Review: Upstairs Downstairs - Series 2 (2012)

Took me long enough to review this. I actually watched Upstairs, Downstairs: Series 2 when it aired on PBS last year, but I ended up pushing this review back further and further, adding to it little by little until now. As you may remember, I was not a fan of the first series of the reboot of Upstairs, Downstairs, but I watched Series 2 hoping that it would get better. Though I didn't think it would live up to the original series, I still watched and expected it to be a decent period drama. How did I find it? Well, read on!

Note: This review contains spoilers from Series 1 of Upstairs, Downstairs. If you do not want to run into spoilers, then do not read this review. If you want to read up on Series 1, you can find it here.

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Synopsis
The story starts just before England entered WWII. Lady Agnes Holland has given birth to her second child, but does not have any more hopes of having any more children. Hallam's aunt, Blanche Mottershead, has moved in with the Hollands after the death of Hallam's mother, Lady Maud. Lady Persie returns from Germany after a riot breaks out and resettles back in 165 Eaton Place seeming to renounce her Nazi views. There is also some additions to the staff: Beryl Ballard as the new nursery maid and Eunice McCabe as the new kitchen maid.

Review: Upstairs, Downstairs - Series 1 (2010)

And now that I'm completely finished with the original Upstairs, Downstairs, it's time to start on the new Upstairs, Downstairs that came out a few years ago. I have heard some good things about the new series: there were even a couple of my readers that said that the new series was even better than the original series. When my mom and I heard that they were playing the entire first series one Sunday evening, we watched the entire first series! And since PBS was playing Series 1 before they aired Series 2, I was able to watch both series very close together (unlike some of the time where I have to wait a whole year for the next series *Cough*Downton Abbey*Cough*Lark Rise to Candleford*Cough*). But how did it compare to the original series? Well, let's find out!

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Synopsis
In 1936, Sir Hallam Holland and Lady Agnes Holland arrive at 165 Eaton Place six years after the Bellamy family left at the end of the original Upstairs, Downstairs. 165 Eaton Place is in disrepair and Lady Agnes renovates it and hires a new staff to work there with the assistance of Rose Buck, who was the original upper house parlor maid when the Bellamys lived at 165 Eaton Place and who eventually becomes the new housekeeper. When the Hollands move in, Sir Hallam's mother, Lady Maud Holland, arrives unexpectedly to stay and brings with her her secretary, Mr. Aminjit, and her pet monkey, Solomon.

Review: The Remains of the Day

In one of my classes for a couple of days, we watched this movie (and I am far from objecting to watching movies in class, especially if they're period dramas). So I hadn't known too much about this movie other than Emma Thompson and Anthony Hopkins were in there. And since it takes place before the 1950s, I decided I would review it and still call it period (my cut off for period dramas is the 1950s, but I'm thinking of expanding it to 1959. Thoughts?). So, here we go.

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Synopsis
Mr. James Stevens, the butler of Darlington Hall located in Oxfordshire, has been the butler to previous owner Lord Darlington, but after Lord Darlington died, an American congressman, Mr. Lewis, buys Darlington Hall and becomes Mr. Stevens's new boss. Mr. Stevens receives a letter from his former housekeeper, Miss Kenton (now Mrs. Benn) who reveals that her and her husband have separated and that she may be interested in returning to Darlington Hall.

The film flashes back and forth between post WWII England to pre-WWII England when Miss Kenton arrived at Darlington Hall and worked there for a couple of years before marrying Mr. Benn.

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!

Review: Cold Comfort Farm (1995)

I tried to watch this a couple of years ago, but never finished it. So finally, with nothing to do, I sat down with my mom to watch this and I watched the entire thing! Originally, my mom bought the DVD since it looked like a good movie; I started to watch it with her, but was called away and didn't finish it (she finished it, though). So, finally after watching it after all this time, here is the review!

