Film News: Victoria and P&P&Z

There's lots of new period dramas being filmed but these two upcoming productions caught my attention and I wondered what y'all thought of them.

Victoria (TV series, Coming 2016) 

According to The Guardian this new ITV drama is set to be an 8 part series that focuses on Queen Victoria's early life "...from her accession to the throne at 18 through to her courtship and marriage to Prince Albert." Also The Mirror said that "The series will begin with a 90-minute episode followed by seven one-hour episodes."

Cast will include: Jenna Coleman as Queen Victoria, Rufus Sewell as prime minister Lord Melbourne, Paul Rhys as Sir John Conroy, Peter Firth as the Duke of Cumberland, Catherine Flemming as Queen Victoria's mother the Duchess of Kent, and Eve Myles as Mrs Jenkins (the Queen’s senior dresser). No news yet on who will play Prince Albert or any other important historic characters. 

My Thoughts: Queen Victoria is my favorite British monarch so I'm very excited about them making a new series about her life. I'm a fan of Jenna Coleman's work from Doctor Who (TV series) and Death Comes To Pemberley (2013) so I'm very pleased with her being cast as the Queen (she also looks a little like the real Queen Victoria)! Really hoping of course that this series is more like my favorite Victoria & Albert (2001) or The Young Victoria (2009) and steers clear of inappropriate content. But either way I am loving the glimpses at the costumes!!!

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Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016)

Elizabeth Bennet meets guts and gore...erm, not my cup of tea really. However I did enjoy watching the first half of the first trailer that has been released. I think I'd like to see a version with all of the extra blood and gore cut out, that would be interesting. The actors seem fairly well cast for their roles so it will be interesting to see what fan videos come out of it. I haven't read the book but I did attempt reading Sense & Sensibility and Sea Monsters and that wasn't too bad really. 

My Thoughts On The Cast:

• Lily James as Elizabeth Bennet - Really enjoyed her as Cinderella (2015) and her career seems to have just taken off with Downton Abbey, P&P&Z and a new version of War & Peace! I actually quite like her looks as Lizzy - dark hair, fine eyes, youthful figure - and she does look 21 as Lizzy is supposed to be. 
• Sam Riley as Mr. Darcy - I've never seen him act but he doesn't seem quite handsome enough to be Mr. Darcy, and the character in this film seems far too dark and mysterious.
• Matt Smith as Mr. Collins - I think this is the most brilliant casting out of all of these actors, he has such awkward comedic timing!
• Douglas Booth as Mr. Bingley - Really enjoyed him as Pip in Great Expectations (2011) and I can sort of see him as the kind Mr. Bingley.
• Jack Huston as Mr. Wickham - You might recognize him as Doctor Charles Haden in Miss Austen Regrets. He would definitely make a charming Mr. Wickham.
• Charles Dance as Mr. Bennet - Not quite the Mr. Bennet of the book, but this version seems to be a clever warrior. 
• Bella Heathcote as Jane Bennet - She looks very sweet!
• Ellie Bamber as Lydia Bennet - A red-headed Lydia is a neat idea! And I did look it up to see if she's related to actor David Bamber (Mr. Collins in P&P 1995) but she's not. 
• Morfydd Clark as Georgina - I assume this is supposed to be Georgiana Darcy? Either way this actress is also up and coming with Arthur & George, P&P&Z and she'll star as Frederica Vernon in Love and Friendship!

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So what do you think of these two period dramas that are coming out?

Lark Rise To Candleford

"People were poorer, and had not the comforts, amusements or knowledge we have today, but they were happier."

- Flora Thompson, 'Lark Rise to Candleford'

The Lark Rise to Candleford TV series is light and fun with not too much that is not family-friendly. I've watched all three seasons on YouTube and am looking forward to the fourth season. If the DVD sets weren't so expensive ($30-$40) I'd snap up all three!

Lark Rise to Candleford hearkens back to an older time when life was simpler and neighbors worked together. This series reminds me of Elizabeth Gaskell's Cranford a bit but also has the grit of a Thomas Hardy novel (Under The Greenwood Tree, Far From The Madding Crowd). Just another BBC production done well!

The Delightful Amanda Root

Ever since the first time I watched Persuasion (1995) I have become a big fan of actress Amanda Root who was perfectly delightful as Anne Elliot. I've enjoyed her appearances in other period dramas, each acted out with the same attention to detail and talent.

