Period Pieces to Review
I'm planning on starting up a webshow centered around reviewing Period Pieces, whether they be movies, tv shows, or even the occasional book/play that I happen to come across. Here is just a list of the movies/shows I'd like to review. My cutoff date for it to be a Period piece I think is going to be 1963, not when it was made but when it was set. I think it's a good year, as a lot of change was happening, with events that shaped the modern world, which is the era I am NOT reviewing. The films will be reviewed for historical accuracy and for their style of film making, as I'm a history major with a film minor (the best of both worlds, as it were), but I'm actually not a stickler for accuracy. I'm just going to tell the facts as they are, and then give my own opinion about the interpretation of them, whether they were effective or not, etc. There are going to be a lot of films I haven't seen, but I'd like to tackle because I'm interested in them. If it isn't based on real events, I will asses the accuracy of its setting, including costuming, dialogue, and location. Enjoy the list!
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- DirectorSofia CoppolaStarsKirsten DunstJason SchwartzmanRip TornThe retelling of France's iconic but ill-fated queen, Marie Antoinette. From her betrothal and marriage to Louis XVI at 14 to her reign as queen at 19 and to the end of her reign as queen, and ultimately the fall of Versailles.One of my favorite films for purely aesthetic reasons, I think I want to tackle this one first.
- DirectorNikolaj ArcelStarsAlicia VikanderMads MikkelsenMikkel Boe FølsgaardA young queen, who is married to an insane king, falls secretly in love with her physician - and together they start a revolution that changes a nation forever.I haven't seen this film yet. I hear it's really great, and was even nominated for the Best Foreign Film Oscar. I do love Mads Mikkelson!
- DirectorDerek JarmanStarsNoam AlmazDexter FletcherNigel TerryA retelling of the life of the celebrated 17th-century painter through his brilliant, nearly blasphemous paintings and his flirtations with the underworld.I've seen this film and I know a good deal about the artist in question.... and yeah. We'll save my comments for the review.
- DirectorJames IvoryStarsJames WilbyRupert GravesHugh GrantTwo English school chums find themselves falling in love at Cambridge. To regain his place in society, Clive gives up Maurice and marries. While staying with Clive and his wife, Maurice discovers romance in the arms of the gamekeeper Alec.One of my favorite movies, but I think there's a lot to talk about this. Gay Edwardians, for one thing, is a subject not often discussed. I'll definitely talk about the history of the novel (which I've read), and its implications.
- DirectorBille AugustStarsLiam NeesonGeoffrey RushUma ThurmanValjean, a former criminal, has atoned for his past and now finds himself in the midst of the French Revolution, avoiding a law-obsessed policeman hell-bent on capturing him.I haven't seen this one ALL the way through, but I'll probably talk about the adaptations in general of the novel, focusing probably on this one, the 30's version, and of course the recent Tom Hooper film.
- DirectorJoel SchumacherStarsGerard ButlerEmmy RossumPatrick WilsonA young soprano becomes the obsession of a disfigured and murderous musical genius who lives beneath the Paris Opéra House.It isn't my list unless Phantom is on here... *sigh* If we're going for historical accuracy here, this is going to be a helluva review. Hopefully I can squeeze in some history from the other versions as well. The Phantom Reviewer has tackled this as a phan, and so I'm going to tackle this as a film lover and historian. WISH ME LUCK.
- DirectorRon HowardStarsTom CruiseNicole KidmanThomas GibsonA young Irish couple flee to the States, but subsequently struggle to obtain land and prosper freely.I watched this as a child, and I have fondish memories of it? I'd like to look at it again, as I'm very fond of Irish culture. Not sure if it rapes it here or celebrates it, so I'll find out!
- DirectorDeclan DonnellanNick OrmerodStarsRobert PattinsonUma ThurmanKristin Scott ThomasA chronicle of a young man's rise to power in Paris via his manipulation of the city's wealthiest and most influential women.RPattz in period dress with Cristina Ricci and Uma Thurman? Sign me up!
- DirectorMira NairStarsReese WitherspoonRomola GaraiJames PurefoyGrowing up poor in London, Becky Sharp defies her poverty-stricken background and ascends the social ladder alongside her best friend, Amelia Sedley.Speaking of Robert Pattinson... *sigh* I don't like this movie much. We'll find out why eventually.
- DirectorPhilippe RousselotStarsEwan McGregorGreta ScacchiPete PostlethwaiteIn England, during the 17th-century, a Dutch garden architect (Ewan McGregor, "Moulin Rouge!") is drawn into a web of passion and treachery after being hired by a wealthy merchant.A very trite, confusing, and mediocre film from my favorite actor. God help me.
- DirectorJohn KrokidasStarsDaniel RadcliffeDane DeHaanMichael C. HallA murder in 1944 draws together the great poets of the beat generation: Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, and William Burroughs.Don't know much about the Beat poets, but I love gay cinema and history... Also Daniel Radcliffe. Good time to brush up on Allen Ginsburg!
