Author Topic: PBS Masterpiece Classic 2009-2010 (Read 124686 times)

JoanK · « **Reply #280 on:** March 01, 2010, 04:39:20 PM »

Masterpiece Classic 2010 brings back favorite authors and introduces new authors and programs. See the complete 2010 MASTERPIECE CLASSIC schedule.

NOW DISCUSSING

Small Island
April 18-25, 2010, 9pm
Two 90-minute episodes
When an ambitious Jamaican woman moves to gritty post-war London, she finds that the "Mother Country" is not the land of opportunity she had imagined. Starring Naomie Harris, Ruth Wilson and Benedict Cumberbatch and based on the award-winning, bestselling novel by Andrea Levy. Small Island is available for online viewing April 19 - May 25 at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/smallisland/watch.html

PAST PROGRAMS

The Diary of Anne Frank
April 11, 2010, 9pm
One 120-minute episode
The most accurate adaptation of Anne Frank's account of hiding from the Nazis stars newcomer Ellie Kendrick as the maturing teenager undergoing an extraordinary ordeal. The Diary of Anne Frank airs on Holocaust Remembrance Day, 2010. Watch the program online from April 12 through May 11 at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/annefrank/watch.html

Sharpe's Peril
April 4, 2010, 9pm
One 120-minute episode
The adventures of Colonel Richard Sharpe continue as he leads a ragtag party of civilians and soldiers on a march across India, with the murderous army of an opium lord in hot pursuit. Watch it online through April 27 at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/sharpeschallenge/watch.html

Sharpe's Challenge
March 28, 2010, 9pm
One 120-minute episode
Soldier-adventurer Richard Sharpe comes out of retirement to quash a rebellion in British India. Sean Bean returns as the swashbuckling hero of this series based on Bernard Cornwell's novels. Top Chef's Padma Lakshmi guest stars. Watch it online through April 27 at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/sharpeschallenge/watch.html

The 39 Steps
February 29, 2010, 9pm
One 90-minute episode
Secret agent Richard Hannay battles German spies on the eve of World War I in a riveting and romantic new version of the thriller by John Buchan. Rupert-Penry Jones (Persuasion) stars as Hannay. Learn more about this series at http://www.seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/masterpiece/39steps/39steps.html. Watch the full episodes online at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/steps/watch.html through March 30. Email JoanP for a copy of the book for only the cost of postage. Read some of Buchan's works online at http://www.gutenberg.org/browse/authors/b#a285

Persuasion (Encore Presentation)
February 21, 2010, 9pm
One 90-minute episode
Sally Hawkins plays Jane Austen's Anne Elliot, a woman destined for spinsterhood after refusing a proposal eight years earlier. Then her spurned suitor reappears. Learn more about this series at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/persuasion/index.html. The text of Jane Austen's Persuasion is available online at http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/105

Northanger Abbey (Encore Presentation)
February 14, 2010, 9pm
One 90-minute episode
In a medieval house that appeals to her most lurid fantasies, romance addict Catherine Morland (Felicity Jones) begins a relationship with the younger son of the estate in this adaptation of the Jane Austen novel. Learn more about this series at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/northangerabbey/index.html. The text of Northanger Abbey is available online at http://www.gutenberg.org/files/121/121-h/121-h.htm#2HCH0001

January 24-February 7, 2010, 9pm
Three episodes.
A new adaptation of Jane Austen's comic tale of a headstrong young woman's failed matchmaking schemes. Learn more about this series at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/emma/index.html.
See resources provided by PBS at http://www.seniorlearn.org/bookclubs/masterpiece/emma/emma_links.html

January 10-17, 2010, 9pm
Return to Cranford
Two 90-minute episodes.
The construction of a new railroad line is at once thrilling and threatening to the residents of Cranford. This sequel stars Judi Dench, Imelda Staunton and Julia McKenzie. New faces include Jonathan Pryce and Tim Curry. From the creators: “We leapt at the opportunity to include two strands from Cranford that we hadn’t been able to include the first time around, introducing two colourful new characters: Lady Glenmire (Celia Imrie) and the conjuror Signor Brunoni (Tim Curry). We looked for additional source material to weave into the mix, and finally settled on two very different Gaskell stories that excited us: The Moorland Cottage and The Cage At Cranford." Learn more about this series at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/cranford2/index.html.

