Recommendations?

Hi Arwen (don't know if you're still checking the boards for a reply, but...)

I'm addicted to period pieces also and have started my collection since I got my own portible DVD player! (My current DVD wish list is sizeable and frankly, quite daunting - but that only means that it serves another purpose, in that I can help you with some suggestions!) Films that I encourage you to see...

Wives and Daughters ('99)
Daniel Deronda ('02)
Tess of the D'Urbervilles ('98)
Aristocrats ('99)
The Forsyte Saga ('02) & sequel ('03)
Mansfield Park ('99)
North and South ('04)

Also, since not a lot of people come here, maybe you could post on a more popular board (like Pride and Prejudice) to get more feedback. And, if you only decide to choose one film to watch on this list, let it be Wives and Daughters (it's a really wonderful story and personal favourite). Hope this helps!


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Hi arwen

I'd agree with everything phrogger said, my personal favourite is North and South (just to stop confusion this is an adaption of Elizabeth Gaskells book, not the USA war thing), this replaced my beloved copy of P&P as my favourite period drama, the books great too!

If you're in the UK look out for "Under the Greenwood Tree" it going to be on ITV 1 this Christmas( 9pm, Boxing Day), an adaptation of Thomas Hardys book, which looks like its going to be great. It stars the wonderful Keeley Hawes from Spooks, Wives & Daughters, and Our Mutual Friend.


Anyway heres a few more to add to your list....

Bleak House ('05 - BBC, just finished airing in the UK with an excellent cast)
Vanity Fair (I prefer the recent film version, but most prefer the BBC one)
Middlemarch
Our Mutual Friend
Nicholas Nickelby (both recent version are good for different reasons)

Another place I'd highly recomend you take a look at would be the C19 message boards, its a great group of people who all share a love of period drama (amongst other things) and it has a wealth of information.
http://c19.proboards53.com/index.cgi

Happy Viewing

P&P, POTO, N&S, & DF Wallpapers
www.aqsd91.dsl.pipex.com/Wallpapers.htm

The original Wuthering Heights with Lawrence Olivier - OK so it's b/w and really old. But it's by far the best ever version. But avoid Olivier's Pride & Prejudice. It's utterly awful - clothes and setting the wrong period completely, story mucked about with so badly it's almost unrecognisable. Not Olivier's fault, he does his best. Blame the producers/director.

Rebecca - again, the early version which is stunning. I didn't think much of the recent remake but even that is worth seeing.

Twelfth Night. Even if you don't like Shakespeare, see this WONDERFUL version which brings out all the sexual confusion and all the poignancy behind the laughs. Toby Stephens as the best Orsino by far that I've ever seen, gorgeous, handsome, romantic and sexy, let alone the sexy conversation with an equally splendid Viola who makes a convincing boy Cesario along with an actor who makes a convincing twin - they do look alike. Helen Bonham Carter as a really delightful Olivia. The whole of the movie is exciting, moving, funny at times, deeply poignant at others, sexy, and if you ever did this movie in school, forget it. You didn't do it like this! You'll feel sorry for Malvolio (Nigel Hawthorn - you just have to see his awful cross-gartered stockings and his naughty bedtime reading..) who really is "most notoriously abused", and even for Maria and Sir Toby and poor knocked-about Sir Andrew at the end, whilst Ben Kingsley is out of this world glorious as enigmatic all-seeing Feste. Terrific acting from everyone involved. Not to mention the beautiful music and dialogue.

If you like that, try Much Ado About Nothing with Kenneth Branagh. Not nearly so exciting but still very good - much lighter story, very frothy, good fun.

Dombey & Son - if you can get hold of it. Amazon were selling it 2nd hand in the US and that's how I got the DVD. Made back in I think the 1980's. A splendid Dickens story well adapted with vg acting.

Our Mutual Friend. Another favourite Dickens of mine. If I recall rightly, wasn't Daniel Craig (latest James Bond) in that as a villain which he acted very well?

Nicholas Nickleby. I think there've been 2 versions on TV. Both were good.

A fairly recent David Copperfield - I think the Beeb. I never liked that book but I did enjoy the TV version.

Others - Tale of Two Cities (best version stars Dirk Bogarde. OK, it's b/w but is also brilliant). Scarlet Pimpernell (only version I know is also old b/w, stars Leslie Howard as a very convincing SP in a good movie. Think there's a sequel too.) Henry James - at least 5 of his stories were made into movies or TV series - Washington Square, Wings of the Dove, The Golden Bowl, The Portrait of a Lady (I've seen 2 versions of this, one an old BBC series with Richard Chamberlain and the other a fairly recent movgie with Viggo Mortenson if I recall rightly in one of the parts but I may be wrong re that.) And one other the title of which I forget but a very creepy tale with a governess and young children involved. Also possibly The Ambassadors was filmed? There's more Shakespeare - another of the comedies but I forget which (Branagh again?), Henry V (Olivier and also the recent Branagh version). Finally, Oscar Wilde - recentish movie of The Ideal Husband. I expect Lady Windermere's Fan was filmed, and I expect The Importance of Being Earnest has several versions.

Next one gets to Balzac. One of Toby Stephens' movies is I think a Balzac adaptation? Is it Cousin Bette which is certainly one of his movies? I think some Balzac has been done on TV and certainly at least one (re miners?) as a movie. I'm not a Balzac reader so not sure.

Several George Elliot stories have been filmed, I think. Other Victorian writers too. A story called Daniel Deronda on TV a few years back - rather good. Fairly recently Lorna Doone. Wilkie Collins - The Woman in White (also done by Andrew Lloyd Webber on stage), and possibly the Woman in Black as well? The Moonstone.

Jules Verne?

Some French movies - Moliere coming up soon. Swaashbuckler called Le Bossu (2 film versions at least available at present, both vg, subtitled, but the book isn't available translated into English). More if you're into French movies, they're good at costume drama too.

Lots more. I've run out of energy.

Hi, I too love the BBC period dramas, and have recently found a list of the Masterpiece Theater archives, which listed over a hundred of these types of classy films. Back to 1978, I believe.

Do a Google Search for the terms Masterpiece+Theater+Archive to find the list. There are so many quality films that BBC and PBS produced. It should keep you very busy!

KumariHPX