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Sunday, April 28, 2013

Second Period Drama Actors Game - Answers!

These are the answers to the Second Period Drama Actors Game from last week. Sorry it took me longer than usual to get this answers post up for y'all. It was a very fun but busy weekend and to top it all off I came down with a cold! 
Thanks to those who played, sorry I wasn't able to respond with your scores this past week. Thanks again for playing! 


Period Drama Actors Answers:

Period Drama Actor #1
Name: J.J. Feild
Period Dramas:
2011 Captain America: The First Avenger as James Montgomery Falsworth
2010 Marple: The Pale Horse (TV movie) as Paul Osbourne
2007 The Shadow in the North (TV movie) as Frederick Garland
2007 Northanger Abbey (TV movie) as Henry Tilney
2006 The Ruby in the Smoke (TV movie) as Frederick Garland
2006 The Secret Life of Mrs. Beeton (TV movie) as Sam Beeton (I don't recommend this one)
2004 Agatha Christie's Poirot (TV series) – Death on the Nile (2004) as Simon Doyle
2001 The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby (TV movie) as Frank Cheeryble
2000 The Railway Children (TV movie) as Jim


Period Drama Actor #2
Name: Lesley Manville
Period Dramas:
2007 Cranford (TV mini-series) as Mrs. Rose
2005 Agatha Christie's Poirot (TV series) – Cards on the Table (2005) as Mrs Lorrimer
2004 North & South (TV mini-series) as Maria Hale
2000 David Copperfield (TV movie) as Mrs. Micawber


Period Drama Actor #3
Name: David Suchet
Period Dramas:
1989-2013 Agatha Christie's Poirot (TV series) as Hercule Poirot
2012 The Hollow Crown (Richard II) as Duke of York
2011 Great Expectations (TV mini-series) as Jaggers
2001 The Way We Live Now (TV mini-series) as Augustus Melmotte
2001 Victoria & Albert (TV movie) as Baron Christian Friedrich von Stockmar, M.D.

And as Melody so rightly pointed out he was in A Tale of Two Cities (1980) which I forgot to mention.


Period Drama Actor #4
Name: Pam Ferris
Period Dramas:
2008 Little Dorrit (TV mini-series)  as Mrs. General
2006 Jane Eyre (TV mini-series)  as Grace Poole
2004 Marple: What Mrs. McGillicuddy Saw (TV movie)  as Elspeth McGillicuddy
2003 Pollyanna (TV movie)  as Mrs. Snow
2001 The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby (TV movie)  as Mrs. Squeers
1998 Our Mutual Friend (TV mini-series)  as Mrs. Boffin
1996 The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (TV mini-series)  as Mrs. Markham
1994 Middlemarch (TV mini-series)  as Mrs. Dollop

Also in 2012-2013 Call the Midwife (TV series) as Sister Evangelina, I've watched most of the first episode and while entertaining I found it rather explicit about birth and human reproduction. Not really my cup of tea. :(


Period Drama Actor #5
Name: Andrew Buchan
Period Dramas:
2009-2011 Garrow's Law (TV series) as William Garrow
2010 The Nativity (TV mini-series) as Joseph
2009 Return to Cranford as Jem Hearne
2007 Cranford (TV mini-series) as Jem Hearne
2006 Jane Eyre (TV mini-series) as St. John Rivers


Period Drama Actor #6
Name: Justine Waddell
Period Dramas:
1999 Wives and Daughters (TV mini-series) as Molly Gibson
1999 Mansfield Park as Julia Bertram
1999 Great Expectations (TV movie) as Estella
1998 Tess of the D'Urbervilles (TV movie) as Tess Durbeyfield
1997 The Woman in White (TV movie) as Laura Fairlie


Period Drama Actor #7
Name: Bill Patterson
Period Dramas:
2013 Marple: The Pale Horse (TV movie) as Bradley
2008 Little Dorrit (TV mini-series) as Mr. Meagles
2006 Miss Potter as Rupert Potter
2006 Amazing Grace as Lord Dundas
1999 Wives and Daughters (TV mini-series) as Mr. Gibson
1994 Hard Times (TV series) as Stephen Blackpool


Period Drama Actor #8
Name: Carey Mulligan
Period Dramas:
2007 Northanger Abbey (TV movie) as Isabella Thorpe
2006 Agatha Christie Marple: The Sittaford Mystery (TV movie) as Violet Willett
2005 Bleak House (TV mini-series) as Ada Clare
2005 Pride & Prejudice as Kitty Bennet


