First Trailer for Great Expectations 2012!

The news is spreading quickly, the first trailer for the new big screen film adaptation of Charles Dickens Great Expectations is out now! Thanks to Lauren from Musing of a Flower Child for posting this news!

Spoiler Alert! If you don't know the story this trailer shows off quite a bit of the story line revealing some of the "secrets" toward the end that are usually considered part of the whole mystery.


The cast include:
Helena Bonham Carter as Miss Havisham
Jeremy Irvine as Pip
Holliday Grainger as Estella (with red hair??? and she looks older somehow)
Ralph Fiennes as Abel Magwitch
Robbie Coltrane as Mr. Jaggers (who seems to be rather round and jolly looking, very odd)
Jason Flemyng as Joe Gargery
Ben Lloyd Hughes as Bentley Drummel (shown dancing with Estella)
Olly Alexander as Herbert Pocket

Also not shown in trailer:
Sally Hawkins as Mrs. Joe
Jessie Cave as Biddy (her character was left out of BBC Great Expectations 2011)
Ewen Bremner as Wemmick
David Walliams as Uncle Pumblechook

My First Reactions: The costumes look rather dark and echo more of the edgy Regency styles used in Vanity Fair (2004) with the high collars and hairstyles that stand fiercely coiffed (Estella with the braid over her forehead looking a bit like Mrs. Merdle in Little Dorrit!). The scenery is quite dark, dirty and often cluttered but it is rather Dickensian looking. Hopefully the music in the trailer is not part of the soundtrack, it's a bit over the top really. Looks like they'll be using more of the facts from the book and more dialog from the book (though it seems watered down a bit). It looks interesting but not sure fans will be altogether pleased with it.

Release date is set for November 30, 2012 in the UK and Ireland. December in Germany. I can't find any word yet about when it might be released in the USA.

I do really like this last quite from the trailer even though it seems to be a paraphrase from the book:

"You're in every thought. You're part of my existence. You're part of me." - Pip from movie

Have you read the book? 

What are your thoughts on the trailer? 

Do you like the look of the costumes and scenery?

A Couple Things

Firstly, there will be no game this week. This past weekend was quite busy for me and I got quite worn out. I did finally post the answers to last week's game (see here). This coming Saturday we'll resume our regularly scheduled programming...erm, I mean there will be a new game on Saturday. :)

Secondly, Miss Woodhouse at Elinor, Elizabeth and Emma invited me and fellow bloggers Lizzie of Laughing With Lizzie and Amy Dashwood of Yet Another Period Drama Blog to compare the 1995 and 2005 film adaptations of Pride and Prejudice. I'm afraid I was quite harsh on the 2005 adaptation but the more I watch it the less I like it but the other ladies as more kind. You can read our Pride and Prejudice Comparisons in four parts: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4.

Which film version of Pride and Prejudice do you prefer?

Singing In Period Dramas Quiz - Answers!

Who is playing the piano in this photo? - Mary Bennet from Lost In Austen

Here are the answers to the Singing In Period Drama Quiz I posted last Saturday. Sorry it took a couple extra days for me to get these up. Saturday and Sunday were much more busy than I thought they'd be. 

Here's the video quiz from last week:

Answers:(links to YouTube clips of songs)Clip #1 - Emma Woodhouse (Gwyneth Paltrow) in Emma 1996Clip #2 - Marianne Dashwood in Sense and Sensibility 1995Clip #3 - Jessie Brown and Major Gordon (Deborah Jenkyns on spoons) in Cranford (starts as 0:48)Clip #4 - Mirah Lapidoth in Daniel Deronda (starts 0:54)Clip #5 - The Minister's Wife in Anne of Green GablesClip #6 - Emma Woodhouse (Kate Beckinsdale) and Frank Churchill in Emma 1997Clip #7 - Soldiers in Much Ado About Nothing Clip #8 - Opera Singer in Persuasion 1995 (starts at 1:14)Clip #9 - Gwendolen Harleth (Romola Garai) in Daniel Deronda Clip #10 - Dick Dewey and Church Choir in Under The Greenwood TreeClip #11 - Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice 1995Clip #12 - Feste in Twelfth Night (just song)Clip #13 - Mary Bennet in Pride and Prejudice 1995 (starts at 5:18)Clip #14 - Alf Arless in Lark Rise to Candleford Clip #15 - The March Sisters in Little Women (just song)Clip #16 - Dr. Jack Marshland in Cranford (starts as 1:56)Clip #17 - Lord Bernard Clark (Hugh Laurie) in The Young VisitersClip #18 - Emma Woodhouse (Romola Garai) and Frank Churchill in Emma 2009Clip #19 - Mrs. Forrester in Return to CranfordClip #20 - Marianne Dashwood in Sense and Sensibility 1995
Many thanks to everyone who played!
Players Scores:Melody - 77 points
Miss Elizabeth Bennet - 70 points
Anne-girl - 68 points
Kiri Liz - 60 points
Jessica - 54 points
Sarah - 53 points
Payton - 50 points
birdienl - 30 points



Very Truly Your's,

Happy 225th Birthday to...

...Miss Anne Elliot of Jane Austen's Persuasion!

"...Anne, with an elegance of mind and sweetness of character, which must have placed her high with any people of real understanding..." - Persuasion, Chapter 1

Some of you will remember that last year I hosted a grand and glorious Birthday Party for Anne here at OFC (all of the posts are still available for reading here). This year I have to admit that I had totally forgotten to about Miss Anne's birthday until I saw this post at Faith, Hope and Cherrytea blog late last night. How could I have forgotten?!?  But I'm here now!

"To Lady Russell, indeed, she [Anne] was a most dear and highly valued god-daughter, favourite, and friend. Lady Russell loved them all, but it was only in Anne that she could fancy the mother to revive again." - Persuasion

"...if Anne will stay, no one so proper, so capable as Anne." - Captain Wentworth, Persuasion

Anne’s virtues are many! She is sweet, patient, kind, selfless, tenderhearted and mothering. She loves her family even though they frequently neglect her. She is a faithful friend, a caring aunt, a good listener and acts upon what she knows to be right. Her one fault is having not believed in her own good sense and worth enough to marry Captain Wentworth when he first asked. I identify with her in a way but until I had patience like a saint I could never be as constant as Anne. Loving as she did when all hope is gone can only come from a deeply attached heart. Her heart aches with regrets and yet still her sense is invaluable and she is always of use to those around her. She has the great elegance and sense that I especially admire in a heroine and hope to have myself. I admire her greatly and rejoice in her final gain of the man who truly loves and appreciates her. Miss Anne has been a favorite for a long time and each time I re-read Persuasion I just grow to love her more!
[quoted from my guest post]

Here to wish dear Anne a lovely day is her beloved Captain Wentworth:

"I must learn to brook being happier than I deserve." - Captain Wentworth, Persuasion

How would you wish Miss Anne a Happy Birthday? 

Where does Persuasion rank in your favorite Jane Austen novels?

Very Truly Your's,

Singing In Period Dramas Quiz

Who is playing the piano in this photo?

We haven't done a video quiz in a while so decided to make this one using songs sung in period dramas.

To Play: Watch the video and play along. Listen to the 20 clips of people singing from period dramas and leave a comment guessing which period drama the song comes from and which character(s) are singing. I'll respond with your scores. Answers will be posted next Saturday.

Scoring: Five points will be award for each correctly guessed period drama and character(s) singing. A high score of 100 Points can be earned.



Enjoy!

Very Truly Your's,