Enchanted Serenity of Period Films: 2007

Anne of Green Gables

At the turn of the century on Prince Edward Island, Matthew Cuthbert and his sister Marilla decide to take on an orphan boy as help for their farm. But they get an unexpected jolt when they're mistakenly sent a girl instead: Anne Shirley. Anne's a dreamer with an unusual point of view, far removed from Marilla's pragmatic ways, and it's only on trial that Marilla agrees to keep Anne...if Anne can keep out of trouble, only Anne has a positive genius for it. As Anne falls into a series of scrapes (and off a roof), makes a bosom friend, searches (and finds) several kindred spirits, Matthew and Marilla discover that their lives have become a great deal richer, now that Anne is at Green Gables. (Written by Kathy Li IMDB)

Anne : Don't you ever imagine things differently from what they are?
Marilla : No.
Anne : Oh Marilla, how much you miss.

"Marilla, isn't it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?"

Oh, no. This is the Lake of Shining Waters. That's its rightful name. Do things like this ever give you a thrill, Mr. Cuthbert?

"I've always dreamed of having a "bosom" friend...a true kindred spirit"

Anne : Wilt thou give me a lock of thy jet-black tresses?
Diana : But I don't have any black dresses.
Anne : Your hair.
Diana : All right.

"There's a world of difference between being called crow-head and being called carrots. I shall never forgive Gilbert Blythe. The iron has entered my soul, Diana. My mind is made up; my red hair is a curse."

GILBERT: Well, I hope you keep on dreaming. It will be three years before I finish medical school, and even then, there won't be any diamond sunbursts or marble halls.

ANNE: I don't want any sunbursts or marble halls. I just want you.

Road to Avonlea

The series is set in the fictional small town of Avonlea, Prince Edward Island, in the early 20th century (1903-1912). There, 11-year-old Montreal heiress Sara Stanley (Sarah Polley) is sent by her wealthy father to live with her two maiden aunts, Hetty and Olivia King, to be near her late mother's side of the family. Along the way we meet delightful characters in the picturesque town of Avonlea.

One of the best series I've enjoyed. Highly recommended!

LINKS

Sullivan Entertainment

Road to Avonlea Guide

The Definitive Road to Avonlea

Avonlea Quotes

Avonlea Treasures

Check out this beautiful wallpaper at
Eras of Elegance

Far and Away

Joseph Donnelly (Tom Cruise), a young Irishman facing property
eviction after his father's death, decides to take revenge on Daniel Christie, his landlord. Instead of killing Christie, however, he is injured and sentenced to a duel with Christie's arrogant manager, Stephen Chase (Thomas Gibson). Meanwhile, Shannon (Nicole Kidman), Daniel's daughter, is growing dissatisfied with the traditional views of her parents' generation and longs to be modern.

She makes her plans to leave for America, and with her help, Joseph is able to escape. Upon arriving in Boston, Mass., they find jobs and begin saving money. Joseph becomes a local barehands boxer, while Shannon works in a chicken processing plant and then as a dancer at the social club. All goes well until Joseph loses a boxing match, after which their money is taken away. Joseph and Shannon are left to starve in the winter cold. Shannon's parents, still in Ireland, face a devastating loss and decide to come to America to be with her. Chase, who joined them, has begun a campaign to find her, but his efforts are unnecessary Joseph brings Shannon to them after an accident. Joseph then heads west to work on the railroad. After many months, Joseph is confronted by his father in a dream, and is reminded of his desire to own his own land. Joseph decides to join the wagon trains and arrives in Oklahoma Territory just in time for the big land race, upon which his fate will lie. (Written by Amy Jentoft IMDB)

HALL OF FAME

A look at the actors and actresses,

directors and writers
who have contributed to great period films

Andrew Davies
Anna Friel
Carey Mulligan
Claire Danes
Claire Foy
Colin Firth
Colleen Atwood
Damian Lewis
Eileen Atkins
Emma Thompson
Heath Ledger
Hugh Bonneville
Hugh Dancy
Janet Patterson
Jeremy Northam
Jim Broadbent
Julian Fellowes
Julie Andrews
Justine Waddell
Kate Winslet
Kevin Sullivan
Kiera Knightley
Maggie Smith
Matthew Macfadyen
Michael Gambon
Nicole Kidman
Rebecca Eaton
Romola Garai
Sandy Powell
Santay Tanantay

Toby Stephens
Uma Thurman
Vicky Honeybutter

.....more to come

Andrew Davies

Andrew Davies should be dubbed the King Midas of period films for the body of work that he has done for this genre. I first discovered him for his adaptation of Pride and Prejudice and then after noticing his name pop up on more period films, I just looked up which projects he was involved in and then discovered some more gems!

