Period Movies Box - Mansfield Park (1999) - Reviewed

Mansfield Park (1999)

My Overall Rating - 6.5/10

Mansfield Park - Frances O' Connor

Mansfield Park, another masterpiece by Jane Austen. Like all other movies made on Austen's books this one too is a good period drama to watch. The movie stars Frances O' Connor, Jonny Lee Miller, Alessandro Nivolo, Sophia Myles among the rest. The protagonist of the novel is Fanny Price, young and intelligent woman but with a humble background. The story follows Fanny's life at her home with a large family and scarce resources and the years when she is sent to live at her rich aunt's at Mansfield Park.

Let me be very clear at the outset, if you're expecting something which is like Pride and Prejudice, I'm afraid you'd disappointed. Though the leading character of the story is intelligent and good you won't be able to connect with her as much as you did with Elizabeth Bennet or Elinor Dashwood. The movie differs from the novel in more ways than one. Not to ignore, Mansfield Park was the least famous of Jane Austen's books according to the general belief and I think the same. The one thing which I didn't like at all was the change made to the character of Fanny Price. In the novel, Fanny is shown to be shy and timid, never giving her opinions on a topic where as in the movie Fanny is shown as extrovert as any woman could be at that time (we are talking about early 1800s here for God's sake).

Overall, the acting and the performances are good and I don't think that the actors can be blamed for any drawbacks in the movie. The differences made to the plot of the movie from the original book is definitely annoying since they have made changes to the personality of the protagonist herself. Still, the movie is a good one time watch and you won't regret your two hours you invest on it.

IMDb Link - Mansfield Park
Wikipedia Link - Mansfield Park

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Period Movies Box - Keira Knightley (Prominent Faces of Period Cinema)

Keira Knightley

Born	Kiera Christina Knightley 26 March 1985 (age 26) Teddington, London, England
Occupation	Actress, model
Years active	1993–present

Young and dynamic Keira Knightley has done wonders in the movie industry. She has proved her acting skills now and again in different roles and different genres of cinema. Also, she has been nominated for Oscar for her portrayal of Elizabeth Bennett in Pride & Prejudice. 


At such a young age she has already worked in a number of period movies and against the best of performers in Hollywood. 




Her period movie list -

• Oliver Twist -1999
• Pirates of the Carribean - 2003,2006,2007
• King Arthur - 2004
• Pride and Prejudice - 2005
• Atonement - 2007
• The Edge of Love - 2008
• The Duchess - 2008

We will soon see her in other period movie A Dangerous Mind.

Period Movies - Nicholas Nickleby - Reviewed

Nicholas Nickleby (2002)

Cast: Charlie Hunnam, Jamie Bell, Christopher Plummer, Jim Broadbent, Anne Hathaway, Romola Garai

Charles Dickens, like William Shakespeare, is one of those reliable authors to whom filmmakers can turn when they have a desire to produce something with a classical bent. The length and complexity of many of Dickens' novels makes them a challenge to adapt into motion picture screenplays (the ideal format for them is the television mini-series). Nicholas Nickleby is especially problematic. Not only is the book a gargantuan 800+ pages (depending on font size), but it is rather… shall we say… slow.

Writer/director Douglas McGrath, who gave a similar treatment to Emma six years ago, has successfully condensed Nicholas Nickleby to the point where it can fit into a time span of less than two and one-quarter hours without doing irreparable damage to the story's essence. The narrative shows occasional hiccups, but, considering how it has been shoehorned, it is reasonably clear. The characters, while losing some of their depth, are nevertheless well-defined. And the pace has been greatly quickened. Dickens' book is an excellent means to aid the onset of sleep; McGrath's movie zips along. Yet, despite the differences, this still feels like Dickens, perhaps because the best things about Nicholas Nickleby remain, including the uniquely Dickensian setting (19th century England) and characters.

The title character is played by British TV actor Charlie Hunnam, whose good looks prove not to be a detriment to his ability to play the 19-year old only son of a recently deceased country gentleman. When Nicholas' father dies, leaving behind a legacy of debt, the young man is forced to travel with his mother and sister, Kate (Romola Garai), to London to seek the assistance of Nicholas' uncle, Ralph (Christopher Plummer). A notorious miser with little concern for his poorer relations, Ralph nevertheless appears to show signs of humanity by securing a position for Nicholas as the assistant headmaster at a rural boys' school, working for Wackford Squeers (Jim Broadbent). Soon, however, Nicholas learns that his uncle has given him an unbearably odious job – Squeers is a sadist who delights in punishing the children in his charge. One day, when Squeers is beating the crippled boy Smike (Jamie Bell), Nicholas loses patience with the headmaster and turns the cane on him. He then departs, taking Smike with him. This action enrages Ralph, exacerbating his already prickly relationship with Nicholas and encouraging Ralph to take revenge upon Kate, who is under his "protection."

