ONE SEEN & ONE TO BE SEEN: RETURN TO CRANFORD AND LARK RISE TO CANDLEFORD SERIES 3

1. ONE SEEN: RETURN TO CRANFORD

Mrs Gaskell 's CRANFORD is a witty and poignant comedy of early-Victorian life in a country town, where she describes the uneventful lives of the lady-like inhabitants so as to offer an ironic commentary on the diverse experiences of men and women. The novel has been thrice adapted for television by the BBC. The first version was broadcast in 1951, the second in 1972, with Gabrielle Hamilton as Miss Matty, and the third version in 2007. The 2007 version added material from other writings by Gaskell: My Lady Ludlow, Mr. Harrison's Confessions and The Last Generation in England. Judi Dench and Eileen Atkins took the leading roles as Miss Matty and Miss Deborah Jenkyns, with Imelda Staunton cast as the town's gossip, Miss Pole, and Michael Gambon as Miss Matty's former admirer, Mr. Holbrook. The love story line involved the new doctor Frank Harrison (Simon Woods)  and Sophy Hutton ( Kimberley Nixon) The BBC sequel, Return To Cranford, has been recently broadcast -20/27 December 2009 - in the UK and is being aired in the USA these days on Masterpiece Classics.

The delightful two-part drama, Return to Cranford, is also the latest acquisition to my DVD collection and my latest experience as … Sunday – DVD watching - while - ironing. I got the DVD from Amazon at record time. They are usually quick but, this time, I was astonished: it just took 4 days! I was looking forward to seeing this new period drama but didn’t hope it’d be so soon. Anyway, since Masterpiece Classic is airing it just these days for US TV audience and hasn’t broadcast the second part yet, I’ll try not to give many spoilers away.

Judi Dench reprises her role as Cranford’s much cherished Miss Matty Jenkyns and all the Amazons of Cranford are reunited in this two-part special feature with Imelda Staunton back as Miss Pole, Julia McKenzie returning as Mrs Forrester, and Deborah Findlay reprising Miss Tomkinson.Barbara Flynn returns as Mrs Jamieson, whose aristocratic sister-in-law, Lady Glenmire (Celia Imrie), arrives and makes quite an impression on the friends.

There are several new actors/ characters that animate the life in the country-town of Cranford

Jonathan Pryce (Mr Buxton)

Jodie Whittaker (Peggy Bell)

Tom Hiddleston (William Buxton )

and then Celia Imrie (Lady Glenmire), Rory Kinnear (Lord Septimus Ludlow), Matthew McNulty (Edward Bell) , Leslie Sharp (Mrs Bell) , Michelle Dockery (Erminia Whyte) and Signor Brunoni (Tim Curry).

Read about  and see the new characters HERE.

Synopsis of PART 1

Synopsis of PART II

Return to Cranford on BBC World News Site

My favourite scene from episode 1 (spoilers, of course!)

As anything is possible in Cranford, you happen to smile, laugh out loud at heart, being sorry for one of the characters and even be moved to tears for some others, you get angry on some occasions but you are pleased when they meet gratification on others. I liked it as it was such a gallery of familiar faces, beautiful costumes and locations, examples of very brilliant acting that one can’t deny that , once again , BBC gave us high quality drama.

2. ONE TO BE SEEN - LARK RISE TO CANDLEFORD SERIES 3

 

(stills from series 3 episode 1)

Ms Dorca Lane and Laura Timmins are back every Sunday on BBC 1 with several new characters and many old acquaintances. Three months left for the end of the third series of this beautiful costume drama based on Flora Thomson's memoirs of her childhood in Oxfordshire. I'm happy they decided to produce a third series with 12 episodes. I love the characters and the Victorian atmosphere in this drama . I've seen the first two series and  was fond of them both. My previous posts are HERE and HERE.

LARK RISE TO CANDLEFORD 3 - BBC Home

CHARACTERS

THE LIFE OF FLORA THOMSON

I can't wait to see the 12 new episodes!

ANOTHER BUSY DAY OFF

Well, it's not that I love using oxymoron, but it's Wednesday (my sacred day off!) and, instead, I'm just back from school (it's 5.50 p.m!) . I feel sick and tired: I hate working when I'm supposed to be off duty, but I couldn't avoid it. Anybody needs some spare time from time to time. I don't feel like cooking or coping with the housework now. I'd go for a walk but I can't, it's almost dinner time so ... I'll try to relieve my stress writing a little about the things I love.
For example, LARK RISE TO CANDLEFORD. Yesterday I finished watching series 2, twelve delightful episodes ( it took me some weeks, though!). I had watched series 1 on DVD in December ( my post on blogspot is dated April 'cause I imported it from my older blog learnonline) and soon ordered the new one which was broadcast from December to March.

You can find lots of information about the cast, the production and the 12 episodes HERE.

