Mostly ramblings on historical dramas and some links and pics.

[magog_83]

Hello hello hello!!

I have missed LJ this past week :) This is going to be a bit of a mish-mash of a post I'm afraid.

First of all I have some apologies to make. To wolfangeldeath whose birthday it was yesterday (happy belated birthday!), and to whom I promised I would try to write some Percy. As you can see, I didn't manage it :( But I do still intend to, this past couple of weeks have just been a bit mad. I've started a new volunteering placement and have been working a lot and not writing much at all. I should also apologise to all those following School Nemeses, I've had a flurry of extra comments recently and a new chapter is long overdue. I have two more chapters written, I'm just feeling a bit wobbly over them at the moment :/

In other news, I have a couple of links and some randomness about historical dramas I have loved (and the famous people they starred, such as Johnny Lee Miller, Michael Fassbender and Sean Bean).

2000 year old Greek God mosaic discovered in Roman cellar

Juicy details & pics of Downton Abbey, series two! (ITV period drama)

CUTE BABY OWL. Keep watching until 0.50 for bonus adorable head scritching. TOO CUTE. :D

Now... onto historical dramas that are Awesome.

I've been dying to watch The Devil's Whore again recently and so I ordered it online and THEN discovered it is on Channel 4's website to watch again (see HERE if you live in the UK and would like to watch it). For those who haven't heard of it, it's a four part drama set in the seventeenth century and following the fortunes of Angelica Fanshawe, played by the beautiful Andrea Riseborough, as she struggles through the English Civil War and the upheavals that come after. It also stars John Simm, Dominic West and Michael Fassbender.







I found it utterly fascinating because not only is Angelica a strong and interesting heroine who gradually learns to use her brain and confronts the hypocrisy she finds around her, but it also manages to introduce you to a lot of historical events without ever turning into a history lesson. Angelica starts off a young noble born bride, then she witnesses the fall of King Charles I, meets leading levellers Thomas Rainsborough (Michael Fassbender, who she falls in love with and marries) and John Lilburne, as well as Oliver Cromwell (Dominic West) and all the while she is helped by Edward Sexby (John Simm).

ETA: AHAHAHA ALSO EPISODE TWO FEATURES DANIEL RYAN, JETHRO'S (COLIN'S) DAD IN 'MIDNIGHT' #whenfandomscollide

Anyway, that got me thinking of other historical dramas I've really enjoyed, not based on novels as such, but rather ones based around real historical people and events.

One of my favourites in Cadfael, based on the books by Ellis Peters. They follow the adventures of Brother Cadfael, a Welsh monk at the Benedictine Abbey of Shrewsbury who solves crimes. NO WAIT, COME BACK. It really is brilliant! Not only are the mysteries clever and exciting, but it's also set during the civil war of the twelfth century between King Stephen and Empress Maud and so has loads of historical detail and references to wider events.

Also, it stars SIR DEREK JACOBI as Cadfael in the tv adaptations.

Yes, I own the complete 4 series on dvd - what of it?

Cadfael also stars a young Johnny Lee Miller and his Mullet.

Shockingly, the Mullet was not found guilty of any crime.

I also used to love watching Sharpe, set during the Napoleonic Wars and based on the novels of Bernard Cornwell. It starred Sean Bean as Richard Sharpe.

I think it was the rigorous attention to historical detail that attracted me to the show

And then of course there were all my Tudor dramas, particularly concerning Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth I. My favourite ever Anne Boleyn dramatisation was Dorothy Tutin in the 1970s BBC mini series of filmed plays, The Six Wives of Henry VIII.

I couldn't embed it, but there's a clip of it here: Anne Boleyn talks to Cranmer in the Tower (skip over the Thomas Cromwell scenes at the start).

More recently, I absolutely LOVED Anne Marie Duff in The Virgin Queen, far and away the best Elizabethan drama since Glenda Jackson in Elizabeth R.



What historical dramas do you guys like? My list is obviously Anglo-centric, but I'd been very interested to hear of examples from elsewhere! I've watched a few from elsewhere in Europe especially that I've really enjoyed, La Reine Margot, Sophie Scholl, The Lives of Others, Los Borgia etc :)

Comments

[giecast.livejournal.com]

I suffered from LJ withdrawal this past week. Ugh! And I wanted so much to look at Comic Con stuff, so it was really annoying. So I spent the week flopping around and trawling listopia again.

Ooh Cadfael looks interesting. History and crime-solving in one show! Yep, sounds awesome.

Ohai there, Sean Bean. He looks really sexy in that photo. (And also leaner?) Om nom nom.

