A Jane Austen Devotional - Giveaway Winner!

A big thank you to all 19 readers who entered the A Jane Austen Devotional Giveaway!  Thanks also for posting about the giveaway and putting the button on your blogs! 
All of you had lovely suggestions as to which Jane Austen character would most enjoy A Jane Austen Devotional. Here are some of your thoughts:
Mariah said: "Henry Tilney would probably like this mixture of devotion and fun."
Melody said: "I would have to say Fanny Price. ;-) She enjoyed books as well as having strong faith. Perhaps she and Edmund would share it with each other."
Mom Wald said: "Elinor Dashwood really needed this devotional. Anything to help deal with a house full of emotional women!"
erlynn said: "I think Mary Bennett would most enjoy it and Lydia Bennet could most benefit."
Sara Lyn said: "I think Emma Woodhouse would SAY she wanted to read this, but never get around to it. Fanny Price would probably be the most interested."

Amazon Listing (look inside!)
Even though there can be only one luck winner today I encourage all of you to pick up a copy of this book, it's available for purchase online at Amazon.com and through Christian Book Distributors (CBD). It's also available in a lovely Kindle form at Amazon and e-book form at CBD. It makes a great gift, especially for the Janeite in your life! :)

*drumroll please!*
Now without further ado, the winner of A Jane Austen Devotional is:
Sarah G of Rural Legacy!
Congratulations Sarah G! Please e-mail me at OldFashionedCharming(at)gmail(dot)com to arrange for your copy to be sent to you!

Very Truly Your's,

Charles Dickens Birthday Week - Tag Questions

I'm posting these a bit early so that you all can get thinking about your answers. 
It would be fun if you include photos in your answers. And feel free to use any of the buttons from the Charles Dickens Birthday Week announcement post.
After you post your tag answers please put the link to your post in the comments as I'm planning on linking everyone's answers in the conclusion post on Saturday. 
If you don't have a blog you can put your answers in a comment.


Charles Dickens Birthday Week Tag Questions:

1. How were you first introduced to Charles Dickens?

2. Which Charles Dickens novels and stories have you read? Which are your favorites?

3. Which Charles Dickens novel(s) do you most want to read?

4. What are your favorite Charles Dickens quotes (up to three)?

5. Which Charles Dickens film adaptations are in your top three favorites? (If you've never seen one which three film adaptations do you most want to see?)

6. Who are your Top 3 favorite Dickens heroines? and why?

7. Who are your Top 3 favorite Dickens heroes? and why?

8. Which three Dickens villains do you most love to hate?

9. Which Dickens characters (up to three) do you find the most funny?

10. If you could authorize a new film adaptation of one of Dickens's novels, which would it be and why?

11. If you could have lunch with Charles Dickens today, what question would you most like to ask him?

12. Have you ever read a Dickens biography or watched a biographical film about him?

I'm very much looking forward to reading your answers!

I'll be posting my answers later in the week.

Very Truly Your's,

Period Films Song Quiz - Answers!

These are the answers to the Period Films Song Quiz from last week. 

So many lovely soundtracks for period films!

Answers:(each title below is linked to a YouTube video with the full length song)
Clip #1 - Little Women 1994 (Track is 'Orchard House')Clip #2 - Little Dorrit 2008 (Amy's Theme - at 1:08 on video)Clip #3 - Sense & Sensibility 1995 (Track is 'A Particular Sum')Clip #4 - Anne of Green Gables 1985 (Track is 'Together')Clip #5 - The King's Speech (Track is 'The King's Speech')Clip #6 - Under The Greenwood Tree (Main Theme)Clip #7 - Persuasion 2007 (End Theme)Clip #8 - Lost In Austen (Opening Theme Song)Clip #9 - Sherlock Holmes 2009 (Track is 'Discombobulate') Clip #10 - Jane Eyre 2011 (Track is 'Yes!')Clip #11 - The Importance of Being Earnest 2002 (Track is ' ')Clip #12 - Northanger Abbey 2007 (End Theme - at 0:45 on video)Clip #13 - The Secret Garden 1993 (Track is 'Happily Ever After')Clip #14 - Lorna Doone 2000 (End Theme - at 1:25 on video)Clip #15 - Ever After (Track is 'Main Titles')Clip #16 - Pride & Prejudice 2005 (Track is 'Dawn')Clip #17 - The Young Victoria (Track is 'Down The Stairs')Clip #18 - Emma 1996 (Track is 'End Titles')Clip #19 - An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving (Beginning Theme)Clip #20 - Pride & Prejudice 1995 (Track is 'Dance Montage')

Many thanks to those who played:

Lauren - 65 points

Issy - 60 points

Melody - 65 points

Ana - 45 points

Sara Lyn - 45 points

Elizabeth 30 points

Ella -30 points

Miss Dashwood - 30 points

Sarah Grace of In His Wings - 30 points

birdienl - 15 points

There will not be a new game until Sunday due to Charles Dickens Birthday Week coming up. 

Very Truly Your's

BBC Little Dorrit (1988)

At the Marshalsea Prison

One of my favorite period dramas is Little Dorrit (2009) which I recently reviewed. Since I enjoy the story of Charles Dickens' Little Dorrit, I was interested in watching this older BBC adaptation. The series isn't on DVD but was available for viewing on Netflix so I took advantage of my one month free trial to enjoy Little Dorrit (1988).

