Cranford

[osprey_archer]

It is dreadfully hot here, and muggy, so that leaving the apartment is like stepping into a greenhouse; so I have been staying inside, reading and watching Cranford.

Cranford is not a straight adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell's novel, but a mash-up of Cranford with two of her other novels, I suppose because the screenwriters didn't think there was enough meat to Cranford to make a miniseries. Possibly they are right, but I think I would have preferred a movie adaptation of Cranford alone than this three-novel business.

Actually, I enjoy the story about Lady Ludlow (exasperating though she is), Harry Gregson, and Mr. Carter; but the story about Doctor Harrison's various admirers makes me sad. I just feel so bad for Miss Caroline, who so badly wants a husband and is not only not going to get one, but makes a right fool of herself thinking that the new doctor will ask for her hand, even though she only sees him on professional calls.

Not that it's all her fault! I feel very bitter against Doctor Harrison's optometrist friend for sending her that fake Valentine. It was so, so unkind of him; I am hoping that he will suffer a bitter and unrequited infatuation so he'll understand just how badly he behaved. Not holding my breath, though, as I have only one episode left.

Still it would be nice. Preferably Miss Caroline, although I suspect it is more likely he would fall for sensible, cheerful Mary Smith - I do love Mary Smith. She's one of the reasons I am rather sorry this is not a straight-up adaptation of Cranford alone, because then there would have been more of her. In the novel Mary Smith is basically a conduit for the story - sort of like a kinder, gentler Nick Carraway - and it's impressive that she's imbued with such charm and life here.

Comments

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

The Miss Caroline plotline seems to have come right out of Wives and Daughters.

Is Cranford very short? (I wonder why they didn't just choose to make it on its own...)

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

It is very short and episodic. There's a quote in chapter 2 that basically sums up the atmosphere of the novel:

"There had been neither births, deaths, nor marriages since I was there last. Everybody lived in the same house, and wore pretty nearly the same well-preserved, old-fashioned clothes. The greatest event was, that Miss Jenkyns had purchased a new carpet for the drawing-room."

This makes for a good comfort read (although there are some deaths later on, but they are not upsetting). But I can see why filmmakers would be leery about adapting it without bolstering the story with something a little more plotty. But giving Cranford more plot undermines one of the more interesting parts of the book, which is that it's a nineteenth century novel about women to which marriage and romance are incidental.

[silverusagi]

Huh. I watched Cranford and didn't really like it. But the fact that it was sort of a combination of books explains a lot.

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the Lady Ludlow storyline in particular is not well-integrated with the rest of the story. And by "not well-integrated" I mean that it seems to be completely separate and therefore its inclusion, despite the fact that it is interesting, is puzzling.