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[carat82]

Remakes. Reboots. How do you feel about them?

“Meh”

“Why change what was already great?”

“Yes! I love seeing various ways one story can be told!”

Chances are you fall into one of those reactions. I personally have found myself saying all 3 based on what the remake is of. Recently, I found myself watching a remake that I never thought I would ever want to watch.

Anne with an E.

You see the 1987 Anne of Green Gables by Kevin Sullivan holds an extremely personal and special place in my heart. I was first told about AOGG from a friend of my moms around the time when I was 8/9 years old....And it could not have been introduced into my life at a more crucial time. With our family life in shambles, as my parents were on the verge of splitting up, this series proved to be a balm to my anxious heart. Whenever I was in the “depths of despair” as the world around me continued to spiral out of control, I could immerse myself into Anne’s world. She took my hand and brought me on her journey into Avonlea. Our Anne had a knack for getting herself into the most unusual and humorous situations due to her over-active imagination. “Anne Shirley what have you done to your hair?” “I dyed it.” “You dyed it? For mercy’s sake child!” “I shall walk that ridgepole or perish.” “In the end I suppose it was a romantic way to perish...for a mouse.” And till this day I can still spell chrysanthemum correctly.

One could easily fall in love with Green Gables. How could you not with Megan Follows portrayal of Anne Shirley?

And Jonathan Crombie? Well, he is my Gilbert Blythe forever❤️

Colleen Durhurst and Richard Farnsworth took on the roles of our beloved Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert as they find themselves raising an exuberant teenager in their old age. Their approach to this couldn’t be more night from day. Matthew has such a soft and tender heart, as we see when he buys Anne her puffed sleeved dress, while Marilla comes off as more stern and down to business. However, the audience knows her heart is just as taken with Anne as her brother’s is. There is a conversation between Matthew and Marilla, as they watch Anne leave on the train to attend collage in Charlottetown,that pulls at my heart each and every time I hear it- Matthew-“Mrs.Spenser made a lucky mistake, I guess.” Marilla-“It wasn’t luck it was providence. He knew we needed her.” That speaks to the beauty of this story. It wasn’t just Anne who needed a family to love her. None of them were truly complete without each other. They all needed what each of us crave. Family. And it doesn’t have to be blood that makes a family. It wasn’t with Anne. And it doesn’t have to be with us.

There is a particularly emotional scene,after Matthew dies, in which a sobbing Anne holds onto Marilla telling her “We have each other now.” Those were the words of my heart. As mom and I transitioned into a single parent family, we now had each other and Anne came along with us. Our Anne of Green Gables.

Despite the challenges of being an orphan and having an imagination that got her into trouble at times, Anne successfully navigated from young girl to a mature beautiful woman, reddish aburnn hair included( Racheal Lynd was right😉) We get to see this in the equally wonderful follow up-Anne of Avonlea. Still, today almost 30 years later, I find myself replaying parts of AOGG and AOA in my head as I continue to navigate my own adulthood and have those “Jonah like days.” Whenever I fly back home to home to visit my aging mother, this scene always plays in my mind-

So now dear reader we come to present time and the Netflix series Anne With an E. I knew it could never take the place in my heart as the original and so I just couldn’t bring myself to watch someone else play these beloved characters. I was very protective of my AOGG. It couldn’t be as good as the 80’s version, right? So I didn’t watch when it began to air in 2017. But then 2020 rolled around. I was and (currently am) actively involved in a campaign to save the show Sanditon (see previous blogs). In doing so, I came across very passionate fans of AWAE on Twitter. This large, global fandom is trying with all their might to get AWAE renewed from cancellation after 3 seasons. And I was curious...even intrigued. I I began thinking perhaps I was wrong in my early judgement of this reboot. After all, didn’t I want more people to experience Anne’s story like I did? She helped me along at a critical juncture and if this new series could do the same for others then perhaps it was worth me finding out. So,on a lazy Saturday afternoon I flicked on Netflix, pushed play on Episode 1, and waited to see if my heart would be stirred. And you know what? It was....Beautiful!

