Upcoming Films recently added - April 30, 2010

Enchantress of Numbers
-film about life of Ada Lovelace, (shown on left) a "wholly interesting and brilliant English woman who's often regarded as the world's first computer programmer." Zooey Deschanel, Toby Jones, Billy Crudup. From director Bruce Beresford (Driving Miss Daisy) (source)
Mini bio of Ada Lovelace

Tamara Drewe (2011)
Loosely based on 'Far From the Madding Crowd', Stephen Frears is directing Gemma Arterton as the 'modern' Bathsheba. Also features Dominic Cooper, Tamsin Grieg. photo

The Man Who Killed Don Quixote
Terry Gilliam is hoping to get this film off the ground after earlier failed attempts. Johnny Depp might be on board if scheduling permits. (Robert Duvall mentions delay...)

Jackie
Rachel Weisz has been cast to play Jackie Kennedy in biopic that will focus on the 4 days following the assassination of President Kennedy.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
Tim Burton is one of the named producers for this novel to be adapted for the screen
>(author Seth Grahame-Smith discusses writing screenplay)

Camelot (2011)
>>Updated March 24, 2010
Showtime and the BBC are developing a contemporary series retelling of "Camelot," with "The Tudors" masterminds Michael Hirst ("Elizabeth," "Elizabeth: The Golden Age") and Morgan O'Sullivan serving as creative kings. original source

The Big Valley
Susan Sarandon possibly playing the matriarch of a ranching family in the 1870s San Joaquin Valley in this remake of Barbara Stanwyck's tv series. Added cast members include Ryan Phillipe, Billy Bob Thornton, Bruce Dern and Richard Dreyfuss.



Here's a behind-the-scenes featurette which will be seen on the upcoming DVD of Alice in Wonderland

-> More news of UPCOMING FILMS

Colonial Williamsburg

I absolutely love the fabric being used to create this gown for Lady Dunmore at Colonial Williamsburg's Costume Design Center in Virginia. It was being designed in preparation for a Royal Tea in which actress Mamie Gummer (Meryl Streep's daughter) would have the privilige of wearing such a creation!

Photos of the gown's progression can be found here on Colonial Williamsburg's facebook page.

Here are some of the photographs which caught my eye!

Reading about the gown led me to the original website which has a wealth of information and photos about life and times in 18th century America. I would love to go for a visit! Especially after watching the miniseries John Adams, this would be such a delight to see!

Just as I was dreaming about how I'd love to go, I came across this absolutely enticing image (shown on right) photographed by Sue Ann Cassidy Tarkenton on her recent trip there, making me want to visit even more! Thanks Sue Ann for allowing me to share your great photo of the Governor's Garden!

> Costume Design Centre's Anniversary Timeline
>Dress the Part (Such fun! Interactive game allows you to dress people from that time. I made plenty of mistakes on my first try...not noticing that you need to dress them in the proper order)
>many more features about 18th century clothing!

> Colonial Williamsburg main index

Take a virtual tour of the town
(Since I won't be visiting anytime soon, I love this feature.)

Here are some of the images and wallpapers you can find on their site.

Source for Period Drama Pics

I just came across some great photos that I hadn't seen before of some favourite period dramas .

Sharona Lee has her own site for period films (it's in Russian) and has a gallery of photos worth checking out. Thanks for allowing me to post them here to share these awesome photos!
You can find her gallery here but please credit if you borrow!

Here are some of my faves taken from the dramas, Our Mutual Friend, Emma, Wives and Daughters, Pride and Prejudice.Berkeley Square, and The Way We Live Now

Can you Place the Face? (Part 2)

Here are some older pics of some actors
that starred together in a 2001 award-winning film
about a murder that takes place in an English country house in 1932.

Can you recognize them? Can you place the face?

~ "Downstairs" characters ~

HM

EA

DJ

~ "Upstairs" Characters ~

CB

GJ and CD
(GJ not in the mentioned film but she's been in other period films)

MS

I don't think other clues are needed as this one is probably easy enough!

