Reader Question #6: Favorite Character and What I Would Change

This question came to by from an anonymous reader. This anonymous reader asked:


Who is your favourite period drama character? Why?
If you could change something in a period drama movie, what would it be?



I'll answer the first question first. From taking a look at my username, my icon, and the fact that Pride and Prejudice is my favorite book/period drama, the answer is...

Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice (I know, predictable right?). Why? Well, she was the first character in my watching of period dramas and reading of books that I related to so much. I finally found a character that was very similar to me and has a very similar sense of humor. That is why I like Elizabeth Bennet so much. Sure, I can also relate to other Jane Austen heroines as well (though probably not Anne Elliot so much -- don't get me wrong, I still like her, but I don't understand why she accepted Captain Wentworth's rudeness towards her; I wouldn't have put up with it), but Elizabeth is the heroine I can relate to the most.

Sense and Sensibility (1995)

Now, something I would change about a period drama. Well, just to pick one of the period dramas that I would change something of, as much as I liked the 1995 version of Sense and Sensibility, I kind of wish that it had some of the aspects of the 2008 version (making a super version of Sense and Sensibility). S&S1995 is still my favorite version between the two, but there were some things that S&S2008 did better.


But the top thing I would change would be to replace Hugh Grant as Edward Ferrars. Now, the casting for S&S1995 was great: most of the characters (save for a couple here and there) were cast very well for their parts, but after seeing S&S2008, I'm not fond of Hugh Grant's Edward. He looked too sickly for the role! Sure, Edward isn't supposed to be very handsome, but he's not supposed to be sickly-looking either. I would definitely replace him with Dan Stevens from the 2008 version; sure, Dan Stevens was a little more outgoing for Edward, but that didn't bother me -- I still thought he did a great job as Edward, better than Hugh Grant.


But some other things I would change in the 1995 movie that were in the 2008 miniseries (which would be great to change, but I can live without these changes) are:

• Anne Steele. Would have been great to see her in the 1995 movie.
• Make the movie into a miniseries. There were so many great elements in the 1995 movie, but it would have been even better if some of the other things it left out were in there too and there was more time to tell the story.
• Accuracy to the story. One of the blunders of S&S1995 was some of the changes it made from the original novel. Okay, so both versions had Marianne walking around in the rain, but it would have been nice to see the scenes S&S1995 left out and the scenes from the book that don't need to be changed because scenes were left out.
• Elinor should have been younger. I loved Emma Thompson's Elinor, but if only she had been a little younger for the role, she would have been perfect.
• Lady Middleton and the Middleton children. Maybe not the 2008 LM and MC (let's face it, we didn't get to see enough of them, plus LM's hair should have been up!), but at least more of a glimpse of what they were like in the book.
• Willoughby's Confession. Wonder how Greg Wise would have acted in it... But we will never know now, will we?

What do you think? Who is your favorite period drama character? What would you change in a period drama? Do you agree with some of the changes I would make for the 1995 movie of Sense and Sensibility? Leave a comment!

Thank you anonymous for suggesting this question. If you have a question you would like to submit for me to do a post on, leave a comment. Just follow these guidelines. It can be about anything related to this blog: period dramas, blogging, reviews, etc.

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 God Bless,