PBS Masterpiece Classic 2011-2012

[rosemarykaye]

 

Masterpiece Classic 2012 brings back favorite authors and introduces new authors and programs. See the complete 2012 MASTERPIECE CLASSIC schedule.

NOW DISCUSSING

      April 22 & 29, 2012 at 9pm
      Birdsong
      An adaptation of Sebastian Faulk's novel about lovers torn apart by World War I. Eddie Redmayne (The Pillars of the Earth) plays Stephen Wrayford, whose pre-war affair with Isabelle Azaire (Clemence Poesy, Harry Potter films) has an enduring effect on him as he fights in the trenches.

ALREADY DISCUSSED


      April 15, 2012
      The Mystery of Edwin Drood
      An adaptation and completion of Charles Dickens' last novel left unfinished at the halfway mark at his death, The Mystery Of Edwin Drood is a psychological thriller about a provincial choirmaster's obsession with 17-year-old Rosa Bud and the lengths he will go to to attain her. Cast includes Matthew Rhys (Brothers & Sisters) and Julia MacKenzie (Miss Marple).


      April 1 & 8, 2012
      Great Expectations
      Widely considered one of the greatest novels by Charles Dickens, Great Expectations tells the story of Pip the battered orphan boy, who rises from blacksmith's apprentice to gentleman under the patronage of a mysterious benefactor, who assures him of "great expectations." Starring Gillian Anderson, David Suchet and Ray Winstone.



February 26, 2012
One 90-minute episode
     The Old Curiosity Shop
     A teenage girl and her grandfather lose everything to a maniacal moneylender and flee his relentless pursuit. Derek Jacobi (I, Claudius) stars as Grandfather, with Sophie Vavasseur (Northanger Abbey) as Nell and Toby Jones (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) as Quilp.


January 8 to February 19, 2012
      Downton Abbey Season 2
      Downton Abbey season 2 resumes the story of aristocrats and servants in the tumultuous World War I era. The international hit is written by Julian Fellowes and stars Maggie Smith, Elizabeth McGovern, and Hugh Bonneville, plus a drawing room full of new actors, portraying the loves, feuds, and sacrifices of a glittering culture thrown into crisis. Watch all episodes online through March 6 at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/watch/index.html


The Primetime Emmy Award® winning Downton Abbey season one returns December 18 & 25, 2011 and January 1, 2012. (Check local listings.)

That's true - but the new Upstairs Downstairs was terribly confusing, I thought.

Rosemary

[marcie]

We can finish talking about Masterpiece Classic here in this discussion. (I will view the last episode of BirdSong this week. I was watching THE KILLING on AMC on sunday :-) )

A reminder that the 2012 Masterpiece Mystery season starts this Sunday, with three new Sherlock Holmes episodes. There is a preview of the rest of the exciting season in our new PBS Mystery discussion at http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?topic=3233.0

[Babi]

 I'm delighted to hear there will be more of that new Sherlock Holmes series, MARCIE.
Thanks for the alert. I wouldn't want to miss that.

[MaryPage]

Hey! Hey! Hey!

If you are able to stay up late enough tonight, DO catch Charlie Rose on Public Television if he is carried where you are.  He is on at eleven P.M. on both of our PBS channels:  Washington DC and Baltimore.

His first guest is Dame Judi Dench talking about her movie coming out this month:  The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.  It is a comedy with Maggie Smith and many others of our favorite British older actors.  I can hardly wait!

[ginny]

I just bought that book today and so far can't put it down.

[MaryPage]

Ginny, the book by Deborah Moggach originally was called These Foolish Things.  Since they gave the movie made from THESE FOOLISH THINGS a different name, they have reissued the book with the same title as the movie.  Which one are you reading?  Which title, that is;  I realize it is the identical novel.

http://www.deborahmoggach.com/pages/books/foolish_things.htm

[marcie]

I finished watching Birdsong. I'm glad I did although the depiction of WWI was horrific. Our protagonist knows that his troops are being sent to a bloodbath but the officer in charge (played by Anthony Andrews of the 1981 Brideshead Revisited) says not to fear, they will be victorious.

There is a surprise at the end for our protagonist in his personal life.

[JeanneP]

I stayed up to watch Charlie at 11pm but did not have Judi Dench on.  It was all talk about the Blind man in China and what was happening.  Don't know why we keep getting involved in other countries matters.  They don't seem to ever interfere in ours.

[BarbStAubrey]

thats an easy one Jeanne - we have more gifts - more know how - more wealth - more creative talent - more opportunity for the average person and so, with 'more' is responsibility - lots of examples in the Bible as a guide and the statue of Liberty has the motto that encapsulates who we are as a people - Plus, assisting others is not only a humanitarian act it is to our benefit so that we can operate in a world with some level of human dignity and safety. Asking why us is like asking why we have been blessed with these gifts compared to others...

I did see part of the Judi Dench - she is as candid and lovely as ever - I kept looking for a hesitancy on her part and noted none since I read she has big issues with her sight. Interesting she gives her performance in Mr. Brown as the turning point of her career. After that movie that was planned as a TV series and was changed into a movie she had tons of offers.  She spoke of the Marigold movie this summer but another coming out in October that is her movie without all these great headliners that appear in Marigold. She and Charley spoke about how age is a none issue made into an issue by society and how both of them cannot imagine life without their work that they both love.

[Babi]

 Well said, BARB. 

[ginny]

MaryPage, I'm reading the one with Marigold Hotel in it, the edition has Judi Dench on the cover.

[JeanneP]

Barb.