December 20, 2009-January 3, 2010, 9pm
Cranford (Encore Presentation)
Three episodes (Episode one 120 minutes; episode two 60 minutes; episode three 120 minutes).
The Emmy-nominated drama about a small English village in 1842 on the brink of change — where some find romance and opportunity, and others fear the breakdown of social order. The series is based on three Elizabeth Gaskell novels: Cranford, My Lady Ludlow and Mr. Harrison's Confessions. Learn more and see a preview at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/cranford/index.html.

Discussion Leaders: JoanP and marcie

JOANP: you needn't have waited. The ending in the movie was quite different from the ending in the book.

It is naive and corny: we have become much more sephisticated about suspense stories since. The strength of the book IMO is the Scottish scenery and characters. The movie did a pretty good job of conveying that. Of course they had to introduce a woman: an interesting one but still.

I thought the movie ending was super corny. If they'd cut off the last few minutes, it would have been much better.

Phyll · « **Reply #281 on:** March 01, 2010, 05:09:27 PM »

Thanks very much, Marcie. I checked it out and it isn't the one I think I remember. I must be thinking of the old Hitchcock version. I have a Helen Mirren movie (Painted Lady) from Netflix to watch tonight but then I'll watch a chapter or two...or three...or more

of 39 steps online. What a wonderful age we live in!

JoanR · « **Reply #282 on:** March 01, 2010, 05:16:38 PM »

The book was great! The PBS film changed so much and added things that were not in the book, that it was no longer the "Thirty-Nine Steps" as far as I was concerned. How sad. What would John Buchan think of the way his book was handled?

Frybabe · « **Reply #283 on:** March 01, 2010, 06:49:13 PM »

I watched the first "chapter" online. It is so different, I think I will wait a few days before watching the rest. So far it hasn't popped up on OnDemand. Instead of expanding on the book, they've changed it so much that, like JoanR, it is no longer "The Thirty-Nine Steps". It does, however, look worth watching once I get over my annoyance.

nlhome · « **Reply #284 on:** March 01, 2010, 07:53:29 PM »

I have two chapters left in the book, and I couldn't watch TV last night. So, I'll finish the book tonight, then watch the program online. I'm enjoying the book. It moves fast, and it's fun.

salan · « **Reply #285 on:** March 01, 2010, 08:25:54 PM »

I watched the closing ceremony of the Olympics and DVR'd 39 steps to watch later. My son-in-law convinced me to get a DVR and I am really glad he did. Aliki, I DVR anything I don't want to miss in case I fall asleep (which I do sometimes)!
Sally

Ella Gibbons · « **Reply #286 on:** March 01, 2010, 08:45:51 PM »

The best thing about the 39 STEPS was the scenery, the cinematography. Lovely! Where do they get those old cars and that lovely old railroad. And the stone walls, castle, etc. The story was not the story in the book, as I remembered it. But it went by so fast I could hardly keep track of what was going on.

FlaJean · « **Reply #287 on:** March 01, 2010, 11:39:47 PM »

I read the book and watched the movie on PBS. They were very, very different but I enjoyed them both. I guess I'm just a simple person because I liked the ending. Of course, it was implausible but so is most of what we watch on TV.

joangrimes · « **Reply #288 on:** March 01, 2010, 11:55:31 PM »

I watched the PBS production. I enjoyed it but why did they even bother to call it Thirty-Nine Steps.
They changed to much from the book. The scenery was gorgeous as Ella stated. Of course that is what Northern England and Scotland are is gorgeous. I love things set in those areas. They bring back so many memories of my travels in those areas. I am glad that I watched it.

Joan Grimes

Babi · « **Reply #289 on:** March 02, 2010, 09:04:20 AM »

Don't you just love the name 'Rupert Pency-Jones', MARCIE? So very British.

"The 39 Steps" was best taken without out too critical an eye. Right up front, you had to
wonder why our hero didn't simply go with the police, inform them it was a matter of national
security and demand to talk with Capt. Kell. The police would have had to check it out, Kell
would have been located, and all that other derring-do made unnecessary. But of course, then
you wouldn't have had a story.

marcie · « **Reply #290 on:** March 02, 2010, 11:00:57 AM »

Oh yes, Rupert Penry-Jones is a great British name, Babi. Well, there were a number of things that we have to overlook in the film, but I still found it very entertaining.

pedln · « **Reply #291 on:** March 02, 2010, 11:25:46 AM »

Well, I haven't read the book yet. I had planned to, but have been so engrossed in another mystery I just couldn't start a new one. But I watched it and enjoyed it, but couldn't help but think -- "will they have all these chase scenes in the book." At times, it almost seemed silly. But fun to watch. But I'm glad that reading the book will be an entirely different experience.

