Valentine's Day Period Drama Tag

Heidi at Along the Brandywine has provided us with this charming tag as part of her Valentine's Day Period Drama Blog Party, and I'm sharing my answers today :-)  All titles and so on are linked to my own reviews on my blog, unless otherwise specified.

1) Your current three (or up to five!) favorite period dramas?

If we're not counting westerns, then they're:

1. We're No Angels (1955)
2. Ben-Hur (1959)
3. Chocolat (2000)
4. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)
5. Anne of Green Gables (1985)

2) What would you recommend to someone who's never seen a period drama as a starter?

It really depends on what kinds of storylines they enjoy, and whether or not they're accustomed to watching older movies.  I find that kids tend to gravitate toward stories with kids in them, so The Apple Dumpling Gang (1975), Little Women (1994), Anne of Green Gables (1985), and Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) often connect well for them.  If someone likes actiony movies, I'd recommend Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003) or A Knight's Tale (2001).

If you mean "romantic costume drama," then I would start people with movies, not miniseries, and the ones with familiar actors and actresses, like Jane Eyre (2011), Emma (1996 Paltrow), Sense and Sensibility (1995), and Pride and Prejudice (2005).  It's easier to ease people into the idea of the whole "bonnets and breeches" thing in small doses if they're not used to them.

3) A favorite couple that wouldn’t be included in answer #1 (cause I’m figuring those are already top favorites ;)) and/or a favorite secondary character romance? 

Hmmm.  Well, I think I'm considering period dramas more broadly than you might be intending, as a most of my top favorites are more dramas set in a historical time period previous to when they were made, rather than romantic costume dramas.  I mean, there is romance in some of them, but only a little in several, and none at all in one.

Anyway, a favorite couple that's not included in those top five would be Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester.  Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte is my favorite novel, and I have seen six different versions of it.  I love two (1983 and 2011) and like two (1943 and 1997) of them, and didn't care for two of them (1996 and 2006).  Hmm, a comparison post on them might be a fun thing to write up in the future...

ANYWAY, I absolutely love Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester because of how they change and grow throughout their story.  Jane must grow from naive and dependent girlhood to independent and wise womanhood.  She spends her whole life adamantly obeying God rather than the various men who try to run her life, but it's not until she begins to act for herself instead of always reacting against men that she becomes able to choose a husband for herself in a steady and wise way.  Notice what that famous line says: "Reader, I married him."  Not "he married me."  "I married him."  This was her choice, her active decision.  By the end of the story, she is not only the morally stronger half of their whole, but the physically stronger.  She chooses to use her strength to help the man she loves, for the rest of their lives.  No one tricks her into that marriage.

As for Edward Rochester, he has even more growing and changing to do, obviously.  His transformation from a selfish, shallow philanderer into a repentant and humble man who must ask and not insist... it's so beautiful.  Movie versions tend to leave out the whole part where he prays and prays, seeking God's forgiveness and asking for his help.  It's only after he's repented of his behavior and sought God that that little miracle happens, him crying out for the Jane he has lost, and her hearing him from far away.  It's like a prayer, like him asking God to give him back Jane.  And God answers with a yes.  Almost like a sign from God that yes, Rochester, you have repented and are forgiven.

If Jane and Rochester had married that first time, if that wedding had not been interrupted, I don't think they would have had a happy life together.  Jane would have learned of Bertha's existence eventually, and what horrible pain Rochester's lies would have caused her.  She never would have trusted him again, would have lost all respect and love for him.  It's not until he has repented and been forgiven that he is worthy of her.  And it's not until she has learned to stop reacting and being acting for herself that she is his equal.

All of that to say, they're my favorite :-)

4) What do you consider foundational qualities for a healthy romance? 

Honesty, respect, putting the other person above yourself, a shared belief system, and a deep interest in that person that makes you want to be interested in their interests, even the ones you don't already share.

Is that boring?  I also think physical attraction is important, but that a romance can only flourish if there's more to it than just "I think you're hot."

5) Worst villain/antagonist? 

It's a toss-up between John Thorpe from Northanger Abbey (2007) and Lucy Steele from Sense and Sensibility (1995).  UGH.

6) A favorite proposal scene? 

Well, to avoid nattering on about Jane Eyre for five paragraphs again, I'll go with the scene at the train station at the end of North and South (2004), with the rose from Helston and the shy smiles and the hard-won kiss.

7) Favorite period drama characters based on a real life couple? 

Martin (Joseph Fiennes) and Katherina (Claire Cox) Luther in Luther (2003).  Not only are they both heroes of mine (we debated naming our first daughter after Katherina von Bora, even), but they're portrayed very well and close to what we know of the real Martin and Katie.  (Side note:  I plan to review that movie later this year...)

8) Any classic b/w period dramas you like? 

Um, yes. Jane Eyre (1943) and Pride and Prejudice (1940) in particular.  I love many black-and-white movies, though most of them are film noir, westerns, or WWII pictures.

9) Most mature romance in a period drama? (mature as in age and/or characters who are consciously and wisely ripened by life experience, etc.) 

Ooooh.  So, assuming that this means new romance and not a couple who is already married by the time the movie starts... I will say the romance between Cal Wayne (Bobby Darin) and Amy Martin (Emily Banks) in Gunfight in Abilene (1967).  Although they had been sweethearts before Cal went away to fight in the Civil War, they are no longer a couple when he returns.  Amy had been told that he was dead, and so, after mourning him for a year or two, she became involved with Cal's best friend's older brother, Grant Evers (Leslie Nielson).  When Cal returns from the war, most definitely not dead, he brings with him a dire secret that prevents him from trying to woo Amy away from Grant.  

Amy has a serene womanliness that attests to how grief has tempered her and refined her like a fire.  Cal's own trials and tribulations have turned him from a cocky boy into a secretive and cautious man.  Together, Amy helps Cal heal from his past trauma, once she understands it.  And Cal repeatedly assures her of his forgiveness for her beginning a relationship with another man when she thought he was dead.  

I actually co-wrote a fanfiction follow-up to this story, "Aftermath in Abilene," which you can read on fanfiction.net here.  I explored how Cal's PTSD would continue affect both him and Amy after their marriage, as well as his job as sheriff of Abilene.  My co-writer focused on his deputy, and it was a lot of fun to write.  It's the only movie I've ever written fanfic for.

10) Most excruciatingly long, slow burn romance in a period drama? 

It is very hard for me to wait patiently for Dorothea (Juliet Aubrey) and Ladislaw (Rufus Sewell) to finally get to be together in Middlemarch (1994).

11) A story that has multiple film adaptations where you love more than one of them? 

Oh, goodness.  How much time do we have?  I love many versions of Hamlet (especially 1964/Richard Burton, 1990/Mel Gibson, 1996/Kenneth Branagh, 2000/Ethan Hawke, and 2011 Bruce Ramsay).  I love two Jane Eyre films (1983 and 2011), as mentioned above.  I love three Pride and Prejudice adaptations (2005, 1995, 1940).  I discussed my tendency to like multiple adaptations of the same story more fully in this blog post on my book blog a few years ago.

12) A book you think needs to be made into a film (or a new adaptation)?

I want a big-screen adaptation of Jane of Lantern Hill by L. M. Montgomery.  I know there's a TV version made in the late '80s, but I've never seen it because it's a little expensive on DVD.  So I want one with Tom Hiddleston as Andrew Stuart, Dafne Keen as Jane, and Nicole Kidman as Robin.  Any time now, Hollywood.

Okay!  That was extremely fun, and I hope you enjoy reading my lengthy answers :-)  I wish you all a very happy Valentine's Day weekend, however you may choose to spend it.