Bob Chivery & Little Amy Dorrit

Script: Because I haven't read the book I'm not aware of too many changes (if any) that were made. There were a few characters that were either kept from the book or taken out altogether. For instance all the members of the Chivery Family are kept in but other characters like Tattycorum, Mrs. Meagles and Mrs. Wade are cut out. Also the whole Baldau plot is skipped over and the ending full of secrets is tacked on at the end.
Another big change is that the story is divided into two parts of some three hours each - Part One showing Arthur Clennam's point of view and Part Two showing the story through Amy Dorrit's eyes. The two parts do have a few similar scenes and also a few scenes that don't make much sense unless you watch both parts.

Derek Jacobi as Arthur Clennam

Part One - Nobody's Fault: This part takes it's name from a working title Charles Dickens used for Little Dorrit before renaming it. It starts with Arthur Clennam coming home from China after his father dies. We don't meet Amy Dorrit until Arthur meets her and follows her home one day. Much of the focus is on Arthur's regard for Minnie "Pet" Meagles and his business ventures with Mr. Doyce. It ends a bit abruptly because it doesn't show the Dorrit's adventures abroad and instead shows what Arthur was doing during this time. But you do connect with Arthur Clennam and like him the better in Part Two.

Sarah Pickering as Amy Dorrit

Part Two - Little Dorrit's Story: This part shows the story through the eyes of Amy Dorrit. It actually begins at her birth and shows scenes from her childhood in the Marshalsea Prison. I really enjoyed these scenes as they help the viewer to understand how hardworking Amy is and how invaluable she is to everyone around her. We don't meet Arthur Clennam until Amy does and find out little of his life besides where it intertwines with her's. Because of this if you don't watch both parts it's difficult to understand why Amy loves Arthur so much.

This part shows the Dorrit's adventures abroad and has the complete ending which shows what happens to all the characters.  

Inside the Meagles' House

Scenes: Most scenes are light and bright but have an older feel to them. There are some lovely grand indoor architecture for the richer people and many of the poorer folks's indoor rooms interested me because of their cramped living space. Although some of the rooms and outdoor scene looked more like sound-stages there were a number of scene shot on location as well. One thing they do very well are crowded street scenes and there's several of them!

Fanny Dorrit & Amy Dorrit

Costumes: There are many elegant dresses and lovely coats and cravats among the richer folk. Minnie "Pet" Meagles and Fanny Dorrit have some lovely mid-Victorian style dresses with pretty delicate fabrics. Through most of the movie Amy wears loral & stripe shawl, white cap and straw bonnet over and a plain blue dress with patches at the elbows. Overall the characters mostly have neat and tidy clothing except for Edward "Tip" Dorrit and a few others in the Marshalsea Prison who look like they've "come down" in the world. 

  

Actors In Their Roles: There are a few recognizable actors but overall I didn't recognize many of the actors. I read on the Wikipedia page that there were over 300 actors in this production!

• Derek Jacobi as Arthur Clennam - It took me a while to get used to him in the role, I kept hearing Matthew Macfadyen's voice echoing his words especially when he was speaking to his mother. Overall he was very kindly in the role but looked to old to be Arthur to me.
• Sarah Pickering as Amy Dorrit - I love Claire Foy as Amy Dorrit from the 2009 adaptation so I was prepared not to like Sarah Pickering in this role at all. But I found myself loving Ms. Pickering in the role! She's so sweet and mouse-like. She did look very young compared to Derek Jacobi and did sometimes speak rather low.  
• Alec Guinness as Mr. William Dorrit - I didn't mind him in the role too much, he grew on me. He spoke a little too regally at times for my taste but it did add to his air as "the father of the Marshalsea" and show why Tip and Fanny see themselves as so much above other people. 
• Miriam Margolyes as Flora Finching - Oh my! What can I say about Flora? She always says the most awkward things and in this adaptation she says them faster and more silly than I thought possible. Also it was hard to get a screencap of her because she was in constant movement! 
• Joan Greenwood as Mrs. Clennam - To me she was a bit more religious than in the 2009 version but she seemed a bit weak and guided too much by Flintwitch in this one.
• Roshan Seth as Mr. Panks - It was hard to decide whether to like Mr. Panks or not but he was quite comical so he made me laugh quite a lot! He has funny hair and a furry looking top hat too!
• The Chivery Family - There were more Chiverys than I first suspected! There was old Bob Chivery who was young Amy's kindly old godfather and dies. Then there's Mr. Chivery the turnkey and Mrs. Chivery runs a tobacco shop. I didn't like Young John Chivery as well in this film which is too bad because he's one of my favorite characters! In this adaptation Young John is more youthful and rather shy and unsure of himself. Amy also doesn't let him propose so we don't see how much he truly loves her.

My Recommendations: Because this miniseries is very long and rather out of date I recommend it to only the stoutest of hearts and the most die-hard of Charles Dickens fans. It does have some lovely tidbits about the characters (especially about Amy Dorrit) which are interesting if you want to get to know the characters more (and are not inclined to read the book). There is no inappropriate language or themes so this is completely safe for family viewing but young people may become easily bored with the length and slowness of the film. Overall I liked this film but if I was to watch it again I'd probably only watch Part Two because I liked Amy's story best! 

Have you seen Little Dorrit (1988)? 

What do you think of the looks of the main characters?

Just A Few Days Left...

There's just a few days left to enter in the A Jane Austen Devotional Giveaway. The giveaway ends Friday at 11:59 pm (EST) and the winner will be announced on Saturday. So don't forget to enter and tell your friends and family too! 

Charles Dickens Birthday Week is fast approaching! I'm very excited about all the events and posts. Thanks to everyone who is posting about the event and putting up buttons! 

And lastly, Alexandra at Of Trims and Frills and Furlbelows is hosting a similar Dickens' Bicentennial Celebration Week so I encourage you, if you have time, to check out her posts and games during the week of February 7th too! 

I hope you're all have a good week and planning for the events ahead! :)