PatH · « **Reply #292 on:** March 02, 2010, 02:31:42 PM »

Indeed, although the movie was entertaining, there is very little of the book in it. The opening situation is almost the same, and there are little shreds of the story left, but not much, and definitely no heroine in the book. Lots of chases, though, and Buchan's love of the Scottish countryside.

If any of really liked the book, Buchan wrote several more, longer, books about Hannay.

JoanK · « **Reply #293 on:** March 02, 2010, 02:34:28 PM »

At my f2f book club, one woman said she had seen 4 film versions of the 39 steps and the PBS one was the silliest. Stupidly, I didn't ask her what the other versions were. There's the Hitchcock, and the PBS. What else?

mrssherlock · « **Reply #294 on:** March 02, 2010, 10:02:51 PM »

Marcie: I concur. He's a sweetie. 39 was good, logically held together, good acting, but left me saying, "What?" at the end. I'll read the book when it gets here; I didn't reponds when it was first announced but I've learned my lesson - first call for free books gets my response.

JoanP · « **Reply #295 on:** March 02, 2010, 10:18:35 PM »

The recurring word to describe the PBS production here seems to be "silly" - though some found it so silly, it was "fun" ...in a campy way. I agree with those of you who found it off-putting that it was titled "39 Steps." my Bruce says it had to have the title or it couldn't have appeared as a "Masterpiece Classic."

Did you notice the credits at the start? "Based on a story by John Buchan." Wasn't that a warning that the stories were going to be different? I thought there was a certain irony that PBS is making the DVD and the book available - as a pair. Different corpses!
Why was the "girl" written into the plot? A suffragette too. Was this for the ladies in the audience? I remember while reading the book wondering about Richard Hannay - 37 years old, shiftless, no wife, no girl. Kept waiting for a love interest to turn up, but no, not one. And then came the PBS "version" - and it was a love story!!! Oh dear. (EDIT- Hitchcock wrote in the girl too - played by Madeleine Carroll.

It was good to read the book, or I would have come away with a very different estimate of Mr. Buchan's story-telling. Someone wrote to me today for a copy of the book - She wasn't going to read it, but after viewing the production, she felt she had to read the book because it was so....
You know, if this is what it takes to promote reading, then I'm all for it.
It's been a fun exercise, though, hasn't it? I loved the scenery, the setting too - the houses - the art deco doors and windows, especially. Saw Sterling Castle - we stayed in an inn nearby once. Nobody does settings like this!

Marcie, Bruce ordered the Hitchcock version on Netflix today. It will be interesting to see how it was "adapted." We can compare notes.
There's been a successful Broadway staging too - The 39 Steps. Touring the country, comng to Washington this spring. We might go - depends on what we think of Hitchcock - and the reviews of the play.
Here's a link which contains a video of part of the Broadway production of Alfred Hitchcock's Tony Award-winning Comedy Thriller

ps Your book should arrive later today or tomorrow, Jackie. Let me know? I have ONE COPY LEFT if anyone else is interested...

marcie · « **Reply #296 on:** March 03, 2010, 01:20:46 AM »

Here is a link to a wikipedia article that describes the other adaptations of The 39 Steps:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thirty-Nine_Steps#Film.2C_TV_or_theatrical_adaptations

I forgot to mention that the scene where the plane flies over Hannay running in the field and tries to shoot him, reminded me of a similar, famous scene with Cary Grant in North by Northwest.

Babi · « **Reply #297 on:** March 03, 2010, 08:39:22 AM »

Did he, PAT? I didn't know that. I wonder if any of them are still
around?

Oh, yes, MARCIE. That scene seemed to be stolen almost intact from
'North by Northwest'. It was the first thing that sprang to mind from
the moment it started.

Phyll · « **Reply #298 on:** March 03, 2010, 10:47:10 AM »

I thought the same thing when the plane shooting scene started! North by Northwest! And I remember thinking then and now, why don't they run to the side instead of straight ahead? Duh??? Oh, well, if I was getting shot at I don't suppose I would know which way to run either. LOL

I'm having to watch it on my laptop (thanks to you, Marcie, for linking me to that) so I'm not getting the full effect of the beautiful Scottish scenery but I'm enjoying it never-the-less. I hope my local PBS station will run it in full when they finish their latest fund raiser so I can watch it again. Even if it is silly or campy, it is more enjoyable than most things that are offered these days. A romp! That's the word I was trying to think of! It's a romp!

