The Quiet American (2002) [R] ****

A film review by James Berardinelli for ReelViews.net in 2003.

No movie exists in a vacuum, and nowhere is that more apparent than in the case of Phillip Noyce's version of The Quiet American. Filmed prior to September 11, 2001, and scheduled to open weeks after that pivotal date, the movie ended up sitting on a shelf for more than a year because its U.S. Distributor, Miramax, worried that the story line might seem anti-American. In fact, the so-called controversy surrounding The Quiet American seems blown out of proportion. The movie is critical of U.S. foreign policy regarding Vietnam in the 1950s, but, considering how things turned out, can one argue that the criticism is unjustified? Americans are not demonized, and the allegorical aspects of the story are no more damning than the ones found in the text. Ironically, considering recent (2003) current events – including the hunt for Osama Bin Laden and the buildup towards war with Iraq – one could argue that The Quiet American has far more relevance now than Noyce could have envisioned when he was constructing it.

It's 1952 Saigon, and British journalist Thomas Fowler (Michael Caine) is about to find his comfortable life upset by the arrival of a fresh-faced, self-effacing American medical aid worker. Alden Pyle (Brendan Fraser) at first seems to be nothing more than an idealistic young doctor, but his activities cause Thomas to wonder whether he has an alternate agenda. Meanwhile, Alden falls for Thomas' beautiful young Vietnamese mistress, Phuong (Do Thi Hai Yen). Because Alden is unattached, while Thomas is married to a woman in London who will not give him a divorce, Alden can offer Phuong one thing that Thomas cannot: a wedding ring.

At the time when the movie takes place, Vietnam is being torn being torn apart by the rival Communists and French, who still considered Indo-China to be their colony. Into this mix comes a third faction – that of General Thé (Quang Hai), a egotistical megalomaniac who is revered by a segment of the population and backed by an invisible financial institution with deep pockets. Thé organizes terrorist actions against Vietnamese citizen, then blames the Communists in order to curry international sympathy for his side. As the story unfolds, Thomas recognizes that Alden has unexpected influence where Thé is concerned.

The screenplay, by Christopher Hampton and Robert Schenkkan, downplays the heavy allegorical aspects of Graham Greene's source novel in favor of the romantic triangle. The Quiet American is primarily a tragic love story set against the backdrop of the beginnings of the turbulent conflict that would devastate much of the small Asian country. We see the roots of the Vietnam War, and have no trouble understanding that the United States' rabid win-at-all-costs struggle against the Devil of Communism led to bad alliances and shortsighted determinations.

The acting, especially by the male leads, is superlative. Michael Caine, who is being mentioned as a possible Oscar nominee, brings a sad, world-weariness to his portrayal of Thomas. The aging newspaper writer wants nothing more than to spend the rest of his days going through the comfortable routine of his daily life spent in the company of the one woman he truly loves. If I lost her, he comments, it would be the beginning of death. Meanwhile, Fraser trades in on his reputation for playing affable, somewhat innocent characters, to trick us into thinking that Alden is more straightforward than he actually is.

From a dramatic standpoint, I have a quibble with The Quiet American's structure. The movie begins at the end, telling most of the story in flashback. Unfortunately, this means that we know from the start how the love triangle is going to be resolved, and which character will die. While this approach heightens the movie's allegorical elements, it diminishes the dramatic and romantic tension. Director Phillip Noyce obviously felt comfortable about the trade-off, but I'm not sure it works in the film's favor. However, all things considered, Noyce has wrought an often-compelling tale of life, love, and jealousy played out under the gathering storm clouds of war. (Berardinelli's rating: 3 stars out of 4)

Labels: drama, period, romance, thriller, tragedy, war
IMDb 70/100
MetaCritic (critics=84, viewers=70)
RottenTomatoes (critics=87, viewers=72)
Blu-ray
Berardinelli's original review

Bridgerton (Season 4 - 2026) [TV-MA] ****

Lady Violet Bridgerton (Ruth Gemmell) is hosting the first ball of the season, and it is a masquerade. Her second son, Benedict (Luke Thompson) attends, meets and falls for a lovely young woman, but she leaves before the midnight unmasking, and refuses to give him her name. So, in Cinderella and the Prince fashion, he begins to search the kingdom for her, having only her glove to identify her.

It turns out that the young woman is Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha), a maid in the household of her stepmother and her two daughters. When her stepmother discovers that Sophie has attended the ball uninvited and in her gown and slippers, she is thrown out of the house.

By coincidence Benedict finds her working at the Cavender estate, rescues her, and eventually brings her to the Bridgerton London home where he prevails upon his mother to hire her, still not realizing she is the young woman he fell for at the masked ball.

The chemistry between Luke Thompson and Yerin Ha is palpable, and of course there are the obligatory twists and turns, but there is a positive ending to this love match. In fact I would rank season four with Benedict and Sophie as engaging and as satisfying as season two with Anthony (Jonathan Bailey) and Kathani (Simone Ashley).  

