Both of these shows are based on novels written by Elizabeth Gaskell. Elizabeth Gaskell (1810-1865) was an "English novelist and short story writer during the Victorian era. She lived/wrote just after Jane Austens' time.
Wives & Daughters - novel written in 1865 - "The story revolves around Molly Gibson, only daughter of a widowed doctor living in a provincial English town in the 1830s". (wiki)
In 1999 BBC produced a 4-part mini-series, which is the one I rented through Netflix.
Cranford - novel written in 1851. The BBC took Cranford and two other EG novels and used them to make the TV series Cranford that came out in 2007/2008 through Masterpiece Theater. The TV series is "set in the early 1840's in the fictional village of Cranford, in the county of Cheshire, in North West England, the story focuses primarily on the town's single and widowed middle class female inhabitants who are comfortable with their traditional way of life and place great store on propriety and maintaining an appearance of gentility. "complicated portrait of a group of women inhabiting a town wrestling with modernity and the inevitability of change." (Netflix) I was excited to discover that some of the actors/actresses in Cranford appeared in other Austen films I love. Remember Mr. Bingley in the Keira Knightley version of Pride & Prejudice? Well, he is the doctor in Cranford and plays a very prominent role. Also, the gossip in Emma Thompson's Sense & Sensibility, she is also the gossip in Cranford. Other famous people are in it - Oscar-winner, Judi Dench and Michael Gambon (Harry Potter films).
Cranford was definitely my favorite of the two, and just today, I realized the BBC just produced Return to Cranford, which unfortunately aired last week on PBS and I missed it. But, for a short time, you are able to watch it online through Masterpiece Theater. This is what my Friday night will consist of!
Hope you enjoy too!
4 comments:
Are you watching the Masterpiece Theaters' new retelling of Jane Austen's books? They air Sunday night at 8. I'll check into Cranford, I loved Wives and Daughters. I didn't understand why they were showing a Return to Cranford, but now I do!
Have you seen Larkrise to Candleford? LOVE that series! It airs Saturday night at 8 - and they don't show them online, but you can rent them on Netflix and because I really really like it, I've watched bootleg copies on YouTube :).
Were you the one who told me about North and South (BBC)? It is very very very good!
Thank you for sharing! I'll check back and see if anyone else has suggestions! I'm always looking for videos when Phil is at his bible study.
I watched the Masterpiece Theater Jane Austen movies when they first released them...back in 2008 or early 2009...can't remember. They were great and I noticed today they have been reshowing them. It looked like they were mainly showing them on Sunday nights which are bad for us...usually have Bible study and we don't have a DVR/Tevo. I have not seen the other two you mentioned, but will definitely check them out. And, I have North and South in my Netflix que...have not seen it yet, so I don't think I am the one that recommended it to you. Please let me know if you find anything else good.
I am definitely going to check these out, thanks for posting about them (love this genre)
Hey LeeAnn...glad to hear from you on here. I actually just got a returned Christmas card I sent to you guys back in December. I had your wrong address...just got the right one from Emily. Take care..
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