Bonnet Operas
n. pl. (1) a book or film, often long in length, in which the characters wear bonnets. See also: Jane Austen. (2) Broadly, any dramatic books or productions of the pre-20th century.
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Thank goodness Downton Abbey is back!
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Though we have to wait until January to see season three of Downton Abbey stateside, we can at least drool over the British trailers that have started airing for the September release there. New questions of money and the relevancy of the aristocracy, new Matthew-Lady Mary troubles, and a new American on the scene. Happy Friday!
(Source: kottke.org)
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A beautiful 1851 portrait of Elizabeth Gaskell by George Richmond. She brought us such gems as Wives and Daughters, North and South, and Cranford. All have been made into delightful films by the BBC.
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Outlander: A Fan(tastic!) Trailer
I am not usually into fan-made trailers, but this one takes the cake! The creators nailed it with this dream cast for the film adaptation of Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander. Emily Blunt as Claire and Chris Hemsworth as Jamie. Could it get any better? THIS is the movie I’d like to see. I hope it doesn’t set us up for disappointment! (Though anyone would better than Katherine Heigl as Claire… )
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As per my reading list from the fall, I am still
sloggingworking through Mansfield Park. To inspire myself, I re-watched the 1999 film version, and couldn’t help (despite my love for Johnny Lee Miller) thinking that Alessandro Nivola’s complex portrayal of Mr. Henry Crawford might have been enough to convince even Jane Austen that Henry could have been true to Fanny. -
How did I not know about The Forsyte Saga? Thank you, Netflix, for showing me the light. I have never been drawn to this time period—the very late 1800s—as I always found it sad and garish somehow. Now I find it captivating. Though love and obsession, free will and possession, money, status and artistic expression are the themes, the humanity with which the many characters are drawn and portrayed is what makes this a masterpiece.
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To make amends for my abrupt departure, I offer you Johnny Lee Miller as Mr. Knightley in the 2008 BBC version of Jane Austen’s Emma.
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Those with electric light must relinquish the blue and peacock green of their wallpaper as the appearance is altogether too vivid.from An Edwardian Guide To Life by Cornelia Dobbs (Summersdale). To order a reprint of Dobb’s original 1908 tome, visit www.expressbookshop.com.
(Source: express.co.uk)
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Happy birthday, dearest Jane!
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A Bonnet Opera-esque Holiday Gift Idea
For an unexpected holiday gift for the Bonnet Opera fan, look to the kitchen. Penguin Books has a smart-looking series out about food through the ages to help us all “Explore the best food writing of the past 400 years with…nine delectably good reads by some of history’s most celebrated authors.” With offerings on culinary delights from Samuel Pepys to Alexandre Dumas, what could be better while sipping eggnog by the fire?
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The brilliant Julian Fellowes.
Who, you might ask? We have much to thank him for. Profusely. He is the creator and writer of Downton Abbey, for one. If that weren’t enough to kiss his feet, he wrote the Oscar-winning screenplay for Gosford Park (where he first collaborated with Dame Maggie Smith). He also wrote the screenplays for The Young Victoria and Vanity Fair, among many, many other accomplishments.
So enjoy that champagne you’re holding, Mr. Fellowes. You deserve all the toasts we can muster!
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The cast of season two of Downton Abbey, photographed by Jason Bell for Vanity Fair. Click the photo for a short write up by Tamasin Day-Lewis and a slide show of more new photos on the Vanity Fair website.
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There is some blue sky,
let us chase it!Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility(Source: amazon.com)
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The PBS Masterpiece Theater trailer for season two of Downton Abbey. Far more (melo?)dramatic than the ITV1 one from Britain I posted a few weeks ago, but I’ll forgive it since we get a glimpse of what’s to come! Warning: I would say this has mild spoilers. (The ITV1 trailer is much more beautifully done and I didn’t feel it gave anything away.) Season two begins in the US on January 8, 2012—in case there were two or three people left on the planet unaware!
(Source: etonline.com)
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Cate Blanchett as Queen Elizabeth I in the 1998 film Elizabeth, directed by Shekhar Kapur. Few performances can compare to this one.
