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Disclaimer: I must admit I have never read a biography of Queen Victoria. My knowledge of her as a person has been accumulated by reading articles, mentions in non-fiction books, watching documentaries, and listening to podcasts. As a side note, if you are interested in the Victorians the “Age of Victoria” podcast is excellent. After an excellent start to the series with season 1, season 2 keeps up the quality as Victoria and Albert enter the 1840s. I find this series is quite subversive in our post-modern world. What do I mean by that? Starting with Lytton Strachey publishing “Eminent...

I must admit I have never read a biography of Queen Victoria. My knowledge of her as a person has been accumulated by reading articles, mentions in non-fiction books, watching documentaries, and listening to podcasts. As a side note, if you are interested in the Victorians the “Age of Victoria” podcast is excellent. Let us get the two major items of artistic license out of the way. The first is William Lamb, Lord Melbourne played by Rufus Sewell. 2nd Viscount Melbourne was 59 years old when the 18 year old Victoria became Queen. No source I have been exposed to...

Almost all of my period drama viewing is based on books from Austen during the Regency to the Edwardian E.M Forester. Given these are stories that say something about the human condition you do hope to extract something edifying. Then you have your books and period dramas that are analogous to grabbing a gallon of your favorite ice cream and just enjoying it as a guilty pleasure. Belgravia is an example of the second. I must admit when I saw the opening shot indicating we are in Brussels in 1815 I immediately paid attention. Yes, yes…they are going to re-create...

Russell Crowe doesn't take kindly to anyone bashing one of his favorite movies he once appeared in. The 56-year-old Oscar winner took to Twitter on Saturday to defend his 2003 maritime epic Master And Commander: The Far Side Of The World after the English singer–songwriter Ian McNabb took aim at it. Crowe brushed off the complaints as a symptom of 'kids these days,' while plenty of Twitter users rushed to defend the cult-classic film.

Vanessa Kirby and Katherine Waterston play lovers Tallie and Abigail in a new trailer released for their upcoming film The World To Come. In the clip, it sees Vanessa, 32, and Katherine, 40, as Tallie and Abigail share several steamy kisses as their characters fall in love and embark in a secret affair without their husbands knowing. The film is set on the American East Coast in the mid-19th century, where two neighbouring couples battle hardship and isolation, and is based upon Jim Shepard's 2017 novel of the same name.

As a disclaimer, fans of 19th century British literature tend to be broken up into camps. One is the Janeites; fans of all things Jane Austen and genteel. The other is the Charlottans, in reference to Charlotte Bronte; fans of passionate romance and the Gothic. I am in in the 2nd camp. Another disclaimer is I have not read the novel. This is my 3rd adaptation of the Jane Austen story. I have seen the 1996 version with Kate Beckinsale before she made her name spraying on latex all over body and playing a vampire. The other is the 2009...

The 19th-century English period drama Bridgerton, based on the series of bestselling novels written by Julia Quinn, has caused quite a stir among fans of the historical romance genre. Bridgerton refers to the large family navigating the high-society of England's lavish Regency Era. As young Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) comes of age and strikes up a romance when entering the marriage market, her life is forever changed. For similar cinematic experiences that deal with this historical age, scroll below.

This period drama came up on my recommended list on Amazon Prime video free for members. A greatly simplified plot is a boy, Leo Colston, who is a charity case at a public school, public being the UK definition, spends the summer at the estate of his wealthy school friend. As he is entering the journey into manhood he falls under the spell of the stunning Miss Marian Maudsley. The title of the movie comes from the role he plays passing along messages between Miss Maudsley and a farmer, Ted Burgess, neighboring the estate. Mr. Burgess and Miss Maudsley are...

There is something comforting about a period drama. Perhaps it's the escapism we're afforded by looking into an era we don't live in, or the aesthetic that's unfamiliar to our own - or maybe it's the lavish production that often accompanies period pieces, offering endless hours of dreaming and distraction. Whatever the reason for their appeal, costume dramas continue to beguile contemporary audiences, as proven with the recent popularity of Shonda Rhimes' Bridgerton.

This movie is my fourth adaptation I have watched of perhaps Dickens' greatest novel. The other are: the 1946 David Lean movie, a 1989 mini-series produced for Disney Channel, and a BBC mini-series from 1999. The movie versions in order to keep the run time at or below 2 hours takes a butcher's cleaver to the novel. This has involved the elimination of subplots and minimizing secondary characters, for example, Orlick being written out. I fell in love with this adaptation. There is almost a dream like quality about this movie perhaps due to the cinematography and soundtrack. The two...

