The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society Movie Trailer

The translation from the page to the silver screen is often a dicey one. Especially for a beloved book.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Annie Barrows and Mary Ann Shaffer was originally published in 2009. In 1946, Juliet Ashton is a writer looking for next subject. She received a letter from a man living on the island of Guernsey, whose residents survived German occupation during World War II.

Recently, the trailer for the film adaptation was released.

While I could not get through the book, the movie looks very interesting. One of the appealing aspects of the movie (for me at least) is a mini-Downton Abbey reunion. Lily James, Penelope Wilton, Matthew Goode and Jessica Brown Findlay are all part of the cast. While the film will not hit US theaters until later in the year, I can only hope that the film delivers on the promises in the trailer.

 

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Downton Abbey Recap Series 5 Episode 9: September Romances, Goodbye Tom And Matthew Goode

This will be the final recap of Downton Abbey for 2015 as series 5 ended last night (:(). As usual, this post contains spoilers about this weekend’s episode.

Upstairs

Isobel and Violet’s romantic adventures are over. Not wanting to be the cause of an emotional rift between Lord Merton and his sons, Isobel ends the engagement.  Through Shrimpy’s connections, Violet is able to locate Princess Kuragin and bring her to England to reunite with her husband. Their next destination is Paris. Violet tells Isobel that she and the Prince were running away together when the princess discovered their plan and sent Violet back to her husband.  I think this has been my favorite series in regards to Violet. She has always been one of the best characters on the show, but this revelation is just so cool.

To the outside world (and Mary), Marigold is Edith’s adopted daughter. Robert, realizing his folly, apologizes to Edith and has a tender father/daughter moment with her.  Tom figures out the truth about Marigold’s parentage.

Speaking of Tom, the decision has been made. He and Sybbie are leaving for Boston, Robert admits that he will miss Tom and not just because of his granddaughter. Tom, Mary and Edith have a tender moment in the nursery, speaking to Sybil as if she was still with them.  It was sad and sweet and broke my heart just a little.

Robert and Cora are back on track as a couple. Robert is having health problems, which at the end of the day, are nothing more than an ulcer.

One of the highlights of the upstairs characters for me is to see how the younger characters mature. Rose, who was introduced as a slightly flighty and rebellious young woman has matured into an intelligent and emotionally open adult. While the family visits Rose’s in laws for a shooting holiday, a woman joins the party. The presumption is that she is Lord Sinderby’s former mistress and the boy with her is his illegitimate son. To prevent a scandal and embarrassment, Rose loudly pretends that this woman is a friend that she has not seen in a long time. She wrangles Mary and Robert to join her in the charade. Lord Sinderby admits that he was wrong about Rose.

And finally, during the shooting party, Mary and Edith make new friends. Edith strikes up a conversation with the land agent while Mary flirts with an aristocrat played by Matthew Goode. Will wedding bells ring or in Mary’s case, ring again in the sixth series?

Downstairs

This episode was the culmination of Chelsie (Charles and Elsie) shippers long held desire to see Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes bound together in holy matrimony. While the proposal was not Matthew kneeling down to Mary in the snow, it was still romantic. I have a feeling that this marriage will be a long and happy one. If friendship and respect are the basis for any long term romantic relationship, Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes have it in spades.

Mrs. Hughes, in the moments before the proposal, reveals that she cannot go into business with Mr. Carson because she has no money. Her sister Becky, as she put it “is not quite right in the head”. Most of Mrs. Hughes’s money has been put to the care of her sister.

The merry war between Spratt and Miss Denker is not over. This time, it was over broth. Violet had fond memories of the broth that her mother’s maid used to make for her as a girl. At first, Miss Denker tried to pass Daisy’s broth as her own before Spratt caught her. But then she made her own and Violet thought it was delicious. Score one for the ladies maid.

Daisy is not yet quite ready to leave the nest or her mother figure, Mrs. Patmore.

While visiting Lord and Lady Sinderby, Thomas is demoted to footman by Lord Sinderby’s snooty butler, Stowell.  His level of snobbery even shocks Mary, when Stowell refuses to serve Tom. Using a bit of trickery, Thomas and Baxter work together to humiliate Stowell.  Perhaps tricks have been finally been put to good use.

Molesley is still Molesley and we love him for it.

Anna is released from jail, but not before she shares a long held secret.  Abused sexually by her stepfather, Anna pulled a knife on him to protect herself.  To protect his wife, Bates hides in Ireland, but sneaks back to Downton to surprise Anna just as the episode comes to a close.

Analysis

While this series did not have the ups and downs that previous series have had (I’m looking at you, series 3, loosing Matthew and Sybil, it still breaks my heart a little), it was enjoyable and entertaining.

Dowager Quote Of The Week

“I will never again receive an immoral proposal from a man. Was I so wrong to savor it?”

On a serious note, I want to thank everyone who took a few moments out of their day to read my recaps. It means a lot to me.  I look forward to recaps come next year.

The Imitation Game Movie Review

Alan Turing, to say the least, was a complicated man. A gay man in an era when being gay was a criminal offense, Alan Turing was a smart outsider who never quite fit in. He was also the man who created the modern computer and helped the Allies to win World War II.

Released late last year, The Imitation Game is the story of how Turing and his associates were able to break the Nazi code.

Taking on the lead role, Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock) brings to life the film’s complicated and later on tragic lead character. Co-starring Keira Knightley (Pride and Prejudice) Matthew Goode (Death Comes To Pemberley), Rory Kinnear, Allen Leech (Downton Abbey), Matthew Beard, Mark Strong (Emma) and Charles Dance, this movie is incredible and so is it’s leading man. This smart,  well made and extremely entertaining film deserves any and all praise that it receives.

This is one of the best movies that I have seen so far this year. I highly, highly, recommend it.

 

Death Comes to Pemberley- A Good Sequel

There are a lot fanfiction writers out there. Very few are lucky enough to not only see their work in print, but also see it on screen.

PD James’s sequel to Pride and Prejudice, Death Comes to Pemberley aired the UK over the past few days.  I was lucky enough to see it before my American IP address prevented me from seeing it. 

The 1995 Colin Firth/Jennifer Ehle minieries is not only the best filmed adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, but the best of the filmed adaptations of any Austen novel.   Any adaptations will always bring comparisons, but this adaptations stands on its own.

Ms. James’s novel starts 6 years after the original novel ends. Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy are happily married with a young son.  On the eve of the annual Lady Anne Ball, Lydia arrives in hysterics that Captain Denny has been murdered and her husband is in the woods surrounding Pemberley.  During investigation and trial, Georgiana must  choose between duty and marry her cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam or choose her heart and marry Mr. Alveston.

I enjoyed it. Ms. James keeps the language and humor of the original novel, utilizing many of the leading characters while keeping the reader engaged in the mystery.

Taking the reins from Colin Firth, Matthew Rhys is a more mature Darcy who is deeply in love with his wife and aware of the responsibility of his station. Anna Maxwell Martin as Elizabeth is a lively and outgoing as she is in the original novel, but with the experience of marriage, motherhood, as well as sharing the responsibility of running the estate.  Lydia (Jenna Coleman) and Wickham (Matthew Goode), as Mr. and Mrs. Bennet (James Fleet and Rebecca Front) are as they are in original novel.

I enjoyed both the book and the miniseries and I look forward to seeing it when it airs on PBS next month.