It’s been rumoured for a while that the BBC was making a new version of Jane Austen’s Emma. Now it’s official – their press release says that Sandy Welch has written the screenplay for a four-part mini-series. A shame they’re not doing six parts, as with the 1995 Pride and Prejudice which I’ve just enjoyed [...]
Archive for January, 2009
BBC making new version of ‘Emma’
Posted in costume drama, Jane Austen, tagged BBC, Emma, Sandy Welch on January 30, 2009 | 5 Comments »
The Young Victoria
Posted in costume drama, tagged Emily Blunt, Harriet Walter, Jean-Marc Vallée, Jim Broadbent, Julian Fellowes, Paul Bettany, Rupert Friend, The Young Victoria on January 29, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
I saw a trailer for the forthcoming movie The Young Victoria today, and can’t wait to see the whole thing – it’s released here in the UK on March 6, no date yet for the US as far as I know. I see that the official website is now up although there isn’t all that [...]
Pride and Prejudice (1995) episodes 3 and 4
Posted in costume drama, Jane Austen, tagged Adrian Lukis, Andrew Davies, BBC, Colin Firth, Jennifer Ehle, Pride and Prejudice on January 25, 2009 | 4 Comments »
Costume dramas are often seen as escapism. In this celebrated mini-series, I definitely think there is a strong element of that in the beautiful sets, landscapes and music – and, of course, the costumes themselves. I’d love to get away from it all into the sunlit gardens of Pemberley. However, anyone tempted to turn to Jane Austen [...]
Pride and Prejudice (1995) episodes 1 and 2
Posted in costume drama, Jane Austen, tagged Alison Steadman, Andrew Davies, BBC, Benjamin Whitrow, Carl Davis, Colin Firth, Jennifer Ehle, Pride and Prejudice, Simon Langton on January 23, 2009 | 2 Comments »
I did see the hugely popular Andrew Davies version of Pride and Prejudice when it was first shown. But, as my younger child was only one then, and I was constantly rushing in and out of the room, my memories of it are something of a blur – a mix of beautiful costumes and landscapes, [...]
Under the Greenwood Tree (2005)
Posted in costume drama, Thomas Hardy, tagged Ashley Pharaoh, Ben Miles, ITV, James Murray, Keeley Hawes, Nicholas Laughland, Steve Pemberton on January 17, 2009 | 1 Comment »
When this feature-length ITV drama starring Keeley Hawes and James Murray was first shown, I remember being disappointed. As a lifelong fan of Thomas Hardy, I’d just reread the novel and was struck by how different the TV version was from the original story, with many changes to the plot and characters. However, I gave it another try [...]
John Mortimer obituary
Posted in costume drama on January 16, 2009 | 2 Comments »
Just heard that the writer and lawyer John Mortimer, creator of Rumpole of the Bailey, has died aged 85 - he is relevant to costume drama because he scripted the fine adaptation of Brideshead Revisited which was shown in the early 1980s – I fairly recently saw this again and fell under its spell all over again. Here’s [...]
Free costume drama DVDs with the Daily Mail
Posted in costume drama on January 12, 2009 | 3 Comments »
For any costume drama addicts in Britain, the Daily Mail is once again giving away free DVDs – sorry to be a bit late in mentioning this but they have just given away Cranford over two days, and also coming up are the most recent versions of Jane Eyre and Sense and Sensibility (I already have [...]
Overhaul for BBC costume drama
Posted in costume drama, tagged BBC on January 11, 2009 | 2 Comments »
Just posting a link to an article from the Guardian newspaper about a move to overhaul BBC costume drama, moving away from “bonnets” to some other works and periods – and also presenting fewer dramas in 30-minute episodes after this proved an unpopular format with Little Dorrit. Personally, I’d welcome a greater choice of works and [...]
Rebecca (1997)
Posted in costume drama, Daphne du Maurier, tagged Arthur Hopcraft, Charles Dance, Daphne du Maurier, Diana Rigg, Emilia Fox, Faye Dunaway, Geraldine James, Jim O'Brien, Jonathan Cake, Rebecca on January 11, 2009 | 8 Comments »
Going to Manderley again was always likely to be a challenge. Any director and screenwriter taking on Daphne du Maurier’s great Gothic novel were bound to be haunted by Hichcock’s classic 1940 version. I don’t think remakes of classic works should always be avoided – it’s interesting to see a great work reinterpreted for another generation, and [...]
