Review: Downton Abbey -- Series 4 (2013)

Okay, I confess! I have already seen Downton Abbey: Series 4! This review might be coming a little early to all my readers here in America (since Downton's fourth series aired yesterday, I think?), but I'll take care about spoiler warnings.

But anyways, after last series's finale with the untimely death of Matthew in a car crash, I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about this series. I knew Downton Abbey wasn't going to be as good as it was previously, but maybe it was going to be better than I expected. I spent all of last year saying that I would be surprised if Downton was going to last past this fourth series, but with the commission of the show's fifth series, I was proven wrong. But what did I think of this series? I had mixed feelings about it to say the least, but it wasn't as bad as I expected it to be. This series exhibited a lot of changes to the show to lead it in a new direction. There were plenty of changes that occurred in this series, and I only commented on the major ones. If you would like to know my opinion on a change that I didn't comment on, leave me a comment and I'll answer it!

DVD Box Art

Note: This review may contain spoilers from Series 1, Series 2, and Series 3 of Downton Abbey without warning. If you have not seen a previous series, you may not want to read this review at this time. I have reviewed the previous series if you would like to read the reviews.

Synopsis
Six months after the tragic death of her husband Matthew Crawley, Lady Mary continues to mourn the sudden loss of her husband. Matthew's estate is called into question since he did not leave a will, leaving Lord Grantham to look over Downton by himself while he allows Mary to mourn. The rest of the Crawley try to bring Mary out of her mourning. Tom Branson continues to raise his daughter, baby Sybbie, at Downton, but questions whether he belongs at Downton. Lady Rose takes up residence at Downton while her parents are in India.

Review: Downton Abbey -- Series 3 (2012)

Another year, another series of Downton Abbey. Yes, three series have already passed with a fourth series being lined up for next year. The show has, since first being aired in 2010, become immensely popular with more and more people tuning into Masterpiece Theater to watch the lives of the Crawleys and their servants (though I still say that I liked Downton before it was cool). The first two series of Downton were successful, and now Series 3 looks at the lives of the residents of Downton as they come out of World War I. How did Series 3 do? Well, read on!

Note: This review will contain spoilers from Series 1 and Series 2 of Downton Abbey without warning. If you have not seen either series, you may not want to read this review at this time. I have reviewed both previous series if you would like to read the reviews.

DVD Box Art

Synopsis
With the end of World War I, the residents of Downton Abbey prepare for post-WWI life. With the impending marriage of Lady Mary to Matthew coming, Lord Grantham finds out that his investment in a Canadian railway company has failed, leaving Downton's future in jeopardy as they face bankruptcy. The expecting Lady Sybil arrives from Ireland with her new husband, former chauffeur Tom Branson, to attend Mary and Matthew's wedding; at Downton, Tom finds himself having difficulty fitting in with the Crawleys that he used to work for. Downstairs, Anna Bates continues to visit her husband, former valet to Lord Grantham John Bates, in prison as the two of them try to figure out a way to find him innocent.

Review: Upstairs, Downstairs - Series 5 (1975)

Ah! The last series of the original Upstairs Downstairs! I'll admit that when I first started watching Upstairs, Downstairs, I wasn't all that impressed with it: I wasn't fond of the characters, the story, etc. But after watching it, I grew to really like it. I think that by Series 3, many of the problems from Series 1 and 2 were fixed and the show started getting good. And now that's all over. I feel a little sad, but I'm glad that the show improved so that I could like it.

Note: This review of Upstairs, Downstairs will contain spoilers from Series 1, 2, 3, and 4. If you have not seen any of the previous series and do not want to run into spoilers, you may want to wait before you read this review. I suggest that you read my Series 1, Series 2, Series 3, and Series 4 reviews first before watching. 

Box Art

Synopsis
Changes have occurred at 165 Eaton Place in the years after the war. Richard Bellamy has since married to Virginia Hamilton, a widow with two small children, and has become a Viscount. Georgina Worsley, Richard's ward, after working as a nurse and seeing the horrors of the first world war, is determined to never become attached to anything and has taken to going to parties. James Bellamy is trying to adjust to his life as a widower after the death of his wife Hazel at the end of the war. Downstairs, Daisy and Edward Barnes return after leaving 165 Eaton Place to find better work (but cannot find any).