I was on YouTube just wasting time before midnight to start the new year. As a side note, I am the Ebenezer Scrooge of New Year. I hate this "holiday" because I feel like I have to "celebrate" and the only thing I associate the night with is debauchery. I saw this period drama I have never heard of before pop up on recommended videos. Watching this appeared much more preferable to sitting on the couch listening to the Bidens and watching musicians I do not care one iota for. This period drama is "East Lynne" based on a novel...

When I saw news articles come out that the BBC was going to produce a new version of "War of the Worlds" that takes place during the Edwardian period I was quite excited. To get technical, HG Wells' book was published as a serial in 1898 when Queen Victoria was still alive. As a cherry on top the gorgeous Eleanor Tomlinson was cast as the main female lead. I was so excited to see Miss Tomlinson in Edwardian finery. Well I caught the mini-series via someone a pirated copy on YouTube and what a bitter disappointment it was. The story...

"Bridgerton,” the new series based on Julia Quinn’s romance novels and developed by hitmaker Shonda Rhimes and showrunner Chris Van Dusen for Netflix, is a Christmas cookie of a show — a sugary, sparkly treat that serves as a comfort in a grim winter. And in integrating the predominantly White world of romance novels by making some of Quinn’s characters Black, the show inadvertently provides a useful lesson for an entertainment industry struggling to meet viewers’ demands and corporate mandates for more diverse programming.

Preposterous and cliche-ridden, this tale of Regency intrigue – with Julie Andrews giving a Georgian Gossip Girl touch – nonetheless leaves you wanting more It cannot be – no, most assuredly and for the good of humanity, it cannot be – that there are people out there who aspire to write like Julian Fellowes. It simply cannot be. And yet. Now has come Bridgerton (Netflix), suddenly into our lives, and as the minutes and the hours and the eight episodes of the new costume drama roll, the thought becomes ever more inescapable. For Bridgerton is the tale, set in 1813...

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is considering shortening the current coronavirus quarantine timeline from 14 days to between just seven and 10, according to an exclusive Wall Street Journal report. The agency reportedly hopes the change will inspire more people to comply with the guidelines. In a statement provided to Fox News, an agency spokesperson said no such changes had been finalized.

A spirited young girl, a forbidden love and a coming-of-age tale that will have you on the edge of your sofa (plus a rather dashing male lead or two) — it has all the elements of a familiar Sunday night drama. But the BBC's latest offering, A Suitable Boy, which starts tomorrow night, is anything but familiar. For the six-part series is the first in the corporation's history to have a cast entirely made up of people of colour.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Purdue University will offer free tampons and other feminine hygiene products in the campus’ bathrooms in response to student advocates who have been pushing for the move for three years. University President Mitch Daniels on Thursday credited the University Senate, a faculty-led body, for proposing the initiative in a resolution that described feminine hygiene products as a basic necessity that should be in campus restrooms free of charge. Alison Rickert, a junior studying neurobiology and physiology at Purdue, founded The Period Project— an initiative aimed at providing menstrual products to those who need them both in...

It promises plenty of early 1800s dry British wit, told with a modern sense of humor and a very stylized aesthetic. The classic story follows Emma Woodhouse, a precocious meddlesome young women who plays matchmaker for people in her life, often to chaotic results.

The BBC's highly-anticipated sci-fi drama, The War Of The Worlds, has dropped it's first trailer. Veering away from the 2005 Hollywood version - which starred Tom Cruise, was helmed by Steven Spielberg and was set in the present day - the three-part series takes place in Edwardian England, harking more accurately back to the source text. The novel - written by H. G. Wells and published in 1897 - sees martians, in the form of giant, spindly-legged machines - attack Earth, on hunt for resources.

Well, well, well, it appears the hostless Oscars came to play. The 2019 ceremony just delivered what could be an Academy Awards first: An acceptance speech dedicated to none other than menstrual periods! Period. End of Sentence. just won the Oscar for Best Documentary Short. “I’m not crying because I’m on my period, or anything,” said director Rayka Zehtabchi. “I can’t believe a film about menstruation just won an Oscar,” she continued. Zehtabchi (who is 25!!) shared the stage with producer Melissa Berton and the rest of the Period team. Period tells the story of women in rural India fighting...