Thursday, December 10, 2009

Wives and Daughters BBC


I just recently finished watching the BBC adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell's Wives and Daughters. The series is delightful... I particularly like the main character of Molly Gibson. As depicted in the BBC series (I haven't yet read the book, so cannot say anything about the original) she is nearly the ideal of what a woman ought and should be. Her strength is not in loudness and impertinence, but rather in the gentle persuasion and love that she has for those around her. She empowers those around her, without suffocating them. Additionally, her modesty and reserve is truly what makes her beautiful... a girl like this wields the power of queens, because she is trusted as matter of course and to offend her must be pain enough to prevent it being overly frequent.


Anyhow, I will probably write another note in more detail on Molly Gibson, perhaps tying her in with Fanny Price of Jane Austen's Mansfield Park. Girls of this quality are extremely rare... and for some reason they tend to be singled out for the hatred of the masses who do not appreciate them and often view them as weak, usually out of a misunderstanding of femininity and relational politics.

I also wanted to mention some of the things I liked about the costumes. This film appears to be set in the early Victorian period. I generally do not like Victorian costume for women... because it generally creates extremely unnatural shapes in the cut of the garments (I don't like overly large hoop skirts, overly tight corsets, ridiculous sleeves, or overly puffed up blouses). Also, particularly with the War of Northern Aggression (U.S. Civil War for those of you who are insecure about the legality of secession) many of the costumes are overly plain or gaudy. Since I believe in simple elegance and refinement, I generally pass over these. However, all this said, there were truly a few outfits that were worth noticing, in my estimation.

I tried to find everything, and I have not had time for finding halfway decent examples of more than very little. I will do another article in further detail...

I love Molly's blue and white dress with the chemisette...





















I also really like the outdoors outfit she has, it goes together so nicely!







I'd like to know how the bow is tied here, if it is done in the same manner as I tie my modern bow ties... hmm...

Alright, more later... good night everyone! :)

8 comments:

  1. I found you through "Confessions of a Seamstresses" blog! I agree that overly puffed blouses and sleeves are rather ridiculous fashion choices. I'd be interested to hear more about your fashion ideas! You seem quite knowledgeable.

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  2. Thank you! I should have plenty more things coming up, as I'm very opinionated on these matters. I still have much to learn, but hope to pass on what I think is worth thinking about and discussing, etc. :D

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  3. Justin -- I came over to your blog after your comment on my tee shirt article at Feelin' Feminine. Thanks very much for your input! My daughter has chosen today to be one of those rare days she actually wears a tee. She says I have to be happy with it because its a Christian tee about purity that her daddy gave her. It's a sad day for me...LOL..

    Victoria and I both loved this movie!! It was such a sweet depiction of a beautiful hearted lady.

    Have a blessed week!!
    Sallie
    http://www.mikeandsallie.com/sallie

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  4. Hi Sallie, thanks for commenting! I'm glad you found my comment interesting... I find these discussions to be a good thing, rather than being absorbed into whatever today's culture would have us wear without thinking. :)

    I'm glad you too enjoyed the film! It's quite lovely, isn't it? :D

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  5. Actually, my main problem with the Molly Gibson character is that she came off as a bit too ideal for my tastes. Where are the character flaws?

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  6. Hi ashmh, that's a good point you make there. I like her because she is a good model to follow, not because everyone will succeed as well. Besides, maybe she has flaws that are not as obvious as those around her... her struggles may be of a different nature. :)

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