Wigs and Candles

We rarely find a more determined fictional female character in literature from the late 19th century than Bathsheba Everdeen.  Guided by a strong will and a deep-rooted desire to build her path while keeping her full independence, Bathsheba learns the hard way that love and companionship are still not that bad after all.  A film full of breathtaking landscapes, a plot with unexpected twists, and a love story to remember, Far from the Madding Crowd made us think about women's leadership in an unusual time and place as well as the hard choices we sometimes get in life.  ***Spoiler alert! While reviewing this film, we go through key scenes and may reveal the ending, so be warned of spoilers!*** Sources and other links: Carey Mulligan on how she suggested casting Matthias Schoenaerts as Gabriel Oak https://youtu.be/or_CQ_iAWA8 Carey Mulligan interview https://youtu.be/jxgCL96ILsg  Making of “Far from the madding crowd” https://youtu.be/JHhhXcxbwgw Q&A Session with Thomas Vinterberg and Matthias Schoenarts https://youtu.be/JbJBZaK7Kio 

To open up our third season, Gaby and Andreina discuss the South Korean film The Handmaiden, directed by Park Chan-wook. Acclaimed by critics, this movie is a work of extraordinary vision from beginning to end: cinematography, performances, costume and set design, in addition to an incredibly well-written script–every detail of this film shows the highest ambition and achievement.  We hope you enjoy our discussion and fall in love with this movie as much as we did.  ***Spoiler alert! While reviewing this film, we go through key scenes and may reveal the ending, so be warned of spoilers!***Sources and other links: Film review by Jia Tolentino on The New Yorker: https://www.newyorker.com/culture/jia-tolentino/the-handmaiden-and-the-freedom-women-find-only-with-one-another Short clip - Making of “The Handmaiden”: https://youtu.be/pUQ5H_bF1Ck Interview with Sarah Waters, author of the novel “Fingersmith” https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/apr/08/sarah-waters-the-handmaiden-turns-pornography-into-a-spectacle-but-its-true-to-my-novel-

What do you get when you take a pitch-perfect cast, beautiful but expressive cinematography, restraint but character-revealing costumes, and an inspired and poetic direction? The 2011 adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s classic novel, Jane Eyre! Directed by then up-and-coming filmmaker Cary Fukunaga, it remains one of the most underrated period films of the last two decades.  Join us as we discuss the incredible and timeless characters of Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester and the way they are portrayed in the film. Adriana–Gaby and Andreina's eldest sister–joins the hosts for an in-person, prosecco-filled discussion fit for a midsummer grand season finale.  ***Spoiler alert! While reviewing this film we go through key scenes and may reveal the ending, so be warned of spoilers!*** Sources and other links: Jane Eyre IMDB Page https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1229822/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0 Jane Eyre Featurette https://youtu.be/QaPNyABiGfU

“I’m gonna stand up, take my people with me, together we are going to a brand new home” – so sings Cyntia Erivo in the song “Stand Up,” the Academy Award nominated song for the film Harriet she co-wrote after playing the film’s leading role. In their first review of an American film so far, Andreina and Gabriela discuss the 2019 film Harriet, which tells the story of the abolitionist and social activist Harriet Tubman. Formerly enslaved, Tubman escaped to freedom in 1849 and then worked for the rest of her life to bring her family and other enslaved people to freedom.Gaby and Andreina discuss casting choices (i.e. a British person playing an American historical figure), the differences between British and American period films, Cythia Erivo’s performance and much more.  ***Spoiler alert! While reviewing this film we go through key scenes and may reveal the ending, so be warned of spoilers!*** Sources and other linksHarriet  IMDB Page:https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7248827/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm Harriet Cast and Crew Q&A | TIFF 2019:https://youtu.be/9N8sgVS32fY Interview with Cast:https://youtu.be/jtuhFw_g-Ug Video of the title song:https://youtu.be/sn19xvfoXvk Rogerebert.com Review:https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/harriet-movie-review-2019 Following Harriet Podcast:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/following-harriet/id1483073168

Oh, Emma! Got into trouble again? Although she always meant good, Jane Austen’s Emma is known for stirring things up in her hometown while playing the matchmaker.  Set in the early 19th century, this all-time classic has been brought to the big screen in many ways, but which one is your favourite?  We couldn’t answer this question easily so we watched two versions and tried to make up our minds! So, tune in to listen to our discussion about Emma and Emma.! Two wonderful films, both true to the original material, but so different from each other.  ***Spoiler alert! While reviewing this film we go through key scenes and may reveal the ending, so be warned of spoilers!*** Sources and other links: Emma (1996) IMDB https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116191/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2 Emma (1996) Making Of https://youtu.be/SMGlrlREOw8 Emma (1996) New York Times Review https://www.nytimes.com/1996/08/02/movies/so-genteel-so-scheming-so-austen.html Emma. (2020) IMDB https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9214832/?ref_=tt_sims_tt_i_5  Emma. (2020) Q&A Session with Anya Taylor-Joy & director Autumn de Wilde  https://youtu.be/QyDhhwDq-S4 Emma. (2020) The Guardian Review https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/feb/16/emma-review-autumn-de-wilde-anya-taylor-joy-bill-nighy-johnny-flynn 