Hi, JoanP! Haven't talked in a long while. Have you knit any Irish sweaters lately?

mrssherlock · « **Reply #299 on:** March 03, 2010, 11:39:06 AM »

Phyll: Like you I would choose silly on Masterpiece over most other stuff. Sometimes I feel like I should be wearing velvet and silk as I watch instead of my flannel pants and knit top PJs.

PatH · « **Reply #300 on:** March 03, 2010, 12:56:02 PM »

Quote from: Babi on March 03, 2010, 08:39:22 AM

Did he, PAT? I didn't know that. I wonder if any of them are still
around?

Yes, you can buy a paperback containing the 4 important ones from Amazon for $14.26.

In Greenmantle, Hannay crosses Germany in disguise on the trail of a religious uprising being fomented in Turkey. In Mr. Standfast, he alternates spycatching with fighting on the western front, and JoanP will be pleased to know that he finds the woman he will marry. The Three Hostages takes place in peacetime, and concerns a combined kidnapping and attempted political coup, ending up with a very unusual sort of manhunt.

The others are longer and more complex than 39 Steps, also somewhat dated and corny, but they've got something, too. I've reread them several times with pleasure.

Frybabe · « **Reply #301 on:** March 03, 2010, 12:59:16 PM »

I ran across the tail end of the Hitchcock version yesterday on TV - maybe the last 3 or 4 minutes. The ending was different from the book. I have only seen the first 10minutes of the Masterpiece version so far.

The one title of John Buchan's works that sounded familiar to me was Greenmantle. Since I never read such a book, I thought it might have been made into an old movie. But, no.

Wikipedia had this to say about Hitchcock and Greenmantle:

Quote

According to Patrick McGilligan's 2003 biography, Alfred Hitchcock, who directed the 1935 film adaptation of The 39 Steps, preferred Greenmantle and considered filming it on more than one occasion. However no such project ever materialized in Hitchcock's lifetime and Greenmantle itself has yet to be filmed.

JoanK · « **Reply #302 on:** March 03, 2010, 10:08:57 PM »

Funny, when I saw that plane, I wondered if "North by Northwest" had stolen that scene from Buchan's book. In the 39 book, the plane doesn't shoot, or run him down, but the menace is certainly there.

Babi · « **Reply #303 on:** March 04, 2010, 08:01:42 AM »

What I always wonder, PHYLL, is how could all those bullets have missed?
I really have to suspend judgment watching this kind of movie and just
take it as it is.

Frybabe · « **Reply #304 on:** March 04, 2010, 09:18:34 AM »

Quote

Funny, when I saw that plane, I wondered if "North by Northwest" had stolen that scene from Buchan's book.

Could be, Joan. Wasn't North by Northwest also a Hitchcock film? I remember seeing bits of it but not the whole. Someday I must watch it.

Aliki · « **Reply #305 on:** March 04, 2010, 09:18:48 AM »

Quote

PatH: Yes, you can buy a paperback containing the 4 important ones from Amazon for $14.26.

In Greenmantle, Hannay crosses Germany in disguise on the trail of a religious uprising being fomented in Turkey.

Oh Pat...now you have caught my interest for sure. That's 'my playground' now!! I must get that book from Amazon. Thanks for posting that!

Babi: I can always count on you for the 'grrritty nitty' as Mrs. Slocum would say in "Are You Being Served!" Your comment,

Quote

"What I always wonder, PHYLL, is how could all those bullets have missed?
I really have to suspend judgment watching this kind of movie and just
take it as it is."

really sums it up in one for me too!

Aliki · « **Reply #306 on:** March 04, 2010, 11:44:40 AM »

Quote

PatH: In Greenmantle, Hannay crosses Germany in disguise on the trail of a religious uprising being fomented in Turkey.

PatH, Just found Greenmantle and other Buchans to be read online. Very exciting!! Thanks for piquing my interest!

FlaJean · « **Reply #307 on:** March 04, 2010, 11:59:05 AM »

Aliki, could you post the online URL where the books can be read? Thanks.

marcie · « **Reply #308 on:** March 04, 2010, 12:01:31 PM »

You can find some of John Buchan's works available online at http://www.gutenberg.org/browse/authors/b#a285 and at
http://books.google.com/books?as_auth=John+Buchan&source=an&ei=eOePS8akGZuUtQP7l6zyDQ&sa=X&oi=book_group&ct=more-books-link&cad=author-navigational&resnum=12&ved=0CCwQsQMwCw

It look like we have to wait until the end of the month for Masterpiece Classic to continue. This Saturday and Sunday my local PBS station will be showing MORE FUNNY LADIES OF BRITISH COMEDY. You can see a preview of the actresses who will be featured at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5VdcTawVxQ

FlaJean · « **Reply #309 on:** March 04, 2010, 12:04:41 PM »

Thank you.

