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I wanted to share a preview of an upcoming movie with you all. I first saw this preview while waiting for The Hunger Games to begin. The theatre cracked up laughing when they saw the title – however, I’m sure they are not familiar with the trend of late to merge classic stories or historical events/characters with a supernatural element.
Seth Grahame-Smith is the writer of Pride & Prejudice & Zombies as well as Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter – the later of which is coming out in theatres in June 2012 and the former is currently in production stages.
Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter is based on the premise that Lincoln had a secret mission to rid the US of vampires – and all of this is outlined in his secret diaries. I have not read the book, although it is on my TBR pile, however my boyfriend has and enjoyed it. Here is his review, at Lions and Men, if you would like to get a feel for the book.
Anyway – as laughable as the premise may be, what you see on the screen looks quite stunning – and we will likely be going to see it.
The story of the Man in the Iron Mask is a story that has fascinated people since the late 1700’s. In her new book, Before Versailles, Karleen Koen seamlessly weaves this story into her narrative and tackles one theory of who this man might have been. Famous writers, including Alexandre Dumas and Voltaire, offer their own explanations as to who this mystery man was.
Here is what is basically believed to be true: A man was arrested and imprisoned rather secretly and imprisoned in such a way as to prevent contact with others and provide only the most basic of needs. The name I have encountered most often for this man was Eustache Dauger. This prisoner was masked – most likely with a cloth mask, although rumor began to spread that it was an iron mask.
The true identity of this man is unknown, but that has not stopped people from creating a vast array of possibilities for who he may have been. Here are a few of the most widely circulated.
The most widely known theory is that the man was a relative of the French king – Louis XIV. Depending on the author, the exact relation differs. Voltaire claimed he was the elder, illegitimate brother of the king, a child of Anne of Austria (Louis’ mother) and Cardinal Mazarin. Dumas also took on the theory of a brother, but made him out to be the twin brother of the king. To note: this twin theory has been spun into many films including: the 1998 Leonardo DiCaprio film, The Man in the Iron Mask, 1979’s The 5th Musketeer, and 1929’s The Iron Mask. There were also rumors that this mysterious man was actually the father of Louis XIV – seeing as the future king was born after King Louis XIII and Queen Anne had long been estranged.
Another possible person was an illegitimate son of King Charles II of England. King Charles was a contemporary of Louis XIV and his sister, Henriette, was the wife of Louis’ brother. One theory places him as a man named James who was a part of the French court and possibly imprisoned because he knew too much. Another theory is that he was the Duke of Monmouth – who was supposedly executed in 1685, but who was whisked away and imprisoned in France and had someone else stand in for him at the execution.
Various smaller rumors have also persisted that it was a political man – possibly Nicholas Fouquet or Count Mattioli – both of whom were known to have been imprisoned.
While we may never know who this masked man really was, it doesn’t stop writers from creating plausible novels based on this man or filmmakers from producing movies. Here are a few of those movies.
The Man in the Iron Mask (1998)
The 5th Musketeer (1979)
The Iron Mask (1929) – the full movie can currently be watched on YouTube Openflix – here is the link
or on instant play on Netflix.
We all have heard the rumor that Shakespeare did not write all/some of his plays. The to-be-released-this-fall film, Anonymous, explores this idea more fully. The primary focus of the film is who wrote these plays but it is also described as a political thriller set in the Elizabethan Era around the Essex Rebellion. For those of you who are interested in Shakespeare and this time period, this movie looks interesting. The trailer is below – it certainly looks dramatic!
In the USA, UK, and Canada it is scheduled to be released September 30, 2011. You can check out the release dates by country here.
Joely Richardson will play a young Elizabeth Tudor while Vanessa Redgrave will play Queen Elizabeth. I don’t recognize any of the other actors in this film.
I don't know if any of you have heard of this movie of not, I haven't seen any previews for it but I did see the movie poster up when I went to see Water for Elephants. The Conspirator was released April 15, 2011, so you should still be able to catch it in theatres for a little while. Here is some background info.
The Conspirator is the first film from The American Film Company. According to their website, their mission is: "founded on the belief that real life is often more compelling than fiction, The American Film Company produces feature films about incredible, true stories from America's past. Central to the company's filmmaking will be prominent historians, assuring that each production remains true to the history from which it is drawn."
