Hello there and welcome to Thursday Movie Picks a weekly series where you share movie picks each Thursday. The rules are simple simple: based on the theme of the week pick three to five movies and tell us why you picked them. For further details and the schedule visit the series main page here.
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This week's Thursday Movie Picks is TMP Television Edition - Period Drama
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If you've read my blog for some time, you may know that I love period dramas, so finally I get to talk TV period dramas. I'm going to do two theme within a theme just because there are so many good ones, and it's such an impossible task to narrow down to so few, so bear with me because today will be a long post.
Based on a Book
Based on a Book
Based on the Jane Austen novel. While I do enjoy the 2005 movie, I think I love this TV adaptation more. Being longer it gets more of the book in and it just feels less glossy/prettied up. Now if you've never seen a period drama or unfamiliar with Jane Austen, start with this one. It's pretty light and is full of Austen's sharp humour.
North & South (2004)
Based on the Elizabeth Gaskell novel. If you love Pride and Prejudice, you have to check this one out (Thornton might be your new Darcy)! It's a great romantic drama that is sort of like Pride and Prejudice; the guy is proud, the girl is prejudiced. However it's set several decades later in England during the industrial revolution, featuring class struggles and the issues facing the working class, so the tone is darker. Despite the bleakness, it is such a beautiful miniseries; great score and those scenes with the cotton, like snow, floating in the mill were just ironically gorgeous.
Jane Eyre (2006)
Based on the novel by Charlotte Brontë. If you feel the different movie adaptations feel condensed, this is an excellent TV adaptation to check out. Both leads are great, especially Ruth Wilson who I think does well with silent scenes that's just the small expressions on her face. They tend to do a TV adaptation of Jane Eyre every decade, so I think we are probably due one soon.North & South (2004)
Based on the Elizabeth Gaskell novel. If you love Pride and Prejudice, you have to check this one out (Thornton might be your new Darcy)! It's a great romantic drama that is sort of like Pride and Prejudice; the guy is proud, the girl is prejudiced. However it's set several decades later in England during the industrial revolution, featuring class struggles and the issues facing the working class, so the tone is darker. Despite the bleakness, it is such a beautiful miniseries; great score and those scenes with the cotton, like snow, floating in the mill were just ironically gorgeous.
Jane Eyre (2006)
Little Dorrit (2008)
Based on the novel by Charles Dickens. It has the usual interlinking stories that is common in Dickens books (at least the ones I'm familiar with), but overall I found this is just a very charming drama and Claire Foy was just really good in this one.
Emma (2009)
Based on the Jane Austen novel. Probably the best Emma adaptation, other than Clueless. Emma usually has the best intentions but goes about it the wrong way because she's young and a little ermm...clueless...anyway it's a light and funny watch that makes me happy.
Based on Real Events/Characters
Peaky Blinders (2013 -)
So very very loosely based on a real gang, that is a youth gang in the late 19th century Birmingham. I don't think the series actually depicts any of the real members. Instead it follows, I assume, the fictional Shelby family as they run their legitimate and criminal business. Anyway I found the series to be a very well made fast paced drama that manages to marry rock music well with the early 20th century setting. Cillian Murphy plays the leader of the family and he is soo good in this.
Boardwalk Empire (2010-2014)
Set in the Prohibition era of the 1920s Atlantic City featuring some real life gangsters in, I assume, mostly fictional storylines. Have only seen the first two seasons or so, really like it and hope to pick up again soon. I actually saw it before Peaky Blinders and when I did see Peaky Blinders, I thought wouldn't it be great if Boardwalk Empire was still on air and there was a crossover episode.
Black Sails (2014 -)
It's actually a prequel of Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island, so it's fictional but it also features several real life characters in fictional roles which is sort of awesome. I love naval period dramas, so I am really enjoying this.
Wolf Hall (2015 -)
Love historical dramas and the Tudor period is just fascinating. This one is from the perspective of Thomas Cromwell during his time at Henry VIII's court and I think this mini series is probably the best depiction of the time and place...not that I'm a historian and can say for sure, but I definitely notice it's effort; it looked like it shot on location for most of the scenes, it burned a lot of candles, used music that seemed to be from the time and the actors all stood and carried themselves like in the Holbein paintings. Also good performance all round especially Mark Rylance and Claire Foy.
The Crown (2016 -)
The Crown (2016 -)
It's that Netflix series about Queen Elizabeth II's reign. Was a little unsure about it since Netflix tend to do more contemporary things and not period/historical dramas. Anyway, so glad this turned out to be good. Incredibly well made and can't wait for season 2.
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Wow....you went for the gusto! I haven't seen any of these so I hang my head down low. I have to make a point to see some of these you have listed here
ReplyDeleteHaha...could not help myself.
DeleteI love Peaky Blinders and that music is so spot on!
ReplyDeleteYep...the music works so well.
DeleteI also went with Boardwalk Empire and The Crown! Peaky Blinders is one I eventually need to watch. It's in my Netflix queue.
ReplyDeleteIf you like Boardwalk Empire, I think you'll like Peaky Blinders.
DeleteBoardwalk Empire was a great show, so well done with the costumes, sets and acting. I want to see The Crown.
ReplyDeleteBoardwalk Empire - I'm not into the whole 1920's scene thing so the costumes and sets didn't stand out for me, but the story and characters did.
DeleteThe Crown - it's a slower paced drama, you'd have to be patient with it but it's good. Very well made.
I've seen a bunch of these though not all. LOVE North & South! I watched because I had liked Richard Armitage in the Robin Hood series and it was nice to see he was able to be more varied than Guy of Gisborne let him be. I've followed his career since.
ReplyDeleteAhhh...I haven't seen the Robin Hood series. Is it any good. Mythology/Legend based series are not the kind that I usually enjoy as much unless they're done really really well. Richard Armitage is so so good in North and South. Unfortunately I haven't seen him in much else other than the Hobbit movies which were terrible and Into the Storm which was a forgettable movie.
DeleteThis is a great post, as you went all out. Sadly, I haven't seen any of these shows, not even one second. This explains why I had to sit this one out.
ReplyDeleteAww too bad...
DeleteAhhhh so many awesome dramas here! But The Crown.... its funny how (almost) everyone in the UK has not been a fan of this show but it has been a hit outside it. I go to ep5 and gave up on it. It was dull and really doesn't capture interest. Most people I know who tried it go as far as ep2. I had looked forward to it for ages but ended up disappointed.
ReplyDeleteAhh...I think maybe because you guys are more familiar with the story while the rest of us are not as much, so most of it is still fascinating to us. I do agree it is quite a slow paced series, but in a good way, it takes it's time to tell the story, to do it well and without sensationalizing events.
DeleteAnyway how did people in the UK like The Queen and the other related TV movies written by Peter Morgan.