DVD Box Art

Synopsis
Flora Poste, a young lady of twenty years old and a budding writer who has just lost both of her parents and has only £100 a year, writes to relatives to allow her to stay with them while she works on her writing. She receives a letter from her cousin Judith Starkadder from Cold Comfort Farm, a run down farm that is said to be cursed. Judith is happy to welcome "Robert Poste's child" to her farm in order to do penance for something that her husband, Amos, did to Flora's father years ago. While Flora stays with the Starkadders, she tries to "fix" everyone's life at Cold Comfort Farm, including renovating the house.

Characters
There are a good deal of period drama actors and actresses in Cold Comfort Farm (I always like to see actors that I can recognize from different period dramas). Eileen Atkins (Judith Starkadder) can also be seen in Cranford as Deborah Jenkyns. Kate Beckinsale (Flora Poste) can also be seen in Emma (1997) as Emma Woodhouse. Stephen Fry (Mybug) can be heard as the Cheshire Cat in the latest Alice in Wonderland movie. Ian McKellen (Amos Starkadder) can also be seen in The Scarlet Pimpernel as Chauvelin. Rufus Sewell (Seth Starkadder) can also be seen in Middlemarch as Will Landislaw and in Amazing Grace as Thomas Clarkson.

There are a good deal of quirky characters and few "normal" characters. Flora and her city friends were the "normal" characters in the story. Though they are "normal" they still have a couple of quirks to them, but not as quirky as the Starkadders of Cold Comfort Farm. They do come off as a bit snobby, but they are willing to help Flora out with the Starkadders (most of the time by sending things by post).

The Starkadders and some help

Then there were the quirky characters... mainly all the ones in the countryside. While the Starkadders and other country folk are uncouth, I felt that the country people were portrayed as being a tad "stupid" and then Flora comes in a fixes everything for them. I didn't like how almost everything the country people did was portrayed as being "backwards" and then city-girl Flora with her modern ways fixes everything without any serious repercussions (okay, so Judith was upset for a little while, but she also was okay with everything by the end). So while there were some things that needed to be fixed, I didn't like how the country people were portrayed as being a bit dumb.

A good thing about this movie was the literary references. There are a couple of references to Jane Austen and I did get a chuckle out of the fact that Mybug, a writer who falls in love with Flora (though she does not like him), is writing a thesis about how Branwell Bronte (brother of Charlotte, Anne, and Emily Bronte) wrote all of their books.

Spoiler What I didn't like in the movie (but I heard that it was the case in the original novel), is that there were some unanswered questions. For instance, what did Ada Doom (Judith's mother) see in the woodshed? And what did Amos do to Robert Poste? These questions were not answered, which was a shame. But if the original novel was that way, I guess there was nothing the film makers could do about it. End of Spoiler

Flora Poste

Scenery
Like many a period drama, Cold Comfort Farm has very nice scenery. There are plenty of country scenes to be gazed at as well as some city scenes. Most of the story takes place at Cold Comfort Farm, which starts out originally as a worn down farm, but after Flora fixes it up it looks nice. There is a small town that Flora goes into for a couple of scenes that looks like a quaint country town: rather nice in my opinion. The scenery in Cold Comfort Farm is definitely one of the high points.

Costumes
The costuming was rather nice! I don't know very much about 1930s fashions, but I rather liked the way it looked in Cold Comfort Farm. Of course, all the countryside people wore plainer clothes while the city people wore the more expensive outfits.

Flora Poste and Elfine

Overall: 2.75/5
It was okay. It had it's cute moments and it's funny moments, but I found that it was only okay. It wasn't as hilarious as I thought it was going to be. I probably wouldn't watch it a second time, but I wouldn't say that it was horrible.

The movie itself is rated PG, but there are still some subjects brought up that may make some people uncomfortable (in fact, it might even border on PG-13). There is some suggestive language and some mild language. There's nothing graphic in this movie (it is rated PG after all); just a couple of scenes here and there that may be uncomfortable.

Cold Comfort Farm is available on DVD. It is rated PG and is 95 minutes long.

More Banners!

I finally made a couple of more banners. These banners are for Downton Abbey and The King's Speech.

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 God Bless,