Would You Really? Tag

This is the official tag for Cordy's Lovely Blog Party, which is going on all through the month of February.  Go here for the original :-)

Would you ever go for a walk in the pouring rain to avoid the company of a gentleman caller? 

Oh, definitely.  I'd do that to avoid the company of a lady caller too, or a salesman, or even just teenagers selling magazine subscriptions.

Would you ever, truly, try your hand at matchmaking? 

NEVER.  Too dangerous.  I try hard not to meddle in the emotional lives of others, but to support them instead.

(All photos are mine from my Instagram account.)

Would you be comfortable wearing glass slippers for a night out at a ball? 

I hate shoes, so... I'm guessing, nope.

Would you ever eat an apple given to you, rather forcibly, by a perfect stranger? 

No, because I'd go out walking in the pouring rain to avoid them as soon as they showed up on my doorstep.

Would you ever pretend to be a man's fiancée who you've never actually met? 

Uh, yeah, so, um, I would like to say no, but if that man was played by, say, Hugh Jackman or Alan Ladd, I really would very possibly be willing to try to pull off a charade like that, so I can't in all honesty say no.

Would you ever dance with a stranger that sang to you in a forest? 

Why not?  I like to dance :-)

Would you ever be the one to propose? 

I asked my husband to ask me out in the first place, so I'm not ruling it out.  I don't really think it matters who pops the question, the man or the woman.  All depends on their individual personalities and the dynamics of that particular relationship.

Would you ever visit the house of a man you refused but is supposedly out of town?

Highly unlikely.  I tend to avoid things and places that remind me of people I don't like.

This was a really fun tag, Cordy!  I had a lot of fun with it :-D  So many original, intriguing questions!

Happy Birthday, Dear Vic

Today would have been actor Vic Morrow's 92nd birthday.  You very likely know by now that he is an actor very dear to my heart.  He's been one of my favorite actors for decades now.

I've reviewed several of Vic's movies over the years, as well as gushed about his character Sergeant Saunders (my favorite fictional character of all time) on the show Combat! (1962-67) over and over.  Today, I'd like to round up the best of those posts and reviews and share them here with you, to celebrate his birthday and pay tribute to an actor I will forever hold dear.

Combat! focuses on a squad of American soldiers battling their way through Normandy after the D-DAY invasion, during World War Two.  It has been my favorite show since I was 14 years old, and I wrote a whole post about why I love it so much.

Although I love all the characters on Combat!, it's Vic Morrow's Sergeant Saunders who holds the highest spot in my heart.  A couple of years ago, I mused in this post about why he is so dear to me.

I once reviewed my absolute favorite episode of Combat!, "The Walking Wounded," which also happens to be the first full episode I ever watched.

I've also reviewed my other favorite C! episode, "The Long Way Home, Parts 1 and 2."  If you've never watched the show, but are curious about it, that's a great one to start with because it really lets every regular character shine, and helps you get to know all of them nicely.  You can watch it on YouTube -- part one is here, and part two is here.  If you're a fan of meaty dramas with amazing character development, solid acting, and plenty of WWII action, definitely give it a whirl.

I shared a list of my ten favorite Combat! episodes a few years ago.

But I don't only love to watch Vic Morrow in Combat! -- I really like a lot of his movies too, and I've reviewed several of them.

Blackboard Jungle (1955) was Vic's first screen role, though he had been acting on stage for quite a while by then.  He turns in a searing performance as a hoodlum bent on destruction.  Plus, he gets to square off against Glenn Ford, who is another favorite of mine.

Until Combat! came along, Vic mostly played bad guys, and his turn in the Barbara Stanwyck Show episode "The Key to the Killer" (1960) is no exception.  But he makes his character not merely vicious and explosive, but gives him a kind of needy, yearning desperation to be better than he is.  I always dig getting to see favorite actors opposite each other, and I love that Vic Morrow and Barbara Stanwyck got a chance to share the screen.

In Posse from Hell (1961), Vic plays yet another bad guy, this time a wild west outlaw facing off against Audie Murphy.  This is only a year before he would begin playing Sgt. Saunders, but it's only a small part, and you can see why he would be hungry for a starring role on the small screen.

The last post I'll share in this little birthday roundup is this fun one I did for a blogathon a few years ago, where I imagined up the perfect cast for a 1950s version of The Avengers. I set it in the year 1956 just so I could cast Vic as a key character.

Vic Morrow was an actor who could take a flat, one-note character and elevate it into someone you can't take your eyes off.  He could turn mean characters tender, and charming characters vicious.  And when he occasionally got to sink his teeth into a really deep, fully rounded character like Saunders, he was breathtaking.

Happy birthday, dear Vic.  Always.

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.

"The Three Musketeers" (1948)

This is not my favorite movie version of The Three Musketeers.  My favorite is the 1993 version that I spent my teen years swooning over, as detailed in my review of it.  However!  This is my other favorite, and it has the bonus of being child-friendly, which the '93 isn't entirely.