Isn't this exactly what we are always saying we want to see?! Reality is sometimes so much more interesting than the drama filmmakers try to create?
As I said, The Conspirator is their first film, here is the movie description:
"In the wake of Abraham Lincoln's assassination, seven men and one woman are arrested and charged with conspiring to kill the President, the Vice-President, and the Secretary of State. The lone woman charged, Mary Surratt, 42, owns a boarding house where John Wilkes Booth and others met and planned the simultaneous attacks.
Against the ominous back-drop of post-Civil War Washington, newly-minted lawyer, Frederick Aiken, a 28-year-old Union war-hero, reluctantly agrees to defend Surratt before a military tribunal. As the trial unfolds, Aiken realizes his client may be innocent and that she is being used as bait and hostage in order to capture the only conspirator to have escaped a massive manhunt, her own son.
A suspenseful thriller with action throughout, The Conspirator tells the true story of a woman who would do anything to protect her family and the man who risked everything to save her."
There are also pretty well known actors in this film: Robin Wright, Alexis Bledel, James McAvoy, Evan Rachel Wood and Justin Long among others. I am going to try to get to see this film - hopefully. It sounds very interesting. I also thought it was pretty cool that the premiere was held in Washington D.C. at the Ford Theatre (how appropriate!).
Here is the trailer for The Conspirator:
You can also visit The Conspirator website for additional information about the film and where it is playing. The American Film Company has two other films in development right now - The Arsenal (about John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry) and Midnight Riders (about Paul Revere's ride).
Good Evening everyone! I am so excited that I just had to share this with you all. You may know that Water for Elephants by Sarah Gruen is my all time favorite novel. And it is being released to theatres on April 15th starring Reese Witherspoon, Robert Pattinson, and Christopher Waltz. And today the movie trailer was released (all that said in one long breath). So here it is - absolutely gorgeous!
We have just reached that time of the year again when all the new tv shows have just started up for the season and we are getting in gear for the upcoming 2011 movie season. I thought it would be cool to take a look at all of the new shows coming out on the small screen, the big screen, and the stage that are historically based.
On the small screen (TV) there are several new series and miniseries that will be starting up fall 2010 – spring 2011.
Starz will be home in spring 2011 to the show Camelot – a retelling of the legend of King Arthur. This show will feature Joseph Fiennes, Eva Green, Jamie Campbell Bower and Tamsin Egerton. This show is sure to be “smart, sophisticated, and realistic to the Dark Ages in which it’s set”. It is also supposed to delve into the political nature of the time.
HBO will be the home of 2 new series and a new miniseries in 2010 and 2011. Boardwalk Empire started up its run 2 weeks ago and has been awesome since. This show focuses on Prohibition Era Atlantic City – ripe with gangsters, rum-running, and all the fun of illicit alcohol. It features Steve Buschemi as Nucky Thompson, who basically runs everything in Atlantic City. The show is gorgeous to look at and I love to watch the mob scene.
Coming up in the spring the new show Game of Thrones begins – based on the epic historical fantasy series by George R. R. Martin. “Game of Thrones chronicles the violent dynastic struggles among noble families for control of the Iron Throne”. Two of the names that you might recognize from this upcoming series are Sean Bean, who will star as Ned Stark and Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister. I have been reading the books this series is based on and love them – and from what my boyfriend tells me, the first season will stick very closely to the first book. Here is a preview:
Also coming up this spring of 2011 from HBO will be the miniseries Mildred Pierce. This series is based on the book by James M. Cain and was made into a movie in 1945 starring Joan Crawford. This series will feature the ever amazing Kate Winslet, Evan Rachel Wood, and Guy Pearce. This show takes place during The Great Depression as housewife, Mildred, tries to maintain her family’s lifestyle.
And finally over at Showtime in 2011, the show that has been generating the most buzz recently, The Borgias! This series about one of the well known Renaissance families will take the place of the departing Tudors. Jeremy Irons has been cast as Roderigo Borgia and coming from the creators of the Tudors I am expecting great things!
Please feel free to add any shows on regular tv that are coming up and are historical because I have had a hard time finding any information.