She was a very kind and encouraging teacher for Jane as Miss Temple in Jane Eyre (1996). Her Persuasion co-star actress Fiona Shaw (Mrs. Croft) was also in this adaptation as a very snooty Mrs. Reed.




As Mrs. Davilow she was a tender and thoughtful mother to Ramola Garai's Gwendolen Harleth in Daniel Deronda (2002).

A couple other appearances I had forgotten about:



In the BBC's 2002 miniseries The Forsyte Saga, and it's 2003 follow-up The Forsyte Saga: To Let, Ms. Root played a bit of a spoiled and frivilous young lady Winifred Forsyte-Dartie, fondly called Freddie by her spendthrift husband Monty.

Amanda Root also shone as Alice Hoschedé in The Impressionists (2006) alongside Richard Armitage who played Claude Monet. If I remember Alice and Claude were in love and lived together but never married. I don't recommend this miniseries but I found it interesting that she got to act with "Mr. Thornton"!

Now onto what made me think to do this post! I recently saw Ms. Root's appearances in two TV movies: Poirot: Mrs. McGinty's Dead and Midsomer Murders: A Talent For Life. She was lovely in both and I was able to get some screen captures from each.



In Mrs. McGinty's Dead Amanda played Sheila Rendell, a country doctor's wife who is quite a recluse, scatterbrained and nervy.

I really enjoyed this scene where Hercule Poirot is interviewing Mrs. Rendell. The lovely Amanda Root and the incomparable David Suchet - two of my favorite actors in the same scene!

She didn't have a huge appearance but she was delightful as always! In this scene burning letters to protect her husband's reputation.



She had a few lovely 1930's outfits, pretty curly hairstyles and a beautiful string of pearls! Sheila Rendell's husband is no Captain Wentworth though. It was so lovely to watch this film again, I had really forgotten Amanda's role in this mystery!

Oh, and I loved this scene from the end of the film, a young couple's blossoming romance to cheer the heart after a horrible murder. This scene reminded me of the below scene from Persuasion:

A sea Captain and his sweet lady! Lovely!

Lately I've been watching quite a few Midsomer Murders and I've been very surprised by the number of "period actors" who keep popping up in many of the episodes. I'm so used to seeing Amanda Root in period dramas that when she popped up in A Talent For Life I couldn't help but stare!

Ms. Root plays Ruth Scholey the wife of a chef who's husband is an extremely jealous and suspicious man. This episode was filmed in 1997 not too long after Persuasion and Ms. Root is as lovely as ever. I forgot how beautiful she actually is with her large dark eyes and gentle smile!

One scene I found particularly interesting was this shot of Ms. Root fixing her hair and make-up infront of her vanity because it reminded me of the below scene from Persuasion:

Darling Anne Elliot!

Another funny thing - James Hazeldine a former Mr. Weston from Emma (1996) played Ruth Scholey's old flame who re-enters her life after her husband is murdered.



Remember this very gallant father of Frank Churchill? He's probably my favorite Mr. Weston.



There was another actor who was in this particular Midsomer Murder and I didn't recognize him until halfway through the episode. Who is he? Philip Franks was the faithful and gentle servant Tom Pinch in Martin Chuzzlewit (if you've never see that miniseries it's highly recommend it!). It was funny because he turned out to be the murderer but I had this sense all through the episode that he was actually a really nice guy, obviously I was thinking of the Tom Pinch character!

She was lovely in this as always, though the character was not always the most forthcoming. I don't always recommend this modern murder mystery series but there are some interesting stories and characters.



Amanda Root is very versitile but most of her characters seem to have that underlying sweetness that comes from the actress's own personality in delivering the lines. Her smile is the loveliest and she carries herself with elegance. I hope to see Ms. Root in many other period dramas in future, she has a lot of talent and I just really enjoy her!

Thanks for bearing with me through this little ramble on one of my favorite actresses. Who are your favorite period actors and actresses?

Hope you're having a great week as we near Thanksgiving!

Very Truly Your's

My New Favorite Show

Although my favorite old-fashioned time periods are Regency and Victorian I also enjoy more modern time periods such as the 1930's-1950's. I have recently discovered what is now my new favorite TV show. Ever heard of the 1950-1967 run TV game show "What's My Line?"? Far from being just another game show with expensive prizes and screaming contestants, "What's My Line?" (a.k.a. WML) was really silver screen history in the making!

