Elizabeth Gaskell Collection, The (DVD)

Description

Product Description Three BBC miniseries adapted from Mary Gaskells classic novels. Cranford, a market town in the North West of England, is a place governed by etiquette, custom and above all, an intricate network of ladies. It seems that life has always been conducted according to their social rules, but Cranford is on the cusp of change… North & South follows Margaret Hale, the daughter of a middle-cl ass parson who uproots the family from rural southern England to start a new life in Milton - a northern mill town in the throes of the industrial revolution. Wives and Daughters is set in a richly portrayed society well-st ocked with eccentric nobles and gossipy villagers. The well-ordered world of 17-year-old Molly Gibson becomes complicated when her father, a respected country doctor, remarries after many years of widowhood.Bonus Content:Cranford The Making of Featurette (30”)North and South Commentary on Episodes 1 and 4 by Kate Bartlett, Brian Percival and Sandy Welch Spe cially recorded interview with Richard Armitage (11”) Deleted scenes (1 2”) Production notesWives and Daughters The Making of Wives and Daug hters (22”) Who the Dickens is Mrs. Gaskell? (50”) desertcart.com Cranford Adapted from Elizabeth Gaskell's novels, the five-episode miniseries Cranford focuses on female characters in the 19th-century British town to thematically contemplate encroaching modernity in rural England. With the camera roving house to house, each drama within the grander story is constructed of scenes featuring dialogue between several gossipy ladies obsessed with moral code, romantic ideas about courtship, and social occasions. Three main characters, the ever-appropriate Deborah Jenkyns (Eileen Atkins), her sweet sister, Matilda (Judi Dench), and their younger, more savvy relative, Miss Smith (Lisa Dillon), continuously weigh in on situations, providing a dependable view when other ladies, like the nosey Miss Pole (Imelda Staunton) are too judgmental. In fine period dress, the women of Cranford remind the viewer of how little action was needed in their small-town lives to provide unceasing entertainment. The series'most intriguing aspect lies not in the ample female conversation but rather in its display of earlier technologies and ways of life. Part One, for example, quickly launches a main narrative thread that runs throughout the series, namely the arrival and assimilation of London doctor, Frank Harrison (Simon Woods), into village society. Dr. Harrison's medical practices, such as his refusal to amputate a man's arm because it's broken, are all the more radical because they are so fundamental by today's standards. In subsequent episodes, he recommends Miss Smith get spectacles to cure her headaches, and saves his love's life by cooling her fever after conservative doctor, Dr. Morgan (John Bowe), recommends the old school practice of burying her in blankets in front of a raging fire. In Part Two, Lady Ludlow (Francesca Annis) throws a garden party at her estate, treating all the women in their fancy hats to a new novelty: ice cream. This scene foreshadows Ludlow's future concern at a railroad plan involving her land that would connect Cranford to Manchester, symbolizing the ruin of this idyllic setting. In fact, fluffy and clever as some scenes are, death and rebirth assert themselves in each showing, both physically and idealistically. Part Four shows an auctioning off of a deceased man's antiques, and focuses on issues of class and women's education, as Mr. Carter teaches a peasant boy to read while his assistant fumes at her trappings as a seamstress. Part Five ushers in a new period of medical emergencies, securing Dr. Harrison's shaky position in town. In total, Cranford offers a powerful, if sentimental, look at how death begets life, love, and passion. --Trinie Dalton North & South North & South is a splendid, four-hour adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell's 19th century novel about an unlikely, and somewhat star-crossed, love between a middle-class young woman from England's cultivated south and an intemperate if misunderstood industrialist in a hardscrabble, northern city. Daniela Denby-Ashe plays Margaret Hale, forthright and strong-willed daughter of a former vicar (Tim Pigott-Smith) who relocates his family from a pastoral village outside London to unforgiving, largely illiterate Milton, a factory town where John Thornton (Richard Armitage) and his mother (Sinead Cusack), survivors of poverty, rule their cotton mill with an iron hand. Thornton befriends Margaret's father but incurs her wrath for his severity with his workers. What she doesn't notice is Thornton's core sense of responsibility for his employees' welfare. On the other hand, he misinterprets some of Margaret's own actions and intentions. Equally stubborn, the two drag out their obvious attraction over many painful months and events. North & South's two leads are both very good, though Armitage's brooding, penetrating performance may very well be considered a classic one day. There are other wonders in the cast: Cusack and Pigott-Smith are superb, and Brendan Coyle is memorable as a firebrand union organizer who ultimately becomes an ally to a softening Thornton. The miniseries script by Sandy Welch is a persuasive mix of historical context and character study. Brian Percival's direction is full of moments that linger in the imagination, such as the winter-dream look of a busy cotton mill, with thousands of snowy fibers floating in the air. --Tom Keogh Review: Lovely visit to the English countryside - If slasher flicks, high-speed car chases, and forensic evidence make-up effects are not entertaining you, let me suggest you spend a few hours visiting the pleasant village of Cranford, England, circa mid-19th Century. The people are mostly pleasant; the scenery is soft and lovely; the manners (usually) impeccable. Judi Dench was my primary reason for seeking out this series. In "Cranford," Dame Judi is, as always, well worth my attention, but she has a supporting cast that deserves ample compliments. The story is taken from a series of novels that portray the lilves and events of the women and men of a lovely bucolic English village, prior to the intrusion of the railroad or the Industrial Revolution. The characters featured include some very poor, some quite rich, and (mostly) a cross section of the middle class of the time and place. As usual, Dame Judi gives a charming and nuanced performance of a spinster of a certain age, living with her morally correct sister. Sister sets the household standards, presumably to the most minute detail. For intance, one does not consume oranges by sucking them! At least not in the company of the other members of the household (one may retire to one's bedroom to pursue such mannerless activity, if one truly MUST, but the older sister's code is quite clear, and the consumption of oranges is only one of the items for which she has established protocol). Sister's self-assurance validates a framework for her fellow inhabitants to pursue their lives. One need not question whether an anticipated action is "right" or "wrong." One knows! And, if not, Sister will provide a ready answer on the matter. The actresses and actors in the supporting roles bring to life the good, the bad, the gentle, and the rock-bound traditionalist landed gentry. England may be about to change, but the residents of Cranford are not about to fling themselves into modernity willy-nilly. The plot is not played out at lightning speed. There are no cliff-hanging moments. Rather, it's a lovely portrait of a lot of people whom you will probably come to like. As was probably true for the novels upon which "Cranford" is based, I suspect this series (approximately 6 hours) will appeal more to women than to men. Think of Jane Austen without the sharp edginess in the women characters. The costumes are well done; the cinematography makes the viewer want to book a flight to England, where the scenery always seems to be bathed in a soft golden light. Review: Amazing, full-bodied and compelling stories in all three Gaskell tales... - As a lad in school I used to love the Victorian works of Dickens and Thomas Hardy, so finding a British TV series that contemplates that era of history and brings it to life with remarkable sets and costumes is well worth your time and money. Of the three stories, I personally favor "North and South" but have no hesitation in recommending that you view all three tales because each has been produced with fidelity to the time and place with characters that are intriguing and imperfect human beings. No need to tell you that the acting is impeccable and the casting is a stroke of genius--and by this I mean in all three tales. Elizabeth Gaskell proves that she's worthy of much more acclaim as a writer than she ever received in her lifetime. Vividly entertainment from start to finish, each tale is told in polished fashion with great performances (leads and supporting players) in each case. It's useless to single out individuals, it's that good. Summing up: Should appeal to any discerning viewer interested in the classics.