As for the big screen, there were a few that I found that seemed very appropriate. Coming up later this month is Secretariat – the story about the last racehorse to win the elusive Triple Crown. This will start Diane Lane and John Malkovitch. This is sure to be a good one and I can’t wait to see it. Also coming out in October, to a limited release, is The King’s Speech. This is the story of England’s King George VI who was known to have a terrible stuttering problem. He became King when his brother, Edward VIII, gave up his throne so he could marry Wallis Simpson. The cast is pretty good – Helena Bonham Carter as Queen Elizabeth, Colin Firth as George VI, Guy Pearce as Edward VIII, Geoffrey Rush as Lionel Logue, and Timothy Spall as Winston Churchill. Coming up in April 2011 is the movie I am most looking forward to, Water for Elephants – based on the smash hit book by Sara Gruen. This is probably my favorite book ever and I am so excited to see how the Depression era circus comes out on the big screen. This will star Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson in the lead roles. I hope to see all of these movies.
Also starting in October there are two new Broadway shows that take on the historical. Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson is a comical musical about the seventh President of the United States. This one looks hilarious. There is also The Scottsboro Boys based on the notorious trial. This is staged as a minstrel show providing a musical social critique.
The historical is ever growing in the world of screen and stage and I can’t wait to see what is coming down the line later on. My suggestion for when The Borgia’s ultimately comes to the end, how about they take on The Stuarts – there is plenty of dramatic fodder in Charles, James, and all of their women!
As I was reading through The Greatest Knight by Elizabeth Chadwick, I kept thinking that King Richard and Prince John sounded like the King Richard and Prince John of Robin Hood lore. And guess what? I was right! So I figured that if William Marshall was actively involved with Richard and John, and they were involved in the tale of Robin Hood, maybe the Marshall and Robin would come together at some point? Right again!
I’m sure many of you have seen or heard about the new Robin Hood movie coming out soon staring Russell Crowe. But how many of you knew that William Marshall would be in this movie? I certainly didn’t. William Hurt will be playing William Marshall. Here is the trailer for the movie – I couldn’t tell if Hurt was in it or not, I’m not too familiar with him, but maybe some of you might spot him.
If I wasn’t completely convinced of seeing this movie before, I have to now, just to see how they present William Marshall.
If you haven't heard the buzz about the new movie The Young Victoria you have to have been living under a rock. The usual tale told of Queen Victoria is of the dowdy older woman who was perpetually in mourning. This is not that Victoria. This Victoria is young, in love, and new to her crown. Emily Blunt (from The Devil Wears Prada fame) plays Victoria, while Rupert Friend plays Prince Albert. From the reviews I have read so far the movie is fairly close to real life - and Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson was one of the producers.
For those of us in the United States, The Young Victoria opens to limited theatres on this Friday - December 18, 2009 then to a wider audience. I am so jealous of all of you who live overseas and have been able to see the movie already. If any one gets to see the movie during this limited release, please drop a comment and let me/us know what you think.
For those of us that have to wait - take some time to check out this interview with Sarah, Duchess of York about the movie.
I went to see The Time Traveler’s Wife this week, 2 days after I finished reading the book. Going into this I knew that there would be many things that would be changed or left out due to the book being almost 600 pages and the movie was a 107 minutes.
Henry DeTamble is played by Eric Bana and Clare Abshire is played by Rachel McAdams. Both actors looked a lot like what I pictured the characters to look like in my head. I also think that they had amazing chemistry together. I also LOVED the little girl that played Clare (age 6) when she first meets Henry
My feelings for this moving are slightly above average – the parts that were included from the book were done very well. They stuck pretty close to the events of the book but left out a lot – which made my boyfriend, who hasn’t read the book, ask a lot of questions about the plot holes. I think if you had read the book before seeing the movie it would be easier to follow what was happening. I had been wondering how they would show Henry evaporating from one time and appearing in another – I think they did an AWESOME job at this – some amazing CG.
For anyone who has read the book – the ending is not the same. It evokes similar emotion – and those who have not read the book, have told me they loved the ending. I was a little disappointed because I loved the book ending.
Overall, I would give this 3.5/4 out of 5 stars. I would still watch it again!
, Karleen Koen seamlessly weaves this story into her narrative and tackles one theory of who this man might have been. Famous writers, including Alexandre Dumas and Voltaire, offer their own explanations as to who this mystery man was. 
