PERIOD & MORE PERIOD: 7 REASONS TO LOVE GRANTCHESTER - SERIES 2 DVD IS OUT!

James Norton as Sidney Chambers in Grantchester 

Canon Sidney Chambers

I don't know what it is with Mr Chambers (James Norton) when it comes to women (aside: including me). It's a mystery  (aside: no, it isn't, if you take a proper look at the pictures above and below) . They all fall for him, while he barely notices them or their interest in him. Canon Sidney Chambers is so distant from the archetype of vicars we've had on TV so far: he is lovely, clever, good-looking. His strength is his compassion, his distinctive sign is that he is a good man in a bad world.  He isn't flawless, he has a temper, drinks a lot of whisky, loves jazz and a game of cricket,  is haunted by his war memories and tormented by an impossible love. To cut it short, we have a romantic hero wearing a clerical collar, instead of a funny caricature with false teeth and a silly voice. (aside: I have a crush on James Norton's voice and accent).  

"We're talking about wine, and crime, and love. Sometimes I think there is nothing we cannot say to each other."

PERIOD & MORE PERIOD: BELLE - NOW ON DVD & BLUE RAY

Out on DVD/Blue Ray today, Belle is a movie inspired  by the true story of Dido Elizabeth Belle, a mixed - race woman raised by an aristocratic white family. Three times unlucky in the 18th century English society: Belle was a woman, a mulatto and an illegitimate child. 

The daughter of a Royal Navy Admiral and an enslaved African woman, Dido is brought up by the family of her great uncle, Lord Mansfield, in Hampstead, just north of London.
The family social standing affords Dido great privileges and she grows close with her cousin, Lady Elizabeth Murray. But Dido can never escape the colour of her skin  and, therefore, never be on the same social standing as her adoptive family. When Lord Mansfield, the Lord Chief Justice, must rule on an important slavery court case, Dido and the idealistic young man she falls in love with, John Davinier, will help to shape his decision, thereby paving the way for the eventual abolition of slavery.

PERIOD & MORE PERIOD - THE INVISIBLE WOMAN

Directed and starring Ralph Fiennes  as Charles Dickens, THE INVISIBLE WOMAN is the latest period  movie I saw. It is an adaptation of Claire Tomaline's book of the same name. It was released in 2013, it hasn’t made it to Italian theatres so far, but it is fortunately already available on DVD.  

The invisible woman of the title is Ellen Ternan , played by Felicity Jones, seen as Catherine Morland in Northanger Abbey 2007 or more recently in Hysteria. Ellen, Nelly, was  a beautiful young actress with whom Charles Dickens had a  secret 13-year affair and who was 27 years his junior.

Abi Morgan (Shame)   adapted Claire Tomalin‘s novel.  Tom Hollander , as the author Wilkie Collins,  Kristin Scott Thomas, as Nelly's mother, Tom Burke (The Musketeers)  as Ellen’s husband, George Robinson,   are also in  the cast.

THE HOBBIT THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG & MY NOT VERY SUCCESSFUL QUEST IN TOLKIEN'S FANTASY WORLD

Warning: I know I will shock or, at least, disappoint any Tolkien fan who may  stumble  onto this post. They are kindly advised not to read!

I've been striving on my personal quest in search for a spark between Tolkien's world  and me in the last two years.   It's been a long,  troubled journey, a real fight against my complete ignorance and  a rather visceral dislike. You know, Tolkien's work is not my cup of tea at all. I've tried to approach it anyway, overcoming my prejudices and preconceptions. This is just an account of my latest attempt and of some prior events. 

I started watching The Lord of the Rings movies with my son, who is fond of them, before the Hobbit trilogy came out, but it was rather frustrating because, as much as I wanted to like those films, I simply couldn't or, better,  I could but only mildly.

I read The Hobbit in search for Thorin (here, here, here and here) and wrote a series of posts waiting for Peter Jackson's new trilogy to come out.  Did I like reading it? Pass. Next question, please.

TIME FOR A GOOD MOVIE - THE RAILWAY MAN (2014)

It is impossible not to think of war these days. Press and TV news keep our minds and hearts in constant worry. Though I usually avoid writing or discussing breaking news or politics here on my blog , today I’m going to tell you about  this beautiful movie I have just seen, with all my heart to the news coming from the several open fighting fronts.

War is no game. War leaves a mark. Eric Lomax , like many other surviving soldiers,  lived haunted by his war memories all his life through, as if war never actually ended in his mind and his heart. The Railway Man, based on Lomax’s autobiography,  will come out in September 2014  here in Italy as “Le due vie del destino”, but it opened theatrically on New Year’s Day in the UK and , in the US,   in April 2014.  It is already available on DVD at amazon.co.uk and,  from August 12,   it will be at amazon.com too.