Labels: drama, period, romance
IMDb 75/100
MetaCritic (critics=65, viewers=46)
MetaCritic - all of the season 4 critic reviews
RottenTomatoes (critics=82, viewers=67)
Netflix

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale (2025) [PG] ****

A film review by James Berardinelli for ReelViews.net on Sept 11, 2025.

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, like 2019’s Downton Abbey and its 2022 sequel Downton Abbey: A New Era, is comfort food for fans. And there are plenty of them: an estimated 120 million viewers worldwide regularly watched the TV series at its peak. Of course, not everyone who tuned in during 2013 is likely to head to a theater a decade later to revisit these characters, but there remain enough devoted followers to have made the previous two films successful (even though the second earned only about half as much as the first).

Current thinking is that this will be the final Downton Abbey feature—at least, that’s what the title suggests. Then again, the same claim was made after A New Era, so whether this truly is the last dance for these beloved characters will depend on two things: how well the film performs at the box office and whether enough of the cast and crew are willing to reunite once more.

The downside of leaning so heavily on fan service is that it inevitably shuts out a broader audience. There is no conceivable reason why anyone unfamiliar with Downton Abbey would choose to see this film—and if they did, they would likely drift into sleep from a mix of confusion and boredom. The lightweight narrative all but demands prior familiarity. It is, at heart, a hangout movie for the Upstairs, Downstairs crowd. To its credit, the storyline is better tailored to the characters than that of A New Era, but there is only so much that can be accomplished in a two-hour runtime. The big screen is not the ideal format for these figures; they require time and space to let their arcs unfold. If Downton Abbey is to continue, a new television series would be a far better option than a fourth film.



With the exception of the late Violet Crawley (played by the late Dame Maggie Smith) and the absent Henry Talbot (Matthew Goode), Lady Mary’s (Michelle Dockery) no-good husband, most of the familiar TV and film regulars return—though some enjoy meatier roles than others. The two-pronged narrative focuses on the Crawley family’s financial struggles following the 1929 stock market crash and Lady Mary’s difficulties as a social pariah after her divorce from Henry. Among the upstairs contingent are Robert Crawley (Hugh Bonneville), his wife, Cora (Elizabeth McGovern), their daughter, Edith (Laura Carmichael), with her husband Bertie (Harry Hadden-Paton), son-in-law Tom Branson (Allen Leech), and Mary’s former mother-in-law, Isobel (Penelope Wilton). Downstairs, the ensemble includes the formidable butler Charlie Carson (Jim Carter), lady’s maids Phyllis Baxter (Raquel Cassidy) and Anna Bates (Joanne Froggatt), valet John Bates (Brendan Coyle), housekeeper Elsie Hughes (Phyllis Logan), and cooks Beryl Patmore (Lesley Nicol) and Daisy Parker (Sophie McShera). Also joining the cast are Paul Giamatti, reprising his role from the series as Cora’s brother, Dominic West (from A New Era), and newcomers Alessandro Nivola (as American Gus Sambrook), Joely Richardson (as Lady Petersfield), and Arty Fruoushan (as Noel Coward).



There isn’t a great deal to say about The Grand Finale. The dialogue no longer crackles the way it once did, a shortcoming that can largely be attributed to the absence of Maggie Smith, who consistently had the best lines and delivered them with just the right amount of vinegar. Smith, who was granted the chance to portray Violet’s on-screen death in A New Era before her own passing in 2024, is sorely missed—even if a prominently displayed portrait gives her character a lingering presence.

As much as screenwriter and series creator Julian Fellowes tries to provide every character with a reason to appear, many are reduced to little more than a handful of lines before they enter stage right and exit stage left. Only Mary, Robert, Cora, and Edith are afforded truly substantial roles. Michelle Dockery and Hugh Bonneville both shine, as does Jim Carter, even in a scaled-back performance. Paul Giamatti is a welcome presence, contributing a healthy dose of comedic relief, while Alessandro Nivola is deliciously smarmy in his turn.



Having seen every episode of the six-season TV series and both films, I’m ready to let go. The movies, though never narrative masterpieces, have fulfilled their purpose: they’ve given fans the chance to reconnect with beloved characters while offering nearly everyone on-screen a sense of closure. Could the story continue? Certainly. But in many ways, that would be a shame. While there is some appeal in exploring how these characters might navigate the Great Depression and the approach of the Second World War, such arcs could never be properly developed within the confines of a feature film. The Grand Finale should be what its title promises: an elegant farewell. [Berardinelli's rating: 2.5 stars out of 4]

Labels: drama, period

IMDb 73/100

MetaCritic (critics=66, viewers=70)

RottenTomatoes (critics=91, viewers=95)

Berardinelli's original review
Blu-ray

Now, Voyager (1942) [G] ****

A film review by David Cornelius for DVDTalk.com on Mar. 26, 2010.

Bette Davis earned yet another Oscar nod for her role in Now, Voyager, and it's easy to see why: here is yet another of those movies where the dowdy loner transforms into a radiant beauty, but Davis makes certain that we believe her completely as the ugly duckling. There's some makeup trickery there, to be sure, but it's mostly in her rich performance, a matter of attitude that slowly reveals the looker underneath - and even then, Davis maintains an uncertainty that suggests the new look is merely cosmetic, not deep enough to reach her true personality.