McGrath's Nicholas Nickleby is set up as a struggle of good, as personified by Nicholas, against evil, as represented by Ralph. Each of these characters has various allies, but the final struggle is between the two of them. In the acting department, Christopher Plummer is vastly superior to Hunnam, who gives a straightforward but unspectacular portrayal of Nicholas. Plummer essays Ralph like Scrooge – sinister, nasty, miserly, and driven exclusively by base emotions and desires. The difference is that, while one dramatic night results in Scrooge's redemption, there is no such light at the end of the tunnel for Ralph. (Dickens wrote Nicholas Nickleby a few years before A Christmas Carol.) The supporting players - including Jim Broadbent as the oily, vicious Squeers; Anne Hathaway as Madeline Bray, the other half of Nicholas' heart; and Billy Elliot's Jamie Bell as Smike - represent a strong group of secondary actors. Nathan Lane, Alan Cumming, and Timothy Spall also have small parts.

The progression of the story is somewhat episodic, as is characteristic of many of Dickens' tales. Purists and die-hard aficionados of the novel may be dismayed by the manner in which it has been adapted, with all of the fat trimmed off (and, as I'm sure some will comment, some of the meat and bone with it), but, for a general movie-going audience, Nicholas Nickleby works. This is the engaging story of an upright man's quest to protect his family, find love, and see justice done. As a means to bring a classic novel to the attention of a modern audience, McGrath's Nicholas Nickleby is a success.

--James Berardinelli, ReelViews

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Period Movies Box - Colin Firth (Prominent faces of Period Cinema)

COLIN FIRTH

Born	Colin Andrew Firth 10 September 1960 (age 50) Grayshott, Hampshire, England
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1983–present

   (Source - Wikipedia)




If you could make a list of versatile actors then I think you cannot miss out Colin Firth. Be it comedy, romance, adventure or drama, he has proved himself the master of all the genres. Comedies like Nanny McPhee, muscial like Mamma Mia or romance like Bridget Jones, he has done it all and with great finesse. He recently won the Oscar for his extraordinary portrayal of the character of King George VI in the movie The King's Speech. He also bagged the Golden Globe for the same role. 


His period movie list:

• A Month in the Country - 1987
• Valmont - 1989
• The Advocate - 1993
• Pride and Prejudice - 1995
• Shakespeare in Love - 1998
• The Turn of the Screw - 1999
• Girl with a Pearl Earring - 2004
• The Last Legion - 2007
• The King's Speech - 2010

We will soon see him again acting in a period movie Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.

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Period Movies Box - Most Prominent Faces of Period Cinema - Maggie Smith

Greetings!


I thought of posting about the actors and actresses who have been very prominent when it comes to Period Cinema. Since there are many on the list, I'll be posting about them in parts in different posts (posts will be labelled as Prominent Face or PF).


To start with, I am going to write about one of my most favorite acting personalitie in the world, one of the most celebrated actresses and iconic Maggie Smith!


MAGGIE SMITH

Born	Margaret Natalie Smith 28 December 1934 (age 76) Ilford, London, England
Other names	Dame Maggie Smith
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1952–present

    (Source - Wikipedia)



'One of the world's most famous and distinguished actress', as quoted on IMDb and so she is. She has also won the Oscar two time for her performances in The Prime of Jean Brodie(1969) and California Suite(1978).


No matter what your age is, I am sure you must have seen this marvel on screen since she is extremely versatile. Younger fans know her by the name of Prof. McGonnagal in the Harry Potter series. The works of Smith are numerous and more so excellent. If we were to start discussing all her works I guess I will have to write another blog or two, all in her praise so I will only write down the names of the period movies she has worked in.


The list is famous!

• Quartet -1981
• A Room with a View - 1985
• Washington Square - 1997
• David Copperfield - 1999
• Gosford Park - 2001
• Becoming Jane - 2007
• Capturing Mary - 2007
• Time to Time - 2009
• Downtown Abbey - 2010-2011

The second season of Downtown Abbey is about to go air and we will see her on the screen soon!