I couldn’t help but quote AOGG as the episode progressed because I was so excited by what I saw. And when the time came for Gilbert to utter those famous words in the classroom, I began yelling at the TV “Say Carrots!” “Hit him with the slate!” Yes, AWAE captures all the right emotions that Kevin Sullivan’s 1987 series did but for a new generation. It touches on more of the abuse Anne had to endure before coming to the Cuthberts, which is relevant to our era and needs to be told. It gives us more insight into Marilla’s struggles, which I find very intriguing and well done. I’m only in the first season so I can’t detail much more about the series just yet but can truthfully say that Amybeth McNulty does a wonderful job portraying Anne. Gilbert is played by Lucas Hade Zumann and he is adorable. Marilla and Matthew are Geraldine James and RH Thomson respectably and they offer a believable, lovely portrayal of this brother and sister. With this series being longer then AOGG, seeings as it’s 3 seasons long (and hopefully more) I’m looking forward to seeing certain stories drawn out more,other story arcs being told, and more of the struggles of that era being presented. So if you have not watched this series yet, do yourself a favor and give it a try. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed. After all, I had the sequel to see Anne all grown up and get her happily ever after with Gilbert. This fandom and the audience needs and deserves the same. And I don’t think they should settle for anything less. #renewannewithane

[carat82]

I made a little something to show why we want a second season of Sanditon. I forgot to share it with you all, maybe some of you've already seen it.

Some members of the cast liked my tweet so maybe they saw it and the official twitter account of Sanditon shared it 😊

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✨💛 This is the Amazing Person Award! 🏆Once you are given this award you are supposed to paste it in the ask of eight different people, who, in your opinion, deserve it. If you break the chain nothing will happen, but it is sweet to know someone thinks you’re amazing inside and out 💛✨

Aww thank you!! I will do my best to pass it on😉😘

[carat82]

To my readers I ask a question- “What is the most important aspect you look for in a historical era heroine?”

Her wit? “Why should I be embarrassed I was fully clothed?”

Tenacious spirit? “My courage always rises with every attempt to intimidate me.”

Intelligence? “It is not what we think or feel that makes us who we are. It is what we do...or fail to do.”

Her ability to stand up for herself? “I have as much soul as you-and full as much heart!”

Hair?

Clothes?

“Wait what?!”

“I though we were discussing aspects of the heroines endearing qualities? Her hair? Isn’t that kinda superficial?” Yes,yes it is. Yet even in our day and age despite the need for us to see strong independent women portrayed on screen, some tend to nit pick the appearance of our heroine more then anything else. People have become experts about an era they never lived in or rely solely on what they have seen in portraits of that time period or perhaps read. Let’s face it we all have done this to a certain extent. But when such things as hair styles or perhaps even some costume choices in film or TV adaptations are different from what have been taught are indictative of that era, is this a valid enough reason to insist the story is no longer worthy to watch or to discourage or disparage others from entertaining themselves with that series or movie? To some the answer to that question is an unequivocal yes. To others the answer is a resounding no. The purpose of this latest blog is to broaden our horizons as to why certain choices are made in regards to the outward appearance of our heroines - at perhaps the expense of “historical accuracy”. For those who stand by their views of 💯 accurate, this is in no way meant to offend or upset you. Just a different perspective.

So without further adui let’s begin shall we?

