Tuesday Trivia: The Wet Shirt

If Pride & Prejudice 1995 is remembered for nothing else, Mr. Darcy’s wet-shirt scene will live forever in the minds of females. In an interview with Andrew Davies, posted here on the Masterpiece Jane Austen site, the prolific screenwriter remarked on the unforeseen impact of that brief episode:

Q: Let’s talk about the infamous wet, ruffled shirt scene in Pride and Prejudice. Did you have any idea at the time that Colin Firth would become such a star after emerging from that pond?

A: I always thought that Colin Firth would emerge as a star, but I didn’t think that it would be that wet shirt scene that did it. I always thought of it as a scene about social embarrassment — two people having a polite conversation without referring to the fact that one of them was absolutely dripping wet. I was very surprised when it seemed like half the women in England had posters of Colin Firth in his wet shirt in the kitchen to cheer themselves up when doing their domestic chores.

Of course, years later it was revealed by the film’s director Simon Langton that Colin Firth didn’t actually jump into the water, but rather a dispensable stuntman dived into the lake, feared to be contaminated with a disease caused by rat urine.

It was originally intended that Firth should strip off and leap into the water naked.

But this had to be changed because the BBC felt nudity would be too much for a Jane Austen costume drama.

Lord, a nude Darcy would have been the death of half of the female population in America and England.

Then producers considered having Firth dive in wearing his underwear.

But that was decided this would be historically incorrect.

In the end they opted to have him leap in fully clothed, bar his waistcoat and overcoat. (Telegraph)

Stourhead’s Temple Makeover

Some time ago, I wrote about the use of Stourhead Gardens in the 2005 Pride & Prejudice. The Wiltshire garden’s Temple of Apollo, made famous by the rainy encounter between Elizabeth and Darcy, will soon be remodeled in an effort to restore it to it’s original 1765 appearance. The £290,000 project, funded by the National Trust and the Wolfson Foundation, will also repair some leaks and damages.

The temple was built in 1765 by Henry Hoare as his finishing touch to the famous landscape garden.

It was designed by Henry Flitcroft and influenced by an engraving of a circular temple at Baalbec, an ancient Syrian city now part of the Lebanon, and the Temple of the Sun at Kew Gardens, which was destroyed in 1916. . .

But over the last 10 years the roof has deteriorated and now the zinc covering leaks, the wooden timbers are rotting, internal plasterwork is covered with green algae and there is extensive water damage to the stonework at the top of the temple.

Since no drawings survive of the original edifice, designers will use plans from Kew Garden’s Temple of the Sun, which influenced the look of Hoare’s Temple, as well as an 1801 description of the Temple by the Rector of Stourton:

Rev Warner’s letter states: “The roof of the Temple spreads into a dome and has a double ceiling; in the lower is the aperture, and in the coving of the other, a splendid gilt representation of the Solar Rays, which, receiving the real light of this orb by an artful construction, throws into the Temple below a most splendid reflection when the sun is in its strength.”

The work is expected to be done by February 2010, so I doubt there is any chance now to see the Temple as it appeared in the movie.

You can read the rest of Guardian article here.

Happy Fourth of July!

This Anglophile is having a Proud American Moment

God Bless the USA!!!

Q & A

I found this meme on Jane Austen’s World; other bloggers, you can take the questions underneath the photo and answer them on your own blog.

 

1.  How long have you been blogging? Since August 2008, so Factual Imagining’s 1st birthday is almost here!

2.  Why did you start blogging? I love to write, explore, read, and watch movies, and I wanted to contribute something to the world wide web instead of just letting everything fester inside my own head. I also wanted to design something that was my own and reflected my many interests.

3.  What have you found to be the benefits of blogging? It gives me something to do when I don’t want to do anything else (blogging is a great way to procrastinate)! This blog also allows me to express myself and my findings with people who actually care about bodices, stately English manors, and the release of new BBC dramas. I love connecting with other Anglophiles and historical drama lovers!

4.  How many times a week do you post an entry? Usually between one and six, depending on how productive I am feeling and what news I find.

5.  How many different blogs do you read on a regular basis? Quite a few; I read 4 blogs of similar content to FI and 4 Twilight blogs daily, and then those of people who comment on my blog or those I just stumble upon. There are also those I check every now and then for new updates.

