The first episode has officially aired! It's quite entertaining to read people's reviews (i.e. at bbccostumedrama or AustenBlog.com) — it's either loved or loathed.
I find myself much too swayed by the opinions of others, but all in all I like it.
The fact that it has four hours — something neither of the last adaptations had — adds to its advantage but there are parts that are too modern for my taste. Dialogue, and modern body language... Though everything is very pretty and fun! I quite like Romola Garai and Jonny Lee Miller in the leads, too.

The BBC finally has the official site up, though it leaves much to be desired. It's more of a generic layout for any BBC program with less content than there used to be...

High quality promotional pictures are, of course, at Shootastic — definitely worth the registration!

And apparently Emma is featured in the Radio Times — you can find the scans here.

Official Promo:


Behind-the-Scenes:

( I was so shy that first night I saw him I wished I could disappear! )

I didn't want to neglect Lizzie and Eugene with all my Bella & John love, so they got their fair due! I don't think it's my fault that there are slightly less caps than those for Bella & John.

I hope you enjoyed these as much as I enjoyed making them. :)

( I was forcing myself to be constrained as required by our agreement. But there — Let's go on. )

One of my favourite things about Bella and John is that we get to see them as a married couple. It makes my fangirl heart happy.

And not to be forgotten: ( a second video summary )

Missed part one?

I can't deny I'm procrastinating from studying... but this is much more fun. It's no surprise that I love Our Mutual Friend and it never gets enough love. I felt like making a picspam a couple of days ago and this felt like an obvious choice! A little stupid considering how long this series is, but I hope you all enjoy it!



( We never could have pretended to harbour any true affection. I was hardly likely to like this John Harmon. )

Conclusion? Bella + John = love — they're very sweet with enough angst to compete with the more popular couples!

And because this is my journal this picspam would not be complete without: ( a video summary )

Go see this if you haven't already!

(More to come — Bella & John, Part II and Lizzie & Eugene)

Airs tomorrow! Sunday, October 26 at 8:00 pm on BBC One.



Can't wait! Charles Dickens, BBC drama, 14 parts — and Matthew Macfadyen! :D Apparently it's a 14-part series adapted by Andrew Davies. And their are soooooo many big names in the cast: Andy Serkis, Eve Myles, Freema Agyeman, Alun Armstrong, Pam Ferris (Our Mutual Friend, Jane Eyre)... I'm sure I'll recognize more faces than I know names.

Official BBC Little Dorrit Site

IMDb Page

Videos:
BBC News Behind-the-Scenes
WOTV Meet the Cast — interview clips with Matthew Macfadyen, Claire Foy (plays Amy Dorrit), and Andy Serkis

Just a little collection for fun... I always like their trailers.

( Tess of the D'Urbervilles )

( Sense & Sensibility )

( Jane Eyre )


And here are some DVD trailers, the first I'd never seen before:

( Cranford )

( Sense & Sensibility )

Bleak House

Unfortunately, that's all I could find. I've never seen an actual trailer for North and South — not on any DVDs or anything, though I've seen ads for just about everything else. (Wives & Daughters, Daniel Deronda, The Way We Live Now, He Knew He Was Right and Bleak House. Ah, well...

You can check out the official BBC site here. It looks really nice! Though they're putting less and less content up these days, it seems. Still, well put-together.

IMDb.com page.

The official BBC press packet for Tess of the D'Urbervilles is here. (You can keep clicking on "next section" to browse the archives.)

More info at Gemma-Arterton.net, a fansite for the actress who plays the main character, Tess Durbeyfield. The site also has an amazing collection of images from Tess. You can also browse the "Articles" section for full articles about the series (i.e. here.) Of course, this all focuses on the one actress, so the gallery isn't complete, but it's still excellent.

( My thoughts )

Is anyone else excited?

In no particular order:

Remember that Robin Jones Gunn contest I entered? I WON!!!! Along with nineteen other people, I won an autographed copy of Sisterchicks Go Brit!. I'm so excited because, a) it's about England, so that puts it at the top of the Sisterchick list, and b) IT'S SIGNED BY MY FAVOURITE MODERN AUTHOR!!!!!!!! How amazingly exciting. I still can't believe it.

There's another 1991 version of Robin Hood that I just recently discovered, via UKTV's list of the top 10 Robins. Shortly after, it was on TV so I couldn't help but watch it. The most exciting part? David Morrissey plays Little John! That takes my interest level up by few thousand. Not exactly George Kennedy, eh? But a very good Little John nonetheless. And they had a Much the Miller, and Will Scarlett was Robin's right-hand man. And Uma Thurman was Marian, which bizarre. She had the modern girl spirit, but still, I much prefer Lucy Griffiths. I didn't like that Robin and Marian didn't know each other before the story began — I like the idea that they have they're own complicated history. This version also focused on the tension between the Saxons and the Normands (eek, spelling?) which I didn't know was part of the "Robin Hood" story. So all in all, it's been worth watching, but nothing worth keeping. But I did like this quote:

Maid Marian: [watching Sir Miles Folcanet ride away from them] My future husband is sulking.
Will Scarlett: [watching Robin Hood ride up to them] Oh, I don't know, he looks quite happy to me.