Around this stunning role is built a rather ridiculous story: Davis plays a spinster raised under the heavy thumb of an oppressive mother (Gladys Cooper). With the help of psychiatrist Claude Rains, she manages to escape her mother's grasp and reinvents herself, meeting the charming Paul Henreid on a cruise.

But he is married, and for an ordinary film, this would be enough. In fact, it's already plenty. But the script keeps going and going, and soon Davis becomes something of a nurse to Henreid's dowdy daughter (Janis Wilson), perhaps hoping to rescue the girl before the girl's life turns out like her own - although Henreid doesn't know it.

It's all far more complicated than it needs to be, and at two hours, the story could stand a trim or two. Then again, what would you cut? The soap opera of the opening scenes sets the stage for all that follows, and what follows is lovely enough that we can't stand to lose it. The film is most famous for the scene where Henreid lights two cigarettes at once, but more engaging are the moments between Bette Davis and Janis Wilson, two broken girls coming out of their shells together.

Labels: drama, period, romance
IMDb 78/100 
MetaCritic (critics=70, viewers=67) 
RottenTomatoes (critics=91, viewers=90)
Blu-ray

The Magic of Ordinary Days (2005) [TV-PG] ****

The Magic of Ordinary Days (2005), directed by Brent Shields and adapted from Ann Howard Creel’s novel, is a tender, understated wartime drama that finds emotional richness in life’s quietest moments. Set against the backdrop of World War II, the film is not about battles or heroics in the traditional sense—it’s about the small, deeply human struggles of forgiveness, acceptance, and the unexpected ways love can take root.

Keri Russell plays Olivia Livy Dunne, a bright, intellectual young woman from Denver whose life is upended by an unplanned pregnancy. In a time when social shame and limited choices defined women’s futures, Livy’s father arranges a marriage of convenience to save face and provide stability. Her husband-to-be is Ray Singleton (Skeet Ulrich), a soft-spoken, kind-hearted farmer living in rural Colorado. Their union begins as a contract, not a romance—two strangers bound by circumstance rather than affection.

At first, Livy is distant, her mind still tied to the city, academia, and the man she once loved. Ray, however, offers her quiet patience rather than judgment. His way of life—steady, humble, anchored in the land—stands in contrast to everything Livy thought she wanted. Yet, slowly, the walls between them begin to erode. There are no dramatic declarations, just simple gestures: shared meals, long silences, and small kindnesses that reveal character and invite trust.

The film gains emotional resonance through its quiet restraint. Keri Russell’s performance is nuanced and deeply felt; she captures Livy’s inner conflict and gradual transformation with grace. Skeet Ulrich is equally affecting as Ray, whose strength lies not in grand words but in his quiet loyalty and deep compassion.

A particularly moving subplot involves Livy’s friendship with two Japanese-American sisters living in a nearby internment camp. Their presence introduces subtle but powerful commentary on racism, injustice, and what it means to live with dignity in the face of societal exclusion. Through these friendships, Livy begins to confront her own feelings of isolation and judgment, finding solidarity and strength in the experiences of others.

Visually, the film leans into its period setting with warm, earthy tones and a gentle pace that mirrors the rhythms of farm life. There’s a stillness to the cinematography that suits the story’s themes—transformation not through upheaval, but through small, meaningful moments.

In the end, The Magic of Ordinary Days is exactly what its title suggests: a celebration of the quiet, redemptive power of everyday life. It’s a story about how love can emerge slowly and unexpectedly, not always as passion, but as grace—the kind that turns hardship into healing and strangers into partners.

Soft-spoken, sincere, and emotionally grounded, this film is a reminder that sometimes the most extraordinary journeys happen in the most ordinary places.

Labels: drama, Hallmark, period
IMDb 75/100
RottenTomatoes (critics=tbd, viewers=86)

Persuasion (2022) [PG] ***

A film review by James Berardinelli for ReelViews.net on July 14, 2022.

If you have read Persuasion or consider yourself a Jane Austen aficionado, this new Netflix-funded production hasn’t been made with you in mind. In fact, the more familiarity one has with Austen, the more likely the 2022 Persuasion is to be seen as an abomination. While retaining the broad outline of the novel’s plot points, it ignores pretty much everything that makes Persuasion unique and compelling among the author’s five completed novels. Screenwriters Ron Bass and Alice Victoria Winslow (who ditch much of Austen’s text in favor of more modern-sounding dialogue), collaborating with British theater director Carrie Cracknell (making her movie feature debut), have followed the apparent mandate to apply the recent trends in Regency Romances (think: Bridgerton) and apply them to Persuasion.

