Friday, April 30, 2010

Isn’t She Great?


Last year I wrote a bit about Cranford, calling it the best tv movie / miniseries I had seen in a while. Actually, the most entertaining and my type of movie making. [yes, I have seen John Adams]. The miniseries had 5 parts and although quite girlie it fits perfectly for anybody who enjoys period pieces like Sense & Sensibility and stuff. BUT, Cranford also had some humour on the side, provided mostly by Imelda Staunton.

So I was excited when I heard it was back with 2 more episodes slash Christmas special. After seeing them, I can declare they weren’t as good as the first 5, but still a treat.


Judi Dench was AMAZING in the first Cranford, giving one of my favourite performances of hers (if not THE one). And it’s not a character she’s often done before: an honest, educated, incredibly kind spinster. Had it not been for Laura Linney in John Adams, I’m quite sure Judi would’ve won both Emmy and Golden Globe. Her performance was so touching and effective and it remains the same for these 2 new episodes.

These were my favourite 2 stills of hers from this Christmas special. She must get an Emmy nomination this summer and if she submits part II, she will be a definite contender for the win. Love her! See Cranford, especially the first 5 episodes!

4 comments:

Addicted to Films said...

I enjoyed Cranford very much, it was very well done and I am looking forward to watching Return to Cranford. What's different I guess about Cranford is that most of its main characters are little old ladies (what shows are there really, that enable actresses of that age range to actually flex their acting skills?) and we still find their world fascinating...who knew right.

BBC has done some really great period mini series recently...I definitely recommend Bleak House, Little Dorrit and North and South...if you haven't seen them

Alex Constantin said...

thanks for posting this :) I was curious about Bleak House, but more probably I'll watch Little Dorrit this year, either this or... the 1988 film version

Alex Ramon said...

Totally agree about Judi Dench's work here (and everywhere else); the whole ensemble in CRANFORD is great yet she's the soul of the series for me.

Great blogs, by the way!

Alex Constantin said...

thanks :)