6.  Do you comment on other people’s blogs? Sometimes, if I feel I have something worthwhile to say or I just REALLY loved what I just read. I never post purely negative comments.

7.  Do you keep track of how many visitors you have?  If so, are you satisfied with your numbers? I check the stats every once in a while, and I am pretty satisfied with the numbers.

8.  Do you ever regret a post that you wrote? Sometimes I get carried away and say a thing or two (usually about a movie) that I regret, but I try to keep my opinions as harmless as possible (I am sarcastic, but terribly nonconfrontational ). I also review what I have written numerous times before publishing, and then go back and erase/edit something I believe needs fixing. . . which sometimes makes me feel like Winston Smith working in the Ministry of Truth, but whatever.

9.  Do you think your audience has a true sense of who you are based on your blog? I would think so. I can be open and entirely myself here.

10.  Do you blog under your real name? Yes, under my real first name; only recently did I start doing this, but I figured since a number of people know who I am already and FI is a rather benign blog, it didn’t really matter.

11.  Are there topics that you would never blog about? Since I explicitly created this blog for one purpose, I only write about the things I want to write about within certain subject parameters. There’s no room for political or religious discussions on a blog about costume dramas!

12.  What is the theme/topic of your blog? Film adaptations of English history and English literature.

13.  Do you have more than one blog?  If so, why? Nope. I am perfectly content with this one!

 

 

1. How long have you been blogging?

2.  Why did you start blogging?

3.  What have you found to be the benefits of blogging?

4.  How many times a week do you post an entry?

5.  How many different blogs do you read on a regular basis?

6.  Do you comment on other people’s blogs?

7.  Do you keep track of how many visitors you have?  If so, are you satisfied with your numbers?

8.  Do you ever regret a post that you wrote?

9.  Do you think your audience has a true sense of who you are based on your blog?

10.  Do you blog under your real name?

11.  Are there topics that you would never blog about?

12.  What is the theme/topic of your blog?

13.  Do you have more than one blog?  If so, why?

BBC’s new Georgian Legal Drama

18th-century England was an era of excess and rampant crime, especially in the exploding city of London. It took decades for the legal system of Georgian England to meet the need for order and justice in a world where politicians and peers turned a blind eye to shady deals, sinful indulgences, and legal proceedings that, unfair as they might have been, kept the balance of power and wealth tilted in their favor. BBC’s new drama Garrow’s Law is inspired by the life of barrister William Garrow, who perfected the use of cross-examination against dishonest prosecutors and developed a nascent adversarial system of law, which opposed the intimidating, and often inhumane, practice of inquisition that had been standard in the European legal world for centuries.

Garrow’s Law is set in the Old Bailey of Georgian London against a backdrop of corruption and social injustice and is based on real legal cases from the late 18th century.

Each one-hour episode begins with the investigation of a case sourced from the Old Bailey archives from the day, from rape and murder to high treason and corruption, and follows Garrow (Buchan) and his associate Southouse(Armstrong) working to uncover the truth or fight for justice.

In an age where the defence counsel acted in the minority of cases, the young Garrow championed the underdog and pioneered the rigorous cross-examination of prosecution witnesses that paved the way for our modern legal system of today.

The program, commissioned for BBC Knowledge, a department known for it’s “well-received, factual-based dramas,” has begun filming in Scotland and will air on BBC One later this year. It will star Andrew Buchan (of Cranford fame), Alun Armstrong (whom we recently saw as Flintwich in Little Dorrit), and Lyndsey Marshal.

Jay Hunt, Controller, BBC One, says: “It’s a fantastic collaboration between factual and drama to create an immersive history piece which should also feel like a period drama.”

Legal drama is usually captivating stuff, but add some bag wigs, cravats, the sound of hooves on London’s streets, and I am more than willing to sit mesmerized.

Merlin on NBC

For the past two weeks now, I have been entertained by a new show on NBC, Merlin. Actually, it’s not a new show, and it’s not NBC’s. It’s a BBC creation (there’s a surprise) that first aired across the pond in 2008 and work on the second season, to air this autumn on the BBC, is underway in France and Wales.