It's certainly not impossible to remake a classic novel in its traditional period while applying a more modern sensibility to the proceedings. Armondo Iannucci achieved it with The Personal History of David Copperfield. Greta Gerwig did some interesting things with her 2019 reworking of Little Women. And Autumn de Wilde took on Austen’s Emma in a 2020 release whose distribution was interrupted by the pandemic. These three films have one thing in common: a degree of respect for the source material that informs the final result. That crucial ingredient is apparently absent from Persuasion. In her review for The Independent, Clarisse Loughery puts it this way: At no point during Carrie Cracknell’s directorial debut do you ever get the sense that anyone’s actually read ‘Persuasion’. Point taken, although to be fair to the director, she has stated (in a New York Times interview) that Persuasion is one of her favorite novels. But I wonder if anyone in the target audience will care because most of them probably haven’t read it.

The story beats are familiar and generally follow the narrative established by Austen. Seven years prior to the present time frame (which is around 1814), Anne Elliot (Dakota Johnson) and Frederick Wentworth (Cosmo Jarvis) were engaged to be married. After being persuaded that it wasn’t a good match, Anne broke off the engagement – an action that both she and Wentworth have regretted. In the interim, she has continued her spinsterhood (at age 27, she’s past the usual marriageable age) while he has gained fame and fortune fighting Napoleon. A coincidental meeting reunites them and, thereafter, they are frequently thrown together. The encounters are painful for them both and a sequence of misunderstandings seemingly undermine any hope of the engagement being revived, especially when Wentworth appears to become involved with Anne’s relation-by-marriage (to one of her sisters), Louisa Musgrove (Nia Towle), and Anne dallies with her cousin, William Elliot (Henry Golding).

Regardless of the filmmakers’ familiarity with Austen’s novel, Persuasion fundamentally misunderstands the character. This Anne has been forced into the mold of an Elizabeth Bennet (Pride and Prejudice) or an Emma Woodhouse (Emma) – sharp-tongued and prone to put-downs. The Anne of the novel, however, is a more somber and introspective woman – someone who has learned to accept her lot in life until her emotional balance is upset. In a choice that’s more distracting than effective, Cracknell often has Anne breaking the fourth wall by gazing into the camera and addressing the audience. The veil of melancholy that Austen draped over the character’s shoulders is nowhere to be found, except perhaps during brief, self-pitying soliloquies.

Persuasion’s approach to color-blind casting is confined to the supporting roles.  Anne’s second mother, Lady Russell is played by Nikki Amuka-Bird (who is dark-skinned) and Malaysian-born Henry Golding essays William Elliot. Both are fine in the roles, although the screenplay lessens William’s duplicity, thereby making him less overtly villainous. The most notable performer is Richard E. Grant, whose over-the-top portrayal of Sir Walter Elliot fits perfectly into the pantheon of Austen parental figures. The leads retain their lighter skin; both are miscast. Dakota Johnson’s sunny disposition might have worked in Pride and Prejudice or Emma but it’s woefully misplaced here. Even when her Anne is in a funk, we don’t believe it. (In a way, this is surprising because Johnson has shown range in almost everything where the number Fifty isn’t part of the title.) Cosmo Jarvis often seems to be trying too hard to be downbeat and lacks the gravitas one expects from Wentworth. He and Johnson also share little in the way of romantic chemistry.

Persuasion, written during Austen’s final years of life, is viewed by many critics as being her best-written, most insightful novel. It is markedly different from the lighter books she is best remembered for. The optimism has been replaced by an introspective perspective on a life that didn’t go as hoped. This quality shone through in the excellent 1995 adaptation (starring Amanda Root and Ciaran Hinds) – it came out the same year as the definitive Pride and Prejudice mini-series. However, just as Joe Wright was able to put his own stamp on that based-on-a-classic movie in 2005, there’s no reason why Cracknell couldn’t have done the same thing here. Transforming Persuasion into something generic and pitching it to viewers seduced by the likes of Bridgerton and Mr. Malcolm’s List illustrates not only a lack of imagination but a betrayal of the source material.

Anyone who doesn’t know the difference between the 19th century author and the capital of Texas [Austin] and who simply wants a by-the-numbers period-piece romantic comedy may find Persuasion to their taste. They’re welcome to it with its tiny pleasures. Thankfully, for those who want the real version, there are plenty of other places to experience it without the asides to the camera and contemporary idioms. [Berardinelli’s rating: 2 stars out of 4]

Blogger's comment: I will admit that breaking the fourth wall with asides to the viewer can be disconcerting at first, but once I've accepted that Anne Elliot (Dakota Johnson) knows I'm there and is acknowledging my presence, it actually gives the film a third dimension of depth, and makes it come alive. Also, I find the use of modern language in Regency period romantic dramas like Bridgerton and Persuasion rather refreshing. So, Mr. Berardinelli, you are welcome to your opinion.

Labels: drama, period, romance
IMDb 58/100
MetaCritic (critics=42, viewers=38)
RottenTomatoes (critics=30, viewers=72)

Berardinelli’s original review 

 

EMMA. (2020) [PG] ****

A film review by James Berardinelli for ReelViews.net on April 14, 2020.