WML featured a team of four panelists who weekly would rise to the challenge of guessing the occupations (or "lines") of three guests by asking yes or no questions. Each time they received a "no" answer the guest would get an amount of money. 10 "no" answers and the guest would have stumped the panel and would walk away with $50. Each show also featured at least one mystery celebrity guest (usually an actor, but sometimes a singer, athlete or political figure) who would disguise his or her voice while the blindfolded panel would try to guess who the mystery guest was. After the mystery guest's identity was revealed the panel would often discuss the celebrity's recent TV appearances or film credits.

There were also celebrities on the panel. There were three regular panelist (pictured above) which featured Arlene Francis (at left, a stage actress), Bennett Cerf (at top, co-founder of Random House publishing) and Dorothy Kilgallen (at right, journalist and columnist). The fourth panelist was usually another celebrity, one time they even had Frank Sinatra join them!

The life of the show was really the show moderator John Charles Daly (at bottom in photo, reporter/newscaster and journalist) who kept the rowdy panel in line and enjoyed watching them get stumped. What fun they all have!

So what guests did the show feature exactly? Absolutely everyone who was anyone! Here's just a few guests pictures with links to where you can watch their special appearances on YouTube.

American sweetheart, actress Debbie Reynolds. Starlet of such lovely films as Singin' In The Rain and The Unsinkable Molly Brown, Miss Reynolds appeared on WML at least three times and was proclaimed queen of voice disguises. My favorite appearance features her as a blond imitating Hungarian born actress Zsa Zsa Gabor. You can watch it here.

Funny girl, the spunky Doris Day. A lovely voice and talented actress, Ms. Day stared in such great films as On Moonlight Bay, By The Light Of The Silvery Moon, The Glass Bottom Boat and Do Not Disturb. She appeared on WML at least twice and had a hard time fooling the panel with her distinctive voice. You can see an appearance here.

Charming southern gentleman Andy Griffith. Known best for his role as Sheriff Taylor, Mr. Griffith's southern drawl is hard to disguise but he had lots of fun in both of his appearances on WML. You can watch my favorite here.

Darling Dezi Arnaz & Lucille Ball. You probably know them best from "I Love Lucy" fame but they were popular long before that in movies and radio. They tried their hand at stumping the panel when they appeared together but always did a better job when they appeared separately. I love Lucy too, she's so funny! You can view my favorite here.

Lovely songstress Julie Andrews. Before her role in Sound of Music, Ms. Andrews delighted audiences on stage starring as Eliza Doolittle in Broadway's My Fair Lady. Her appearance on WML is simply delightful, you can see it here.

Country star team Dale Evans & Roy Rogers. This real husband and wife team are my absolute favorite mystery guests. They appeared at various times by themselves but together they are even sweeter. Genuine down to earth folks who were kind and true Christians in their real lives. They are so much fun to watch here.

So many other wonderful and talented actors, singers, musicians, athletes and even a politician or two graced "What's My Line?" during the 1950's and 1960's! Including but not limited to: Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Greer Garson, Mickey Rooney, Jimmy Stewart, Bob Hope, Gene Kelly, Yul Brynner, Angela Lansbury, Charlton Heston, Ronald Reagan, Walt Disney, Alfred Hitchcock, Colonel Sanders (KFC founder), former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and even the man who voiced the original Donald Duck!

Lots of good clean fun! It is my new favorite show and I highly recommend you enjoy the clips I linked to this post and go over to YouTube and enjoy the hundreds of clips that are there! I learned so much about movie and theater history and the lives of those connected to it. I'm sure you can find your favorite silver screen actor or actress! :)

What I've Been Watching - Horatio Hornblower

This is a series I've wanted to see for quite some time. I remember just about the time that Pride & Prejudice was being released on television in the USA I kept seeing previews for the Horatio Hornblower TV movies. So I was quite excited when I found the series on YouTube and was able to watch all 8 films in the series.

They were quite more or less what I expected, swashbuckling adventures on the high seas. Other things I found that I wasn't expecting: daring deeds, gentlemanly manners, very few ladies (thankfully it was pretty clean that way) and lots and lots of handsome sailors!

I was very surprised at the amount of actors who I recognized. Among the many were:

Jamie Bamber as Acting Lt. Archie Kennedy

Horatio's loyal friend and companion who is easy going and fun loving, he adds lots of humor to the series but is also very honorable and defends his friend on many occasions. Actor Jamie Bamber is good at playing best friends, he played Hugh Dancy's best friend Hans Meyrick in Daniel Deronda (and looks a lot different without mustache and goatee).

