Cranford
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Movie Reviews of Cranford
Movie Review: Charm Central
Summary: 5 Stars
One of the glories of recent television history, "Cranford" is thoroughly delightful. A story with overlapping plot points hinging on petty small-town customs, it has deeper undercurrents and themes, which underscore the universality of how tradition, the individual, and the larger world intersect. The universally flawless performances (something nearly unheard of in Hollywood productions) of the British cast, some very familiar, some much less so, with an exceptional screenplay cobbled together from several novels make for an experience that surpasses most period pieces. What at first seems to be a superficial satire of an isolated village overseen by a variety of small-minded elder women ruled by meaningless conventions and intentionally oblivious to the larger world becomes a story of how people adapt as a result of the personal and social forces around them, and how all this can bring out the inherent goodness in most people. This last quality is what is ultimately so rewarding. An optimistic and rosy-hued perspective to be sure, but it manages to be very, very sweet without making your teeth hurt. In other hands it could have been a silly, treacly, manipulative farce, as it incorporates elements of camp, comedy, and social satire as well as social realism and tragedy, but here it makes you weep and wish for more.Movie Review: Exceptional movie, I did not want it to end!
Summary: 5 Stars
If you like Jane Austin movies, BBC period movies...then you will love this movie. There are many story lines going on at the same time in the town of Cranford. There are many characters that you grow to love, and some that you love instantly. It is a 5 part series, that you wish would not end. It is clean, which I appreciate.
Spoiler alert: One of the story lines is a new Doctor coming to town to help the already established town Doctor. He is new, has new medical techniques and ideas. So there are many medical scenes. Where the movie is clean I would not recommend it for children under 10. There is a broken arm where you see the bone protruding, an amputation where you don't actually see it but you see the big saw and you hear it. There are many sad deaths in the movie...sad because you have come to love them and want their story line to keep going.
There are many funny parts that had me rolling and I have to say some I did not catch until the second time I watched it. There are many happy parts to the movie and it does have a great happy ending!! It makes you yearn for a small town setting, and for life long friendships that are there through good times and bad times.
I loved this movie and hope they keep making more like it!!
Movie Review: Cranford is Excellent Television
Summary: 5 Stars
I just finished watching the BBC's Cranford miniseries and it was wonderful. The series is set in a small town in 1840s England. Cranford is a town full of unmarried women (very common at the time with all of the men who had died in the Napoleonic wars and those who had gone to the colonies--India, etc) where social decorum and gossip are equally important. Change is afoot in Cranford as the railroad comes into the area and small town life threatens to change forever. The miniseries aptly captures the mood of the age, showing the emotion of the townspeople in a memorable way.
This is a wonderful ensemble piece, even though Judi Dench really does steal just about every scene she's in. All of the main characters are well developed, and as you learn their back-stories you like them even more. When the miniseries was over I wanted more--so I will definitely be renting the other BBC Elizabeth Gaskell movies.
I had never seen any series based on Elizabeth Gaskell novels before, so if you are in doubt, I would recommend this series to anyone who enjoys Jane Austen, Louisa May Alcott, or even the recent BBC version of Bleak House. The miniseries is done with all of the usual BBC taste so be ready to enjoy some quality period fun!
Movie Review: One of the best literary adaptations ever!
Summary: 5 Stars
This marvelous film is based on "Cranford" AND two novellas by Gaskell - "My Lady Ludlow" and "Mr Harrison's Confession". Depending upon which edition of Cranford you purchase, these stories may or may not be included. So much for comparing below the plot of the film to the books.
This adaptation is one of the best ever done and ever shown on the BBC or on PBS here in the States. The acting is beyond first-rate; these actors are so believable, their acting so subtle and yet strong, that one forgets completely that each of the older ladies is an actor of quite a bit of renown. The Victorian essentials of thwarted romance, disappointed hopes, bonnets and shawls, legacies and runaway brothers, country towns and grand estates, are enriched with priceless moments of poignancy and laugh-out-loud humor. If I were to say which actresses run away with the show, they are Judi Dench (quite different here from the feisty woman she often plays) and Imelda Staunton, who apparently can take absolutely any role and make it her own. Lavish scenes shot on location, plenty of outdoors to breathe in, wonderful costumes and details. This is well-worth the buying--I was moved to tears, and can't wait to watch it again.
Movie Review: Excellent.......DVD extras
Summary: 5 Stars
I love this program, and I have often watched it, both on videotape (mine was starting to flip from wear, so I purchased the DVD) and on DVD. For Americans who saw this on PBS, a pleasant surprise is that there are speeches and brief scenes on the BBC DVD sold on Amazon that were never aired on PBS! Some of those are relevant; for example, Mary asks Ms. Pole what her cousin (the Michael Gambon character) did after Miss Mattie refused him. We learn on the DVD he avoided Cranford for 30 years. I'm sure that section of the scene was deleted on PBS's version. There are numerous other scenes like that throughout this set. If you are NOT the type of person to like period dramas set in 1800's England villages, this is not the series for you. But while I admit I doubt I'd enjoy Gaskell's books upon which the series is based (I was not too excited by Doctor Harrison's romance, for example), this series is SO well-acted, paced, scored, and written that it is an absolute delight! I highly recommend it. Fans will be pleased to know a 2-hour sequel has already been filmed for release in America on PBS in 2010. Carl Davis is releasing the soundtrack, at least in Britain, in October 2009 (according to his website).