PatH · « **Reply #310 on:** March 04, 2010, 03:33:50 PM »

Aliki, don't expect too much Turkey in Greenmantle. It ends up in Constantinople and Erzerum, but it's mostly the suspense and spying.

pedln · « **Reply #311 on:** March 04, 2010, 08:24:14 PM »

Last week some friends said that they had seen the play 39 Steps just a few weeks ago. After JoanP mentioned the touring company coming to DC, I asked my friends what they thought of the play, the stage performance. Here are their comments.

Quote

Our reaction to the PBS production was that we were in another world!

About 39 Steps

　Well, the movie we saw on PBS the other night seems to bear little resemblance to the play we saw at the REP in St. Louis! The plot was generally the same, but, of course, on the stage it is hard to include all the action you can do with a film.

I thought the play developed the “39 Steps” as an enemy plan better than what we saw on the PBS version. Only at the end of the play do you realize that this is a spy agency working to do in the British Empire and the war effort. In the movie this did not seem very clear.

Yes, there is a love life in the play - I think much better portrayed than in the PBS film. Having not seen the Hitchcock film, I don’t know what should be compared. The stage play was, to us more enjoyable than the PBS production. At this point we think we should read the book and learn what is real and what is imagined.

Bill & Barbara.

These were my comments to them, not knowing that they had also seen the PBS version -- Most who saw the PBS version Sunday night thought it to be a bit on the silly side, and not at all like the book. I'm curious to know if the play had a love interest. Apparently the book does not, but both Hitchcock and PBS wrote one in.

Frybabe · « **Reply #312 on:** March 05, 2010, 12:52:11 AM »

I finally settled down and watched the rest of The 39 Steps. I liked it well enough even though it had very little resemblance to the book. The first part of the production bothered me the most that it didn't follow the book more closely and I wish they had stayed with the coastal setting for the ending. Rupert Penry-Jones certainly was yummy wasn't he. His face is familiar but I don't recognize the name at all.

Also, I started reading Northanger Abbey tonight.

Babi · « **Reply #313 on:** March 05, 2010, 09:01:59 AM »

I was surprised by the same coincidence here, too, PEDLN. I noticed in
the Sunday paper that "The 39 Steps" was being performed at one of the
Houston theaters. How is it that an old story will sometimes surface
several places at once, after decades of being ignored.

marcie · « **Reply #314 on:** March 05, 2010, 11:04:13 AM »

Thanks for the comments about the play, Pedln. It sounds like it might not be the same as the current Broadway play that is being billed as a "comedy thriller." See http://www.39stepsonbroadway.com/about.html

Babi, it is interesting how this story is being revived. I enjoyed the book. It was interesting how Richard Hannay got into the part of the road worker in order to fool the bad guys whom he had to face and then they got into their parts as ordinary law-abiding citizens in order to try to fool him.

mrssherlock · « **Reply #315 on:** March 05, 2010, 11:04:21 AM »

Jonkie: The book arrived. It is a lovely edition; Masterpiece strives for quality even though their adaptations appeal to newer generations than ours.

Phyll · « **Reply #316 on:** March 05, 2010, 12:02:07 PM »

Quote

Rupert Penry-Jones certainly was yummy wasn't he. His face is familiar but I don't recognize the name at all.

He played the part of Captain Fredrick Wentworth in Jane Austen's Persuasion, Frybabe. That was fresh in my mind because our local station had just replayed it before "39 Steps" was presented. Yes, indeed, he is yummy.

Thank you, Marcie, for reminding me about Gutenberg Project. I just downloaded Green Mantle and I am looking forward to settling down and reading it later on today.

Aliki · « **Reply #317 on:** March 05, 2010, 12:44:54 PM »

Quote

Phyll: Aliki, could you post the online URL where the books can be read?

I thought of that Phyll in the middle of the night--no kidding!!

I'll go back to look for it and if it hasn't already been posted I'll post it. Thanks!

Frybabe · « **Reply #318 on:** March 05, 2010, 01:18:16 PM »

Thanks, Phyll. I knew I saw him somewhere before. I like his face.

joangrimes · « **Reply #319 on:** March 05, 2010, 08:20:41 PM »

I did not like 39 Steps at all and I don't think I will read any other of those books. I need to save my eyes for reading things that I do enjoy and think are worth my reading them.
Joan Grimes

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Author Topic: PBS Masterpiece Classic 2009-2010 (Read 124686 times)