Wikipedia Link
IMDB Link

click to enlarge

Shopping, Seduction & Mr Selfridge (2012?)
South Riding (2011)
Middlemarch (2009)
Little Dorrit (2008)
Brideshead Revisited (2008)
Sense and Sensibility (2008) (miniseries)
A Room with a View (2007)
Northanger Abbey (2007)
Bleak House (2005) (miniseries)
He Knew He Was Right (2004) (miniseries)
Daniel Deronda (2002) (miniseries)
Doctor Zhivago (2002) (miniseries)
The Way We Live Now (2001) (miniseries)
Take a Girl Like You (2000) (miniseries)
Wives and Daughters (1999) (miniseries)
Vanity Fair (1998) (miniseries)
Emma (1996)
The Fortunes and Misfortunes of Moll Flanders (1996)
Pride and Prejudice (1995) (miniseries)
Circle of Friends (1995)
Middlemarch (1994) (miniseries)

...back to Hall of Fame

1492 - Conquest of Paradise

Centuries before the exploration of space, there was another voyage into the unknown.

Sigourney Weaver as Queen Isabella

Armand Assante as Sanchez

Gerard Depardieu as Christopher Columbus

I absolutely loved the soundtrack for this film by Vangelis.

Without it, the film would not have been the same.
I was so disappointed that it didn't win an Oscar for best musical score...
I don't think enough people saw this film - it was so good!

More information on the film and Christopher Columbus

The Love Letter

The Love Letter 1998

Starring Campbell Scott and Jennifer Jason Leigh

Synopsis:

Scotty Corrigan buys an antique desk and finds a Civil War-era letter inside it, written by a woman who died over a hundred years ago. Fancifully, he writes and mails a reply...only to have it reach its destination in the past. As Elizabeth and Scotty continue their remarkable correspondence, they find themselves falling in love, and more than restless about their impending, respective, marriages. (Written by Kathy Li IMDB)

More images can be found at Eras of Elegance

>>>>>>> Link to Fan Video of the film on Youtube

Forstye Saga -Family Tree

~ THE FAMILY TREE OF THE FORSYTES ~

Click on pictures for closer look...

~ JOLYON'S FAMILY ~

Click on pictures for closer look...

The Inheritance

~ Based on novel by Louisa May Alcott ~

At the lush Evenswood estate in Concord, Massachusetts, Edith Adelon (Cari Shayne), a beautiful orphan, lives as the paid companion to the daughter of the wealthy Hamilton family, although they regard her as one of their own. Years ago, Henry Hamilton (Tom Conti) saved Edith from an Italian orphanage at the request of his long-deceased brother. Now, Edith is his daughter Amy's (Brigitta Dau) prized friend and confidante. As the Hamiltons await a trio of visitors for the annual Greens Cup horse race, Beatrice Hamilton (Meredith Baxter) asks for Edith's help in finding a suitable husband for a cousin, Ida Glenshaw (Brigid Walsh Brannagh), with one of two visiting eligible bachelors (Thomas Gibson). But when it becomes clear that both the young men have affection for Edith and not Ida, jealousy soon develops, leading to malicious conniving and brutal backstabbing. Despite the growing love between Edith and one of the young suitors, because of their conflicting social classes, the couple is reminded time and again that their love can never be. The Inheritance is a story that centers on an innocent young woman's struggle to make sense of her position within the Hamilton household and in society, and the love she feels for her patrons, as well as for a young man she can never marry. [Synopsis: Echo Bridge Home Entertainment]

Watch it on Youtube

Mr. & Mrs. Hamilton, James Percy and Edith

Cousin Ida

Daniel Deronda

....Hugh Dancy stars as the eponymous Daniel Deronda, with Romola Garai as his soul mate Gwendolen Harleth. Though entranced with Daniel, Gwendolen is forced into an oppressive marriage to Henleigh Grandcourt (Hugh Bonneville), while Daniel finds a new life through his friendship with Mirah Lapidoth (Jodhi May)
....Daniel first becomes enchanted by the beautiful Gwendolen as she gambles recklessly at the roulette table. Her family have recently fallen on hard times and pinned their hopes upon the proud, but charming Gwendolen attracting a rich husband. A short while ago, Gwendolen reluctantly succumbed to the advances of rich bachelor, Henleigh Grandcourt, only to discover that he had a mistress, Lydia Glasher (Greta Scacchi), and three children.
....Daniel's also been troubled. Illegitimate and haunted by doubts about his own identity, he is frustrated that his uncle and lifetime guardian, Sir Hugo Mallinger (Edward Fox), will tell him nothing about his real parents. Later, he saves a young Jewish singer Mirah Lapidoth from drowning herself in the Thames.
....Eventually, Gwendolen' marries Grandcourt, but soon realises he's still seeing his mistress. She's is trapped in a marriage that is doomed before it has begun. However, she's left widowed when Grandcourt drowns in a sailing accident.
....Meanwhile, Daniel embarks on a journey to find his true identity and Mirah's family. It takes him into London's Jewish community and Genoa, where he meets The Contessa (Barbara Hershey), a celebrated opera diva who holds the key to his past. It is not until he has returned home to London that the idealistic, young hero's journey of self-fulfillment reaches a powerful and dramatic conclusion. (synopsis: BBC)
[Based on novel by Georg Eliot, screenplay by Andrew Davies]