[magog-83.livejournal.com]

Oooooh Listopia looks very interesting! Is it wrong that when I saw the heading 'Best Gay Historical Fiction', I thought "obviously, that one where Merlin and Arthur live in Regency times... And the one where Merlin's a Victorian doctor... And the one set in the 17th century where Merlin uses Arthur as inspiration for Romeo and Juliet..." :D :D

I have a one track mind!

You should definitely watch Cadfael if you ever get the chance, the books are brilliant too.

SO MUCH COMIC CON STUFF. interviews and bloopers and tin hat shining. Did you see the twitter gossip? Colin and Bradley got the plane home together and sat next to each other! A girl saw them on the plane and got their autographs (she posted a pic of their autographs).

[giecast.livejournal.com]

Listopia is a happy place! Lots of great LGBT novels on those lists.

Totally not wrong of you to think that. I need more Arthur/Merlin Regency AU in my life! Especially one with lots of Regency romance cliches. =DD

I read that one about how they're on the same flight! And people are like "oh Bradley totally introduced Colin to his dad" haha. Clearly, this is fact. No one can convince me otherwise. Awww I really missed the B/C love. It seems like it's all about the knights these days, and I find myself worrying that Colin might be getting left out. Which is a bit silly. But still.

[norwegianblue47.livejournal.com]

I think it was the rigorous attention to historical detail that attracted me to the show

You know, I also appreciate rigorous attention to historical detail in shows that have Sean Bean in them.

Thanks so much for sharing the pretty. And I was kind of making owl squeaking noises while watching that vid. It killed me.

[magog-83.livejournal.com]

Yes, there is just something about Sean Bean shows that speaks to the historical purist in all of us :D It totally explains his popularity.

The owl was RIDICULOUSLY CUTE. Its giant eyes! And the blissful look on its face when it was getting scratched. You would have to have a heart of stone not to melt at that <3

[archaeologist-d.livejournal.com]

I wish we could get more of the BBC costume dramas over here. At least they had Downton abbey but I'd love to see more of the ones you listed.

[magog-83.livejournal.com]

Yes, I heard Downton Abbey was popular in the US! That's ITV though (hence the gazillion advert breaks unfortunately). Although it's about the only decent thing ITV have put out in a while, everyone was really surprised!! The BBC did a new version of Upstairs Downstairs around the same time though that was excellent, then there was 'The Night Watch' recently, an adaptation of Sarah Waters' novel. I'm looking forward to Christmas, there is always good stuff on at Christmas!

You reminded me that I meant to share the Virgin Queen soundtrack on this post and I forgot :( I put it in a zip file and everything!

Edited for my terrible grammar.

[bigolarthurfan.livejournal.com]

So much on which to comment. Baby owl is incredibly cute. I guess cute isn't exactly the right word for that historically detailed photo. Somehow I go hot and cold on Sean Bean depending on the role. However he looks plenty fine in that photo. I like the Cadfael series too, although didn't you comment at some point on some seriously incredible hiking around England in one of them? I too will be checking out the Listopia LGBT listings, although I hate that acronym. It always sounds like a deli/diner sandwich to me ("one LGBT and a side of fries coming right up"). I know that's not PC, but I'm a Gay man and I've put in serious work on behalf of my community over many years so I figure I get the right to grouse a bit.

Downton Abbey showed here in the US on public TV, which meant no commercials. It is part of the Masterpiece show produced out of Boston that brings high end British productions to the US under the banners of Masterpiece Classics, Mysteries and Contemporary. I watched Zen tonight on M-Mystery. I have to say to my American ear it seemed odd to have an Italian setting with all those crisp English accents and only a few Italian. I suppose that must be how some US productions sound to your ears. But Mr. Sewell is cetainly easy on my eyes. The new Upstairs Downstairs showed under the Classics series.

Two period films leap to mind. One is The Illusionist, set in pre-WWI Vienna. Although the wonderful Philip Glass score may have something to do with why I really like this movie. The other is Casanova with Heath Ledger, which is somewhat silly but I think rather charming. Oh! I don't know if they count as historical and they're based on books but I'd mention the first several in the Tales of the City series. The first three books (I think it's the first three) were written pre-AIDS and they feel like from a different era to me. Of course, I love the various Austen adaptations, as well as a few of the Forster ones, but they don't count under your criteria. A brilliant US based film is Inherit the Wind, or To Kill A Mockingbird, but these aren't really historical in the sense that I think you mean. And now I think on it, one is based on a play and the other on a novel. Nothing is leaping to mind for say, the colonial period in America. I'll probably post this and immediately think of several.