I'm sooooo addicted to The Supersizers Go... TV series. It's about two people who go "back in time" for a week and eat only the food of that period. It's fascinating and usually very disgusting. (A Victorian boiled calf's head, anyone? Or a Restoration pie with every kind of meat you can imagine, including whole chickens heads?) They also experience how the people of that time lived — roles of the wife and husband, things they did for pleasure, how they entertained, etc. It's very funny and educational, and Sue Perkins and Giles Coren make a great team. I started a little backwards and watched the Victorian episode first, followed by the Restoration and the Wartime episodes. I'm most looking forward to the "Regency" episode! I just love seeing history and how people used to live...

David Morrissey and Lucy Griffiths to be in a new ITV film about a stalker. At first I thought David Morrissey was going to be the stalker which wouldn't be hard to picture given his Bradley Headstone role in Our Mutual Friend, but no, he plays the guy being stalked. Lucy plays a new love interest... Should be interesting.

Lots of new dramas from the BBC. There's a new Little Dorrit in the making, whose cast includes Freema Agyeman and Matthew Macfadyen! The BBC always does wonderful Dickens adaptations, so my hopes are high. Yet it sounds like they're trying to cash in on the success of Bleak House:

Adapted by acclaimed writer Andrew Davies (Sense And Sensibility, Bleak House) Little Dorrit will play out in soap opera format with 14 half-hour episodes following an initial hour-long episode.

Also, it looks like Tess of the D'Urbervilles is the next fall drama for the BBC. I've never read the book (by Thomas Hardy) but I know enough of the story. I prefer happy stories, but that doesn't mean I won't enjoy this — I guess I'm just not looking forward to it as much. but oooh, Hans Matheson!

I finally got to the library today and picked up A Room With a View by E.M. that I've been wanting to read for ages. I also found Mansfield Park (1983) and Vanity Fair (1998) on DVD, and the books Enthusiasm by Polly Shulman (which looks good and has good reviews) and The Dashwood Sisters' Secret of Love by Rosie Rushton, which has less-than-favourable reviews but looked too fun to pass up. (It seems like the other five Austen novels are much more neglected, so a Sense and Sensibility remake/tribute is at the very least a fun read... hopefully.) It's exciting having some books that I want to read! I've been in a lull for awhile.

And last but not least, I watched The War Bride the other day with Anna Friel and I really enjoyed it. It's about a London girl in WWII who falls in love with and marries a Canadian soldier. Soon she finds herself sent with her little girl to live with his family in the prairies of Alberta. Nothing extremely unique, but it was still well done — good acting — and a very enjoyable story about history and romance and enjoying life through hardship. Definitely worth watching.

Oops, one more thing — I found this video on YouTube which features the 1976 version of Our Mutual Friend. I though some of you fellow OMF fans would like to see it. I wish I could see the actual series... (And how bizarre to see other actors playing Bella, John, Lizzie and Eugene?!)

Part Three is done! Whew, that means I'm finally finished. This has been fun, and I hope you've enjoyed reading/watching as well!

( &c. )

And we're done! I just love that miniseries, and personally I prefer it to the 1995 movie, but that's just my taste. ;) Both versions are so different that it really depends on what style you like best, and what you think about the actors... You have to admit, though, it's nice that these actors are closer to the characters' real ages, and it is all very pretty!

You can see part one here and part two here.

I finally did it! Two down, one to go. ;) I'm sorry this took a little while — after the last picspam, I wasn't feeling like making another too soon afterwards. I think I did most of this today, actually. It feels like I went crazy, but I don't think there's any more pictures than last time.

I'm glad that so many of you enjoyed the first part that I did. Hope you enjoy this second part!


( &c. )

(three_nails, I hope it's okay that I'm using your "preview" idea! It's cause you're so smart and creative. ;D)

You can find part one of this picspam here.

Well, not really. :P Just because I want to keep track of these without bookmarking all of them.

The Trailer:

( BBC Breakfast Interviews with 'Cranford' cast members )

And Happy Mother's Day! Especially to all you moms, but even if you're not a mom yet, I hope you had a lovely day with your family and pampering your own mother. Apparently this was the first mother's day in years where we weren't out visiting family, so I think it was a nice restful day for my mom. We went to church, and then we had a nice take out lunch from a yummy restaurant, and after that was presents and cards. I got my mom a nice pansy china mug from Royal Dalton. (She loves pansies and has a collection of various things, especially teacups and the like.) My grandma (my mom's mom) ended up coming over as well, so that was nice. Later in the afternoon we watched home videos, which was rather fun. I love watching old videos — there's something special about seeing videos from yester-years, something you don't get with still photos. Although the last one we watched was at my grandpa's 70th birthday party in 1992, and everyone was making speeches, and I almost started crying at one point. I miss him so much! I can't imagine how my grandma misses him.