My favourite characters are Dorcas Lane, the post - office lady, (played by Julia Sawalha) and James Dowland (Jason Merrels), the handsome stranger who landed in Candleford this year. It has been described as the “perfect Sunday night winter warmer”, “an antidote to the winter blues”, and the BBC has confirmed a third series of this Sunday night drama which is Bill Gallagher’s adaptation of Flora Thompson’s magical memoir of her Oxfordshire childhood.
The feel-good stories star Julia Sawalha, Olivia Hallinan, Jason Merrells, Brendan Coyle, Olivia Grant, Mark Heap and Ruby Bentall. All the 12 episodes have as their main narrator Laura Timmins (Olivia Hallinan) and see burgeoning romances blossom and falter amongst the two communities, as well as social and financial pressures take their toll in a series that chronicles the day-to-day life of two communities at the end of the 19th century.
It is , in fact, set in the small hamlet of Lark Rise and the wealthier neighbouring market town, Candleford, at the end of the 19th century, the series chronicles the daily lives of farm workers, craftsmen and gentry, observing characters in loving, boisterous and competing communities of families, rivals, friends and neighbours.

My favourite episodes in the second series were the Christmas Special, the 8th and the 9th. Here's a clip from series 2. I adore the two of them !

This kind of costume drama is something I really admire in the BBC production but they are also very good in modern drama. You've certainly noticed my fondness for the spy drama SPOOKS but I've read very good reviews about a new series they're broadcasting just in these days, MOVING ON. They've had the courage to give young unknown writers the possibility of seeing their scripts interpreted by all-star casts. Each episode tells a different story and deals with a different theme.

I must confess I've happened to hear about it, following the career of my favourite actor, Richard Armitage, who stars in the third episode DROWNING NOT WAVING as John Mulligan, but it seems a very original contemporary series which I absolutely want to see. It is possible to pre-order the DVD at Amazon.UK . Meanwhile, I've found this beautiful trailer with the 5 episodes and I could see Richard is as lovely as ever. What I love most in him, apart from his skillful acting, is his voice, his blue eyes and his hands.

As Dorcas Lane, the protagonist of LARK RISE TO CANDLEFORD, would say: Richard is ... my one weakness (!!!)
OK. My blue mood has...vanished. Writing this post has worked as an anti-stress therapy.

READY FOR THE CLIP?



YOU'LL FIND THREE MORE CLIPS HERE

COSTUME DRAMA

LARK RISE TO CANDLEFORD

I really can't explain why I love period drama and classics so much. It has always been like this, since I read "Little women" at 9: if a story is set in the past - especially in the 19th century - it draws my attention and fascinates me lots more than fiction or movies set in our days.

So, from my DVD collection, here's a lovely series BBC broadcast last year. Actually , the second series has been recently on, and I'm eagerly waiting for my new DVD from Amazon UK. Twelve new episodes!

LARK RISE TO CANDLEFORD is a good TV adaptation of Flora Thompson's memoir of her Oxfordshire childhood. Flora Thompson's charming love letter to a vanished corner of rural England is brought to life in this warm-hearted adaptation. Set in the countryside in the 1880s, this rich, funny and emotive BBC series follows the relationship of two contrasting communities: Lark Rise, the small hamlet gently holding on to the past, and Candleford, the small market town bustling into the future.

LEAF THROUGH THE FIRST PAGES OF THE BOOK



CLICK HERE

Seen through the eyes of young Laura (Olivia Hallinan) the inhabitants endure many upheavals and struggles as the change inexorably comes; their stories by turns poignant, spirited and uplifting. And Laura herself must face great change. Taking a job in the Post Office in Candleford, run by the mercurial Dorcas Lane (Julia Sawalha), Laura turns her back on her childhood hamlet to make her way in the world. With her loyalties divided, she must choose her own path to womanhood...

Miss Dorcas Lane - Julia Sawalha on the left - runs the small post office which is the "heart" of Candleford, she is a strong - willed woman, sensitive and generous, not married but passionately involved in a love ? / friendly? relationship, ready to help anyone in need.

Laura - Olivia Hallinan in the centre -, from whose point of view we enter Lark Rise's world, is a country girl, quite naive but rather intelligent to work in Miss Lane's post office. She is wooed by two young men, is ashamed of the poverty and simplicity of her family, observes everything attentively then writes it down in her journal, and grows up into a young woman little by little.

Caroline Arless - extraordinary Dawn French, on the right - is a poor mother left alone by her husband at sea with 3 children and lots of troubles. She can't cope with the hard situation and, being pursued by a bailiff collecting debts for the brewery, ends up in jail.

Mixing in humour, drama and the production values we seem to take for granted from the BBC, Lark Rise To Candleford really is quite a treat. And what’s more, it’s proof positive that when it comes to television period drama, there really isn’t anyway doing it better. Super stuff (Jon Foster)

NOW A VERY SHORT TRAILER

I HOPE YOU'LL ENJOY IT

Very soon, I hope, something about the new second series!

Fly high...meanwhile!