[magog-83.livejournal.com]

I did!!! That was the Cadfael episode where they left a critically injured man in a clearing somewhere in Eastern England with no food or water and walked to Shrewsbury on the Welsh borders for help. Ah, memories :D It's mostly pretty great though, and Hugh Bonneville (the earl in Downton Abbey) is in one episode with terrible hair and a beard.

I haven't seen Zen. I know what you mean about the accents though, they did that with a British version of the Swedish drama Wallander and it sounded very odd! Especially as they were speaking English but kept randomly throwing in Swedish names for certain things.

I've seen the Illusionist I think - with Edward Norton?? I am starting to see a Rufus Sewell theme here... Have you seen him in Charles II: The Power and the Passion?? He was great in that too, and he wasn't a baddie!

I'm trying to think if I've seen any set in colonial America. I've read a few books based there. One of my favourites when I was younger was 'The Witch of Blackbird Pond', set in the Puritan colonies. Then the Morland Dynasty series that I love has a whole branch of the (fictional) family living in America from the 18th century and so it follows the war with England and then the civil war - actually it follows it from the Southern point of view which I found very interesting.

[jamie15.livejournal.com]

Oooh, I'm so excited about series 2 of Downton Abbey! Looks like it's going just as wonderful as the first one, judging by the pics and the tiny spoilers :)! (Also, this line just killed me: Dame Maggie/Professor Minerva McBadass as Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham :)! Sooo true!)

Shockingly, the Mullet was not found guilty of any crime.

You mean except for existing? The punishment fort that is, I believe, a haircut.

And finally, that owl is too cute! Watching this video was probably my Moment of Mushisness this week :)!

Well, except for this one maybe: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlMSSRweLWM&feature=fvst

[magog-83.livejournal.com]

AHAHAHAHA THE PANDA JUMPS SO HARD!

Also, that description is hilarious, and completely fits the national treasure that is Dame Maggie :D :D

I was really surprised at how much I enjoyed series one of Downton, I wasn't expecting much from ITV but it was excellent, and I loved the younger rebellious sister, Sybil, she was especially brilliant!

I forgot that you asked me ages ago if I was still writing JE and I forgot to answer properly. I am still writing it, it's just reached 70k and Mr Mason has just been attacked by Bertha! DRAMA-RAMA.

[jamie15.livejournal.com]

I KNOW! The poor panda looks like it's about to suffer a heart attack to be honest! And then it just sort of turns and looks into the camera rather baffled, holding it's snack xD!

I just love Maggie Smith! She is such a brilliant actress! In fact I think one of my favourite scenes in HP 7 part 2 is one with her - do you remember the part where she makes the statues come to life with this really awesome spell and then goes "I've ALWAYS wanted to do that!" That just killed me :D!

To be honest, I was rather surprised as well when I learned that it was an ITV production - because, considering what I see on ITV on a daily basis it doesn't look like they produce high-quality programmes regularly ...

70k?! WOW! I'm so looking forward to reading this :D! And you've only just reached Mr. Mason being attacked? I sense a fandom classic on its way ... :D But so you've decided to keep Bertha as Bertha now?

Also, on an unrelated sidenote: I think lj is fast becoming too complicated for me - have you seen with how many different things you can leave comments since recently? Now there's not only facebook, lj and OpenID but tons of other stuff as well O.o!

[magog-83.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't say fandom classic, it's too slow moving for that! Yes, I have decided to keep Bertha. I like that I can make up the background story for her and not have any preconceptions. She's even more of a sad figure in mine, I think, than in the novel. Also, she's provides a parallel for Morgana later, in a way :)

It is stupidly long though. It takes over 10k for Arthur and Merlin to meet. But I fell in love with Will and couldn't kill him off without showing his and Merlin's friendship. Then there are lots of random extra scenes I have put in and little Mordred and banter and Merlin's Inner Thoughts.

Downton Abbey is about the best thing on ITV, they've thrown tons of money at it. Everyone calls it a BBC drama anyway, which must be very annoying!!

[jamie15.livejournal.com]

I mean, I'm horrible at estimating, but I think it does take about 10k for Jane and Mr. Rochester to meet in the book as well - so you should be fine really :)! And yay for Merlin and Will friendship - I think people are going to love you for that! (And even if people won't - I will! :D)

Very interested in Merlin's Inner Thoughts, of course ... although you just gave me a flash back to my anime fan days and now I think I need to go and see if Naruto has finally come to an end ... (yes, I am quite a geek at heart :D!)

It definitely must be very annoying! All that hard work and it gets credited to the BBC! It's bad enough that nobody would watch the Royal Wedding on ITV and they lost to the BBC!

It's seriously good though!

