Christmas Cranford.....Opinions - Cranford (2008) Discussion

[–] aelmai 14 years ago

I loved it. It's amazing how often you can witness people falling in love or dying in Cranford and yet it still tugs at the heartstrings every time. Likewise, I am constantly surprised at just how moving Judi Dench's performance as Miss Matty is. She's exquisite.

Poor as paupers, proud as kings
All we do is aim for better things

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[–] austendw 14 years ago

I'm being super churlish, but I'm not sure it quite has the concentration of purpose that the original had - or is that me knowing its just a Christmas two-parter and so investing less?

Francesca Annis was frighteningly good as Lady Ludlow - every second she was onscreen was mesmerising. However, I found Imelda Staunton a bit irritating. I actually thought this during the original series - that she seemed to be giving a consciously comic performance - and tonight her expression when she discovered that the cage was in fact an underskirt was a case in point. She was telegraphing being mortified in a "comedy sketch" kind of way.

Call me Ishmael...

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[–] supergran 14 years ago

Imelda Staunton is one of my favourites. I haven't read the book (must get around to it) so, tell me, is her portrayal of Miss Pole as Gaskell wrote her, or is Imelda being overly comedic?

"Pray, do not use it ill. It fought at Waterloo".

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[–] pheonix_910 14 years ago

Whilst I do love Imelda Staunton in general I do agree that the performance is a little over comedic. In the novel she is very funny in places but I think they got her right in the first five episodes because they were able to space
out the characters and the different levels of society more.
In tonight's episode switching from the utterly amazing final scenes with Lady Ludlow (Franchesca Annis blew me away tonight) and Martha to the gentler side of the town just felt a bit jarring.
Although to be fair I kept been distracted for the last hour by random bouts of crying over Lady Ludlow - I'm such a sucker for stoicism and nobility on that level and I think the overall presentation of her character was magnificent. To take a woman with such obvious flaws and then pit her against the ultimately more sympathetic character of Harry and the idealism of Mr Carter I think it's a credit to the writing and Annis' acting that she was such an impressive character and her death was so poignant and moving.

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[–] austendw 14 years ago

To take a woman with such obvious flaws and then pit her against the ultimately more sympathetic character of Harry and the idealism of Mr Carter I think it's a credit to the writing and Annis' acting that she was such an impressive character and her death was so poignant and moving.

Exactly right. Imperious, ultra-conservative, terribly severe, she does manage to convey a deep and genuine (and misplaced) love for and faith in her son. I was actually very shocked when she first appeared and saw how much she'd deteriorated, how even her voice had aged. A true gem of a performance, a miniaturist's delight, since it comes out of hardly any material at all.

Call me Ishmael...

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[–] beresfordjd 14 years ago

Who cares - she was amazing in it. She had all the best lines and delivered them to perfection. For me she stole the show.

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[–] alfa-16 14 years ago

I'm being super churlish, but I'm not sure it quite has the concentration of purpose that the original had

Nope, it chugged into gear with a death in the village, the superb exit of Francesca Annis and the very promising return of Septimus and the con rod snapped, the boiler lost pressure and the steam just went out of it as it lost the courage of its convictions.

The Lord Septimus swindle went for nought, his camp Italian partner didn't open his mouth, the Buxton's remained on a branch line and the plot flopped about like a herring catch.

It will, of course, all come together in Episode 2 when the ladies discover what Mary Smith is writing and the increasingly wonderful Jodie Whittaker spreads her wings.

We are, perhaps, over-anticipating after a 2 year lay-off.

It is Cranford, after all.

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[–] weaselfrance 14 years ago

I did wonder what Mary was up to when she was *gasp* using a second candle, but not writing to her fiance. Will we find out the story of her disappointment earlier in the year, before she met her Mr Turnbull? I haven't read this for ages. Too many books, too little time....

He looks like what happens when you punch a cow!

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[–] austendw 14 years ago

We are, perhaps, over-anticipating after a 2 year lay-off.

I think maybe I was. The trouble is, if it isn't better, then it's just more of the same, and as I don't think it was really as good this time round, for me it felt a bit... redundant. We'll get more plot, but will it add anything significant? I'll watch, of course (because above all I want to find out how the Septimus swindle thread concludes,) but I'm not abundantly hopeful.

