Period Drama Challenge Finale and Tag

Today marks the end of The Period Drama Challenge at Old-Fashioned Charm. I attempted to watch 12 to 15 new films to be a "Period Drama Fanatic". Sadly, however, I fell short by two films... But I still watched ten new period dramas and earned the title "Period Drama Devotee". Here are the films that I reviewed and links to the reviews (and, of course, feel free to leave comments).

1. The Pallisers (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4)

2. Downton Abbey: Series 3 (2012)

3. The Importance of Being Earnest (2002)

4. Jane Eyre (1983)

5. Nicholas Nickleby (2002)

6. Mr. Selfridge (2013)

7. The Mill on the Floss (1997)

8. Somewhere in Time (1980)

9. The Inheritance (1997)

10. Little Women (1978)

Review: Little Women (1978)

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After The Inheritance, I finally got to watch this older version of Little Women. I wanted to watch it, but I didn't expect to like it very much. So why did I want to watch it in the first place? I wasn't all that fond of the 1994 movie of it. I've heard bad reviews of it (that it was a poor production). I even admitted that I liked The Inheritance better than Little Women. So why watch this version? One word: Shatner. That's right: Star Trek actor William Shatner is in this version of Little Women. Now I wouldn't classify William Shatner as the greatest actor, but he has such a presence that makes him enjoyable to watch. I was lucky to find this version of Little Women online at Hulu.com. Hulu is a free site if you use it on the computer, but if you want to watch it on your tablet or TV, you have to get a subscription to Hulu Plus.

Synopsis
Adapted from my review of Little Women (1994)
Little Women revolves around the lives of four sisters, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March, and their mother, Mrs. March [called Marmee]. Mr. March, Mrs. March's husband and Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy's father, is off fighting in the Civil War. Jo March, the main protagonist, becomes quick friends with Theodore "Laurie" Laurence who falls in love with her. 

Review: The Inheritance (1997)

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Another movie that I have been intending on watching, but didn't until yesterday. This movie is an adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's novel, The Inheritance, which was unpublished until 1997. The only Louisa May Alcott period drama that I have seen was Little Women (1994), which I was a bit lukewarm to: I just couldn't get into the story like many of my fellow period drama bloggers for whatever reason. But I still wanted to give The Inheritance a try. I did not know anything about the story or how it ended, so I watched it without any knowledge of what was going to happen next (which is technically the way you're supposed to watch anything). So, here is my review of The Inheritance!

Synopsis
Edith Adelon is the companion to Amy Hamilton, the daughter of Henry and Beatrice Hamilton who took Edith  in when she was orphaned as a baby in Italy. With the arrival of guests at the Hamilton's home of Evanswood, Edith meets one of the guests, James Percy, and falls in love with him. However, husband seeking cousin of Mrs. Hamilton, Ida Glenshaw, has also arrived at Evanswood determined to marry James Percy. Edith must over come the obstacles of social class that separate her and James and those obstacles that are set by Ida.

Period Drama Challenge -- April and May Tags

Wow, these have been a couple of busy months. I finally had time to finish up the April tag and answer the May tag for The Period Drama Challenge at Old-Fashioned Charm. I combined both tags into one post.

Review: Somewhere in Time

First of all, let me apologize for my severe lack of posting as of late. Summer started out a bit busy (not what I expected) and to top it all off, I have had some computer troubles as of late (don't worry, I've got it up and running, but I'm going to need to work on it little by little to get to where it once was). So, in short, I'm still here: I've  just been quiet as of late.

Poster of Somewhere in Time

But anyways: onto Somewhere in Time.

My mom actually owns this movie on DVD, but when I actually watched it I ended up watching it on TV (and again lately rewatching it on Netflix to review it). My mom has always liked this movie (she even owns a replica picture of the character Elise McKenna that is featured in this movie), but for some reason, I didn't watch it until recently. So now that I have, here is my review of it.

Synopsis
Playwright Richard Collier becomes obsessed with a picture of an early 20th century actress named Elise McKenna while staying at the Grand Hotel. After doing research on Elise, Richard falls in love with her and takes it upon himself to travel back to 1912 to meet Elise and for her to fall in love with him.

Review: Mr. Selfridge -- Series 1 (2013)

With Downton's series ended on Masterpiece and another year before Series 4 airs in the U.S., Masterpiece has to show something on Masterpiece Classic between now and then, don't they? Enter Mr. Selfridge, the story of the person who founded London's first department store. I had never heard of the store Selfridge and Co. (commonly referred to as Selfridge's), but it is a store that was opened in the Edwardian era and is still in business today. Since one of my majors is in Accounting, I naturally have an interest in business, so this was something that seemed interesting.

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Synopsis
Based on the story of Harry Gordon Selfridge, the founder of London's first department store who revolutionized the way stores sell merchandise, in Mr. Selfridge, Harry arrives in London and, unimpressed with the way stores sold merchandise, starts up his own store in an unfashionable side of town.