Acclaimed by many as avant garde cinema and derided by others for being too frivolous, Sophia Coppola’s “Marie Antoinette,'' from 2006, offers indeed a lot to talk about! Starring an outstanding Kirsten Dunst, this Marie Antoinette is a woman full of passion, motherly love and sense of duty–perhaps a more sympathetic portrayal than we have seen in other films.   Either you love the colorful and luscious production design and celebrate the modern touches of pop music and teenage-like parties, or you’re irritated by the immaturity of the king and the superficiality of the story-telling.  Which side are you on?  ***Spoiler alert! While reviewing this film we go through key scenes and may reveal the ending, so be warned of spoilers!*** Sources and other links: Marie Antoinette IMDB Page: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0422720/?ref_=tt_urv Marie Antoinette (The Guardian Review):  https://www.theguardian.com/film/2006/oct/20/drama.romance Marie Antoinette (2006) - The Making of "Marie Antoinette":  https://youtu.be/G2oIh54LfOI 

In 1909, same-sex relationships were illegal in Great Britain and the consequences of being “caught” were heavy and, at times, catastrophic. Imagine yourself trapped in that situation of not being able to live your love and passion in freedom–without a doubt, a terrifying, soul-crushing feeling. The 1987 Merchant-Ivory film Maurice, based on the novel by the same name by E. M. Forster, gives us a glimpse into the asphyxiating constraints early 20th-century British society placed on gay people and their aspirations and desires.  While not necessarily an audience magnet at the time of its release, this film touched us deeply and drove us to have one of the most whole-hearted discussions we’ve had so far in our podcast series.  An impeccable production with stunning performances, Maurice resonates today with an eternal message: follow your heart, follow your true self, for this is the only way to live an honest life.  ***Spoiler alert! While reviewing this film we go through key scenes and may reveal the ending, so be warned of spoilers!*** Sources and other links: Maurice IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093512/?ref_=tt_urv Roger Ebert's Review of Maurice: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/maurice-1987 Maurice (1987) - Conversation with the Filmmakers: https://youtu.be/1bY9cU7goYo 

There is so much about this film that impacted us that we struggled to compact it all in one single conversation: The subtlety of the main love story: a love between equal-leveled minds and opposite characters. The delicacy of the cinematography that works as a piece of art on each frame of the movie. The smartness with which key elements were built in the story: femininity, women in art, working women in the 18th century, sorority among women regardless of their background. The famous “female gaze” and so much more. With Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Céline Sciamma created a film that breaks the mold of the classic period film genre and stands out for itself. A true masterpiece, a feast for the eye and the soul.  ***Spoiler alert! While reviewing this film we go through key scenes and may reveal the ending, so be warned of spoilers!*** Sources and other links: Portrait of a Lady on Fire - Cast And Crew Q&A - TIFF 2019 https://youtu.be/88L8pIEr1nk “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” Is More Than a “Manifesto on the Female Gaze” https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/portrait-of-a-lady-on-fire-is-more-than-a-manifesto-on-the-female-gaze Portrait of a Lady on Fire  IMDB Page https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8613070/

What happens when you create a period drama with a young, North American audience in mind? And when you add on one of the most successful Black, female producers in television to helm the show? Bridgerton, that’s what you get!  In this episode, we bring a very special guest, our sister Adriana, a mechanical engineer in the sunny Silicon Valley in California who also happens to be a huge TV series lover.  With her help, we discuss the influence that Shonda Rhimes had on the production of Bridgerton, the implications of “colour blind” casting, and our impressions of the show’s much-talked-about sex scenes.   ***Spoiler alert! While reviewing this show we go through key scenes and may reveal the ending, so be warned of spoilers!*** Sources & further readings: “A Double Hot Take On Bridgerton, Race & Romance” - Refinery29With ‘Bridgerton,’ Scandal Comes to Regency England - The New York Times

How many times have you seen a dark-skinned woman wearing a high-society 18th-century dress in history books? How much do you know about the lives of people of colour in the 18th century in England? (at least those who were not enslaved) And here’s one more: how often have you seen a Black woman starring in a period film?   With these and a few other challenging questions, we invite you to listen to our conversation about the film “Belle”. Inspired by the real-life story of Dido Elizabeth Belle, the illegitimate mixed-race daughter of an English aristocrat, this movie introduced us to a historical character we knew nothing about and surprised us immensely by the conversation it opened. Not only did we discover a little jewel in recent cinema making, but also it made us aware of the many clichès and false perspectives, we, as women of colour, are ourselves plagued with.  A passionate discussion about the story of a woman with a tough destiny, and how present the story still is nowadays.   ***Spoiler alert! While reviewing this film we go through key scenes and may reveal the ending, so be warned of spoilers!*** Sources & further links: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belle_(2013_film) “A Stitch in Time: Dido Belle” https://youtu.be/GSDDJrlJukM