Showing posts with label PBS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PBS. Show all posts

Masterpiece Theatre Productions from January to May 2011!

Post Below has been Updated/Editted:

This is just a quick overall view of what is coming this year on PBS Masterpiece Theatre....
(Please check your local PBS stations to be sure the times match!)

Masterpiece Classic: Downton AbbeyJAN 9 – 30 Downton Abbey, DVD
(Four 90-minute episodes; TV-PG)

A stately country house, a noble family, and a succession crisis caused by the sinking of the Titanic are the backdrop for this epic drama by Oscar-winning writer Julian Fellowes (Gosford Park) about the lives of aristocrats and servants in the years before World War I. A runaway hit during its UK broadcast, Downton Abbey stars Hugh Bonneville, Dame Maggie Smith, Elizabeth McGovern, and other great actors in a production that brings a glittering bygone era to life.

Click Here for More Pictures and Details.

*THIS FILM IS NOT FAMILY FRIENDLY. Please see my MOVIE REVIEW page for More Details!

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FEB 6 – The Unseen Alistair Cooke (Encore Presentation)
(One 60-minute episode; TV-PG)

Told in his own voice, never-before-seen home movies, and interviews with family and close
friends, The Unseen Alistair Cooke offers a rare look into the life of longtime
MASTERPIECE THEATRE host, Alistair Cooke—one of the most celebrated broadcasters of
the 20th century.

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FEB 13 – 27 Any Human Heart, DVD
(Three 90-minute episodes; TV-14, S) (NOT for Young Viewers!)

William Boyd adapts his acclaimed 2002 novel about a man—at various times a writer, lover,
art dealer, and spy—making his often precarious way through the 20th century. Matthew
MacFadyen, Gillian Anderson, Hayley Atwell, Kim Cattrall, and Jim Broadbent star.

Click Here for More Pictures and Details.

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The 39 Steps (2008)MAR 27 – The 39 Steps (Encore Presentation), DVD
(One 90-minute episode)

An adaptation of the popular John Buchan adventure novel, set on the eve of World War I. Filled with romance and humor, the 90-minute drama stars Rupert Penry-Jones (Persuasion) as mining engineer Richard Hannay caught up in a conspiracy following the death of a British spy found in his apartment.

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APR 10 – 24 Upstairs Downstairs
(Three 60-minute episodes)
An enormous success worldwide, the original Upstairs Downstairs won seven Emmys during
its run on MASTERPIECE THEATRE in the mid-1970s—including Best Actress for Jean
Marsh, who reprises her role in the new three-part series as Rose, the parlor maid. Dame
Eileen Atkins, the co-creator of the original program, will also star. Screenwriter Heidi
Thomas (Cranford) is setting the new Upstairs Downstairs in the same house at 165 Eaton
Place in 1936, during the period leading up to World War II.

Click Here for More Pictures and Details.

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MAY 1 – 15 South Riding
(Three 60-minute episodes)
Anna Maxwell Martin (Bleak House) and David Morrissey (Sense & Sensibility) lead the cast
in Andrew Davies‘s (Bleak House, Little Dorrit) three-part adaptation of Winifred Holtby’s
moving love story, which provides a panoramic portrait of a Yorkshire community in the
1930s.

Click Here for More Pictures and Details.



Just from reading the descriptions, I think Upstairs Downstairs looks to be the most interesting. Are any of you, Masterpiece Theatre watchers?


Downton Abbey - Masterpiece Theatre

MOVIE REVIEW

Downton Abbey

Network: PBS

Original Air Date: January 9, 16, 23 & 30, 2011

*NOT Family Friendly! Read under Comments Area Below!

click to Enlarge
 


CAST:

Robert, Earl of Grantham ... Hugh Bonneville
Lady Sybil Crawley ... Jessica Brown-Findlay
Lady Edith Crawley ... Laura Carmichael
Mr. Carson ... Jim Carter
John Bates ... Brendan Coyle
Lady Mary Crawley ... Michelle Dockery
O'Brien ... Siobhan Finneran
Anna ... Joanne Froggatt
William ... Thomas Howes
Thomas ... Rob James-Collier
Gwen ... Rose Leslie
Mrs. Hughes ... Phyllis Logan
Cora, Countess of Grantham ... Elizabeth McGovern
Daisy ... Sophie McShera
Mrs. Patmore ... Lesley Nicol
Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham ... Maggie Smith
Matthew Crawley ... Dan Stevens
Isobel Crawley ... Penelope Wilton
Sir Anthony Strallan ... Robert Bathurst
Lady Rosamund Painswick ... Samantha Bond
Duke of Crowborough ... Charlie Cox
George Murray ... Jonathan Coy
Molesley ... Kevin Doyle
Taylor ... Lionel Guyett
Postmaster ... Jonathan Jaynes
Paperboy ... Perry Millward
Postmaster's Wife ... Helen Sheals
Lynch ... Andrew Westfield
Charles Grigg ... Nicky Henson
Kemal Pamuk ... Theo James
Tom Branson ... Allen Leech
Shopkeeper ... Roger Morlidge
John Drake ... Fergus O'Donnell
Evelyn Napier ... Brandan Patricks
Dr. Clarkson ... David Robb
Mrs. Drake ... Cathy Sara
Man at Smithy ... Colin R. Campbell
Joe Burns ... Bill Fellows
Bill Molesley ... Bernard Gallagher
Nurse ... Elizabeth Hill
Clerk ... Martin Reeve
Farmer ... Dean Williamson
Liberal Candidate ... Jamie De Courcey
NCO ... Richard Hawley
Dr. at Moorfields Hospital ... Ian Kelly
Thug ... Mark Kelly
Mrs. Bird ... Christine Lohr
High Sherriff ... Gerard McDermott
Mr. Bromidge ... Sean McKenzie
Mrs. Bates







PLOT:

from PBS:

The Downton Abbey estate stands a splendid example of Victorian confidence and mettle, its family enduring for generations and its staff a well-oiled machine of propriety. But change is afoot at Downton — change far surpassing the new electric lights and telephone. A crisis of inheritance threatens to displace the resident Crawley family, in spite of the best efforts of the noble and compassionate Earl, Robert Crawley (Hugh Bonneville, Miss Austen Regrets); his American heiress wife, Cora (Elizabeth McGovern); his comically implacable, opinionated mother, Violet (Maggie Smith, David Copperfield); and his beautiful, eldest daughter, Mary, intent on charting her own course. Reluctantly, the family is forced to welcome its heir apparent, the self-made and proudly modern Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens), himself none too happy about the new arrangements. As Matthew's bristly relationship with Mary begins to crackle with electricity, hope for the future of Downton's dynasty takes shape. But when petty jealousies and ambitions grow among the family and the staff, scheming and secrets — both delicious and dangerous — threaten to derail the scramble to preserve Downton Abbey. Created and written by Oscar-winner Julian Fellowes (Gosford Park), Downton Abbey offers a spot-on portrait of a vanishing way of life.



Movie Review:

I was hoping for a nice period drama. I'm tired of constant Immorality portrayed on Modern TV. However, I have just learned that this film contains a same-sex couple kiss within the first episode. I was looking at a lovely blog, titled: Enchanted Serenity of Period Films and discovered this information from reading a well-written response from someone there. I hope they don't mind my sharing this news here:

"It's interesting that apparently the Brits think we Americans aren't as sophisticated as they are when it comes to our entertainment preferences, and yet they didn't hesitate to promote their progressive worldview as far as the same-sex kiss in the first episode. The storyline and acting are terrific, but that scene definitely takes it off the family-friendly list for countless period piece fans in the U.S. Really a shame, as they could have implied that relationship without showing it graphically." - Emilie



See or Skip:

Skip. Do NOT see this show with your family!


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PBS Masterpiece - Cranford

MOVIE REVIEW

Cranford

Network: PBS

Original Air Date: May, 2008

CAST:

Judi Dench ... Miss Matty Jenkyns
Julia McKenzie ... Mrs. Forrester
Imelda Staunton ... Miss Octavia Pole
Lisa Dillon ... Mary Smith
Deborah Findlay ... Miss Tomkinson
Barbara Flynn ... Mrs. Jamieson
Alex Etel ... Harry Gregson
Alex Jennings ... Reverend Hutton
Jim Carter ... Captain Brown
Emma Fielding ... Miss Galindo
Adrian Scarborough ... Mr. Johnson
Andrew Buchan ... Jem Hearne
Claudie Blakley ... Martha
Debra Gillett ... Mrs. Johnson
Francesca Annis ... Lady Ludlow
Emma Lowndes ... Bella Gregson
Simon Woods ... Dr. Harrison
Rosy Byrne ... Lizzie Hutton
Kimberley Nixon ... Sophy Hutton
John Bowe ... Dr. Morgan
Selina Griffiths ... Caroline Tomkinson
Philip Glenister ... Mr. Carter
Lesley Manville ... Mrs. Rose
Hester Odgers ... Helen Hutton
Julia Sawalha ... Jessie Brown
Greg Wise ... Sir Charles Maulver
Hannah Hobley ... Bertha
Hannah Stokely ... Bessie
Bessie Carter ... Margaret Gidman
Dean Lennox Kelly ... Job Gregson
Andrew Byrne ... Malachi Gregson
Joe McFadden ... Jack Marshland / ...
Finty Williams ... Clara Smith / ...
Tom Hiddleston ... William Buxton
Eileen Atkins ... Miss Deborah Jenkyns
Lesley Sharp ... Mrs. Bell
Jodie Whittaker ... Peggy Bell
Matthew McNulty ... Edward Bell
Jonathan Pryce ... Mr. Buxton
Michelle Dockery ... Erminia Whyte
Haydon Downing ... Walter Hutton
Nicholas Le Prevost ... Mr. Peter Jenkyns
Alistair Petrie ... Major Gordon
Michael Gambon ... Mr. Holbrook
Adam Henderson Scott ... Assistant Auctioneer
Roger Ennals ... Mulliner
Patricia Leach ... Gypsy Woman
Andrew Westfield ... Farmer Graves
Imogen Byron ... Kate
Philippa Burt ... Villager




PLOT:

Cranford has an all-star cast including Judi Dench, Michael Gambon, Eileen Atkins, Imelda Staunton and more come together in this BBC/Masterpiece Classic drama adapted from the works of Elizabeth Gaskell.

1842. 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. For spinsters Deborah Jenkyns (Atkins), the arbiter of correctness in Cranford, and her demurring sister Matty (Dench), the town is a hub of intrigue where little goes unnoticed. Everyone - from charming rogue Dr. Marshland to Mrs. Jamieson and her lap dog - talks, and is talked about.

However, the town still has its secrets, despite the most vigilant eyes and ears. While it seems that life has always been conducted according to social rules, Cranford is on the cusp of change...


DVD Description-
The BBC drama series adapted from Elizabeth Gaskell's classic novels of small town gossip, secrets and romance. 1842. 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… For spinsters Deborah Jenkyns, the arbiter of correctness in Cranford, and Matty, her demurring sister, the town is a hub of intrigue - a handsome new doctor Frank Harrison from London has arrived; a retired Captain and his daughters have moved in to a house opposite and the preparations for Lady Ludlows garden party are underway. Everyone - from charming rogue Dr Marshland to mean Mrs Jamieson and her lap dog talks, and is talked about, behind closed doors. The town also has its secrets which it slowly reveals: Mattys encounter with an old flame at the garden party; Lady Ludlows gardener, Mr Carter, teaching a gypsy lad to read and write; the wild expectations of the May Day celebrations and - news that shakes the town when it is revealed - a railway line from Manchester is coming to Cranford.




Movie Review:

If you love Period Movies like Anne of Green Gables, Pride & Prejudice, and Little Women, etc... then you should also enjoy Cranford and Return to Cranford.

Both, a part of PBS's Masterpiece Series. They take you to a different class of time when Men were Gentlemen and Women were Ladies... and if they were not, they were looked down upon by all proper society. I watched these shows with my family on PBS in May of 2008 and this December/January 2010... and was delighted to learn my dear Aunt had been watching and enjoying them, as well. It is a series, that people of all ages can enjoy (exception for very small children who would most likely would not understand or be completely entertained).


In many ways it is deeply moving and tells not only a story, but is very detailed in telling of the lives of this inhabitance titled Cranford, where life is not always perfect, there is happiness and sadness, death and life, tragedy, romance, and great happiness! Very Entertaining!


See or Skip:

See, there are many Beautiful and Touching Stories throughout.

Click Here for my Return to Cranford Review.


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