What you say above has some truth to it.  But, Lets look at our country now.  Not what it was 20 years ago.  We need to take a good look at what is happening to some people here. Many of us are doing O.K. Many are now.  We can't take in everybody who has a problem in their own country.  We take in people who need medical and spend millions on operation done one them.  Yet. we have people dying here at a young age because they can't afford medical attention.  We help other countries with their poor.  Think they all should be getting free Medication.  People here can't get it.
We want to build in Afgan. School, homes. hospitals.  Yet right now 2 of our nursing homes are closing here because the state cannot pay them what owed.

Only thing I push for on helping poor countries is the Teaching of Birth Control. Best place to start

[BarbStAubrey]

Jeanne all I know is the world is no different than a microcosm of a classroom - when I was a kid and you finished the work before the others you were expected to help those in the class who were struggling - we were made aware we had gifts that they did not have although, they may have gifts that were a benefit to the class and often it was skills using their hands - at any rate as we grew older and were in the 7th and 8th grade it got to be fun to those of us who did finish quickly to see who could finish up first to help the others and we even realized some of us were better able to help certain students more than others - and so to me that is how I see my community and the world - we all have gifts and we are responsible to know them, use them and share them.

I look at our complaints in life and realize how minuscule they are - can you just imagine having to make a choice to leave behind on the side of the road one of your helpless children in order to save the other - just wrap your head around that if you can - how do you go on in life with that memory - can you imagine living where the resources are so slim or rather how to sell the resources that families have to put their young teenage daughters on a bus for a big city to fend for herself - can you imagine trying to protest the treatment of your community and in your efforts you are known by the government who does not listen although, the leaders are wealthy and if you protest they will kill your immediate family - I do not care how hard it is for us - and yes, it is unfair how the money in this nations was handled by private individuals - but if we, as a collective community cannot help others than life has no meaning - things happen and as a Christian I really believe in that guidance that influenced me to help - sure I can complain at how even the church's politics is a sham and detrimental to the community -

Where I cannot right the wrongs I can support and help - sorry. no offense but to me complaining about helping is like being a kid who wants for themselves - you know the kind - in the grocery they sat on the floor to influence their mom to buy them what they wanted. Sure life is tough - but as the song goes we were never promised a Rose Garden and to take our complaints out by being less caring in favor of taking care of ourselves we would never have gotten out of the Depression when everyone helped out each other and while still reeling we geared up and went to war which was the unifying force that got us over the hump onto bigger and greater things.

I guess if we look at what we lack we only attract more lack because it reminds us of all the things in our life that are missing - where as, if we do the best we can with what we have and share what we have we will all be sharing with each other. Thank god all those we have elected to represent us have not lost their moral compass and are still concerned with this nation showing the compassion and best of ourselves that we believe is our hallmark.

I guess I still remember the boat load of Jews we did not accept before this nation was officially a part of WWII - that shame hangs heavy - I can live with less easier than I can live with shame.

OK Jeanne - peace be with you - I do go on - but oh I have a strong feeling of not wanting to eliminate compassion and willingness to share from our national identity and hope we can continue to bring not only compassion but the example of sharing that we all learned as young children when we played with toys - yes, the division of wealth is not fair just as kids some had toys and some of us made toys out of weeds and mud and old toys that we made playthings out of - but we still played house and store and school and rode down the hill and shared our fun and home made toys with everyone including the kids who had swings in their backyard and store bought skates. The feeling of joy that is part of sharing was more important than comparing how little or much we had.

[JeanneP]

As we age we all look back at the past often.  But world has changed. Some for the good. Lots not so good.  We have to realize that also.  America can no longer think that they can take care of the worlds problems when they can no longer take care of their own.  The Statue of Liberty has now served its purpose. Need to close it arms.  We can send people out to other countries to teach and help.  We cannot tell them what to do or  give them funds in order for them to just carry on what they are doing.

[BarbStAubrey]

Jeanne I sure hope my great grandchildren will have the same experience of helping that my children and my grandchildren had as I had in school and I sure do not want to see the Statue of Liberty altered with arms folded - oh how painful - we cannot take care of everyone and it is easy to think that taking care of someone is proselytizing however, most of the time we want to teach how to fish along with supplying some immediate fish.

It is easy to find fault with how we help but to stop helping because we have some needs I cannot imagine being that closed off from others  - I could just imagine the world press if we shut down - that is thinking there is a certain amount of love in our heart and a limited amount of mental, physical and earthly resources to develop - yes, too many can be a feeding frenzy but we must and can honor what we have, and share what we have and through sharing the world will be a place we want to live -

Very practical - bottom line - look at the budget and see the small percentage of resources we use to help and support other nations as compared to other items - it isn't even 10% and we know to Tithe our family income at least 10% to those who support us. Taking from those in need never helped those who did the taking - as the saying goes some folks are rich from having money - lets hope the majority still know and build on the riches of character, integrity, compassion, love and sharing.

[marcie]

Join us in Masterpiece Mystery at http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?topic=3233.0

[ginny]

Just a note that there is a really nice article in yesterday's USA Today on Penelope Wison (Matthew's mother in Downton  Abbey) talking about the Marigold movie which she is in, and the character she plays. I put this in the Library on it:

It's a really good article. She plays the killjoy of the group and says something interesting in the interview: "She is a disappointed woman...It would be unrealistic if everyone fell in love with India. People think that going somewhere new is going to change them, forgetting that they take themselves along."


I think that's quite interesting.

She goes on in the article which I am sure is online, it's called Marigold has Penelope Wilton in full flower... and she talks about some of the new Downton which is now filming, including Shirley MacLaine, the actress and her part.