And yes, I can understand that fear very well - I like to keep my "real life" and my "online life" separate as well. It just gives me a way of ... venting I guess, and of indulging in fandom. I'd be hopelessly embarrassed if any of my school friends got to read what I write on lj ...

Facebook and lj do not mix - period.

[magog-83.livejournal.com]

Also, to that last bit, I live in constant fear of accidentally cross-posting to facebook or somewhere! I do NOT want people I went to school with knowing about fandom.

[magog-83.livejournal.com]

Ooooh I am very intrigued by Charlemagne! It has a very good write up on imdb too, I wonder if it's out on dvd here??

I haven't seen The Borgias! I was tempted, but just never got round to it. I did see an Italian drama about the family which was excellent (if gory).

You should definitely catch some more of Downton Abbey if you can, it gets even better as it develops, the younger sister especially is brilliant. She gets all bolshy and independent and starts helping the parlour maid find her dream secretarial job!

[overtsock.livejournal.com]

KLJNFSKJDFN THE OWL.

I am weirdly obsessed with owls...have been since I was little. I blame it on my grandmother, who was also owl-obsessed, and all the little owl figurines she had around. They're...a hoot! /terrible pun.

I think I would enjoy all these movies, but I haven't seen any of them! *adds to list* Who doesn't love a historical drama? I know your perception of me is as someone who is very strict about historical accuracy (HAHA PSYCH), but I also enjoy The Tudors so...yeah.

[magog-83.livejournal.com]

That is a terrible terrible pun. FEEL VERY ASHAMED. :D :D :D

I did watch some of the Tudors, especially the Anne Boleyn stuff as she is one of my favourite historical figures. I enjoyed it more than I expected to! I think I only started getting disturbed by it when I saw some of the youtube video comments where people were getting into passionate debates about whether Princess Mary should have been allowed to marry that Lutheran prince and acting like it really happened. Then I was a bit O_O

Natalie Dormer was brilliant though <3

[dk323.livejournal.com]

I was looking at the picture of Andrea Riseborough and wondering why she looked familar to me. After checking on IMDB, I found out she was in Never Let Me Go and also in the original pilot of Being Human. It certainly makes me interested in seeing her in The Devil's Whore...(not to mention Michael Fassbender and John Simm...awesome cast :)).

Thanks for the link to the latest on S2 of Downton Abbey. I saw S1 when it aired over here on PBS and I greatly enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to S2 (and rather excited that someone from Game of Thrones will be on the show).

That baby owl is so cute! Awww. ♥

[magog-83.livejournal.com]

I remember her from Being Human! I didn't know she was in Never Let Me Go though. She also played Margaret Thatcher recently I think. The cast of Devil's Whore is excellent, it even has the man who played Colin's dad in 'Midnight' in episode 2! WHEN FANDOMS COLLIDE.

I cannot resist the adorableness of that owl. SO VERY CUTE.

[dk323.livejournal.com]

She played a minor character in Never Let Me Go. She was from one of the other "boarding schools" and she was with that guy (he was a redhead I believe). Since they were a couple, they asked the other three about getting out of being a donor for a little bit if they were in love with someone. That was the scene in the diner.

I love it when fandoms collide. :)

Yes, that owl is adorable. ♥

[bigolarthurfan.livejournal.com]

Oh my! I forgot the thing that most excited me---more School Nemeses! And Percy is always welcome.

[magog-83.livejournal.com]

:D Aww thank you! I just need to get my backside in gear. I'm working on Jane Eyre too so that;s taking up all my spare time at the moment.

[xthursdaynextx.livejournal.com]

I love historical dramas. Too many to mention but particular favourites include Tipping the Velvet and Fingersmith. Keeley Hawes as a Victorian lesbian *___*



Also both recent versions of Persuasion. The 1995 one with Amanda Root and Ciaran Hinds is gorgeous but the 2007 version is also good and it has Anthony Head in it.


Plus Middlemarch, where Rufus Sewell gets to be a good guy for a change

[magog-83.livejournal.com]

I loved Tipping the Velvet! I saw that when it was first on telly, Sarah Waters is a brilliant author <3

Persuasion in my favourite Jane Austen novel and I have the 1995 one on video AND dvd - it was filmed in Bath (my local city) and the kiss scene was filmed out the back of the shop I worked in! I watched the more recent one, but for some reason I just couldn't get on with Sally Hawkins as Anne :/ I loved everyone else, but she wasn't the Anne I imagined she'd be for some reason.

[xthursdaynextx.livejournal.com]

Since I posted that comment I got the urge to watch the 2007 Persuasion again this evening! Anthony Head is great but I think they change too much from the book, especially towards the end. (I may or may not now crave Persuasion based Merlin fic...)