More Downton Abbey Clips!

As we all know, Series 3 of Downton Abbey will be airing in the U.K. in September (those of us in America have to wait a couple of more month *cries on the inside*). Meanwhile, there have been a couple of clips coming out. Here are two of them:

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 God Bless,

Downton Abbey: Series 3 Main Picture Released!

I'm super excited! I just found from Period Movies's Facebook page that a new picture for Downton Abbey: Series 3 has been released!

As always, the fashions look great! I can't wait to see more upcoming pictures (and a preview wouldn't hurt either!)

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 God Bless,

Friday: Movie Costume Highlight: Duchess of Duke Street - Period Drama Fashion Week

Today's Movie Costume Highlight is The Duchess of Duke Street. Now, I know there aren't many of my followers who haven't seen this series, but I recommend it. There might be some themes that are a little much for younger children, but it still stays about TV-PG. It also stars Gemma Jones, who many readers of Elegance of Fashion would know as Mrs. Dashwood from the 1995 movie of Sense and Sensibility and/or Mrs. Fairfax from the 1997 version of Jane Eyre.

But I digress!

The Duchess of Duke Street begins in the Edwardian Era and ends during the 20s. We get to see fashions in the range of 25 years. In a similar way to Downton Abbey, in The Duchess of Duke Street, we get to see the fashions of the rich and of the staff of the Bentinck hotel where the story takes place.

First in The Duchess of Duke Street, main character Louisa Leyton (later Trotter) becomes a cook at a great house. For the few episodes that she is a cook, we don't see her dressed in much of anything other than her uniform.

But within a few episodes, she becomes the owner of the Bentinck Hotel and works to make it a great hotel visited by lords and ladies. As she works her way up and acquires more wealth, she dresses very nicely! Here is a collection of pictures of her clothes during the Edwardian Era (mainly Series 1)

Louisa's hat when she rides in the car

I just love the color on this dress!

And here's a wider view of it!

Another one of Louisa's car outfits.

Louisa always dresses in fine clothing, but she still keep her cockney personality and accent.

For the most part, the staff's uniforms don't really change though out the series, or if they do, they are very small changes. Most of the time, they wear their usual uniforms since most of the time we see them they are at work.

Series 2 has some new fashions.

The fashions during most of Series 2 are from the World War I era. They are a lot simpler than the Edwardian Fashions due to the war.

See what I mean about the staff's uniforms? Louisa does have a nice dress here, though. It has a little bit of lace, but not the frills that she had during the Edwardian Era.

But than after WWI and the appearance of Louisa's daughter, Lottie, as a regular cast member, Louisa started dressing very "old".

Okay, this outfit isn't as bad

But her outfit here makes her look very old! Well, I guess the character got older, too.

Lottie does have some okay outfits, though. I think I liked the way we looked when she first appeared as an adult than towards the end of the series. She looked more innocent.

The last outfit Lottie wears makes her look too much like a flapper!

Okay, so this was only supposed to be about the Edwardian Fashions in The Duchess of Duke Street, but you also got a taste of some of its later fashions.

So that is my movie highlight for the day. Have you seen either series of The Duchess of Duke Street? What were some of your favorite costumes?

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 God Bless,

Wednesday: Guest Post by Melody and Miss Laurie - Historic Hairstyles - Period Drama Fashion Week

During the time periods of many of our favorite period dramas how a lady styled her hair was as important as the fashions she wore. Being stylish from head to toe was important for a young lady who entered society, particularly if she hoped to catch a rich husband. For us the hairstyles in period dramas are just so fun to admire and it's interesting to see how hairstyles changed through the eras. Let's take a look at the fads in historic hairdressing through the eyes of our favorite period dramas!