Call me Ishmael...

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[–] alfa-16 14 years ago

I think Septimus has shot his bolt, such as it was. There may be letters and a court case but I don't think there'll be another appearance.

We'll end, I reckon, with a school, a station and, judging by the brief appearance of Johnson's mayoral regalia, the birth of that other great northern Victorian value, civic pride. (If only there was a bit of that left, somewhere . . .)

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[–] weaselfrance 14 years ago

Fabulous!

Cried when I realised Martha and her baby were dead. Cried when Miss Matty had to part with little Tilly. Bawled my eyes out at Lady Ludlow's death. Shouted at Harry not to trust slimy toerag Septimus and cheered when Miss Galindo told him what she thought of him.

The train journey was really funny. A village of Amazons indeed!

How excellent were Rory Kinnear and Francesca Annis? Roll on next week!

He looks like what happens when you punch a cow!

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[–] supergran 14 years ago

Come on, everyone. Enough of the broken-down locomotive analogies! Let's be grateful for what we did get.

I liked the juxtaposition of the deaths of Lady Ludlow and Martha the maid. Both stoical (Lady Ludlow refusing a chair, Martha worrying about the breadmaking). And the contrasts - Martha's plain wooden cross and Lady Ludlow's grandiose funeral cortege.
Also, the quiet dignity of the ladies as they laid-out Martha's body. Something that they had obviously done many times before.
Finally, Miss Matty's "light bulb" moment as she realised that, for Cranford, isolation would lead to stagnation and decline.
Wasn't Judi Dench incredible? And she has increasingly imbued her character with real strength as she emerges from the shadow of her overbearing sister.
Can't wait till next Sunday either, weaselfrance!

"Pray, do not use it ill. It fought at Waterloo".

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[–] austendw 14 years ago

Yes, there was good material here, for sure.

I particularly like the way the viewer is pulled in different directions with regard to the railway. The ladies are all horrified, Mr Buxton seems principled in his refusal to let the six cottages be destroyed, but the failure of the railway will destroy Jem utterly: different priorities, circumstances and needs. I particularly liked that even in the last scene, when Matty's plan to convert Buxton and the other ladies has triumphed, its clear that she has hated the train ride more than anyone else and is not comfortable with her victory. It's that sort of nuance which makes Cranford watchable still.

Call me Ishmael...

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[–] supergran 14 years ago

I'm particularly indebted to Cranford and North and South for giving the contemporary view of industrialisation. We who know no other way of life need such insight.
Isn't it funny that we get all misty-eyed for the more "gentle" age of steam trains, yet in 1844 these were monsters to be feared? Oh, what would those dear ladies make of jet travel, TV and mobile phones?

"Pray, do not use it ill. It fought at Waterloo".

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[–] janey187 14 years ago

I enjoyed it very much. Judy Dench and Francesca Annis were excellent. A real treat for Sunday evening - long live costume drama!

I wish they would serialise Mrs Gaskell's "Ruth" or "Mary Barton", my two favourites. I don't remember seeing an adaptation of either.

There'll always be an England ....

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[–] EightTenPM 14 years ago

Martha and the baby! Oh no. It won't air here in the US for another 3 weeks or so; I'm really on tenterhooks now.

If you don't know what they're saying, turn on the subtitles.

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[–] hobbitfan-2 14 years ago

Is it airing that soon? I wasn't sure, and now I've heard whispers (i.e. sought whispers out)about what happens and the wait is driving me mad...

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[–] badgerking10 14 years ago

Definitely not quite up to the standard of the first series, I thought, which was a bit disappointing... The introduction of the new characters was done a bit awkwardly, I felt... However, as has been said, there was some genuine comedy and sadness and, even if the writing seems to have gone downhill a little bit, the acting was as excellent as ever.

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[–] Gl100 14 years ago

it was a delight. Perfect christmas television. Sadly that's probably the last we'll see of it, but it ended beautifully

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[–] janey187 14 years ago

The best thing on TV this Christmas by a long way. I felt really sad when the poor cow wandered onto the railway line!

There'll always be an England ....

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[–] weaselfrance 14 years ago

Loved it. Have ordered my copy off Amazon today.