Period Drama Actor #9
Name: Samuel West
Period Dramas:
2010 Agatha Christie's Poirot (TV series) – Murder on the Orient Express (2010) as Dr Constantine
1999 Horatio Hornblower: The Wrong War (TV movie) as Major Edrington
1996 Jane Eyre as St. John Rivers
1995 Persuasion as Mr. Elliot
1989 Prince Caspian and the Voyage of the Dawn Treader (TV series) as King Caspian


Period Drama Actor #10
Name: Julia McKenzie
Period Dramas:
2008-2013 Marple (TV movies ) as Jane Marple
2012 The Mystery of Edwin Drood (TV series) as Mrs. Crisparkle
2009 Return to Cranford as Mrs. Forrester
2007 Cranford (TV mini-series) as Mrs. Forrester
1995 The Old Curiosity Shop (TV movie) as Mrs. Jarley
1992 Adam Bede (TV movie) as Mrs. Poyser


Players Scores:
Emma Jane - 185 points
Melody - 175 points
birdienl - 135 points
Kiri Liz - 90 points






Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Roman Holiday (1953)


Last Thursday I had my first day completely off from work with nothing to do but relax so I enjoyed watching some Audrey Hepburn movies on Netflix while blogging.

Believe it or not I'd never seen Roman Holiday before or even knew about the plot! But I enjoyed it immensely and since I don't often review black & white films I decided to review this one.

How can you go wrong with a super sweet story and the ever lovely Audrey Hepburn?



Story: Princess Anne embarks on a highly publicized tour of European capitals. When she and her royal entourage arrive in Rome, she begins to rebel against her restricted, regimented schedule. One night Anne sneaks out of her room, hops into the back of a delivery truck and escapes her luxurious confinement. However, a sedative she was forced to take earlier starts to take effect, and the Princess is soon fast asleep on a public bench. She is found by Joe Bradley, an American newspaper reporter stationed in Rome. He takes her back to his apartment. The next morning Joe dashes off to cover the Princess Anne press conference, unaware that she is sleeping on his couch. Once he realizes his good fortune, Joe promises his editor an exclusive interview with the Princess.


Costumes: Audrey Hepburn's style is always classic and this film has some of the prettiest outfits! I loved her long hair, probably more than her short hair, but her new haircut is very cute.


Scenery: This film was shot on location in Rome and there's some pretty amazing sites and places that they visit. The last scene in the grand place is quite stunning!


Music: The music didn't really stand out to me but I know that it was good and fit the film. The scene with the wild ride through Rome was such fun and I'm sure had some fun music.




Actors & Characters:
  • Audrey Hepburn as Princess Ann - Although she is prim and proper she longs for adventure, she longs to live! A very sweet but interesting character and she grows into a truly beautiful character. Audrey Hepburn was a gorgeous actress and always makes me smile and feel deeply for her characters. She is brilliant as always in this film!
  • Gregory Peck as Joe Bradley - Joe is not your typical ruthless American newspaper journalist, he is very caring and kind. He helps Ann find humor and fun in life and falls in love with her but doesn't demand anything of her. He is so honorable and gentlemanly, I liked him right away! I'm not sure I'd ever seen Gregory Peck in anything (I must have at some point in my life) but he was so charming and quite handsome. 
  • Eddie Albert as Irving Radovich - Joe's photographer friend who follows Ann around taking fun photos of her. His scenes are rather hilarious! Eddie Albert stared in Green Acres and in several other TV shows and movies and has one of those faces I always recognize but a name I can never remember! I don't always like the characters he plays but it was fun to see him so young, with a beard and wearing sandals.
  • Margaret Rawlings as Countess Vereberg - Princess Ann's personal secretary type, she organizes all of her events. She looks familiar but I still can't place the actress. 
  • The Barber - I can't remember the name of the barber in the film but he was such a fun character, I loved the scene where they are dancing and he stops to rearrange her hair! What a neat guy!


My Thoughts: It was actually kind of nice not knowing anything about the plot because I really got to enjoy the story as it unfolds. Audrey Hepburn's character is very easy to like and her story is fun. It's also neat to see an old-fashioned story where even though the guy and girl are left alone together there's no inappropriate scenes even implied! Joe Bradley is such a gentleman and doesn't take advantage of Princess Ann's youth and inexperience, indeed he protects her on every available occasion. The ending was a real surprise to me, not at all how I expected but it made a lot more sense than the more sappy romances we see today (like The Princes and Me). It was a fun film, not my favorite Audrey Hepburn film (Charade is my favorite, followed closely by How To Steal A Million) but a lovely fun story and I'll definitely watch it again sometime soon!


