Movie: Cranford

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 9

Genre: Period drama

Series or set: Cranford is a TV series. :) This was the first season, I think. 

Primary actors: Oh wow…this series has a TON of primary actors, and just as many Doubles! IMDB lists Judi Dench, Julie McKenzie, and Imelda Staunton as the stars. 

Length: Five episodes

Based on: Cranford, My Lady Ludlow, Mr. Harrison’s Confessions all by Elizabeth Gaskell (FYI, Cranford at least is a fun and interesting read! I haven’t done the others yet)

Time period: 1800s (when else would a period drama be?)

Year it came out: 2007

My overall opinion: Love it! There’s no definite story-line (like in Little Dorrit) but rather it meanders along, following life in a small village. That’s like the book Cranford though. I love the characters, and Miss Pole (Imelda Staunton) is especially perfect for the part. And like I said, there are SO many Doubles! I’ll be posting more about them sometime. :) I loved the cat eating lace in the first episode. The soundtrack for all of the episodes was so sweet and quaint! Loved that too. I also greatly enjoyed Lady Ludlow’s garden party in Episode 2. Michael Gambon, though only on scene shortly in Episode 2, was exceptional – as usual. #2 was also a much more emotional episode than #1. In Episode 3, Mrs. Pole’s fright of gypsies and robbers was quite hilarious! As was the Christmas Eve party in parts. I’d better stop…for now, I’ll just say that I recommend this! It’s sweet.