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I don't know about you but period drama makes me think of drama related to something bloody... anyway, that's the theme for this week's Thursday Movie Picks, the weekly series hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves, the movie genre, I mean, not the other thing. And since I'm not the biggest fan of the genre, I decided to go with three films starring actors I love.
The Favourite (2018) - Review
It's 18th Century England and while Queen Anne (Olivia Coleman) occupies the throne, it's her close friend, Lady Sarah (Rachel Weisz), who rules the country. Things are about to change when Sarah's cousin, Abigail (Emma Stone), enters the pictures. This is not a terrible film but it's definitely was a major disappointment from Yorgos Lanthimos. Also, Coleman didn't deserve that Oscar. Fight me.
Jane Eyre (2011) - Review
Orphan Jane Eyre (Mia Wasikowska) starts working as a governess for a wealthy, cold and mysterious man, Edward Rochester (Michael Fassbender). She soon softens him, they grow close in friendship and she falls for him. But he hides a terrible secret. It's a good-ish adaptation of Brontë's novel. The cinematography and acting are great though.
Mary Queen of Scots (2018) - Review
Mary Stuart (Saoirse Ronan) returns to Scotland to reclaim her rightful throne and she ends up on a collision course with her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I (Margot Robbie), the ruler of both England and Scotland. It was beyond tedious, the characters were bland and uninteresting to say the least, and there are historical inaccuracies everywhere. At least both Ronan and Robbie did a good job in their roles.
I've seen The Favourite and Jane Eyre on your list as I really enjoyed those films while I do want to see Mary, Queen of Scots because of Margot and Saoirse.
ReplyDeleteMargot and Saoirse are pretty much all the good things about Mary Queen of Scots so it won't let you down.
DeleteHa! I feel the same way about Period Dramas...and now I'm never going to be able to say it without thinking of 'the other thing'!
ReplyDeleteJane Eyre was really good but I liked BBC version with Ruth Wilson much better, Wasikowska always looks and acts like a reanimated corpse
ReplyDeleteI saw the BBC version when I was 12-ish but I don't remember much about it.
DeleteI kept meaning to see Mary Queen of Scots! I liked The Favourite, but not a big fan of Jane Eyre. There's just something bleh about Mia Wasikowska to me.
ReplyDeleteI really like her but I get your point.
DeleteSo far, I have only seen The Favorite, which was not my favorite. I'm glad to see someone else didn't love it.
ReplyDeleteYay! Some else who didn't love it.
DeleteInteresting picks and I like that you went with some that you had high hopes for and were disappointed in. Sadly I know that feeling well!
ReplyDeleteWhile I liked it I was also disappointed in The Favourite. From the hype I expected something more. I will say that while all the acting was marvelous, of the three women I thought Rachel Weisz best, it was just sort of shambling. I was charmed by Olivia Colman's glee and humble acceptance speech but I agree she shouldn't have won, at least not in lead-supporting maybe-but the Oscar should have gone to Glenn Close. The Wife might have been middling overall but she was brilliant.
I was even more let down by Mary, Queen of Scots. It's such a compelling story but they made a hash of it. This is what I wrote on Letterboxd after I watched it and it still holds. The costuming and settings are fantastic and the lead actresses quite good but the film comes across as a pageant of impressive set pieces rather than a cohesive whole. While Ronan and Robbie do fine as the dueling Queens they are missing the gravatis and magnetism that Vanessa Redgrave and Glenda Jackson brought to the roles in the 70's. Adequate but average.
Out of the many, many available versions of Jane Eyre my favorite remains the Joan Fontaine/Orson Welles one but this take on the tale is a very good one.
Period films are ones that are one of my favorites to watch which made it quite difficult to get down to three. I decided to go with three literary adaptations that I admired.
A Room with a View (1985)-In the early years of the 20th century English lass Lucy Honeychurch (Helena Bonham-Carter) is making a tour of Italy with her spinster cousin Charlotte (Maggie Smith). At a pensione in Florence, the pair become acquainted with the expansive Mr. Emerson (Denholm Elliott) and his free-spirited son George (Julian Sands). When Charlotte intuits that Lucy is too intrigued by George they depart back to England where Lucy ponders settling down with the wealthy, staid Cecil Vyse (Daniel Day-Lewis). Unexpectedly George reappears in her life and Lucy must decide between a sensible marriage with Cecil or the riskier true love of George. Lush, brilliantly acted comic drama from Merchant/Ivory based on an E.M. Forster novel.
Maurice (1987)-Another Merchant/Ivory adaptation of an E.M. Forster novel but one that was only able to be published posthumously because of the controversial subject matter. In 1909, Maurice Hall (James Wilby) enters Cambridge, where he befriends wealthy Clive Durham (a very young Hugh Grant). Clive confesses he is sexually attracted to Maurice, who realizes he is a homosexual when he begins to return Clive's feelings. The two embark on an intense but chaste affair to avoid tarnishing Clive's reputation, but eventually the relationship ends, and Clive marries Anne (Phoebe Nicholls). While visiting Clive, Maurice is drawn toward his friend's servant, Alec Scudder (Rupert Graves) and a more meaningful relationship looms for the two. Meticulously made with incisive work by the three leading men.
Mansfield Park (1999)-In 1808 poor relation Fanny Price (Frances O'Connor) comes to live with wealthy uncle Sir Thomas (Harold Pinter), his haughty wife Lady Bertram (Lindsay Duncan) and their four children, at their country mansion-Mansfield Park-where she'll be brought up for a proper introduction to society. Indifferently treated by her relatives, except for her cousin Edmund (Jonny Lee Miller) Fanny's life is thrown into disarray with the arrival of worldly Mary Crawford (Embeth Davidtz) with whom Edmund becomes smitten and her brother Henry (Alessandro Nivola). Cunning, duplicitous and sly they cause endless complications for the entire household until a fateful event comes to pass. Solid adaptation of one of Jane Austen’s lesser known works.
That's basically my point. She should/could have won supporting but not lead.
DeleteA Room with a View is the only of your picks that I've seen and I was not a fan of it. I kinda hated it to be honest.
We matched on The Favourite! I really enjoy all three of these movies.
ReplyDeleteI wish I could say the same.
DeleteI've been seeing The Favourite and Jane Eyre on many people's lists. I need to check those movies out!
ReplyDeleteHere’s my Thursday Movie Picks!
Ronyell @ The Surreal Movies and TV Blog
The Favourite was many people's favourite last year so, yeah, you should give it a shot.
DeleteCool pics, I agree with Favourite and Jane Eyre. I would also add to the mix Pride & Prejudice (the Keira Knightley version).
ReplyDeleteThat's the only version I've seen and I wasn't a fan of it 😅
DeleteI thought I already wrote here:) The only one I saw was the last one and I found Mary, Queen of Scots sounding like a spoiled brat and Margo Robbie was trying too hard to be Cate Blanchett
ReplyDeleteI don't know about that as I'm yet to see Elizabeth. I'm sorry you didn't like the actresses.
DeleteI absolutely love love this version of Jane Eyre. The movie looks beautiful, the music is great and both leads are just perfect in their roles.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it's pretty well done.
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