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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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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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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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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Poor Lady Edith—she certainly pulled the tiger’s tale at the end of the first season of Downton Abbey, but I can’t help feeling horrible for her. I hope the second season brings her a shiny new suitor, and how about a young, dashing one at that (genuine as her relationship with Sir Anthony Strallan seemed to be)!