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Top: The Scarlet Pimpernel 1982, Cranford, Amazing Grace

Bottom: Pirates of the Caribbean 2003, Wuthering Heights 1992, Sense & Sensibility 2008

Georgian Era Hairstyles that were poufy and piled high was the desired look in this era. Ladies would make their hair as 'big' as they could (by teasing it and using false hair, hair rats, etc.) before putting it up--preferably leaving several long curls tumbling down the back. Or perhaps for a softer, simpler look: a regular, smooth pompadour with an elegant curl or two on the shoulder. Powdered wigs were also popular during the early part of the 1700's but were given up by the time Jane Austen was born because they were often called "vulgar" by critics.

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Top: Pride & Prejudice 1995, Sense & Sensibility 2008, Emma (Miramax)

Bottom: Sense & Sensibility 1995, Emma (A&E), Pride & Prejudice 1995

Regency Era

Hair in the Regency period was rather simple compared to the surrounding eras (except perhaps the people who loaded their hair with feathers and other hair decorations for balls and special occasions), yet with an elegant charm. Styles resembled fashions of ancient Greek and Rome and ladies always wore their hair up. A common style was to have a middle part with curls framing the face, and the rest of the hair put up in a bun or a slightly more tumbling, pinned-up-curls sort of look. Silk ribbons or scarfs were often used to tie around the head and the bun and ladies like Jane Austen were also fond of wearing brightly colored turbans adorned with feathers or jewels.

As pretty as it might look in the movies ladies of this era would not have worn their hair down in public, it would have been considered improper.

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Top: The Young Victoria, Little Dorrit, Wives & Daughters

Bottom: Great Expectations 2011, Wives & Daughters, Jane Eyre 2006

Romantic Era / Early Victorian Era

Fashions became more intricate in this era. Hair was often pulled tightly away from the face and into a knot or a very carefully-arranged, stiff-looking hairdo high on the top of the head, with curls or ringlets on the side. A more simple look was to part the hair in the middle and smooth it over the ears and perhaps braid the side pieces before adding them back into a bun. (You know, the stereotypical Jane Eyre style.) And we mustn't forget all the artificial hair additions and decorations; feathers, fans, flowers and fruit might be added to the evening styles.

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Top: Cranford, Bleak House 2005, Cranford

Bottom: North & South 2004 (twice), Bleak House 2005

Mid-Victorian Era

As the Victorian era progressed hairstyles loosened to create softer and sweeter looks. Hair put up at the back of the head was pinned lower than the romantic era, often braids and intricate folding of the hair was added to the buns. Younger ladies would sometimes wear some of the back in ringlets to give a sweet, almost angelic look that supported the Victorian ideal that ladies were delicate flowers.

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Top: The Way We Live Now, Daniel Deronda, Little Women 1994

Bottom: Daniel Deronda, Our Mutual Friend 1999, Daniel Deronda

Late-Victorian Era

Extravagant is the word for this later part of Queen Victoria's reign! Hair was arranged in piles of curls at the back of the head with long ringlets left to fall near the base of the neck. Fake hair pieces were very popular during this time and were added to give hair more height, more curls or even braided headbands. Even the more simple day time styles would contain more intricate braiding and arranging of the hair with an abundance of curls. 

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Top: Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel, Downton Abbey, Somewhere in Time

Bottom: The Winslow Boy, Road to Avonlea, Downton Abbey

Edwardian Era / Early 1900s In the 1900s, the definitive style was the pompadour. It's the opposite of the hair being pulled tightly away from the face--it is as loosely and expansively as possible swept up into a bun--a rather romantic-looking hairstyle that was an important part of the popular Gibson girl style. The 1910s brought more simplicity; pompadours were still common, but becoming popular were hairstyles lower down on the back of the head; one common look was a middle part with the hair twisted back on both sides into a low bun, or making the twist continue all around the head, with the hair tucked in at the back rather like a Gibson-tuck.