PERIOD & MORE PERIOD: REIGN, JAMAICA INN AND NEW WORLDS

Reign: when history becomes a fairy-tale

This series recently wrapped at its 22nd episode after being on US CW Network for months . Though far from being historically accurate, Reign kept faith to the gist of the true history of Queen Mary Stuart and her life at the French court,  as the betrothed of Prince Francis, Dauphin of France. The two royals  were actually married for one year, until he died very young of an infection.

It is a smart series that winkles at teenage  and young audiences with   captivating photography, a somewhat-anachronistic soundtrack, doll-faced actors and actresses, intriguing love stories and a bit of sex, supernatural events and magic, wicked villains and gorgeous costumes. I am definitely not intended demographic, but I liked it,  anyhow. Well acted and well written, the show caught me at first sight.

WORDS, WITCHES & WOES

A movie, a book and bits of my real life are the topics of my  first post in the New Year. Let's hope it is a good one, without any tears. What? ... Yes, those words are not mine.

1. A Movie: The Words 

Plagiarism, writing, life and fiction ...The Words. I've seen this movie a few times in the latest weeks since it is running on my satellite TV channels. I was attracted by the title first and started watching it without knowing much about cast and plot. Positively surprised at discovering it was about writing, writers and books, I went on watching,  discovering one by one its protagonists: Dennis Quaid, Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Irons and Ben Barnes.

I liked it very much! Have you seen it?

SPOTLIGHT ON COMEDY! STUDIO C SEASON 1&2 NOW ON DVD + GIVEAWAY

 

Tour Schedule

   

Website * Facebook

PERIOD DETECTIVES - COPPER AND RIPPER STREET

Just have a look at the two DVD covers up here and you'll immediately notice the similarities. They stroke me while recently watching Ripper Street, the successful BBC1 series starring Matthew Mac Fadyen. I had finished watching BBC America Copper on Fox Crime (one of our pay tv satellite channels) not long before.
Tough,  fascinating,  torn between their duties and tragic, painful personal experiences,  the two protagonists are police detectives fighting crime,  respectively in New York and in London,   in the 19th century. Their love for justice, their frailty hidden under a tough surface,  as well as their charming looks can get under your skin.

WHAT I'VE BEEN WATCHING - THE SCAPEGOAT & WORLD WITHOUT END

I've been watching quite a bit of great period drama recently nothwistanding my very little spare time. Downton Abbey series 3 and The Paradise ended, what we've got left is ... DVDs and satellite TV. My first recommendation is a brilliant TV movie you now find on DVD, The Scapegoat (2012), first broadcast in September on ITV. Based of Daphne Du Maurier novel, this is a great adaptation, thrilling suspence from beginning to end, dark humour, unexpected twists, stellar cast, amazing performances, awesome locations and costumes.

In 1952 schoolmaster John Standing meets the aristocratic Johnny Spence,his exact double. After a night of drinking John wakes with a hang-over to find that Spence has disappeared,leaving him to substitute for him. John finds he has 'inherited' a country house with a bed-ridden,drug-addicted mother,put-upon wife Frances,scornful sister Blanche,little daughter Mary Lou and two mistresses,one married to his brother Paul. After unsuccessfully trying to explain the situation and make his escape John settles into his new identity,surprising himself with his capability

I'VE BEEN WATCHING POLDARK (1975)

Robin Ellis as Ross Poldark

In Italy it was broadcast in 1978 and I still remember how excited I was waiting for a new episode! And I can't forget my teenage crush on Ross Poldark in his elegant breeches and coat, but especially on young doctor Enys. How young I was myself at that time and already in love with everything English!  I usually don't like watching period series from the 70s, I find them so freak, awkward. I can't cope with the  old shooting techniques or the unnatural, melodramatic acting style they propose. But, was my nostalgic mood forgiving all the flaws or was this series quite good, instead? I think it was, it still  is a very good period drama. You must of course bear the grain quality so different from the  HD quality images we are accustomed to these days.

NOT ONLY PERIOD. MOVIES I'VE WATCHED THESE DAYS: THE DECOY BRIDE AND NEVER LET ME GO

The Decoy Bride (2011) 

After lovelorn Katie (Kelly MacDonald)  is dumped at the altar, she returns home to her windswept Scottish island, thinking she will never walk down the aisle. Little does she know that Hollywood superstar Lara (Alice Eve) has chosen the island as the secret venue for her marriage to her gorgeous boyfriend James (David Tennant). 

But with the paparazzi hard on her tail, Lara needs to throw them off the scent. Katie agrees to dress in white and walk down the aisle as Lara’s ‘decoy bride.’ Wedding bells ring, love blooms, but who ends up happily ever after?