(*note- when I use the term “many” this does not imply that there there are not those who completely diagree with my assessment. I know the examples I’m using have some or perhaps many who do not regard such as good adaptions and even have issues with the acting. Again just using these examples as a whole)

Many adaptations of the Regency era have been done on film and TV over the past 80 years. One of the first was Pride and Prejudice with Greer Garson and Laurence Olivier

This is regarded by many as a fine and worthy adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. But let’s face it anything with Sir Olivier is perfect in my book🥰. Both these actors do a fine job portraying these classic characters. But look closer....what is she wearing?? Wait is that dress from the 1830-1840’s. Yes it is. Isn’t this is supposed to be 1813? Yes, yes it is. So what happened? Well movie studios, back in the golden age, were known to reuse costumes in an attempt to save on the bottom line. Since MGM had produced several movies set in the middle to late 1800’s up to that point and had plenty of costumes to therefore reuse, we have Elizabeth Bennet wearing a full style dress that would come into fashion years from when the book was set. However, this in no way takes away from the performance of the actors and the movie as a whole. Even the most strict historical accurate fans still watch and enjoy this film for what it is. Yet, when other adaptations of novels come along and choices in costuming and hair are made that are more “modern” and deviate somewhat from that time period, those films and shows are chided for not following the rules. Why? How is what the studios did back in the in 40’s to Pride and Prejudice different from what is done now? Why the double standard? Let’s skip forward to the 80’s and 90’s. We saw costume dramas stick very closely to the correct rules of dress and grooming. Several adaptations were delivered to our TV and movie screens that are now considered the gold standard- Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensability, Emma,etc. Majority of us still enjoy and praise these adaptations 20-30 years later. But I must admit that when I rewatch these now, there is a dated feel about them. Now don’t get me wrong, they are still wonderful but it is quite obvious that they were produced 20-30 years ago. The musical score, if it had one, was fairly basic. Nothing that really stayed with you. The costumes were fine and the hair was... OK. Again most of these things stayed the same from one adaptation to the next . What stood out in these movies and series was the acting! Regardless of what they wore or how their hair was styled, we loved these adaptations because of how the actor embraced these roles and delivered to us the audience a memorable version of a beloved character.

So as we entered the 2000’s, filmmakers, who love these stories as much as we do, decided that it was time to “update” the look and feel of a period piece. They wanted to reach a younger more modern audience that perhaps had never watched a classic period piece before. And there was nothing wrong with that! These directors wanted others to enjoy the classics as much as they did. But they were wise and realized that a fresh take was needed to entice and draw a new audience in. This could not be a costume drama that their mothers and grandmothers watched. No, they needed to appeal to a younger audience. Which is what ALL filmmakers do, regardless of the genre. It’s how the big and small screen survive. So out went the hair and wigs with the historically accurate styles. The costumes had a few more modern cuts to them but all in all stayed relatively the same. Some of the dialog had a few updates so that an audience with not much experience in 1800’s literature ( which let’s face it is majority of us) could understand. Musical scores were updated so as to play on our emotions and draw us deeper in the story. And the result- some very fine and worthy adaptations- Joe Wright’s 2005 Pride and Prejudice. Andrew Davies 2008 Sense and Sensabilty. Jim Hanlon’s 2009 Emma. Let’s just focus on one of these adaptations- 2005’s Pride and Prejudice.

Kiera Knighly delivers to us the audience a fine portrayal of Elizabeth Bennett. But notice her hair. It’s down in some scenes.

We had not seen this before in other adaptations yet here we have Lizzy approaching Netherfield with long flowing hair. Why? We as the audience need to connect with Elizabeth. Again remember- new audience, younger demographic. This tells us that she really doesn’t care what the opinions are of a certain Mr. Darcy and the Bingleys. She is being herself-walking to the house alone and not caring about the state of her tresses. Does this detract from the story and Kiera’s acting? No. It gave me the audience a new fresh way to appreciate her character. Joe Wright wasn’t trying to mimic adaptations of years past. Why should he? His Pride and Prejudice was a much needed change from that we had seen before. And guess what? It paid off. A younger audience who had never seen Pride and Prejudice came to love this movie and 15 years later this is still their go to PP. After all isn’t that what we all want? For more people to experience Jane Austen’s stories? Who says that they have to be portrayed the same way each and every time. Isn’t that kinda... boring? Predictable?