Review: The Mill on the Floss (1997)

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And now I'm back to reviewing! And for my returning review: The Mill on the Floss. I had seen the 1978 miniseries of it a long time ago, but wasn't very impressed with it. Due to the sad ending, I couldn't really bring my self to like it all that much. I still wanted to see the newer version to see how it would compare, but I didn't have any great expectations for it. But I watched it and I think I did enjoy it at times.

Synopsis
Taken from my review of The Mill on the Floss (1978)
Mill on the Floss follows the story of Maggie and Tom Tulliver, two siblings who live at a mill by a river. When their father, Mr. Tulliver, loses the mill to Mr. Wakem, a lawyer, he suffers a stoke. Mr. Tulliver stays at the mill as Mr. Waken's manager until his death, though he despises working for Mr. Wakem. Meanwhile, Maggie grows fond of Phillip Waken, Mr. Wakem's hunchbacked son.

Review: Nicholas Nickleby (2002)

This was a movie that was on my list of movies to watch for a quite some time. And after answering the February Tag of the Period Drama Challenge, I felt like I need to watch more Dickens period dramas. Luckily, after they took it down, Netflix's Instant Streaming put Nicholas Nickleby back up again and I was able to watch this without having to buy the movie. So, here's another movie to add to my list of Dickens movies I have seen!

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Synopsis

Nicholas Nickleby, at age nineteen, has become the head of his family after his father dies. In order to provide for his widowed mother and his sister, Kate, Nicholas pleas with his selfish uncle, Ralph Nickleby, to help them. However, Ralph Nickleby sends Nicholas away to work as a teacher at Dotheboys Hall (a dirty school where the students are mistreated) and though he sets Kate up with a job at a dressmaker, he uses her to get business men to go into business with him.

Period Drama Challenge -- March Tag

Going into April, the Period Drama Challenge is still on at Old-Fashioned Charm! At this point, I have submitted seven reviews (four of them being of my Pallisers review series). Here is the March tag for the Period Drama Challenge:

Review: The Pallisers (1974) -- Episodes 20 - 26

And so I present to you my final review of The Pallisers. (Though, in truth, I finished watching it about a month ago). It was a great ride watching it with my mom, and as the 26 episodes drew to a close, I felt a little sorry that it had to end, but at the same time it ended at a good place. Some series tend to be dragged on further than when it should have ended, so I think Anthony Trollope (and by extension the screenplay writers) made a wise decision to end it when they did.

Note: This review contains spoilers from the previous sections. If you do not want to encounter spoilers, do not read this review. I do encourage you to read the first review, the second review, and the third review of The Pallisers, though.

Synopsis

The Pallisers finishes up with the concluding episodes chronicling the events that occur in Anthony Trollope's books, The Prime Minister and The Duke's Children. Plantagenet Palliser, the Duke of Omnium, is raised to the position of prime minister, something which his wife, Lady Glencora, take advantage of socially. Plantagenet and Glencora's children, Lord Silverbridge, Gerald, and Lady Mary Palliser, have grown up and become main characters in The Pallisers and the story focuses on their lives.

Review: Jane Eyre (1983)

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And continuing on my quest to watch 12 - 15 period dramas for the Period Drama Challenge, I present to you my review for Jane Eyre (1983). Up to this point, I had seen two versions of Jane Eyre all the way through and clips from various other versions (this one included). The Jane Eyres I have seen up to this point weren't as accurate to the original story as it could have been, but I had heard good things about this version around the period drama blog world (and the clips I had seen of it reinforced the point). I had seen that this version on Netflix for a while, and I finally watched it over a week.

Synopsis
Young Jane Eyre, an orphan, lives with her rich but cruel Aunt, Mrs. Reed and her cousins at Gateshead Hall until Mrs. Reed sends her away to Lowood School to be educated and be rid of her. Ten years after receiving an education and without connections, Jane becomes a governess at Thornfield Hall to young Adele Varens, the ward of Thornfield's master, Mr. Edward Rochester. Thornfield itself holds many secrets and Mr. Rochester is very mysterious and strange, but Jane eventually falls in love with him.

Review: The Pallisers (1974) -- Episodes 15 - 19

And a Happy Birthday to me! :-D. So on my birthday, I will continue with my Pallisers reviews. And after this, one more Pallisers review and this review series will be complete. But anyways, I've had been enjoying The Pallisers at this point in the series and continued to watch and review it (I have finished it already, but I'm a little behind on the reviews). But enough of that: here's the review for the next part!

Note: This review contains spoilers from the previous sections. If you do not want to encounter spoilers, do not read this review. I do encourage you to read the first review and the second review of The Pallisers, though.

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Synopsis
These episodes of The Pallisers follow the events that happen in the book Pineas Redux in Anthony Trollope's Pallisers series. The story continues to focus on Phineas Finn's and Lizzie Eustace's stories, but slowly brings back Plantagenet and Glencora Palliser's story and chronicles Plantagenet's ascension to dukedom. After loosing his wife and child, the mourning Phineas Finn returns to England to continue his political career. While continuing his friendship with Lady Laura while she is separated from her husband, Phineas Finn makes an enemy out of Laura's husband, Robert Kennedy, who has lost his reason. Meanwhile, Lizzie Eustace has married Reverend Emilius, who treats her poorly and who may still be married to a woman in Prague. Lizzie manages to escape and finds refuge with the Bonteens, Mr. Bonteen being Phineas Finn's political rival.