To prepare for this review, I watched this movie with my kids (who are 9, 11, and 13), which was enormously fun.  This movie does NOT take itself seriously, and so I feel perfectly fine not taking it seriously either.  All three of my kids have read both an abridged version of Alexandre Dumas' book and a graphic novel retelling, so they were already familiar with the characters and basic plot, which was definitely helpful.  I've read the original myself, but that was 20 years ago, and I probably should re-read it.  Because it's been so long since I read it, I'll only be commenting in a couple places on things they changed from the book, and why I like those changes.

So, this movie starts with young d'Artagnan (Gene Kelly) taking leave of his father and going Paris to see if he can become a Musketeer, aka one of the king's personal guards.

Yes, that's Gene Kelly.  No, this isn't a musical.

His first day in Paris, d'Artagnan ends up accidentally falling afoul of three men and arranging duels with them.  The first is Athos (Van Heflin).

The second is Porthos (Gig Young).

The third is Aramis (Robert Coote).

Not knowing they're all actually Musketeers, d'Artagnan thinks he will handle three duels in one day with no problem at all.  And they all agree, he's VERY good.  He's also the most athletic d'Artagnan you've ever imagined, leaping and jumping and climbing and cavorting all over the place.

The duels get interrupted by some enemies of the Three Musketeers, and d'Artagnan helps them fight off their foes.  Obviously, they will be best buddies forever more.  Also, aren't those fantastic costumes?  Everyone in this is wildly colorful.  Not very period-correct, but extremely fun to watch.

The sets are lavish too, and this whole film is a feast for the eyes.  Here's part of the royal palace.

King Louis XIII (Frank Morgan) is very annoyed with the Musketeers for dueling and so on, but he spends most of his time scolding d'Artagnan for not having any decent clothes.

So d'Artagnan and his three friends set off to get him some decent clothes, plus a manservant named Planchet (Keenan Wynn), who is very handy to have around at all times, especially in a fight.

Now, I'm used to seeing Keenan Wynn as a scheming baddie (like in The Absent-Minded Professor) or an irascible Army officer (like in Combat! episode "The Prisoner") or a villainous old creep (like in The War Wagon).  I am not used to seeing him as a capable, albeit somewhat comic, sidekick.  It's cool, he does well, and I like it.

Of course, the next thing d'Artagnan needs is a girlfriend, so he quickly falls in love with Constance (June Allyson), the girl downstairs.  Here's something they changed from the book that I am a total fan of: in this, Constance is his landlord's daughter, not his landlord's wife.  SO MUCH BETTER, PEOPLE.  Also, because she's played by June Allyson, she is as sweet and innocent and lovable as possible.

Constance is a lady-in-waiting for Queen Anne (Angela Lansbury).  

Queen Anne is in love with the Duke of Buckingham (John Sutton), an Englishman, even though she's married to King Louis XIII.  Most of the plot revolves around Queen Anne giving the Duke of Buckingham a set of giant diamonds that King Louis had given to her, and then Richelieu scheming to disgrace her by making her reveal to the King that she gave them away.

Ahhh, yes, Richelieu (Vincent Price).  Here's another change they made that I rather like.  In the book, he's Cardinal Richelieu, head of the Roman Catholic church in France.  But in this, he's not a clergyman, he's just the king's most trusted advisor.  That means he can be totally despicable without casting slurs on the name of clergymen everywhere.  And it makes his liason with Milady de Winter slightly less... unpalatable.

Speaking of Milady de Winter (Lana Turner), here she is.  Richelieu trusts her to get at least some of those diamonds from the Duke of Buckingham to confront Queen Anne it.  It's implied that she sleeps with Buckingham to get them, but implied so obliquely that my kids never caught of a whiff of that.

Milady also catches d'Artagnan in her snares for a while, and it's also implied that they do more than kiss, given how repentant he is when he apologizes to Constance about it.  

My kids spent a lot of time discussing the way Milady's beauty mark was in a different place in different scenes, which they found both fascinating and funny.

Anyway, there's lots and lots of derring do, many sword fights, a lot of brawling, and some cunning plotting before the movie is over, but all's mostly well that ends well.  A few characters do die, but nobody seems to be overly upset about it for more than a couple of minutes.  By the end, as you can see, everyone is very pleased with themselves, and ready for many rollicking adventures to come.

My kids got a huge kick out of this, especially my son because he's taking fencing lessons right now.  He thinks maybe he should take acrobatics too so he could incorporate a few of d'Artagnan's moves into his own fighting style, hee.

Is this movie family friendly?  Yeah, it pretty much is.  My 9-yr-old was a little upset by Milady killing a couple of people because there was one shot of a dead body with blood all over its shirt, and she had to be reassured it was all pretend.  There's quite a bit of kissing and swashbuckling violence, but it's very light-hearted overall.

Since this post is for a Period Drama Blog Party (more on that below), I will just mention a few things about costumes.  The above is my favorite outfit for d'Artagnan.

Here you see some of the Musketeer cloaks, which I love.

