A new Emma

It seems the BBC is not giving up on 19th century adaptations after all, at least not totally. It has just been announced a new Jane Austen adaptation. This new Emma will appear in the small screen in the autumn of 2009. After Dora Godwin, Kate Beckinsale and Gwyneth Paltrow we are wondering who will [...]

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Who’s the next Maid Marian ?

Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio as Maid Marian in Robin, Prince of Thieves.
We’ve been following quite attentively the Nottingham movie project by Russell Crowe and Ridley Scott. If the script remains more or less a mystery (is Russell really playing the Sheriff and Robin?!) we already knew some cast members, like Sienna Miller who was selected for [...]

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Kingdom of Heaven

A movie shot more for entertainment purposes than any historical verisimilitude, Kingdom of Heaven features an excellent cinematography, with very appealing shots of the desert and of Jerusalem, both having been recreated in Morocco, but little else…
Loosely based on the story of a real man, Balian, a blacksmith who finds himself the bastard son of [...]

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2009: The year of Coco Chanel

Coco Chanel’s life seems to be one of the favorite subjects of filmmakers right now. After a TV mini-series aired in december (in France) with Barbara Bobulova and Shirley McLaine in the role of the famous fashion designer, there’s also three (!!!) other biopics in the making: Coco Avant Chanel with Audrey Tautou, Chanel & [...]

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Crooked House (2008)

An old haunted house that no longer exists… Several mysterious deaths over the years… A family history that has its roots in black magic… A door-knocker belonging to the mansion is found buried in the backyard… If any of this sounds appealing, then you’ll certainly love BBC’s Crooked House, a three part mini series that [...]

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No More 19th Century Period Dramas?

Following the change of the head of Drama Commissioning at the BBC it has been announced recently that the period dramas as we know them may not happen so often in our screens. It seems 19th century literature is going to be given a rest in favour of dramas like The 39 Steps or The [...]

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The Assassination of Henry IV

France 2 (French TV public channel) seems to be deeply immersed into historical fiction right now. This following Tuesday, the first of a series of episodes called “Ce jour-lá, tout a changé” (The day that made History), featuring 24 hours in the life of an historical personality,  will be aired with The Assassination of Henry [...]

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Golden Globes 2009

 
After thirteen Emmy Awards, John Adams gathered last night four Golden Globes for Best Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made for Television, Best Performance by an Actress In A Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television (Laura Linney), Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television (Paul Giamatti) and Best [...]

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Inglorious Basterds

 
Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, Inglorious Basterds, is one of the most expected movies this year. Slightly inspired by Enzo Castellari’s Inglorious Bastards, the movie is presented as a war movie/spaghetti western.
Set during the WWII in France, we follow two storylines: the adventures of a group of Jewish-American soldiers, known as The Basterds, who [...]

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Female Agents (Les femmes de l’ombre)

Female Agents is set in 1944, just some days before the D-day and it’s actually inspired in the lives of several women who fought the Nazis during the WWII in France.
Louise Desfontaines (Sophie Marceau) works for the SOE (Special Operations Executive) and along with her brother, Pierre, she recruits a special team of women. They are charged with the [...]

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