Now let’s skip ahead to 2019. If you have read my other two blogs you know where this is going. So if you don’t want to hear about my defense of Sanditon I suggest you turn back now.

Andrew Davies introduces to us a character of Jane Austen that has never been portrayed on the screen before-Charlotte Heywood.

And as such we do not know who or what her character is like. We find out that at 22 she had never left home, having grown up on a farm with 12 siblings. That alone tells us that her appearance is going to be what some call “modern” and out of place but what I call practical and normal. Her father,while respectable and gentleman, is a farmer. She more and likely had chores like anyone else. Do you really think she had the time to care if her hair is pinned up. Uhh...nope. The first scene we see her in she is shooting rabbits! This tells us she is not Elizabeth Bennet or Marianne Dashwood or Anne Elliot. And Miss Austen wasn’t trying to write her as such. She is her own person. And as such will have things that set her apart from other Austen characters. As the series progresses we come to to learn she is practical, intelligent, sweet, but naive and inexperienced. Davies also decided to make a choice that would serve as her hallmark- her shoulder length hair that she wears down most of the time. Again, filmmakers have to appeal to their current audience. And again, like Joe Wright, he was hoping to get a younger more modern audience to tune in and enjoy a period piece or perhaps a Jane Austen adaptation for the first time. Frankly, this was a clever move on his part. He needed to show throughout the series that this adventure to Sanditon is truly unlike anything she has ever experienced. Charlotte is full of youthful exuberance with those doe-like eyes that are longing to experience life outside sleepy Willingdon. But remember, that while we love her, she has a lot to learn and is truly out of her depth at first around some of the situations and people she encounters. However, despite that she is true to herself- which is also a hallmark of all Jane Austen heroines. So as such there is no reason Charlotte needs to change her hairstyle when she comes to Sanditon. She is accepted as who she is by those around her. She is our Charlotte Heywood- using her ingenuity to help with the growth of Sanditon, trying to be a good friend, and exploring her new surroundings. Her hair is the least of anyone’s worries. And as an audience we find that Charlotte’s unpinned tresses make her approachable.Unpretentious. Human. More like us. Is there anything wrong with that? No. Being historically accurate is all and well, but when that is placed above all else in a series or movie it runs the risk of being just another adaptation. And that does not draw in a new, younger, more modern audience. Regardless of whether you agree with that statement or not, that is how the entertainment business is run today. So please if any readers are on the fence to watch this series because of some more modern uses in hair and grooming I ask that you to accept why the production crew made these choices and give it a try. As us fans wait on baited breath to see if another network will pick up our beloved Sanditon and continue with a second season-just remember you may get your heroine wearing her hair up. After all, Jane Austen characters usually go through a metamorphosis of some kind due to the need to adapt, grow, and perhaps even survive. Our Charlotte may find herself more grown up and guarded after a summer spent in Sanditon and this could well show in her appearance next time we see her... or not. I guess we will have to wait and see.

[carat82]

Sanditon….yes still holding on to hopes we get a proper Austen ending, lol. :D

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Just love this❤️❤️❤️

[carat82]

As the countdown of the US premiere of Sanditon ticks away ( January 12th in case you forgot😉) I’m reminded of the power of fandoms and what can be accomplished, especially in the wake of a show’s cancellation ( if you would like my thoughts on ITV’s decision to not proceed with a S2, I encourage you to read my previous blog) Sanditon is no exception to this.

I must admit I didn’t truly understand what a fandom was until I married my husband 12 years ago and was introduced into the true world of Star Wars (queue the sound of a light saber starting up)

Yes I had seen the movies and knew it had a huge following but this was truly different from anything I had experienced. Cosplay, collecting, clubs, and conventions- Oh My! Through various mediums these fans expressed their passionate thoughts and feelings about the originals, prequels, sequels. It truly was something to behold for me, as even though I had favorite movies growing up and could even quote some of them from start to finish( “What do you mean by breaking that slate over that boys head?” “He called me carrots!” “I don’t care what he called you, you had no right to loose your temper!” AOGG any one?🥰) I had never gone beyond owning the films and watching them over and over. There really wasn’t a way to find other fans of what I liked and interact with. It was the 80’s and 90’s after all. VHS any one?!