I was watching "Love in a Cold Climate" the other day and I was excited to see the house from "Our Mutual Friend"!

( As seen in pictures )

And Steven Mackintosh in "The Other Boleyn Girl". ( &c. )

I really have so many things I should be doing instead ... :P

The fates are in my side!

How absolutely perfect is the timing? Right when I get back, TVO[ntario] is playing the three new Jane Austen movies! So I'll be able to see them on TV. YAY. :D

This almost makes up for the ugly DVD covers. Almost but not really.

There's quite a nice site up too, with videos and pictures and such.

I actually made this ages ago, and I never publically posted it because I wanted to add to it. Seeing as that still hasn't happened, I thought I'd share this with you. It's feel-good Bella & John fluff!

Because I had fun with my last "picspam," and I wanted more pictures for Bella & John/OMF icons, I bring you many pictures from episodes three and four — Bella & John at their sweetest. :D

( &c. )

I found a website with lots of news on the new Cranford Chronicles miniseries here. It looks like it focuses on Judi Dench, but they've got some pictures and a scan of an article/pictures of the cast on set. (Most of the pictures in that scan are from that site I mentioned before, so it's nothing new.)

Just thought some of you might like to know. The more I look at this page, the less info seems to be on it... Oh, well.

Oh, wait, this looks good — there's a CranfordChronicles.com, "The Unofficial Fansite for the BBC One's new Elizabeth Gaskell Drama."

P.S. It's funny when you're googling something and your own website/LJ comes up. :P

Finally, I've gotten around to putting this up. I too a lot more caps than I realized, and even this is slightly smaller than what I started out with. Ah, well — it's worth all the pictures!

This spam focuses on the second part of the miniseries (IMDB page here), with lots of JJ Feild (who else?), as well as some James D'Arcy (who I hadn't seen in anything until I saw this) and Sophia Myles.

( &c. )

( Charles Dance and Tom Hollander )

Whew! That's it. :) I hope you enjoyed it all.

P.S. three_nails — I find it funny that both of our picspams involve our respective "husband" with Sophia Myles. ;P

First, here's summary of the miniseries, from The BBC:

Based on three Elizabeth Gaskell novels: Cranford, My Lady Ludlow and Mr Harrison's Confessions, this witty and poignant story follows the small absurdities and major tragedies in the lives of the people of Cranford during one extraordinary year.

Cranford in the 1840s is a small Cheshire market town on the cusp of change. The railway is pushing its way relentlessly towards the town from Manchester, bringing fears of migrant workers and the breakdown of law and order.

The arrival of handsome new doctor, Frank Harrison (Simon Woods) from London causes a stir; not only because of his revolutionary medical methods, but also because of the effect he has on many of the ladies' hearts in the town.

Judi Dench plays Miss Matty Jenkyns, whose hopes and rebellious spirit are crushed when she was forced as a young woman to give up Mr Holbrook (Michael Gambon), the man she loved.

And here are some pictures (with lots more here):


"Simon Woods as the handsome Doctor Frank Harrison"

( More of Simon Woods )

( Greg Wise )

( And last but not least, Andrew Buchan! You'll recognize him, trust me. )

It's not hard to see who I like the best, eh? I can't wait to see Simon Woods in another [19th century] period drama. :)

Remember I mentioned the Cranford Chronicles a little while ago? Well, I just stumbled onto the IMDb page, and guess who's in it?

SIMON WOODS!

Ah, I'm so excited! He's playing Doctor Harrison. Does anyone have any idea what kind of role that is? I would love to see him as a lead — preferrably the hero, and not the bad guy.

Also, Rose Byrne is in it, as well as some a lot of other recognizable names — Francesca Annis (Wives & Daughters, Jane Eyre) Michael Gambon (Wives & Daughters, Harry Potter), Greg Wise (Sense & Sensibility), Julia Sawalha (Lydia in Pride & Prejudice 1995), Imelda Staunton (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix), and Claudie Blakely (Charlotte in Pride & Prejudice 2005). Oh, yes, and of course there's Judi Dench.

I'm so excited!

With, yes, another Feist song. (I couldn't help it — the music just fit the best out of the other options...)

Anyway, I hope you like it. It's not completely in chronological order, but I hope it makes sense. It pretty much continues where my last video left off. John and Bella are newlyweds living in their little Blackheath Cottage. :)



(Apparently Mortimer Lightwood is their only neighbour, and a frequent visitor, haha. I just wish it was a different main picture, not Mortimer and Bella. :P)