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Top (1920s): House of Eliott, Upstairs Downstairs 2010, House of Eliott

Bottom (1930s): Wind At My Back, Poirot: Sad Cyress, Poirot: The Mystery of the Blue Train

1920s / 1930s As more ladies went to work after World War I hairstyles became even more simple. Long hair was oftened pinned into a bun at the back of the neck to keep it our of the way. With the wave of flapper styles more ladies began to sport very short hairstyles which they sometimes curled, smoothed very straight for a sleek look, or had it "set" into a stiff-looking wave at the temples or all the way around the head, which often accompanied the stereotypical "bob." Hairstyles in the 1930s were quite similar to the previous decade, but short hair was more frequently curled on the sides and ends to to make a softer look, and the very short, chin-length hairstyle was becoming outdated. Like the 1920s, top portions of long (and short hair) was frequently given stiff wave curls before being pulled back into a bun at the nape of the neck.

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If you're like us you'll probably want to try some of these historic hairstyles on your own hair. Here's some of our favorite historic hairstyle tutorials, but keep in mind that many of the fine ladies would have had a maid to style their hair before a ball so it's sometimes tricky to get the styles right yourself.

Locks of Elegance (Georgian through Edwardian styles), Historical Hairstyles (a few tutorials including Elizabeth Swann's Georgian do and Margaret Hale's Mid-Victorian do), Ups and Downs (lovely Regency styles with a few Victorian) and Rapunzel's Resource (tons of long hair period drama styles that can easily be adjusted for medium length hair).

Thank you for joining us in looking at these old-fashioned hairstyles from period dramas! We hope you've enjoyed it. There are so many lovely eras, but Miss Laurie's favorite would be the Regency era and the Mid-Victorian as a close second. Melody is having a very hard time deciding, and although the Regency era is always wonderful and marvelous, her favorites might be Mid-Victorian and Edwardian. (Maybe.)

Many thanks to Miss Elizabeth for having us guest post! We had a lot of fun.

Miss Laurie writes the lovely blog Old-Fashioned Charm and Melody is the authoress of the charming Regency Delight ~Jane Austen, etc.~.

Which historic era has your favorite hairstyles?

Miss Elizabeth Bennet: Thank you, Miss Laurie and Melody, for guest posting!

American Idol Comes to Downton Abbey?

So a couple of days ago, I was on my Facebook page when one of the Downton Abbey pages I follow put up this article:

Simon Cowell to have cameo role in new series of Downton Abbey

Simon Cowell is swapping his trademark high-waisted trousers for white tie and tails, with a small part in the third series of Downton Abbey.
For his first acting role, the X Factor creator and music producer will appear as Baron de Wharffe, an industrialist and old schoolfriend of the Earl of Grantham (Hugh Bonneville). The Baron seeks refuge at Downton after falling on hard times when new laws force him to close down a number of
profitable meat factories. He puts his host in a difficult position, however, when he starts encouraging the servants to leave Downton and fulfil their childhood fantasies.“

Source

Not really sure how to feel about this. On the one hand, Julian Fellowes (hopefully) knows what he's doing, but on the other hand Simon Cowell? Really? And it's his first acting job? I hoping that this isn't the point where Downton "jumps the shark".

What do you think? How would you feel about Simon Cowell on Downton Abbey? Does he have a chance? Or do you think it's a disaster waiting to happen? Leave a comment!

Edit: As it turns out, this article was an April Fools joke.

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 God Bless,

Review: The Grand - Complete Collection

I had never heard of The Grand until my mom bought it one day on Amazon. Both of us did not know anything about the series other than it was about a hotel. As we watched the series, the basis of the story was pretty much Upstairs, Downstairs in that half the show is about the upper class and the other half is about the lower class.

Note: I would usually do separate reviews for the different seasons, but for this, I'm combining them into one review.

Complete Collection Box Art

Synopsis

After World War I, the Grand Hotel in Manchester is reopened by the Bannerman family who has owned the hotel for many years before. The plot lines of the episodes would be similar to Upstairs Downstairs in that part of the plotlines involve the patrons of the hotel and the Bannerman family and the other part involves the waitstaff of the hotel.

Characters

There was only one member of the regular cast that I recognized, and it was Susan Hampshire as Miss Harkness, a guest at the Grand.

