Cranford
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Movie Reviews of Cranford
Movie Review: Charming perfection
Summary: 5 Stars
The BBC has truly outdone itself with the wonderful production of "Cranford". The triumverate of Judi Dench, Eileen Atkins, and Imelda Staunton makes the series a sheer force of cinematic strength. All three of these leading lights prove incandescent, but their luminous brilliance does not vie for favor--rather, each actress perfectly coplements the other.
Nor is the skill limited to this trio. The supporting cast is also well-matched, with legends Michael Gambon and Francesca Annis lending their assistance, as well as Simon Woods (whom I recognized from "Rome"), the lovely Lesley Manville ("The Cazalets", "North & South"--the 2nd being another Mrs. Gaskell adaptation), and the darling Claudie Blakely ("Gosford Park", as well as 2005's "Pride & Prejudice"), to name but a few.
Purists may squirm that this film is not a verbatim reproduction of Elizabeth Gaskell's novel of the same name, but incorporates much of that book's plotline while adding in those of two other books by her, namely, "Mr. Harrison's Confessions" and "My Lady Ludlow". I found the result to be thoroughly enjoyable.
Cranford's society is dominated by a cadre of thoroughly proper ladies, domineered by the righteous Miss Deborah Jenkyns (Atkins). Her sister, Miss Mathilda (popularly known as Matty) Jenkyns, is softer-hearted; while Deborah is generally unyielding and stern, her sense of compassion and duty does ingratiate her character to the audience eventually. Miss Pole (Staunton) is easily the grande-dame of the village's gossip circuit and her near-hysterical antics in making certain she is "THE FIRST" to pass along juicy tidbits makes for several laugh-out-loud incidents.
While often light-hearted and amusing, "Cranford" does address more sobering issues, such as the rigorous class structure's inherent refusal to allow a person to better himself. This is best played out by Lady Ludlow's (Annis) disgust at learning her head clerk, Mr. Carter, has taught young Harry Gregson (the son of a local squatter/poacher) to read and write. Literacy, according to Lady Ludlow, is a privilege solely reserved for the upper classes; if the lower orders were to attain it, they would not remember their place.
The imminent arrival of the railway in Cranford is another focal point of the storyline. The majority of the village's citizenry loathe the idea and are terrified of the great changes it will surely herald for them all.
Romances, demises, losses of fortune, family squabbles, the bleaching of lace collars, and the manner in which to consume an orange with the greatest degree of propriety [quite seriously--and the results are most amusing!]: "Cranford" affords all this and much more, and will assuredly leave the viewer with gleeful smile and a full heart.
Movie Review: Perfectly captures the eccentricities of a little hamlet in England
Summary: 5 Stars
Cranford aka the Cranford Chronicles, based on Elizabeth Gaskell's story is a stellar production. It is a lush period drama and is very authentic in its portrayal of people living in a little hamlet called Cranford. The sets are beautiful as are the costumes, and of course the production is elevated to a level of excellence by its impeccable casting.
Writer Heidi Thomas does a wonderful job of adapting Elizabeth Gaskell's story [purportedly based on Gaskell's own hometown] and though liberties are taken, the stellar cast more than makes up for whatever deficiencies there may be in the faithfulness of the adaptation. Dame Eileen Atkins [Miss Deborah Jenkins] and Dame Judi Dench [Miss Matty Jenkins] portray two spinster sisters in 1842 who live in the little town of Cranford. Far from being a quiet little hamlet, this little town hums with activity and village gossips, especially a Miss Pole [Imelda Staunton]who flits around from one hearsay to another, avidly passing on any little nuggets of gossip to the other inhabitants.
Cranford is set aflutter by the arrival of a new doctor, Dr Harrison [Simon Woods] who is young, handsome, single and very much into trying new methods of treatment, to the initial consternation of the townspeople. Dr Harrison finds himself attracted to a beautiful local lass, Sophy [Kimberly Nixon] though he inadvertently attracts the romantic affections of other single women in Cranford.
But the story does not merely focus on romance, as there are other more serious themes underlying the series. For one, there is talk of a railroad being built that would go through Cranford, and disrupt the idyllic life in the village, giving rise to the inevitable battle between modernization and the desire for things to remain unchanged. The local rich lady, Lady Ludlow portrayed by Francesca Annis is very much opposed to change, and not only opposes the railroad but also any form of societal change, such as literacy amongst the lower classes [she refuses to hire a maid who is literate, saying the girl's parents did her a disservice by teaching her to read].
There is also the theme of lost love, death and grief. Miss Matty Jenkins[ Judi Dench] finds herself recounting the tale of her lost love [played by Michael Gambon]. This is what makes Cranford such an engaging viewing experience - the absurd [the story of the cat swallowing an anitque lace and how the lace is retrieved] is interlaced with tales of poignancy and everything unfolds leisurely. It is a tale that we wish will never end, and hope to revisit again and again.
Movie Review: CRANFORD IS A PLACE TO VISIT OFTEN.
Summary: 5 Stars
For those who have not tried watching British miniseries, books turned to movies or BBC television; this is the place to start. Cranford is not to long (not long enough, also) being just 5 hour-long episodes. It is a comedy/drama that will delight any new fan. It is an ice cream sundae for those already loving the British Victorian stories. Beautiful costumes and sets. Plus an insane Victorian milk cow (I'll not "spoil" this portion with an explanation).