I had read a tidbit here and there about the series before, but I was surprised when I happened upon an episode on NBC while passing through my parent’s room. With the swordfighting and magnificent shots of Camelot, I thought, “Why, this must be that show Merlin!” Quite unintentionally, my Sunday evening plans evaporated, and I sat spellbound in front of the TV for two hours instead. “Spellbound” might be the wrong word, but I certainly didn’t want the show to end. And luckily for me, I caught the premier night (or perhaps not so lucky, if you consider the absurd amount of commercials).

Merlin is a far cry from the traditional Arthurian legend. For starters, Merlin (Colin Morgan) is a peasant boy, with X-Men-like mind powers who comes to Camelot to work with King Uther Pendragon’s (Anthony Head) court physician, Gaius (Richard Wilson), hoping he can get some answers regarding his gifts. And Arthur (Bradley James) is no chivalrous, noble king—at least, not yet. More like your typical, swaggering (and hott) high school jock in mail and plate armor—but he’s showing promise. Oh, and Guenivere, simply called Gwen (Angel Coulby), is the daughter of a blacksmith, handmaiden to Morgana (Katie McGrath), Uther’s (irritating) ward. The twists and modernization of the Arthurian legends are by no means unwelcome, and they are not nearly as difficult to swallow as those in A Knight’s Tale; that movie was painful—this series is fun and unoffensive, though not on par with some of BBC’s other dramas in terms of plot and acting.

That said, Merlin is a great way to fill the Sunday night void left by the end of Masterpiece Classic—and I have found myself on the edge of my seat more than once! More fantastical than historical, with the central theme being the use of magic despite Uther’s strict prohibitions, Merlin is no period piece, but it is a new, captivating rendition of the timeworn Arthurian tales for this generation sure to entertain.

Merlin has been airing NBC at 8pm Eastern, with the one-hour installments coming in pairs (”The Dragon’s Call”, “Valiant”, “The Mark of Nimueh”, and “The Poisoned Chalice” being episodes 1-4), but there is no indication yet that July 5 will see another episode besides “Lancelot.” You can watch all the episodes on the Merlin minisite, but I must warn you: you will have memorized the Capital One desert island advertisement by the time it is through—NBC doesn’t even soothe the commercial irritation with variety.  You can also read about the upcoming season two here if you want, but I smell spoilers.

Tuesday Trivia: Too Pretty for Lizzie?

Keira Knightley is a beauty. There’s no question about that. When she was cast as Elizabeth Bennet in the 2005 adaptation of Pride & Prejudice, more than a few eyebrows were raised, for, though Austen provides little concrete description of her beloved heroine, she is not considered strikingly pretty—remember Mr. Darcy’s initial assessment? Interestingly, Joe Wright, the film’s director, had this in mind when brainstorming potential candidates for the large role, that of a literary icon with a worldwide female (and probably male) fanbase, and he wasn’t interested in Knightley, thinking her too beautiful for the part.

“I thought Lizzie should be slightly plainer, that Darcy is attracted to the liveliness of her mind and not her physical beauty,” explains the hip-looking thirtysomething director. “But when I went to Montreal to meet Keira the day after her nineteenth birthday, she bounded in and I suddenly I realized that she was a tomboy. It seemed that she’d always been put in these pretty dresses and told to look pretty and suddenly there was this quite angular, feisty girl who couldn’t shut up. She just talked and talked and talked and talked and talked and suddenly I realized this was the key to Lizzie, that this could work.”

Keira remembers being very anxious, knowing she was fighting an uphill battle—so imagine her excitement when she landed the major part in a story that had captivated her from the age of seven!

 

Source: Urban Cinefile

Masterpiece Classic 2010

Masterpiece 2010 will see the BBC’s new Emma and the Cranford sequel, both currently in the works, debut in America, announces BBC Worldwide. The other dramas that will complete the 2010 lineup are:

Small Island (2 x 90)
Adapted from the award-winning 2004 novel, this mini-series stars Naomie Harris (Pirates of the Caribbean, White Teeth, 28 Days Later) as Hortense, a young ambitious Jamaican woman thrust into the grit of 1940s post-war London. A Ruby Television production in association with AL Films for BBC, coproduced with WGBH and made on location in Northern Ireland with the assistance of Northern Ireland Screen.