William Shakespeare. Charles Dickens. Jane Austen. Those three authors are perhaps the most frequently adapted writers of classic novels in the relatively short history of cinema. There’s a reason for that. The timeless nature of their output has allowed filmmakers to create new editions for each generation. Whether it’s Hamlet, Romeo & Juliet, Great Expectations, or Pride & Prejudice, there’s always room for a new interpretation. In the case of Emma, although there have been some solid (and relatively recent) adaptations in the form of 1995’s Clueless (in which director Amy Heckerling reimagined the title character as a 1990s Valley Girl played by Alicia Silverstone) and Douglas McGrath’s more straightforward version (with Gwyneth Paltrow as Emma), nothing exists (unlike with Pride & Prejudice) that could be considered definitive. Although that hasn’t changed with the 2020 movie, Autumn de Wilde (the successful music video director making her feature debut) accomplishes what Joe West did with his 2005 Kiera Knightley-fronted Pride & Prejudice: tweak the story, update the cast, and give current audiences a chance to revisit one of English literature’s best-loved tales.

EMMA. details the matchmaking attempts of twenty-one year old Emma Woodhouse (Anya Taylor-Joy), an incorrigible meddler who believes that there is nothing more beautiful than a match well made. After successfully orchestrating the marriage of her governess, Miss Taylor (Gemma Whelan), to the widower Mr. Weston (Rupert Graves), Emma sets her sights on pairing her plain, uncultured friend, Harriet Smith (Mia Goth), with the local vicar, Reverend Elton (Josh O’Connor). Mr. Elton, however, has another bride in mind and, when he brushes Harriet aside to pursue the other lady, Harriet is left emotionally bruised. Emma's closest male friend and frequent verbal sparring partner, Mr. Knightley (Johnny Flynn), watches these events with sadness and describes her activities as vanity working on a weak mind [that] produces every kind of mischief. Emma herself is unattached, but, since this is a Jane Austen story, it's obvious that won't last for long. Indeed, before the two hours are up, the title character has become enmeshed in a number of romantic entanglements. But anyone who thinks Emma is destined to become engaged to the arrogant Frank Churchill (Callum Turner) doesn’t know a thing about Austen.

Purists will note that significant chunks of Emma are either missing or have been stripped down. This is not unexpected. Although a pure Emma might be possible for a six-hour TV mini-series, Austen’s novel is too long and complicated to make it unabridged into a theatrical screenplay. For the most part, screenwriter Eleanor Catton makes good choices about what to include and what to elide, resulting in a final product that is streamlined, easy to follow, yet unmistakably Austen. Most (if not all) of the dialogue is taken verbatim from the novel and Austen’s wit shines through.

Anya Taylor-Joy is an unconventional but successful choice for the title character. The actress, whose highest profile role to-date is probably her 2020 Netflix TV miniseries The Queen’s Gambit, has an expressive face, knows how to deliver Austen’s dialogue with the right mix of tartness and seriousness, and wears the period clothing well. Equally good is Mia Goth – she makes Harriet’s awkwardness more sympathetic than pitiable. Unfortunately, there’s a sense of the generic with both of the male leads, Johnny Flynn’s Knightley (although his dressing-down of Emma is nicely done) and especially Callum Turner’s Frank Churchill, who is devoid of personality. Not surprisingly, Bill Nighy steals every scene in which he appears, playing Emma’s father.

EMMA. isn’t the best example of Austen to come to the big or small screen but that’s as much the fault of the source material – it’s average Austen, if there is such a thing – as of the cast and crew. The movie is handsomely mounted and consistently engaging. Yes, the story is familiar but part of the charm is seeing how key scenes have been re-envisioned by the filmmakers. The movie’s release during the coronavirus pandemic prompted its availability for home viewing and provides those with a love of classics and of Jane Austen with an opportunity to affirm that there’s still room for Regency/Georgian romantic comedies in today’s spectacle-oriented industry. [Berardinelli’s rating: 3 stars out of 4]

Labels: comedy, drama, period, romance
IMDb 67/100
MetaScore (critics=71, viewers=63)
RottenTomatoes Averages (critics=73, viewers=78)
Blu-ray 

Bridgerton (Season 2 - 2022) [TV-MA] *****

Latest change: 1 May 2022 - final scene at the bottom:

Bridgerton Season 2 scene featuring Kathani Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley) dancing with Lord Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey):

Bridgerton Season 2 poster featuring Simone Ashley as Miss Kate Sharma, Jonathan Bailey as Lord Anthony Bridgerton and Charithra Chandran as Kate's younger half-sister Miss Edwina Sharma.

I've decided to write my own review of Bridgerton Season 2, rather than rely on a professional film critic. Doing this forces me to deepen my understanding of the structure of the series, which enhances my appreciation of it. This review is evolving as I write it, which is why I've decided to post the date of the latest changes. I appreciate your patience. I should caution you that this review contains many, many spoilers.

Bridgerton is a period British romantic drama set in 1814, the Regency period, the same period as Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Season 2 features several plot lines but the most important one involves Viscount Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) who has decided that this is the year he must take a bride, not because he wants to but because he is expected to. Lord Bridgerton has spent the last ten years, since the death of his father from anaphylactic shock resulting from a bee sting, focusing on his duties and responsibilities to his family - his mother and younger siblings. Finding a love match is not his focus.