Out of all the characters, I would say that there are only three that were likable. The three were John Bannerman, the owner of the hotel, Kate Morris, the servant girl, and Mr. Collins, the head porter. John Bannerman was the owner trying to make the hotel successful after being closed for so long; he loves his family, but sometimes can't express it as well as he should. Kate Morris, the servant girl, tries to do her job and follow the rules; she cares for her friend, Monica, and tries to keep her out of trouble (which didn't work out). Mr. Collins lives with the grief that his son was executed for abandoning his post in the military, but he copes with it and runs the hotel well.

Kate Morris and Stephen Bannerman, John and Sarah Bannerman's
son.

The rest of the characters were horribly, horribly flawed. Miss Harkness has a very disreputable past and for the first half of the first series is proud of it and talks about it openly (Susan Hampshire, you could have done a lot better). She does seem to regret her choices, but ultimately goes back to her previous lifestyle. Marcus Bannerman, John Bannerman's brother, is just creepy and slimy. Sarah Bannerman, John's wife, begins to move away from her husband towards the creepy Marcus. Marcus's girlfriend (later fiancee and then wife) Ruth is mistreated by Marcus the whole first series, though he is slightly better to her face during the second series, but still neglects her. Need I go much further? And that was only part of the upstairs plotlines. And a bit more goes on with the servants that work downstairs. If you're looking for role models, don't look for them in The Grand.

There were also a lot of topics that wouldn't have been discussed so openly in company at the time. Realistically, during that time, there were certain subjects that would have been much more discreetly discussed if discussed at all. In The Grand, those subjects were talked about as if it was a modern day soap opera! It was quite unnecessary and inaccurate.

Scenery

Miss Harkness and Kate Morris

The Grand Hotel itself is something to look at! It's has many lovely views and always looks clean. There aren't many scenes that take place outside, so a great deal of the scenes are inside the hotel.

Costumes

Some of the costumes were well done. A good deal of the guests/owners costumes were very nice and looked pretty. The servants' outfits were the same uniform that they wore. However, it seemed like during the second season, however, that the costumer for The Grand was going out of their way to make Miss Harkness's dresses extremely immodest; it was extremely ridiculous and unnecessary.

Music

The theme music was very nice. It's very flowing and can get stuck in your head easily. Other than that, there aren't many songs that stood out to me very much.

Overall: 0.5/5

I WOULD NOT recommend this, especially to families. There are a lot of scenes that are very mature and a lot of the topics discussed during the show were inappropriate and wouldn't have been talked about so openly during the time period. Honestly, The Grand was more like a modern day soap opera with everyone's dirty laundry out for everyone to see in period fashions. I can't even say that you can easily skip past the inappropriate scenes: some can take you by surprise. I usually don't like to quote other reviewers on my reviews since my reviews are mine, but one reviewer at IMDB put it accurately when they said, "The Grand is just too sordid for more than one viewing." So I won't be watching this again. Be warned about this series. Though the costuming is nice and the hotel itself is lovely to look at, there is some very mature content present throughout the entire series that ruins the entire experience. And, honestly, the plotlines weren't that great to begin with.

The Grand is available on DVD. It is made up of two seasons and 18 episodes that are about 55 minutes long.

Review: House of Eliott - Series 1

One of my hobbies is sewing, and I am also interested in the business world; House of Eliott combines both of those aspects. I had never heard about this series before until my mom mentioned it to me and bought it. We would sit down in the evenings to watch a couple of episodes. It was really interesting. I'm not too big of a fan of 1920's fashion, but this series did do 20's fashion justice.

Box Art

Synopsis
When their father dies, Beatrice (Bea) and Evangeline (Evie) Eliott (Stella Gonet and Louise Lombard) have to find a way to support themselves. Bea is able to get a job working for photographer, Jack Maddox, who becomes a friend of the two sisters. Both Eliott sisters are able to sew and design their own clothes: eventually, they start up their own couture fashion house called the House of Eliott.