Robert Lindsey as Captain Sir Edward Pellew

A very noble friend and a leader worth of respect. This actor's face looked so familiar but I couldn't remember where I'd seen him before. Turns out he was Fagin in the BBC's 1999 adaptation of Oliver Twist.

Robert Brathurst as Lieutenant Eccleston

The newest Mr. Weston from BBC's Emma. Lt. Eccleston is a mild mannered leader who unfortunately didn't last much longer than the first two films. It was a bit funny to see the actor with longer hair and wearing a sailor's uniform!

Samuel West as Major Edrington

A brave and bold military soldier. I have enjoyed many of Mr. West's preformances in films such as Persuasion (as Mr. Elliot), Jane Eyre (as Sinjon Rivers), BBC's Prince Caspian and the Voyage of the Dawn Treader (as Prince Caspian), and I'm looking forward to seeing him as Dr. Constantine in Murder On The Orient Express. His character in this series is a bit prideful and a tad aristocratic but a good egg over all.

David Rintoul as Dr. Clive

I immediately recognized Mr. Rintoul from BBC's 1980 adaptation of Pride & Prejudice where he tried his hand at Mr. Darcy. I've never been too impressed with his acting skills but this one was fairly believable. Dr. Clive is a ship's sergeant who, although he is skilled in medicine and fixing wounded sailors, mostly looks out for himself and his own interests.

Cranford & adventures on the high seas?!?!

Philip Glenister as Gunner Hobbs

You might remember actor Philip Glenister as the gallant Mr. Carter from Elizabeth Gaskell's Cranford. Gunner Hobbs is somewhat of a seedy character who isn't fond of new men like Hornblower barging in on his turf.

Greg Wise as Major Côtard

Another familiar face from the town of Cranford, Mr. Wise has portrayed many characters in period dramas including Sir Charles Maulver (Cranford), Franklin Blake (The Moonstone), and John Willoughby (Sense & Sensibility). It was a bit odd seeing and hearing Mr. Wise portray Frenchman Major Côtard but he was lovely as always and his character turns out to be a brave, wise and honorable soldier.

Julia Sawahla as Maria Mason

Completing the Cranford set is lovely actress Julia Sawahla who plays Horatio Hornblower's sweet love interest and kind Jessie Brown in Cranford. Her other period drama roles include: Lydia Bennet (Pride & Prejudice), Dorcas Lane (Lark Rise to Candleford) and Charity Pecksniff (Martin Chuzzlewit). Talented and lovely as always!

Ioan Gruffudd as Horatio Hornblower

One big attraction to this series was Welsh actor Ioan Gruffudd who I've admired for years and had hoped would play Henry Tilney one day, but unfortunately he is now much too old for the part. His other period drama roles include: Pip in Great Expectations, Philip Bosinney in The Forsyte Saga, Lancelot in King Arthur, and William Wilberforce in Amazing Grace.

I was very impressed with the character of Horatio Hornblower. A gallant sailor with sharp mind and kind heart and a good head on his shoulders. Very gentlemanly toward ladies and honorable toward his fellow sailors, even captains who don't deserve the respect. Another great fictional hero.

My final recommendation: If adventures like these are you cup of tea definitely enjoy but watch with caution. It's a fairly clean series as far as sexual content, but it does contain some cursing, some brutality (there is fist fighting, beatings and whippings) and theatrical elements such as storms, cannon and gun shots, and war scenes. I enjoyed the stories, scenery, costumes and learned a lot about the navy and military at Regency times and during the Napoleonic wars.

I recently created this music video with themes and lots of photos from the Horatio Hornblower series. I thought the music from this series sounds a bit like some of the themes from Wives and Daughters. Turns out composer John E. Keane wrote the music for Wives & Daughters (music video here), the Horatio Hornblower series, Mansfield Park (2007) (music video here), and Far From the Madding Crowd (1998)(music video here). A very talented gentleman!

So that's it...one of the many period dramas I've enjoyed lately.

What have you been watching lately?

Edit to add: I totally forgot about this other actor who was probably my favorite of the sub-characters!


Paul McGann as 2nd Lt. William Bush

William Bush's character appears halfway through the series and is a bit hesitant to be bold and brave at first. As the series goes on he starts taking more risks and acting more nobly. If you like Dickens adaptations you might remember actor Paul McGann as Eugene Wrayburn from Our Mutual Friend. Other period roles include: Girard in The Three Musketeers, Dr. Peter Lord in Poirot: Sad Cypress and John Worthing in The Importance of Being Earnest (1986).