The other major part of this plot line involves the Sharma family, newly arrived from Bombay (today, Mumbai), India. Lady Mary Sheffield Sharma (Shelley Conn) is the daughter of Lord and Lady Sheffield, however she was disinherited when she married a clerk of Indian heritage, a widower with a young daughter named Kathani, rather than a titled British male, and then fled from England to live in India. She and her husband had a daughter Edwina together and the two half-sisters grew up together, the elder Kathani (Kate) played by Simone Ashley and the younger Edwina, played by Charithra Chandran. Sadly, Lady Mary's husband passed away, leaving her alone with their two daughters.

Kate grew up feeling the same sense of duty and responsibility to her family that Lord Bridgerton felt for his, and secretly she wrote to Lord and Lady Sheffield and extracted from them a promise whereby if their granddaughter Edwina came to England and married a titled Englishman they would pay her dowry. Kate convinced her mother to use the last of their funds to return to England to find a husband for Edwina but, sadly, did not reveal her arrangement with the Sheffields, hoping to shield Lady Mary and Miss Edwina from controversy.

The final piece of this plot line involves an annual ritual in which all of the eligible young ladies are presented to Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel) and she selects one of them as her Diamond, her preferred choice for the season's balls and parties, her Diamond becoming the most eligible future bride.

So, this year, 1814, the queen anoints Miss Edwina Sharma as her Diamond and Lord Bridgerton decides she must be his bride, not because he is in love with her but because she is the logical choice. However, during the courtship he interacts with her older sister, Kate, who has done her research on him and, based on that and her own experience of him, decides that he is not suitable for her sister, whom she encourages to find a love match.

Unfortunately for Lord Bridgerton's and Miss Kate Sharma's plans, they begin to fall in love with each other. This love affair which begins as hatred, at least from Miss Sharma's side, and a sense of duty and responsibility by both of them, is what makes the second season superior to the first. The character development, drama depth and the romantic chemistry between Ashley and Bailey are well-written and well-acted.

But, more importantly than that, Kate Sharma is a strong, fiercely independent woman of twenty-six, considered almost a spinster in that time period. She doesn't need Lord Bridgerton and, in fact, she despises him. And she proves, repeatedly, that she is his equal. She rides horses as well, she can track and hunt deer as well, she can pick the winner in a horse race better, she can outplay him in a game of pall-mall (croquet) and she is his equal in their verbal sparring. This confounds him. He has never met anyone like Kate Sharma. He finds her exasperating and she finds him vexing (which is the same thing) while at the same time they are falling in love with each other.

I would go so far as to predict that Kate Sharma's character and ethnicity will be found in other characters and productions in the coming years. We need to see strong, independent women and especially strong, independent women of color.

So, what happens? Well, after spending years fulfilling their duties and responsibilities to their families, Lord Bridgerton and Miss Sharma finally realize that if they are ever to find true love and happiness they must, for once in their lives, think of themselves. And so I can tell you that there is a happy ending to their story, a very happy ending.

Every great romantic drama will have at least one pivotal scene. As the name suggests, a pivotal scene is one upon which the direction of the plot pivots or shifts. The credibility of the plot pivot or shift depends upon how well the actors execute the scene, which has an intense flow of emotion between the actors, and which the director attempts to capture all in one take. (There is more on the subject of pivotal scenes at the bottom of this review.)

One pivotal scene in season 2 involves Kate Sharma, Edwina Sharma and their mother. After Kate interrupts Anthony and Edwina's wedding ceremony by accidentally dropping an emerald bracelet, Anthony and Kate both kneel to pick it up, their eyes and hands meet and time is suspended. When Edwina looks down at them she realizes Anthony will never look at her the way he looks at Kate, will never feel about her in that same way, and she realizes she cannot marry him. She says she needs a moment and then runs out of the church.

The pivotal scene begins moments later when Kate, Edwina and their mother are alone and Edwina angrily confronts Kate and demands to know if she has feelings for Anthony LINK TO YOUTUBE VIDEO

There are several romantic scenes between Anthony and Kate that take place in the 8th and final episode, titled The Viscount Who Loved Me. One scene, from 46:30 to 52:00, takes place at a ball when Edwina and Kate are standing together and Edwina begins by saying to her sister: You will not be able to avoid him all night, Didi. And you should not attempt to. Kate and Anthony then dance to a classical arrangement of Miley Cyrus' famous song, Wrecking Ball. LINK TO YOUTUBE VIDEO

The great irony is that underneath their veneer of a focus on duty and responsibility, Anthony and Kate believe in the power of true love but have not allowed themselves to experience it. As Edwina tells her sister, life ends in tragedy, like her mother and father's tragedy. True romantic love is only found in the books that Kate read to her. So, in the end, Edwina proves herself to be more mature and practical than her older sister. This is affirmed toward the end of this pivotal scene when Edwina stands beside Queen Charlotte as they watch Anthony and Kate dance.
Edwina: I think they look beautiful together.

