel was that Darcy's letter was a bit overwhelming to read in some places, especially when the sentence structure is not the same as it is today.
Anyway, moving along to the movies/series of this beautiful book.

The 1940's version (clip is from the beginning of the movie) with Greer Garson and Laurence Olivier as our two leads is a classic, if slightly imaginative, retelling of the novel. Slightly imaginative in the manner that, well, it's almost as if they gave the scriptwriter the novel, told them the general plotline, told them several key important scenes, and told to find quotes to go around them. This section of the movie is probably one of the most fun bits, as it is where Lady Catherine visits the Bennets. I must admit, though, this carries the essence of the story through fairly well. There is fun and liveliness between our two main characters. It just doesn't have all the characters it should, nor contain enough of the novel to make it an 'accurate' retelling.


Elizabeth Garvie and David Rintoul are our next Elizabeth and Darcy in the 1980's version (clip is the beginning of Ep.1) that I so adored when I was younger. I loved it so much that I actually borrowed it again from the school library before the new version came out. The acting is fine in this version; what I find annoying is the sets. You can tell that they are sets (the interior shots). The camera work and style is typical of the BBC during this era, and the quietness of the background can be annoying. Yes, life is quiet a lot of the time, but there should be more background noise and music to make a series more enlivening. The BBC just hadn't caught onto that at this stage.

Now...the 1995 version (clip is the beginning of Ep.1). What can I say but that this is the version I class as the definitive retelling of the novel, and one that Jane Austen would gladly have put her name towards if she were alive today. From the beginning of the first episode it draws you in as an audience (okay, well, draws those in who like 'period' dramas). The music is lively, those sections of the script that need embellishing from what Jane Austen has written are well devised, and the acting is superb - Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth are generally made out to be the quintessential Lizzy and Darcy. You don't really care that it is 300 minutes long - you keep watching until the very end because you want to know what happens to our two lead characters.

In 2005 it was decided by Hollywood that there should be a new version of the movie. Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen were cast as our two leads, and one has to admit that they did a good job with the material they were given. It was the actual written material that made this, also, a bit of an imaginative retelling of the novel. Especially when Lady Catherine turns up in the middle of the night to confront Elizabeth (clip is here - roughly 5:30 mins in) - like as though she would do that in real life! Admittedly, the essence of the novel is captured, in that there is a lot of lively banter between our two leads, and many of the important scenes from the novel are kept and dealt with fairly well. It's just not enough, though, and they could have made it longer in my opinion, without causing people to become bored. I do love the final scene that was released in America, but only as a special feature in Australia. It comes after Lizzy runs out of the house after gaining her father's approval, and her father telling Mrs Bennet to send any other young men in if they wish to marry Mary or Kitty. Why it wasn't included in all releases, who know?

Anyway, there have been several modern-day adaptations of the novel - my favourite being 'Bride and Prejudice', the 'Bollywood' movie. I couldn't talk about P&P without mentioning B&P. If you haven't seen it, do. It's worth it for all the songs and dances as well as the cleverly adapted story so that it is relevant to modern audiences.






Sense and Sensibility

This is another wonderful novel by Jane Austen. It's the story of two sisters (mainly) and their guide to growing up and living with and without the one that they love. in the end, of course, there is a happy ending - but is it for both of them, or just the one? If you have seen the movie or either series, then, of course, you know the answer. However...about the movie and series...

The first time Sense and Sensibility was introduced to me was through the series made by the BBC in 1981 (clip of the start of first episode) with Irene Richard and Tracey Childs playing Elinor and Marianne respectively. Those who saw the 1980 PP (mentioned above) would recognise Richard as Charlotte Lucas from that version. Tracey Child was also in The Scarlet Pimpernel with Anthony Andrews and Jane Seymour, filmed in 1982. This version of S&S is very much like the BBC version of P&P done the year before: very nicely done for the time, and sticks well to the book - you can just tell that it's either outdoor on location, or on a set. Some of the acting is a bit stilted, but it's generally very nicely done; there is just no background music to make things lively and interesting for the audience when there isn't much action occurring on screen. As before, with P&P, the BBC just hadn't learned that that is what is needed, to keep and audience entertained, by this point.

Next, the movie with Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet as the two sisters, was playing at a nearby theatre back in 1995 (1996 in Australia). (Clip of when KW is singing and Brandon sees her for the first time.) This was a delightfully made adaptation of the novel, capturing most of the important parts of the story - but missing many characters at the same time. It demonstrated how easily led Elinor and Marianne's half-brother was by his wife, Fanny (played beautifully by Harriet Walter), as well as the restraint Elinor always has upon her feelings - constantly having a guard up against displaying what wasn't considered ladylike for 1810 (or thereabouts). Never once, though, does the audience meet Mrs Ferrars, and Lady Middleton's existance (who, admittedly, doesn't do much in the novel) is completely ignored. And Miss Steele, who drops a rather large bomb in the book, doesn't exist, either. Yet, to fit the most important part of the story into two and a quater hours was well done by Emma Thompson (who wrote the screenplay). Just wish she hadn't left certain things out, including Willoughby trying to see Marianne when she was sick (though not one of my favourite parts of the novel).

Now we come to a series that demonstrates how well the BBC have come in the last twenty years in producing good quality series from Jane Austen novels. In 2008 they remade and produced the latest version, and it is gorgeously made and told. This version (clip from Ep. 1) starred Hattie Morahan and Charity Wakefield as Elinor and Marianne respectively. Each do a marvellous job conveying the attitudes of their characters to the right depth and displaying the feelings of each appropriately. The supporting stars are wonderful, as well, making this series a very easy watch. The only thing that really disappoints is that Marianne announces her engagement before Elinor and Edward meet again at the end. This deviation from the novel, as well as Marianne have free-reign at Brandon's home, annoyed me a little to begin with. Now I can put up with it - but wish that they had kept that accurate to the novel. Overall, well worth watching, and you'll be wanting more after the three episodes are finished.

And of course, once again, there is a movie called From Prada to Nada coming out very shortly (a.k.a Sense and Sensibilidad). This time the story has a Latina edge to it, so who knows exactly what they are going to do to it!