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I've just been watching 'Cranford'.
I'd seen its presence as a rerun on some of the cheap channels and decided it would make a good Father's Day gift for my FIL. We bought him the DVDs, and he watched and enjoyed them, and we've just borrowed them.
It's surprisingly endearing. I've not read any Elizabeth Gaskell, all I knew was that it's a period piece with an *amazingly* stellar cast—Judi Dench, Eileen Atkins, Imelda Staunton, Julia Mackenzie, Francesca Annis, Jim Carter, Julia Sawalha, Greg Wise and more. There's a kid (Alex Etel) in there who is stellar. Apparently the actor is at university now; I hope to see more of him when he graduates.
It's lovely. The team behind it is very much female, which is awesome, and most of the action shows us the women living their lives. Fandom would go straight for the handsome young doctor, of course (and probably slash him with the nice looking young carpenter), but the relationships between the women are the real substance. Plus, as Imelda Staunton points out in the 'making of', so many worthwhile parts for middle-aged (and old) women—real characters instead of background. As a middle-aged woman myself, I firmly appreciate this.
*
Part two, 'Return to Cranford', is set a couple of years later, and was recorded enough later that young Alex Etel was a foot taller! This is in two 90-minute parts, the first of which is a little disappointing in that the pace seems much more breakneck and overdramatic. But the second part takes its time again, and is lovely.
There are some cast changes—it brings in Jonathan Pryce and Michelle Dockery. It brings in, ahaha, Tom Hiddleston and Jodi Whittaker (who fall in love). It brings in Tim Curry! Really, what could be better? (Well, I suppose it could have had Patrick Stewart, but we cannot have everything.)
I recommend it, if you missed it first time round, and if you can find it.
I'd seen its presence as a rerun on some of the cheap channels and decided it would make a good Father's Day gift for my FIL. We bought him the DVDs, and he watched and enjoyed them, and we've just borrowed them.
It's surprisingly endearing. I've not read any Elizabeth Gaskell, all I knew was that it's a period piece with an *amazingly* stellar cast—Judi Dench, Eileen Atkins, Imelda Staunton, Julia Mackenzie, Francesca Annis, Jim Carter, Julia Sawalha, Greg Wise and more. There's a kid (Alex Etel) in there who is stellar. Apparently the actor is at university now; I hope to see more of him when he graduates.
It's lovely. The team behind it is very much female, which is awesome, and most of the action shows us the women living their lives. Fandom would go straight for the handsome young doctor, of course (and probably slash him with the nice looking young carpenter), but the relationships between the women are the real substance. Plus, as Imelda Staunton points out in the 'making of', so many worthwhile parts for middle-aged (and old) women—real characters instead of background. As a middle-aged woman myself, I firmly appreciate this.
*
Part two, 'Return to Cranford', is set a couple of years later, and was recorded enough later that young Alex Etel was a foot taller! This is in two 90-minute parts, the first of which is a little disappointing in that the pace seems much more breakneck and overdramatic. But the second part takes its time again, and is lovely.
There are some cast changes—it brings in Jonathan Pryce and Michelle Dockery. It brings in, ahaha, Tom Hiddleston and Jodi Whittaker (who fall in love). It brings in Tim Curry! Really, what could be better? (Well, I suppose it could have had Patrick Stewart, but we cannot have everything.)
I recommend it, if you missed it first time round, and if you can find it.