Queen Charlotte:  Beautiful, indeed... Miss Edwina, have I yet told you about my nephew? He is a prince. And he is available.

Another romantic scene takes place eight minutes later, from 1:00:00 to 1:02:50, in the garden after the ball. Anthony confirms that Kate plans to leave him and return to India. With nothing to lose, he declares his love for her and she acknowledges that she loves him, too. Then he admits that he cannot imagine his life without her, asks her to marry him and she accepts him. LINK TO YOUTUBE VIDEO
 

These four JPEGs contain 36 captioned images from that scene:

The film's final scene provides the ultimate spoiler, of course. It takes place six months later. Lord Anthony Bridgerton and Lady Kathani Sharma, now Viscount and Viscountess Bridgerton, have just returned from six months of honeymoon travel. They descend from their bedroom, where they had been enjoying an episode of marital bliss, to play a game of pall mall with their family. There has been a suggestion, on the internet, that Viscountess Bridgerton has a baby bump, which would not be at all surprising. What is clear from the final scene is that she is just as strong-willed and independent-minded as ever, and that the Viscount has his hands full with her. It will be interesting to see how their relationship evolves over the next six seasons of Bridgerton. And, by the way, the final few seconds of the scene, as the camera circles Anthony and Kathani, are known technically as a spin-around. So now you know. LINK TO YOUTUBE VIDEO


There are numerous reviews and videos being released so I will simply provide links to the ones I have found to be of greatest interest. You will also find reviews on IMDb and Metacritic.

Bridgerton Season 2
Season 2 synopsis and spoilers
Vogue: Meet Simone Ashley
Entertainment Weekly interview with Simone Ashley
Pinkvilla.com
What to watch - Bridgerton's pall mall scene

Simone Ashley reveals secrets of filming
Edwina and Queen Charlotte

Viscountess Bridgerton Tumblr blog

Kate Bridgerton Fandom Wiki

Labels: drama, period, romance, rom-drama-faves
IMDb 73/100
MetaScore (critics=73, viewers=65)
RottenTomatoes Averages (critics=82, viewers=76)
Netflix
Lady Whistledown's guide to Bridgerton

PIVOTAL SCENES:
I first learned about pivotal scenes while watching the documentary Searching for Debra Winger (2002), about the difficulty of actresses finding substantive film roles after the age of forty. At the 80-minute mark Jane Fonda described the peak experience of film-making as the thrill and terror of making the pivotal scene. She characterized the scene as one with an intense flow of emotions between the actors, a scene that the director tried to capture all in one take. She described the enormous pressure it put the actors under, since the success of the film often depended upon the credibility of the pivotal scene. She painted a vivid picture of sitting in her trailer waiting for those dreaded words We're ready for you now, Miss Fonda, and then having to walk the gauntlet from trailer to film set, between rows of cast and crew, all of whom were thinking This had better be good. You're the big star; you're getting paid the big salary, so prove you're worth it, because we're all depending on you. Jane revealed that when the pivotal scene was successful it was better than the most intense lovemaking. But she also admitted that she remembered having had the pivotal-scene peak experience fewer than ten times in making over forty films since 1960.

After having learned about pivotal scenes I found myself looking for them in my favorite romantic dramas. Now, whenever I discuss pivotal scenes I like to refer to the classic scene in the rain between Mr. Darcy (Matthew Macfadyen) and Elizabeth Bennett (Keira Knightley) from Pride & Prejudice (2005), in which Darcy proposes to Elizabeth and she rejects him. Ironically, this scene is set in the same historical time period as Bridgerton - 1813-1814. Here is THE YOUTUBE LINK.

Downton Abbey: A New Era (2022) [PG] ****

Over the objections of her father, Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham (Hugh Bonneville), Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) agrees to allow Downton Abbey to be used as the set of a film titled The Gambler, produced and directed by Jack Barber (Hugh Dancy) and starring Guy Dexter (Dominic West in Errol Flynn mode) and screen goddess Myrna Dalgleish (Laura Haddock).

The servants, of course, are beside themselves with excitement, as many of their number subscribe to the fanzines of the day. Upstairs, the temperature is different. The Earl is none too pleased to have the agents of such a vulgar profession loitering around his palatial residence. It’s a horrible idea! he huffs. Actresses plastered in makeup and actors… plastered. But the family and Downton Abbey need the American dollars. The maintenance of such a large staff is proving crippling, and the roof is leaking, so funds have to be found. The unthinkable alternative is to open the house on a regular basis to draw tourists or to sell it and see it transformed into a college, hospital, sanatorium, retirement home, orphanage or Anglican Church facility.

Besides the financial problems at Downton Abbey, another revelation has raised its unforeseen head. The Dowager Countess (Maggie Smith) has discovered that the Villa of the Doves in the south of France has been bequeathed her in the will of an old paramour – and the Earl and his family have been requested to visit it before final documents are exchanged. So, while the Earl is off to France, his own estate is overrun by all the paraphernalia of a film crew, along with the glamorous movie stars.