Review: The Importance of Being Earnest (2002)

Finally, after wanting to watch this movie, I caught it on TV one weekend! I had heard about this movie around the blogging world and wanted to see it for quite some time. I never read The Importance of Being Earnest, but in my one acting class, one group had to do a scene from there, and since it seemed amusing, I'd thought I'd give the movie a try. Plus, it has Colin Firth in it! (Okay, there were also some other period drama actors/actresses that I liked in there as well).

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Synopsis
Friends Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff both lead double lives: Jack pretends to be a man named Ernest while he is in town, but in the country, he goes by his real name, Jack Worthing, and takes care of his eighteen year old ward, Cecily Cardew, and pretends to worry about his brother, Ernest, in London. Algernon/Algy pretends that he has to visit a dying friend in order to get out of plans with his aunt, Lady Bracknell. Jack proposes to Lady Bracknell's daughter, Gwendolen Fairfax, who can only be in love a man named Ernest. Algy, after hearing about Cecily, is determined to meet her and when he does, pretends to be Jack's brother, Ernest, and gains her affection.

Period Drama Challenge -- February Tag

The Period Drama Challenge continues at Old-Fashioned Charm! So far, I have submitted three reviews (though two of the reviews count as one for The Pallisers). And as the Period Drama Challenge continues, Miss Laurie has put up another tag for February.

Review: The Pallisers (1974) -- Episodes 7 - 14

Here is the next part of my review of The Pallisers. I was quite impressed with the first six episodes and eagerly continued to watch it. I expected the focus to still be on the Palliser family, though maybe not as a main focus, but to my disappointment the Pallisers were there only a little bit. However, there is still focus on a fairly interesting story line in that of Phineas Finn, an Irish politician, which becomes the main focus of these episodes.

Note: Unlike most multi-part period dramas, this review doesn't contain spoilers from the previous section. But I encourage you to read the first review.

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Synopsis
The Pallisers continues with episodes 7 through 14 recounting the events in the next two books in the Pallisers series, Phineas Finn and The Eustace Diamonds. Phineas Finn is an up and coming politician from Ireland that gains popularity quickly, though at times he can be a little naive about his fellow politicians. Later in the episodes, Lizzie Eustace, a recent widow, was given her husband's diamonds as he laid dying, but there is a question as to whether the diamonds actually belong to the estate and whether Lizzie has the right to keep them. Lizzie is determined to keep her diamonds by scheming those around her... until it all goes wrong.

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.

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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: The Pallisers (1974) -- Episodes 1 - 6

My mom and I have started on another series a while ago! This will also be the first period drama that I will be watching for Miss Laurie's Period Drama Challenge (which if you're not participating in, you should be). I'm splitting up the series into multiple reviews since there is so much that is going on, but all the reviews will count as one period drama for the Period Drama Challenge.

But anyways, my mom and I started watching this series a little while ago. We had already seen three period dramas based off of the books of Anthony Trollope and we enjoyed them (some more than others). My mom happened upon this at Amazon and had asked if I had heard of The Palliswers (which I had heard of a while ago) and she bought it for us to watch. We didn't know too much about this series (I knew it had Susan Hampshire in it, who was also in The Barchester Chronicles, and that it was about politics), so we sat down to watch it without knowing very much of it.

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Synopsis
Adapted from The Pallisers series written by Anthony Trollope, the first six episodes follow the events in the first book in the series Can You Forgive Her?. Pressured by her aunt to marry the rich and future duke of Omnium, Plantagenet Palliser, Lady Glencora M'Clusky marries the older Mr. Palliser though she is still in love with the roguish Burgo Fitzgerald. Meanwhile, Glencora's cousin, Alice Vavasor, is engaged to John Grey, but she begins to fall back in love with her cousin, George, who she was engaged to but rejected due to his being unfaithful.

Period Drama Challenge -- January Tag

As I have said before, I am participating in the Period Drama Challenge at Old-Fashioned Charm (though I haven't posted any reviews to submit to it yet, but they're coming!). Miss Laurie of Old-Fashioned Charm will be posting tag questions at the end of each month of the Period Drama Challenge. Here are my answers to January's questions.

Period Drama Challenge at Old-Fashioned Charm

Miss Laurie from Old-Fashioned Charm is hosting a challenge that I simply couldn't resist! This is the first blog challenge that I have accepted. It is called the Period Drama Challenge. In this challenge, you are encouraged to watch a number of period dramas and review them between January 7th and July 7th.

There are different categories for the number of period dramas to watch. I plan to enter into the Period Drama Fanatic category (12-15 films). I hope to update you all with the number of films I have watched along the way (list them out).

I encourage all of you to join in this challenge. It's going to be fun!

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 God Bless,