Framed (1 x 90)
Adapted from Frank Cottrell Boyce’s (The Last Enemy) children’s novel, Framed stars Trevor Eve (Waking the Dead) as a present-day National Gallery curator who travels from London to a Welsh village to oversee the storage of priceless art. A BBC/WGBH BOSTON co-production.

Sharpe’s Peril (2 x 90)
Sharpe’s Challenge (2 x 90)
Shot entirely in India, these two installments of the award-winning series, Sharpe, star Sean Bean (Lord of the Rings, Troy, Golden Eye) as Bernard Cornwell’s title character. Sharpe’s Peril is a Celtic Films Ent./Picture Palace Films/Duke Street Films co-production in association with Harper Collins. Sharpe’s Challenge is a Celtic Films and Picture Place production.

The 39 Steps (1 x 90)
Starring Rupert Penry Jones (Persuasion, Burn Up, MI-5) as Richard Hannay, The 39 Steps begins in June 1914, London, when Hannay meets a man who claims to be a British spy—and is later killed in his apartment. When Hannay’s accused of murder, he gets and caught up in a deadly conspiracy. A BBC production.

So Masterpiece 2010 will lack a general theme and will feature period dramas from the late Georgian/Regency era, Victorian era, and early 20th century, giving it a more modern feel than previous seasons. I am definitely looking forward to Emma and Cranford 2, but I just have to wait and see about the others.

“Desperate Romantics” coming soon to BBC2

More information and new promo photos has been released for BBC 2’s new drama, Desperate Romantics, which will air in six-parts beginning mid-July. The series highlights the life of the artistic Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, founded in 1848 and known for their revival of medieval romanticism.

Starring as the maverick group of English artists, their associates and muses are: Aidan Turner (Being Human, The Clinic), Rafe Spall (A Room With A View, Hot Fuzz), Tom Hollander (John Adams, Pride And Prejudice), Samuel Barnett (Beautiful People, The History Boys), Zoe Tapper (Survivors, Demons), Amy Manson (Torchwood), Sam Crane (Church Going) and Jennie Jacques (The Bill).

Amidst a backdrop of alleys, galleries and flesh-houses of 19th-century industrial London, Desperate Romantics follows the life and love affairs of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, a group of revolutionary artists as well-known for their intertwining love lives as for their ground-breaking paintings.

The scandalous love triangles with their models became the subject of much gossip among their contemporaries, particularly as these relationships often crossed the class barriers of polite Victorian society.

This series, written by Peter Bowker has “bodice-ripper” written all over it; hopefully it will be successful enough to merit dramas about other literary and artistic movements in England (hint, hint . . . the Romantic Poets).

An interactive new website will be launched for the series on July 7th, featuring extensive information on the actual works of the Pre-Raphaelites.

For two character profiles, check out these interviews, one with Aiden Turner, who plays “the Casanova of his time,” Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and Samuel Barnett, whose character, John Everett Millais, is best known for his notorious relationship with another man’s wife (no spoilers here!).

Tuesday Trivia: Becky Knocked Up

I’m feeling especially curious this summer, so I am introducing a new feature to FI: Tuesday Trivia. This will just be a weekly tidbit of obscure, interesting, or funny information about a random costume drama, particularly the more recent films. Let’s start with my favorite 19th-century movie of all and the inspiration for this blog’s theme, Vanity Fair.

 

If Reese Witherspoon looks particularly glowing in Vanity Fair 2004, it’s because she was pregnant with her second child during the filming. According to director Mira Nair, that’s just the effect she was looking for.

Nair recalls, “I am not a fan of underfed Los Angeles actresses so the year before we began filming, I had dinner at her home and told her husband to knock her up… and he did.

“It had a wonderful effect on her luminosity and womanliness. In those days the dresses had plunging necklines. It was the bosom that I wanted and I certainly got that.” (Source)

 LOL.

And in case it slipped past you, yes, that is Becky Sharp’s “luminous” bosom gracing FI’s header. You can see the full shot at Vanity Fair’s website, in the wallpapers, under “Downloads.”