You all know of my penchant for British dramas/miniseries/series. My newest love is Lark Rise to Candleford. This series is based off of Flora Thompson's memoir of her childhood in Oxfordshire during the turn of the century (1895-ish). The series is delightful--LOTS of familiar British faces and a plethora of healthy love interests. It follows the interactions of the hamlet of Lark Rise with the town of Candleford, conducted largely through the activity in the post office. It sounds iffy, but I promised if you give it a go, you will not be disappointed! All four seasons are on YouTube, so you can watch to your heart's content. One tiny confession here: I spent the majority of my last month in Rexburg watching all 4 seasons, once staying up until 3:30 am watching episodes...
There's too much for one post, so we'll break it into several, beginning with the women of Lark Rise and Candleford.
Laura Timmons
(Olivia Hallinan)
Laura, the oldest Timmins child, was born in the hamlet of Lark Rise. When she turns 17, her parents ship her off to work at the post office in the nearest town, Candleford, with her mother's cousin, Dorcas Lane. I've never seen this actress before, but she's a pretty good Laura. We see her come of age over the course of the series: She falls in love, finds and defines herself and her opinions, and learns how to interact with her hamlet family once she is exposed to the ways of "town."
You might remember her better as Lydia Bennett in the 1995 (Colin Firth) version of Pride & Prejudice. She also plays Horatio Hornblower's wife Maria in the A&E miniseries Horatio Hornblower. I recognized her as Maria but didn't make the Lydia connection until the end of season 4 for some reason. I'm kind of glad I didn't, because if I had this image of her giggling at the soldiers in Meriton, it might have ruined it for me (sorry folks). Anyway, she owns the post office and forge in Candleford and is well-known as the most beautiful of the four spinsters in town. She is well-meaning but constantly meddling in everyone else's business...And beware of her "one weakness."(Olivia Hallinan)
Laura, the oldest Timmins child, was born in the hamlet of Lark Rise. When she turns 17, her parents ship her off to work at the post office in the nearest town, Candleford, with her mother's cousin, Dorcas Lane. I've never seen this actress before, but she's a pretty good Laura. We see her come of age over the course of the series: She falls in love, finds and defines herself and her opinions, and learns how to interact with her hamlet family once she is exposed to the ways of "town."
Dorcas Lane
(Julia Sawalha)
(Julia Sawalha)
Queenie
(Linda Bassett)
You may recognize her as Mrs. Jenkins from the new Sense & Sensibility. She is fantastic as Queenie Turrill. She is the unofficial but recognized matriarch of Lark Rise--she's lived there the longest of anyone. She raises bees and sells nuts to survive, takes in anyone in need of food and shelter, believes in ghosts and natural remedies, and is kept busy by her mischievous and lazy husband, Twister. I think her character is one of my favorites. I love how close she is to the earth and her people. She's not ashamed of her roots or her poverty. It's a lesson I needed to learn while living in poverty in my own little town this summer.
I love, love, love Minnie. She doesn't show up until season 2, but she is delightful in every way. I have to admit, I was skeptical of how long she would last on the show, but her character takes on such unique and refreshing qualities that you can't help but love her. Her honesty and purity (and her naivete) have me laughing through many episodes. Her love, though, is also some of the most touching in the series.(Linda Bassett)
You may recognize her as Mrs. Jenkins from the new Sense & Sensibility. She is fantastic as Queenie Turrill. She is the unofficial but recognized matriarch of Lark Rise--she's lived there the longest of anyone. She raises bees and sells nuts to survive, takes in anyone in need of food and shelter, believes in ghosts and natural remedies, and is kept busy by her mischievous and lazy husband, Twister. I think her character is one of my favorites. I love how close she is to the earth and her people. She's not ashamed of her roots or her poverty. It's a lesson I needed to learn while living in poverty in my own little town this summer.
Emma Timmins
(Claudie Blakely)
She's pictured here with her husband, Robert Timmins (more on him in the next post). You may recognize her as Charlotte from the Kiera Knightly Pride & Prejudice. She plays Laura's mother in this series and does a smashing job of it. She does such a great job especially of portraying that fine balance between being subservient to her husband while also questioning the accepted roles of women, perfect for the time period of this series.
(Claudie Blakely)
She's pictured here with her husband, Robert Timmins (more on him in the next post). You may recognize her as Charlotte from the Kiera Knightly Pride & Prejudice. She plays Laura's mother in this series and does a smashing job of it. She does such a great job especially of portraying that fine balance between being subservient to her husband while also questioning the accepted roles of women, perfect for the time period of this series.
Minnie
(Ruby Bentall)
(Ruby Bentall)
Lady Adelaide
Margaret
(Sandy McDade)
I have never seen this actress before, but she is perfect for her role. Sometimes I want to shake her, but for the most part I like her. She's the rector's daughter and is one of the four spinsters in Candleford. I think my favorite episode of hers is the one about cricket.
(Olivia Grant)
I have to admit, I spent most of my time feeling sorry for Lady Adelaide. She's only in season 1, though she does pop back up for a surprise visit in season 3 I think, and she's not even in very many episodes, but she is perfect for her role. I won't say much more than that for fear of giving too much away. Suffice it to say, she is a potent force in both Lark Rise and Candleford.
Margaret
(Sandy McDade)
I have never seen this actress before, but she is perfect for her role. Sometimes I want to shake her, but for the most part I like her. She's the rector's daughter and is one of the four spinsters in Candleford. I think my favorite episode of hers is the one about cricket.
Pearl and Ruby
(Matilda Ziegler and Victoria Hamilton)
I haven't seen anything with Pearl in it, but Ruby played Maria Bertram in the movie version of Mansfield Park. This picture captures these spinster Candleford dressmakers perfectly. It's like you can see in their eyes what vicious gossips they are.
See what I mean: LOTS of famous faces. This should just whet your appetite. The men of Candleford and Lark Rise are not quite as famous, but they sure are lovely...Are you excited yet?
(Matilda Ziegler and Victoria Hamilton)
I haven't seen anything with Pearl in it, but Ruby played Maria Bertram in the movie version of Mansfield Park. This picture captures these spinster Candleford dressmakers perfectly. It's like you can see in their eyes what vicious gossips they are.
Caroline Arless
(Dawn French)
The "fat lady" from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. She is constantly getting her Lark Rise family into financial scrapes. She is well-meaning but has absolutely no discipline. She only appears in season 1 but she sets the stage for the plight of the Arless family through all 4 seasons.
(Dawn French)
The "fat lady" from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. She is constantly getting her Lark Rise family into financial scrapes. She is well-meaning but has absolutely no discipline. She only appears in season 1 but she sets the stage for the plight of the Arless family through all 4 seasons.
See what I mean: LOTS of famous faces. This should just whet your appetite. The men of Candleford and Lark Rise are not quite as famous, but they sure are lovely...Are you excited yet?
2 comments:
Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! I was forever changed by that one Facebook posting that introduced me to this series. I picked up on Julia as Lydia but not the others. Wow. This was so fantastic to watch! And now Neal is hooked! Hahaha. Sooooooo happy to see confessions again!!!!!
Dorcas is a Frustrated Spinster who has a holier than thaw attitude & meddles into everybody’s affairs. “With the Best of intentions”.She manages to find suitors who in the end for one reason or another end up leaving her. She had for years had “an affair with a married man” yet passes judgment on James Dowland for having had a prior relationship & Manages to separate him from his child. Men who are above her threaten her sense of Superiority & in the end will only be happy with someone who is beneath her. I hope she meets her match and finds a self-centered, manipulative good for nothing suitor...
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