The Hour

Barbara, that Pan Am show looks like it's definitely worth a watch. Just saw the ads last week and it looks fun. Kinda reminds me of that scene from Catch Me if You Can, where the main character is posing as a pilot. It was definitely about glamour and the prestige of flight at that time.
 
The House of Elliot was supposed to be re-released on DVD this year but haven't looked into it since I finished the first series I picked up on video in my local charity shop - such a great story! I watched it while making costumes for Rigoletto and it really put me in the mood for sewing. Now I'm doing The Merry Widow and can pick up so many ideas from that period!

Also the 2nd series of Downton Abbey is supposed to start in September in England, with a Christmas special later on. Basically war begins and it will be quite different with everyone's role's turned upside down. Wikipedia has details.
 
Ah, can't wait for more from Downton Abbey. I just hope it won't start before I'm back from my fam trip, which has only just been confirmed (leaving next Wednesday am running around getting things ready and hoping I can program my digital receiver for both weeks and won't miss anything I'm watching right now).

Yep, Glorious 39 was scary!

Karin
 
eek I've just seen that The House of Eliott is being shown in the UK on ITV3 Next Monday 5th September 6:50pm

Can't wait! it's going to be much better quality than my videos!
 
Thanks for the info - I will definitely watch it again too! It'll be interesting to re-visit it, as I said this was probably one of the first things I watched in English when first got BBC Prime here. And of course I will be watching the costumes with a different eye now :duh: .

Karin
 
Hi,

I only caught about 20 minutes of "The Hour" here on BBC America, but the part I watched was very soap opera, melodramatic, with nothing about the newsroom staff (darn) and the plot seemed rather modern as the characters did not act (or look) much like young people in the mid 50's but seemed too contemporary in both their attitudes, speech, in particular their body posturing. But as I said I only caught a few minutes of it. I am looking forward to watching it again if I can catch it.


Oh I can't wait for more Downton Abbey, I hope we get it here on BBC America. I enjoyed the first round. I will be curious to see how, and if, the costumes have improved. Myself and a few others I know were not crazy about the costumes, which we felt were not well done overall... but I suspect they have improved this time around after the flack they must have received from their peers and viewers. But...we shall see! Oh I SO SO picky!

I have not seen Glorious 39 and I hope it comes here so I check it out.

I have House of Elliot on DVD and I simply adore it. Happy to know it is being shown again.

I hope I did not come off as too critical, as I really like watching all the shows about other time periods, even if the costumes are off or the plot is too sappy. I will take these shows over anything else currently offered on American TV, anyday.

B
 
I actually agree about the inconsistencies in The Hour, the more I watched, the less believable it was. The language was very off for the period in many places, no doubt the clothes too. For some reason I was particularly bothered by the accents, even the main presenter didn't sound quite posh enough for the BBC in the 1950s if you actually listen to news reels of the time, and I don't think the younger reporter would have been allowed to speak on air with his accent.

I still enjoyed it, but only after I lowered my standards and viewed it as a bit of fun that I shouldn't take seriously.
 
It's really hard to get that perfect storm in a production that includes good costuming, storyline, writing and acting. I turn a blind eye to the overuse of jewellery in Mad Men and the Dashiki evening dresses in 1964, and the hemlines that are too short... but its one of the best in all the other departments. House of Elliot is really well costumed but that 'chick-flick' plot was tough for me to sit through! I'm also one who wasn't thrilled with Downton Abbey. Some things like the trouser dress was great, but they insist of keeping Maggie Smith in clothes that are ten years out of date, and not in a Queen Mary matronly way either!

If I had to pick one - I think the movie Gosford Park is practically perfect in every way!
 
I admit I did not watch The Hour after all in the end. After my receiver had managed to bungle the recording of episodes 1 and 3, (and I hadn't even watched number 2), I thought I wouldn't get into the plot anymore, and then my mom told me that she though the story really wasn't much... too bad.

I admit, nerd that I am I like nothing better than to watch costume dramas, though I'm probably nowhere near any of you in spotting the inconsistencies - but I'm learning :D.

Yep, Gosford Park is perfect in any way - no question.

Karin
 
I actually watched the whole series in a day yesterday (I had a day off work and felt the need to fill it somewhat constructively). I must say i really enjoyed it as a programme but from a historical point of view it really wasn't right.

I actually feel more than anything this programme was trying to get rid of the kind of stuffy views of 50's BBC and make the corporation look much more modern thinking (espesh trying to be racially aware).

Costume wise i felt it was far more of an early 60s look they were chanelling. Romola Garai rarely had enough make up on, and a lot of the evening dresses worn were more like day dresses in my opinion. The one person whom i thought actually looked the part was Marie (Hector's wife).
 
Originally posted by lizzietree
I actually feel more than anything this programme was trying to get rid of the kind of stuffy views of 50's BBC and make the corporation look much more modern thinking (espesh trying to be racially aware).
Click to expand...

That's an interesting thought, and made me wonder, perhaps it's even more political than that; it was about showing the BBC taking a stand against government pressure, or even just showing that the government does put pressure on the BBC. Which, apparently, it did over Suez, and probably still does.
 
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