Examining the cast of characters on IMDb as well as the film poster, there are two characters missing from the film. The first is Matthew Goode who played Henry Talbot, Lady Mary's second husband in seven episodes of seasons 5 and 6 of the original Downton Abbey TV series, and in the 2019 Downton Abbey film. The second is Lily James who played Lady Rose MacClare, a cousin of Lady Mary, in 21 episodes of seasons 3 to 6 of the TV series, but was not in the 2019 film.

Labels: drama, period, romance, rom-drama-faves
IMDb 75/100
MetaScore (critics=63, viewers=67)
RottenTomatoes Averages (critics=69, viewers=94)

all the IMDb film reviews

Blu-ray

Glenn Kenny review for rogerebert.com

The Bates Family - Anna (Joanne Froggatt) and John (Brendan Coyle)

Film producer and director Jack Barber (Hugh Dancy)

Anna (Joanne Froggatt), Mrs. Patmore (Leslie Nicol) and Daisy (Sophie McShera) discuss film star Guy Dexter

Lucy Smith (Tuppence Middleton) marries Tom Branson (Allen Leech)

Actress Myrna Dalgleish (Laura Haddock) and Downton Abbey Footman Andy (Michael Fox)

Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) and film director Jack Barber

Is that Mr. Molesley (Kevin Doyle) in the middle of the shot?



Lord Bertie Pelham, Marquess of Hexham (Harry Hadden-Paton), Lady Edith Pelham born Crawley, Marchioness of Hexham (Laura Carmichael), Lucy (Tuppence Middleton) and Tom (Allen Leech)

Lord Bertie, Lady Edith, Lucy and Tom

A bit about peerage and titles in Great Britain. Here is a link to an excellent reference:

King and Queen

Prince and Princess

Duke and Duchess

Marquess and Marchioness

Earl and Countess

Viscount and Viscountess

Baron and Baroness

Sanditon (2019+) [TV-14] ****

A film review by Brian Lowry for cnn.com on January 10, 2020.

Jane Austen's unfinished novel gets a modern makeover with Sanditon, a gorgeous eight-part Masterpiece miniseries. Although fans will find many of the requisite Austen touches -- including smoldering suitors and jockeying for a large inheritance -- this PBS presentation includes issues not only of class but race, with a dollop of sex for good measure.

Written and updated by Andrew Davies -- whose credits include Bridget Jones's Diary and four direct Austen adaptations, among them the 1990s TV version of Pride and Prejudice -- Sanditon transforms the writer's 11-chapter fragment, written shortly before her death in 1817, into a full-blooded drama, with bodice-ripping, blackmail and even a bout of nude swimming.

While purists might be taken aback at first, as University of York lecturer Hannah Greig told The Atlantic, the bones of the story feels like the beginning of a different kind of Austen novel, and the miniseries joins a roster of projects that have sought to revisit Austen in a more contemporary way.

As Sanditon progresses, it becomes easier to accept its juicier flourishes as the kind in which Austen herself might have indulged, arguably, if she was still plying her trade now.

The premise is pure Austen, as the wide-eyed but clear-headed Charlotte Heywood (Rose Williams) has a chance encounter with Tom Parker (Kris Marshall), who is en route to the seaside village of the title, which he hopes to turn into a fashionable tourist health resort.

Charlotte proceeds to join Tom and his wife (Kate Ashfield), and is quickly whisked into a world of intrigue, much of it surrounding Lady Denham (Anne Reid), whose patronage Tom needs, and whose wealth is sought by an assortment of scheming potential heirs.

Charlotte, meanwhile, meets Tom's dashing brother Sidney (Theo James), who smolders with the best of them, and initially doesn't like her very much; and the somewhat mysterious Miss Lambe (Crystal Clarke), an heiress of West Indian descent who brings a woman of color into the mix, with Sidney serving as her stern guardian.

That barely scratches the surfaces of the cast of characters, and there's an element of Downton Abbey baked into the project's appeal. The suspense surrounds not only who will wind up with whom -- complicated by a few whiffs of forbidden romance -- but also the future of Lady Denham's estate, and the tensions between the town's workers and its privileged class.

Sanditon features all the customary lavish period trappings the Masterpiece / Austen pairing demands, but also plays with conventions and expectations.

PBS periodically faces questions about its viability in the new digital world, especially with so many content-hungry commercial networks and streaming services providing US homes for high-class British dramas. Sanditon, however, falls squarely into the Masterpiece wheelhouse, and once people with a taste for such fare get a taste of its sumptuous amenities, one suspects they'll be in no hurry to check out. [Lowry’s rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars = 90%]

Blogger’s SPOILER: The second season of Sanditon began airing on PBS on Sunday, March 20, 2022, and was a distinct disappointment, at least to this viewer. Season 1 spent 8 hours building up the romantic and sexual tension between Sidney Parker (Theo James) and Charlotte Heywood (Rose Williams) and then killed Sidney off in the first minute of Season 2. What a waste.

Labels: drama, period, romance
IMDb 78/100
MetaScore (critics=71, viewers=63)
RottenTomatoes Averages (critics=65, viewers=94)
Blu-ray
Brian Lowry’s review