Cranford has it all. The cast is headed by Judi Dench, being a guarantee of enjoyment for any movie. She is the star in every episode with her superb acting of the character Miss Matty. Like the other ladies of this small British Village, she specializes in knowing the right thing to do and say in every social engagement. It is a laugh-out-loud experience to watch the town's old spinsters interact--especially when the new young doctor arrives in town. It seems young and old alike decide he is their chance for love and living. What a hilarious set of events caused by a prank by the young doctor's friend. If it's not marrying hopefuls wagging their tongues then it's the anti-railroad ladies trying to preserve the perfectness of the small community. You will side with those against the new railroad intrusion.
The ladies will have you laughing one moment and then genuinely moved by their situation the next. What an amazing story, the book written by Elizabeth Gaskill. The British accents are delightful but for those unaccustomed to the dialects, the DVD offers subtitles in English, often a help, yet not distracting when not needed as they are place outside the widescreen box.
The young boy Harry Gregson is played by Alex Etel and is a young, poor chap you will fall in love with. You will want to contribute yourself to his livelihood, this thirst for education, and his dedication to assist his family in survival. The list of fine acting is endless, as the entire cast seems destined for an award for their work.
Yes, Cranford is the DVD to buy to get a taste of British drama/comedy. Be prepared: it is addictive and this particular DVD set is right up at the top. The story is so small-village comfortable and ends so feel-good delightfully that we should all be so lucky as to live in Cranford. Next best idea: replay the story beginning with disc one.
Movie Review: Charming cheese, stellar performances
Summary: 5 Stars
Cranford is an 1840s rural English village where nothing ever really changes and everything obeys an archaic social code of social calling, gossip and mild xenophobia. Thrown into this heady mix of social convention and small-town principles are Mary Smith (Lisa Dillon), the young friend of the Jenkyns sisters (Judi Dench, Eileen Atkins) and Dr. Harrison (Simon Woods), protogeé of the more established and more conventional Dr. Morgan (John Bowe).
The cast list reads like a Who's Who and Who's Left of A-List British acting talent: in addition to the players already named above (all of them giving excellent performances), we have Francesca Annis, Imelda Staunton, Philip Glenister, Deborah Findlay, Julia McKenzie, Michael Gambon, Julia Sawalha - the list goes on and on. I'll just say that the calibre of acting in "Cranford" represents some of the best work of all its principle actors, and make special mention of Judi Dench (the woman can do no wrong, it seems: her beautiful, heart-rending portrayal of Matty Jenkyns is engaging and extremely rewarding), Julia Sawalha (her Spinster-on-the-shelf is one of the series' high points) and Imelda Staunton and Julia McKenzie (roles to match that of Dench: we don;t see enough of either actress, though).
Production design and direction are every bit the equal of the eponymous Firth/Ehle "Pride and Prejudice" or the Gillian Anderson "Bleak House", and Sue Birtwhistle's witty, cleverly adapted script keeps everything moving forward at a gently progressive pace. It's unashamedly feel-good, but don't let the superficial triteness of parts of the plot put you off: "Cranford" contains a wealth of top-drawer acting talent and buckets enough of the feel-good factor, along with hefty dashes of black comedy and romantic drama, and makes the cheese factor a necessary and enjoyable facet of this wonderful series.
I can't tell you much more about "Cranford" without revealing plot spoilers, so I will not: but please don't take the shortness of this review as a reflection of the series' quality: "Cranford", everything about it and everyone in it, is absolutely excellent. If it has a flaw, it's that there's not enough of it to go round. You'll definitely be left wanting more, and in this case, that's a very, very good thing indeed.
Wholly recommended.
Movie Review: Captured and held prisoner in Cranford
Summary: 5 Stars
Help, I'm stuck in a small, Victorian town being pleasantly spied on by a bunch of sweet, proper, opinionated, gossipy, nosey, and at times, crazy Cranford women! I'm due for a timely visit from two elderly sisters who know everything about everyone.
This is not Jane Austen, although there are similarities. There are groups of women, lots of relationships, humor and romance; however, death, disease and disaster also rear up and are more prevalent, and exposed here.
The author, Elizabeth Gaskell (1810-1865) lived after Austen, and wrote the great novels to PBS movies of 'North and South', Wives and Daughters' and was friends with Charlotte 'don't call me Jane Ayre' Bronte. Gaskell penned Bronte's Biography after her demise, and it was in Charles Dicken's mag, 'Household Words' that Cranford appeared in 1853.
Bringing this enchanting place to a 5-hour period piece is an immense undertaking, and BBC does a great job at it. After the recent downpour of Jane Austen/Jane Ayre re-do's, one wonders if there are any towns left to film in England not seen, any English actors not used, any costumes, music, directors, etc., etc., not indulged. Well, it's a different time period than Austen's, and one can't ever get enough English countryside or actors, such as Judi Dench and Eileen Atkins, who portray the sisters and are simply marvelous. Their characters compliment and confront each other perfectly. Atkins plays the crusty one but with a good heart. Dench is sweet and knowing, and through their eyes, Cranford unfolds. On the higher, social spectrum, Lady Ludlow(Francesca Annis) reigns solo, gripping tightly onto her fading world and aplomb.
It's not just a world of older matriarchs, but of young love and misunderstandings, professional clashes between generations, and the ever dominating class struggles. The movie hops and interacts between all the storylines in potpourri fashion, sometimes outrageously funny, other times sad but not morose. Amazing that the editing flows so well.
Although it's not as light and frisky as the BBC/A&E 'Pride and Prejudice' (a tough comparison!), it merits it own applause as a very fine, very 'proper' comedy/drama. And apparently a sequel is planned. I guess I'll never get out of this town. Enjoy.