-> Answers

-> more posts "Just for Fun"

This and That - April 26, 2010

I've got a few things that I'd like to post but having trouble lately keeping up lately! I was thrilled with getting feedback when I asked for your opinion on which movies to watch. Hearing firsthand accounts helps to narrow things down and now the trick will be to find the time to watch the dramas that others have raved about!
For anyone interested in the results, I tallied them into a spreadsheet and I think Peri will be very proud of me. She kept hounding me to do one. Although, she wanted me to track which movies my friends have watched so I wouldn't keep asking the same questions! :) Oh well, I say a spreadsheet has been done and that's a start! (I checked off 'recommendation' for every positive comment and 'strike' for every negative comment.) I listed the top 25. (Keep in mind this is just a random list of movies that I've been curious about. I also forgot to list Grey Gardens, Last Station and others which I haven't seen but know I would like to one day.)

One of the things I love about blogging is that I've had the chance to meet wonderful people from all around the world! I would love to be able to take the time and visit everyone's blogs and keep up with all your posts as well but that just isn't feasible. I just want you to know that if I don't visit your blogs, it's not that I don't wish to do so but that I haven't the time!

One blogger who I've chatted with lately was gracious enough to invite me to her blog at Fly High to talk about how I started Enchanted Serenity and to talk about my love for period films. I had a lot of fun doing the interview and loved Maria's questions! And now in my mind, I have visited Italy, as I imagined us chatting in person! And be sure to check out Maria's blog if you haven't already for she has great posts and does a great job of reviewing books and films!
If you like, you can read my interview at Fly High.

One of the things I discovered at Fly High, was a Period Drama Cravats Quiz... 20 Cravats to be identified... how many can you recognize?
Try the quiz here.


I've found Twitter to be a good place to find out what's going on... @austenprose and @janeaustenworld often have the latest news to share such as...

A new interview with Colin Firth regarding the upcoming film The King's Speech

An upcoming comedy series Sex & The Austen Girl, written by Laurie Viera Rigler will be airing soon on Babelgum.com. Rigler is the author of Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict and Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict and you can read more about it at Janeaustenaddict.com

An online novel of Mrs Darcy vs the Aliens can be read at Jonathan Pinnock's blog. There are currently 37 chapters to what he calls a "slightly demented sequel to Pride and Prejudice" and you can view a trailer on Youtube or read it on his blog.

The Brontes and the BBC

Apparently, the BBC are planning a shift in their 'bonnet dramas' to tales by the Bronte sisters.

So Austen is overdone? (I happen to agree) but do they honestly not think that we'll watch anything else if it doesn't have the name Austen or Dickens or Bronte attached to it?! I just read this article in The Times Online referred to by Austenprose.

In 1847 a pair of extraordinary novels appeared two months apart, apparently written by brothers. Jane Eyre proved an immediate success while Wuthering Heights was sneered at as “wild, confused, disjointed and improbable”. Today both are among the classics of English literature.

Next year the stories are to go head to head once more, in cinemas, more than 160 years after Charlotte and Emily Brontë published them under the pseudonyms Currer and Ellis Bell.

From same article, "Christine Langan, the head of BBC Films, acknowledged that revisiting classics is a fraught business. “There will be people saying, ‘Why the hell are they doing that all over again?’.” But the film industry is an uncertain place at the best of times and more than ever the search is on for stories with which audiences feel a familiar connection."

I can understand that producers have limited options based on the marketability of their films and I've been disappointed to hear of promising projects that have been stalled due to lack of funds. But yes, I would say I'm one of those who would say, ‘Why the hell are they doing that all over again?!’ There are countless other great books and authors who are treasured by many and I'm sure would find a willing audience! (Here I would refer back to my Open Letter to the BBC where I received great suggestions from many of books that I have yet to discover!) And if the BBC wants to stick to the well-known authors, then why not take on one of their lesser known works?? What about Bronte's Villette? Gaskell's Mary Barton? Austen's Watsons? or anything by Dickens besides the ones remade countless times?! Or what about a biopic about the Brontes themselves?

I'm just sayin'...