So, I watched the second part of Return to Cranford last night with my counterpart. And though I was extremely disappointed that country Doctor Gaius Octavian Caesar didn't appear, it was
thoroughly enjoyable. I rented the first series, Cranford, via Netflix a few months ago and was blown away by the quality writing, acting, and cinematography. I'm not used to BBC miniseries
looking so nice. I should say that I haven't been watching many NEW miniseries recently.
You see when I was unemployed and living on my own, I watched a ton of TV on DVD and a lot of movies/shows on Netflix's Watch Instantly page that looked like they might be sort of okay. This includes (actually really good) BBC miniseries of classic literature including:
The Way We Live Now, which introduced me to the work of David Yates before he took over the Harry Potter series, and features the ALWAYS enjoyable Cillian Murphy and Matthew Macfayden. Also, one of the most atrocious American accents I've ever seen on British television.
Daniel Deronda, Hugh Dancy and Romola Garai!
Wives and Daughters, with Michael Gambon and Rosamund Pike in supporting roles and one of the cutest, yet most understated, love stories in the lot.
The Buccaneers, with a young, villainous James Frain! who I just discovered will be Franklin Mott in the new season of True Blood. Oh, the wonders of IMDB.
Now, about half of these were filmed in '90s. And I'm sure my picture suffered because I was watching them over the internet and not on the 52'' flat screen in my parent's living room. ButCranford and Return to Cranford, were just GORGEOUS. Gorgeously lit, gorgeously shot. And all the people are attractive in this distinctly British television way, where everyone looks like a normal person--not plastic or too chiseled--but with really great skin and hair and expressive eyes. It was amazing.
Let me gush some more. We actually watched the second part of Return to Cranford on the Masterpiece Theater website because we forgot to DVR it last week when it aired. And the gorgeousity still came through, despite major pauses to buffer and a disappointingly small picture.
I don't have much else to say. And, as this post has been all over the map anyway, I'll wrap up by saying that I absolutely love watching these BBC adaptations of classic literature and am on the hunt for some more good ones. Once I send back my current Netflix rentals I will definitely be searching out more. Any recommendations, non-existent readership?
