Lilies
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Movie Reviews of Lilies
Movie Review: I watched it all in one day...
Summary: 5 Stars
...so addicted was I to the next turn of the plot!
"Lilies" follows the lives of the Moss family, led by Nelson "Dadda", comprised of son William (Billy) and daughters Iris, May, and Ruby. Mrs. Mary Moss has been dead approximately 15 years and Iris, the eldest, has become the lady of the house. Dadda works as an amateur veterinarian and herbalist. Iris creates confections and sells them to a local sweets store. May is in service to the nouveau-riche Mr. and Mrs. Brazendale. Ruby, William's twin and the youngest, just starts into peddling women's corsets at the beginning of the series.
The Mosses live in the early 1920s in Liverpool, and their lives are mirros of the times. The influx of jazz music and the popularity of the silent films persist throughout; the beginnings of social change through contraception and women's suffrage figure into it as well.
Religious differences and class distinction also play large roles. Dadda, an Ulsterman, is vigorously Protestant, and his sons were raised in his church--elder son Walter having perished in action in World War I.
The Moss daughters were raised in their mother's Roman Catholic faith (although their names would hardly have been given Baptismal approval for the era of their birth -- the 1890s -- by any Catholic priest, as none of them are saints names). On more than one occasion the division of churches causes issues within the family. Young Rev. Malachi Melia, the pastor of the girls' parish, plays a large role in many episodes.
The daughters are the central figures in this series, given its title from a toast made by Dadda that, while the bulbs he'd planted in the little garden on Portugal Street as a newly-married (and very young) man never prospered, he'd been blessed by "my girls, who are my lilies".
Iris is common-sensical but harbors a yearning for her own marriage and motherhood. The unlikely-named Domingo appears the perfect match--until a secret dismantles Iris' hopes and dreams. May, who initially seems as sensible as her elder sister, ends up in the midst of high drama with her employer, becoming pregnant by him. Ruby, the feistiest of the trio, becomes entranced by the social movements of women's liberation and embraces vegetarianism, even as her own dreams of swimming for the British Olympic team are dashed early on in the storyline.
Billy is a sad soul, having witnessed Naval action at the Battle of Jutland, only to be sent home, a victim of post-traumatic stress. Dadda is a man desperate to keep his family together, although his own violent temperment makes for some of the clan's worst problems. Toward the end of the series Dadda attempts to introduce his new romantic interest, Myrtle Bird, to his offspring, but she is soundly rejected--this was the only time I found Dadda sympathetic, as Miss Bird was more than appropriate for him and very clearly a good match for him.
"Lilies" truly offers it all--suicidal thoughts, adultery, bad marriages, sexual identity, class struggle, religious tension--except for a juicy murder, it covers a vast panorama of human conditions, struggles, tragedies, and, ultimately, victories.
Movie Review: Great Series; CC does work if you use the TV remote
Summary: 5 Stars
I can't say enough good things about this series. The story lines are compelling and the acting is terrific. The series focuses on the lives of the Moss family and is set in post-WWI Liverpool. Living in the Moss household are the 3 daughters, the widowed father, and the surviving son, Billy. The father is of Irish descent (indeed, I think he's an Irish immigrant). He is hard-working, capable of great sentimentality, and wants to hide the extent of the family's financial difficulties. He is both loved and feared (with good reason) by his children. He is passionately Irish - marching in annual parades that are part commemoration of Irish/British battles and part implicit political protest. The youngest son, Walter, who lied about his age in order to go to war, died shortly after entering the war. Billy, the older son, served in the Navy during the war, but after a naval disaster, was released because he had a nervous breakdown. He has to cope with his fears, shame and the community's perception of him as a coward. (In the aftermath of the First World War, the psychological effects of battle were poorly understood.)
The Lilies are the 3 Moss daughters, Iris, May and Ruby. All 3 are intelligent and passionate young women who love their family. However, they demonstrate their passion in different ways: Ruby, Walter's twin, is hot-headed, impulsive and idealistic. Her outbursts are at times quite funny. May dreams of being a famous actress; her naivete and subsequent despair lead her into folly. Iris, who is the eldest daughter, seems buttoned-up much of the time, but she too has passion. She wants to find a purpose in life beyond taking care of the household and making chocolates on a piece rate. She has a strict sense of morals and is a devout Catholic whose strongest non-family friendship is with Father Melia.
Other recurring, important characters are Frank, Father Melia (the young priest of the parish), the Brazendales (May's employers) and the young Austrian butcher. Some characters who appear only in one or two episodes are pivotal; these include Dominic (episode 2) and Marianne Parks (episodes 6 & 7).
There are some very surprising story lines, but given the historical context and the particular characters involved, the story lines are believable. There are a couple of scenes that may be too realistic for some viewers, but you can easily fast-forward through them.
Finally, the closed captioning DOES work. It's just that you can't do it through your DVD remote. You have to set the closed captioning on your TV and use the TV remote. You also have to wait a couple of minutes for it to kick in. I didn't realize this and watched the whole series without captioning, but there were several lines of dialogue I had to listen to more than once. However, when I watched it again with my sister, she went through her TV remote & got the captioning to work. I just now tried it again on my TV. It didn't seem to work at first, but I played around with closed captioning on TV channels; once I got it to work there, I switched to the DVD and it worked just fine.
Movie Review: The BBC Needs to Make a Second Series!
Summary: 5 Stars
Having seen Lilies first on Amazon UK, I got it as soon as the American version came out, and I am so glad that I did!
Lilies is a wonderful BBC period drama about three working class sisters (Iris, May, and Ruby Moss) as they adjust to life after WWI in Liverpool, England. The oldest daughter, Iris takes over the role of the sisters' late mother, cleaning while cooking for both the family and a local bakery; May works as a maid for a rich household, but dreams of being a movie star; while Ruby spends her days selling corsets.
Lilies doesn't let viewers down in its entertainment value: The script is packed with secrets, family and class conflict, forbidden love, attempted suicide, hidden desires, and much more, all taking place at a time when society was beginning to move into a new mode that was both more free and liberal. Not to mention the acting is first-rate and the characters and storylines are extremely well-developed.
Don't waste a moment before you go out and get this series. It is addictive, and you will not be disppointed!
Movie Review: LouisefromLiverpool
Summary: 5 Stars
There is some confusion in the reviews published here about where Lilies is based, accents etc. Lilies is based in Liverpool and the accent is the Liverpool accent (apart from Dadda's). It is absolutely how people speak (yes even me!) so in this sense it is realistic.
My grandparents all grew up in the docklands of Liverpool and would have been teens-twenties in 1920s. Judging by what they told me, I would say that Lillies is very realistic for the times. Life was incredibly hard, there was lots of slum housing in the area and people were packed tightly together. That said, Liverpool people have always had the reputation of being able to stand up for themselves and the family in the series are even to this day, very typical.
If you want a romantic, pretty drama - forget it. If you want true life, where people were terrified of the scandals behind their frontdoors being tomorrow's gossip, you'll love it
Movie Review: The everyday lives of 1920s women
Summary: 5 Stars
Though the three Moss sisters live in the 1920s -"Lilies" could be of any time, any place.
Each sister has issues that she must work through - a lost love, a lost Olympian and they must make their way through life with the help of older brother Billy, their father Dada and each other.
The love and warmth they have for each other and their support carries them through.
I especially like that "Lilies" used some actors who have never acted before such as Kerrie Hayes who plays Ruby Moss.
This was a delightful find for me and I hope you also enjoy it.