Most of the dresses were kind of low-cut, but then had big broaches over their, shall we say, lower décolletage?  I'm wondering if this was an actual style in the time of Louis XIII, or if the Hays Code objected to their costumes for being too low-cut, so they just stuck broaches on the front of any problematic dresses.  I rather suspect the latter possibility to be the correct on.

I did not screencap most of the dresses, I'm afraid.  Sorry.  They're very swooshy and pretty, and I'll let them be surprises for you when you see this yourself!

I wrote this specifically for the Valentine's Day Period Drama Blog Party hosted by Heidi at Along the Brandywine.  Click here for the kick-off post, tag, etc!

Favorite Movies from Each Year of My Life

This is a fun little idea I got from an online movie group I belong to.  I have figured out my favorite movie from each year that I've been alive.  If I've reviewed a movie, I've linked the title to that review.

1980 -- The Ninth Configuration

1981 -- Raiders of the Lost Ark

1982 -- The Man from Snowy River

1983 -- The Return of the Jedi

1984 -- Romancing the Stone

1985 -- Anne of Green Gables

1986 -- Three Amigos

1987 -- The Princess Bride

1988 -- Willow

1989 -- Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

1990 -- Hamlet

1991 -- Oscar

1992 -- Aladdin

1993 -- The Fugitive

1994 -- Little Women

1995 -- While You Were Sleeping

1996 -- Emma

1997 -- L. A. Confidential

1998 -- The Mask of Zorro

1999 -- 10 Things I Hate About You

2000 -- X-Men

2001 -- The Fellowship of the Ring

2002 -- The Bourne Identity

2003 -- X2: X-Men United

2004 -- North & South

2005 -- Pride & Prejudice

2006 -- Amazing Grace

2007 -- Northanger Abbey

2008 -- Australia

2009 -- X-Men Origins: Wolverine

2010 -- Tangled

2011 -- True Grit

2012 -- The Avengers

2013 -- The Lone Ranger

2014 -- X-Men: Days of Future Past

2015 -- The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

2016 -- Rogue One

2017 -- Thor: Ragnarok

2018 -- Solo: A Star Wars Story

2019 -- Midway

2020 -- News of the World

Any surprises here?  Any favorites we share?

My Ten Favorite Romantic Dramas

A few years ago, I posted a list of my top ten favorite romantic comedies.  You can read it here.  Today, I'm doing something a little different -- a list of my ten favorite romantic dramas!  I've excluded movies that belong to other specific genres like westerns, musicals, or film noir, simply because... those aren't in the drama section of my movie collection, okay? 

As always, if I've reviewed a film on this list, I've linked the title to my review.

1. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) Three veterans (Dana Andrews, Frederic March, Harold Russell) find returning to civilian life much harder than they'd expected.  Bonus: this movie contains THREE love stories!  You get love between a husband and wife getting reacquainted, between childhood sweethearts, and between new acquaintances.

2. Jane Eyre (1983) Strong-spirited governess Jane Eyre (Zelah Clarke) falls in love with her wealthy, secretive employer (Timothy Dalton), but they cannot marry until they both deserve each other.

3. Chocolat (2000) A mysterious woman (Juliette Binoche) opens a chocolate shop in a sedate French village and teaches its inhabitants to reexamine their attitudes and customs.   Also, she falls in love with a gypsy (Johnny Depp).

4. North and South (2004)  A woman (Daniela Denby-Ashe) from the pastoral south of England moves to the industrial north and spends months ignoring the fact that a wealthy manufacturer (Richard Armitage) is in love with her. 

5. And Now Tomorrow (1944) A wealthy young woman (Loretta Young) loses her hearing in an illness. Though her family and fiance (Barry Sullivan) try to convince her she needs to accept her condition, a young doctor (Alan Ladd) with an experimental treatment holds out hope that she could regain her hearing.

6. Pride and Prejudice (2005) Elizabeth Bennet (Keira Knightley) and Mr. Darcy (Matthew Macfadyen) can't fall in love with each other until they both come to understand themselves first.  Bonus: multiple love stories here too!

7. Jane Eyre (2011)  Strong-spirited governess Jane Eyre (Mia Wasikowska) falls in love with her wealthy, secretive employer (Michael Fassbender), but they cannot marry until they both deserve each other.

8. Moran of the Lady Letty (1922)  A wealthy young man (Rudolph Valentino) gets shanghaied onto a smuggling ship, whereupon he falls in love with the only survivor (Dorothy Dalton) of an abandoned vessel the smugglers rob.

9. Sense and Sensibility (1995)  A young woman (Emma Thompson) and her sister (Kate Winslet) both discover that their own particular personality strengths are also weaknesses when it comes to finding a smooth path to true love.  Bonus: this movie also contains three love stories.  Because why not.

10. Return to Me (2000)  A man (David Duchovny) falls in love with the woman (Minnie Driver) who was the heart donor recipient of his wife's heart after she died.

I just realized that Judi Dench is in three of these:  Chocolat, Pride and Prejudice, and the 2011 Jane Eyre.  How nifty is that?

This post is a contribution toward Cordy's Lovely Blog Party, which is in full swing and continues all month!  You can read her kick-off post here.