Recommendations: This film has no inappropriate scenes, language or themes so it is completely appropriate to show to children. They don't make movies with sweet stories like these anymore so films like this deserve to be watched over and over again. I highly recommend Roman Holiday, it's a wonderful film!


Have you seen Roman Holiday?

Which Audrey Hepburn movie is your favorite?


Saturday, April 20, 2013

Second Period Drama Actors Game

Many British actors got their start by playing in period dramas and continue to pop up in period films from time to time. When an actor has been in more than one period drama I start to think of them as period drama actors. 

The object of this game is to correctly identify the actors pictured below and name a few of the many period dramas they have starred in! There's ten actors this time but hopefully they should be fairly familiar to most of you! :)

To Play: Guess what each actor's name is and name as many period dramas that they have starred in as you can remember without looking up answers. I've given you hints as to which period dramas I'm thinking of by giving you a list of years they were released in (these are also films I've seen and can mostly recommend). Leave your guesses in a comment. Guess as many times as you wish. Answers will be posted next Saturday.

Scoring: 5 points each for correctly naming a period drama actor. 5 points for each period drama you name. Note: No extra points for naming more than the amount of films I've mentioned.  Highest score to be earned is 330 points.

Hint: This time around period set mysteries are a big theme. Also there's a few dates that indicate an actor was in a period set TV series. 


Period Drama Actors:

Period Drama Actor #1
Name:
Period Dramas: 
2011 
2010 
2007 
2007 
2006 
2004 
2001 
2000 


Period Drama Actor #2
Name:
Period Dramas: 
2007 
2005 
2004 
2000 


Period Drama Actor #3
Name: 
Period Dramas: 
1989-2013 
2012 
2011 
2001 
2001 


Period Drama Actor #4
Name: 
Period Dramas: 
2008 
2006 
2004 
2003 
2001 
1998 
1996 
1994 


Period Drama Actor #5
Name: 
Period Dramas: 
2009-2011 
2010 
2009 
2007 
2006 


Period Drama Actor #6
Name: 
Period Dramas: 
1999 
1999 
1999 
1998 
1997 


Period Drama Actor #7
Name: 
Period Dramas: 
2013 
2008 
2006 
2006 
1999 
1994 


Period Drama Actor #8
Name:
Period Dramas: 
2007 
2006
2005 
2005 


Period Drama Actor #9
Name: 
Period Dramas: 
2010 
1999 
1996 
1995 
1989 


Period Drama Actor #10
Name: 
Period Dramas:
2008-2013 
2012 
2007
2009 
1995 
1992 


Happy guessing!



Another Period Drama Weddings Game - Answers!

These are the answers to the Another Period Drama Weddings Game from last week. 
These games have been so much fun to host and it's great that so many of you recognize most of these! Thank for playing!

Which of these couples is your favorite?


Period Drama Brides & Grooms:

#1
Answer: John & Lorna Ridd from Lorna Doone (2000)

~*~

#2
Answer: Colonel & Marianne Brandon from Sense and Sensibility (2008)

~*~

#3
Answer: Edmund & Fanny Sparkler from Little Dorrit (2008)

~*~ 

#4
Answer: Edmund & Fanny Bertram from Mansfield Park (1983)

~*~

#5
Answer: Gilbert & Anne Blythe from Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story (2001)

~*~

#6
Answer: Robert & Harriet Martin from Emma (2009)

~*~

#7
Answer: Nicholas & Madeleine Nickleby from Nicholas Nickleby (2002)

~*~

#8
Answer: Edward & Jane Rochester from Jane Eyre (2006) 
Their first wedding.

~*~

#9
Answer: Allan & Esther Woodcourt from Bleak House (2005)

~*~

#10
Answer: John & Meg Brooke from Little Women (1994)

~*~

#11
Answer: Fitzwilliam & Elizabeth Darcy from Pride and Prejudice (1995)

~*~

#12
Answer: John & Bella Harmon from Our Mutual Friend (1998)

~*~

Players Scores:
Laura & Elisabeth - 120 points
birdienl - 110 points
Melody - 110 points
Anne-girl - 100 points
Kiri Liz - 100 points
Scullery Maid - 100 points
Hayden - 90 points
Emma Jane - 85 points
Johanna (Be Thou My Vision) - 80 points
Katie Wegner - 80 points
Sadie Ann - 80 points
Kelsey - 65 points
Larissa - 55 points
Mary Beth - 50 points
Vicki - 15 points
Evy Cartyr - 10 points



A new game for this week is in the works but probably won't be published until later today or maybe Sunday. Thanks for your patience!