- DirectorJames McTeigueStarsJohn CusackAlice EveLuke EvansWhen a madman begins committing horrific murders inspired by Edgar Allan Poe's works, a young Baltimore detective joins forces with Poe to stop him from making his stories a reality.Speaking of poets... Ergh... I'm going to have to watch this eventually, aren't I?
- DirectorRoman PolanskiStarsNastassja KinskiPeter FirthLeigh LawsonA strong-willed young peasant girl attracts the affection of two men.An alright, but beautifully shot film based on... My least favorite book of all time. I have never hated a book SO much that I threw it against the wall... until this one.
- DirectorRené FéretStarsMarie FéretMarc BarbéDelphine ChuillotA reimagined account of the early life of Maria Anna 'Nannerl' Mozart, five years older than Wolfgang, and a musical prodigy in her own right.I'm not going to review Amadeus, because what's the point? But I probably will discuss it in relation to this film.
- DirectorTate TaylorStarsViola DavisEmma StoneOctavia SpencerAn aspiring author during the civil rights movement of the 1960s decides to write a book detailing the African American maids' point of view on the white families for which they work, and the hardships they go through on a daily basis.I have read the book! So I'm going to review it.
- DirectorJames CameronStarsLeonardo DiCaprioKate WinsletBilly ZaneA seventeen-year-old aristocrat falls in love with a kind but poor artist aboard the luxurious, ill-fated R.M.S. Titanic.Yeah, how to review this movie? Well I'm going to talk about the historical accuracy of class depicted here, and of course the actual event. I'll probably compare it to other versions (just not the animated ones).
- DirectorJohn MaddenStarsGwyneth PaltrowJoseph FiennesGeoffrey RushThe world's greatest ever playwright, William Shakespeare, is young, out of ideas and short of cash, but meets his ideal woman and is inspired to write one of his most famous plays.Historical accuracy? What historical accuracy?!?!
Despite this, one of my favorite movies. It IS accurate somewhat on a visual level, but events? Does it matter when it comes to Shakespeare? - DirectorTom HooperStarsColin FirthGeoffrey RushHelena Bonham CarterThe story of King George VI, his unexpected ascension to the throne of the British Empire in 1936, and the speech therapist who helped the unsure monarch overcome his stammer.Liked it, but not sure about accuracy. Will have to check on that.
- DirectorGeoffrey SaxStarsMatt SmithImogen PootsLindsay DuncanHow real-life British-American author Christopher Isherwood and his German boyfriend Heinz met and fell in love during the 1930s and the rise of Nazism.More gay cinema! Yaaaay! Can you tell I like it? A lot? Don't worry, I haven't seen a lot of lesbian/other sexuality based movies but I'm working to change that. I'll probably start with Fingersmith or Tipping the Velvet (obvious I know), but I'll get there!
Also I love this film. It made me want to read Isherwood. - DirectorKing VidorStarsAudrey HepburnHenry FondaMel FerrerNapoleon's tumultuous relations with Russia, including his disastrous 1812 invasion, serve as the backdrop for the tangled personal lives of two aristocratic families.I LOOOOVE the book to pieces, but I haven't seen the movie yet. (Go look up Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812. DO IT.)
- DirectorMike NewellStarsJulia RobertsKirsten DunstJulia StilesA free-thinking art professor teaches conservative 1950s Wellesley girls to question their traditional social roles.Historical Accuracy (and Julia Roberts) aside, I love this film. I definitely want to talk about the 1950's aesthetic, and why we romanticize the period so much.
- DirectorRoman PolanskiStarsAdrien BrodyThomas KretschmannFrank FinlayDuring WWII, acclaimed Polish musician Wladyslaw faces various struggles as he loses contact with his family. As the situation worsens, he hides in the ruins of Warsaw in order to survive.I actually was not terribly impressed by this movie, or at the very least Brody's performance. I'll have to rewatch it, research it and get back to you.
- DirectorJeannot SzwarcStarsChristopher ReeveJane SeymourChristopher PlummerA Chicago playwright uses self-hypnosis to travel back in time and meet the actress whose vintage portrait hangs in a grand hotel.Siiiince the majority of the film is set in the 1910's, it counts right?
- CreatorJulian FellowesStarsHugh BonnevillePhyllis LoganElizabeth McGovernA chronicle of the lives of the British aristocratic Crawley family and their servants in the early twentieth century.Oooh Downton Abbey. How ridiculously melodramatic you are. And you you keep me on the edge of my seat! Pretty incredible for a drama about the Edwardian upper class, mind you.
- CreatorRoland MooreStarsBecci GemmellSusan CooksonMark BentonFollow the lives, loves and highs and lows of four members of the Women's Land Army who are working at the Hoxley Estate during World War II.I know of this because of the illustrious Summer Strallen, but I have not seen it. I imagine I am going to compare it to...