Characters
There aren't too many faces that you may easily recognize in House of Eliott. Stella Gonet was in the most recent adaptation of Persuasion as Mrs. Musgrove, and Louise Lombard was on popular show NCIS. Those are the only two that I can think of. The creators of the series are well known, though. This series was created by Eileen Atkins (Deborah Jenkyns in Cranford) and Jean Marsh (Mrs. Ferrars in Sense and Sensibility); these two women were also the same women who created popular 70's series Upstairs Downstairs.


Of the two sisters, I prefered Bea to Evie. Bea was more sensible than emotional and naive Evie. Since Evie had no mother, Bea had to act as a mother to her (and because of the fact that Bea was much older than Evie). I didn't dislike Evie, but I thought that she was a little too naive at times. It seemed that she was more driven by emotion, while Bea was more driven by what was sensible.



The one character that I really disliked was Penelope Maddox, Jack Maddox's sister. I don't really think she added much to the story other than she was controversial. It seemed like that was her only purpose: to be controversial. She got irritating quickly. If she wasn't in the series, the storyline would have gone on smoothly without her. She seemed to be an unnecessary addition to the show.

Scenery

The scenery is very nice. You can tell that the episodes were not filmed on sound sets. Outdoor scenes take place both in nice London neighborhoods and in poorer neighborhoods. Since House of Eliott takes place in London, there aren't many opportunities to see country scenery. You do occasionally see country scenery, but there are very few scenes of them. The interiors of some of the buildings are also very nice to look at.

Costumes

Evie in her party dress

One of the main aspects of House of Eliott is the costuming, since the show is about fashion. I never was much of a fan of 1920's fashion, but Wow! is it awesome in here! Towards the beginning of the series, Bea and Evie's outfits aren't all that great (since they were poorer), but as the series goes on and they develop their fashion house, the costuming gets better. The costuming is not limited to what the main characters are wearing: there are also fashion shows that show off the collections that the House of Eliott had been working on. It's very interesting to see.

Music
I love the theme song and credits song! They are very upbeat pieces and, just a warning, they may get stuck in you head! There are a couple of dance scenes with some nice 20's music. A very good soundtrack, overall.

Bea at a party with her date.

Overall: 4/5
A very good start to the series. There is one episode where there is a mature scene at the end of it, but it was only in that one episode (Episode 2, specifically). There are some mature topics discussed, but they don't get really graphic, but there are things implied. The costuming is very lovely and the plot lines are very interesting. Each episode continues to the next, similar to a miniseries, but this was a regular TV series. I would recommend this show.

House of Eliott - Series 1 can be purchased on it's own or along with the show's two other seasons in a complete collection. There are twelve, 50 minute episodes on four DVD's.

House of Eliott

My mom and I started watching this series from the early 90's called The House of Eliott.

It's really interesting. It's about these two sisters, Beatrice and Evangeline Eliott (also known as Bea and Evie), who, after their father died and left them no money, have to go into business in order to make a living. They have only their sewing skills and their love of fashion. They open up a fashion house called The House of Eliott, where they make dresses for women. Throughout the series, the sisters have to work through scandal and deal with things that go on in a business.

The costumes in here are very nice! 1920's era dresses are featured and some of the headdresses that are worn are very pretty.

You might also recognize a few of the actresses as you watch through the series. Bea is played by Stella Gonet, who you might recognize as Mrs. Musgrove from Persuasion (2007). Louise Lombard, who plays Evie, is in the TV series CSI. In a couple of episodes, Elizabeth Garvie, who was in the 1980s version of Pride and Prejudice, was Lady Elizabeth Montford. Phyllida Law  was in an episode; you might recognize her from the Gwenyth Paltrow Emma and as the mother of Sophie Thompson (Miss Bates from the same Emma) and Emma Thompson (Elinor Dashwood from Sense and Sensibility).

It's a really interesting series. I might review it at some point. I haven't watched all of it yet (I'm almost at season 3), so it might be a while before I review it. There is some suggestive language and one scene in one episode that was a little mature, but the scene was very brief.

This series really holds your attention as you watch through the episodes. There are three seasons in total, which you can buy separately or in one collection.