Shame we didn't get Mr Hoggins (or even Mr Piggins ). Part of the reason I enjoyed this (and the original series) is that the body count is quite high, so you can't predict a happy ending with too much certainty. I was in bits when I thought Harry was dead, and cried when the ladies were looking around the assembly rooms and found Miss Matty's dance card. Loved the waltz scene at the very end.

RIP Bessy!

He looks like what happens when you punch a cow!

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[–] supergran 14 years ago

Absolutely wonderful. Made me laugh and cry in turn, which is what we've come to expect.
Chilling as Matty talked about opening Pandora's Box. She, unlike us from our vantage point, could never imagine the changes, good and bad, that industrialisation and technology would bring.

"Pray, do not use it ill. It fought at Waterloo".

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[–] TheLittleSongbird 14 years ago

I absoloutely loved it. It was funny in parts, poignant in others. The period detail was just superb as is the case always with Cranford, the script was sublime and the cast was a dream.

"Life after death is as improbable as sex after marriage"- Madeleine Kahn(CLUE, 1985)

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[–] beresfordjd 14 years ago

Best thing on tv this festive season without question!

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[–] djduncfunc 14 years ago

Felt lacking. The dialogue for much of the first part was agonizingly expository, and there was very little pacing between the scenes. Too many repeated jokes, and very little feeling for the wit of the first series. Felt like any other anonymous BBC costume drama.

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[–] mrshvd3 14 years ago

I thought it was too rushed; not nearly the depth of the original series. Also disappointed in the "new" Peter Jenkyns. Septimus was no surprise; I had a feeling all along that he'd turn out to be a disgrace. I felt as though the deaths of Martha and the baby were entirely uncalled for and lent nothing to the story.

The one thing I thought was a real hoot was when Miss Pole discovered that her macaw's wonderful new cage (ordered from Paris) was actually a hoop skirt frame! That was priceless, especially watching her face go from thrilled and so proud of herself to absolutely horrified.

I do want to see the conclusion next week; but so far, I'm entirely happy with the original series without the sequel.

...One Nation, UNDER GOD...

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[–] ChitoRaffferty 14 years ago

It wasn't as strong as the original, but I had no expectations that it would be. It was good. If only it could have projected the same feeling throughout that it had when Miss Matty was walking through the town pushing the baby carriage.

The train ride was a highlight. And the most forced point was the bareback horse ride, down the hill. Was that to please 21st century viewers with the current sense of proprieties? Or would it really have happened?

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[–] Sathill45 14 years ago

2 things I want to know. 1 Is harry going to be all right in the end? and 2 did Miss Galindo say that she loved Mr.Carter eventhough it went unspoken of in series 1 of Cranford.

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[–] imperishable_stars 14 years ago

2 things I want to know. 1 Is harry going to be all right in the end? and 2 did Miss Galindo say that she loved Mr.Carter eventhough it went unspoken of in series 1 of Cranford.

Harry will certainly be alright, and Miss Galindo did, or would have, love(d) Mr.Carter. In the care of Harry, she'll find her solace.

I agree with the majority opinion here. More like Mrs. Gaskell's vignettes where purpose is absent, but still delightful, subtle, and so masterfully acted that it's impossible not to enjoy.

---
There'll be no butter in hell!

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[–] Sathill45 14 years ago

Now about Lady Ludlow. I will admit I LOATHED her like you would not believe. But I will say I think her health started to go downhill after Mr.Carter died. I think Mr.Carter meant a great deal to her eventhough she either did not realize or would not acknowledge how important Mr.Carter was to her at the time.

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[–] TheEtiquette 14 years ago

Excellent work from BBC as always, but it lacked emotion. Lady Ludlow and Martha's deaths weren't touching at all, altough Lady Ludlow's was quite impressive in all it's stoicism.

But the series had maintained it's light-hearted humour and heart-warming sense of community. Miss Matty was even more lovely than in the first series, and Miss Pole and Mrs Forrester continued to delight us with their dotty ideas. Barbara Flynn acted her Hyacinth Bouquet-ish Mrs Jamieson to perfection once again and Lady Glenmire was a good addition to the ladies of the town.

As the saying goes... the time to make up your mind about people is never

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