The first time I had heard about what a fandom could potentially accomplish was with Firefly ( 2002) Now granted I had not watched the show when it first aired. My husband told me about the one series wonder and the networks decision to not proceed with any more seasons. So I gave the show a try and after watching it could see why fans were quite upset and passionate about the shows cancellation. It truly was a show ahead of its time. But alas, it was not appreciated by the network and met an early death. However, all was not lost. The fans spoke and protested loudly. They had the internet, but not social media like today, to broadcast their extreme displeasure. Their collective voices were heard and a movie ( Serenity 2005) was placed in production a few years later to finish out the story. And down till this day you can still find merchandise and collectibles honoring this unique, fun series. Skip forward to 2018. No, no, not Sanditon yet. Getting there. Another show had aired in the US. Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Again I had not watched the show. But you had to be living under a rock if you did not hear that Mark Hamill posted on Twitter his anger at having this show cancelled. Within 31 hours the network reversed their decision to end the show. Luke Skywalker became a real life hero to the fans, cast and crew!

The show was saved and continues to air. Again the power of a fandom. Yes he is a celebrity but the rest of the fans and other celebs got behind him and as a united group they proved to be successful. Now let’s go forward another year.

2019. Jane Austen. Sanditon.

Anyone who has seen Ep 8 can testify to having their heart yanked from their rib cage and stomped on while we watched Charlotte and Sidney say their goodbyes on the now famous cliffs and tearfully part ways. “Divided for now their love will endure” is what the official site told us. After the initial anger at AD died down and we went through the appropriate stages of grief(denial ,anger, bargaining ,depression and finally acceptance) the fans pulled themselves together and got to work💪🏼. Sanditon had created a fandom and like any true fandom love for the series, it’s characters, and creators began to shine though the dark haze of heartbreak and uncertainty. Gorgeous YouTube videos were created, retelling parts the story from a different perspectives(One of these vids has 100k views already and the show hasn’t even aired in the US yet! ) Others were inspired to write incredible fan fiction to finish the story and see our Sidlotte get their HEA. And yet others took pen to paper and created beautiful art of our beloved characters. All the while staying active on Twitter pleading with the network to renew Sandion. Well, we all know their decision on that. But would that silence us??

It only served to renew our zeal. And so the Sanditon Sisterhood commenced stage 2. If ITV will not renew, another network surely could as Red Planet and PBS both want what we want. And essentially what Jane Austen would have wanted- Our happily ever after. But with the premier in the US happening the following month, we knew we had our work cut out for us. So we have stayed active on MasterpiecePBS social media, countering any negative comments about the cancellation and encouraging the US audience to watch in order to ensure viewing numbers stay strong. (BTW PBS is doing a masterful 😉job of promting this series and we couldn’t even more pleased with their marketing) This week a Twitter party was planned with set hashtags to get Sanditon trending. We were 12th in the UK 🥳. And that was just a practice run. More are planned and will be equally if not more successful. I have no doubt.

But the question remains... will this fandom accomplish what others have? Will we get to see our story finished and Charlotte and Sidney get their Austen-like happily ever after? That remains to be seen. But one thing I do know- This fandom will never be silenced. We are tenacious. We are persistent. We are here to stay. And any network would be lucky to have us in their corner. For like any fandom, our love for Sanditon will not die upon the clifftops but will endure- no matter the cost. #renewsanditon

Update May 6, 2021

Sanditon has been renewed for another 2 seasons 🙌🏻

The power of fandoms 😉

[carat82]

Each year we the audience are presented with a plethora of shows that hope to secure a faithful audience in hopes of being good enough to be renewed. And each year we fall victim to at least one show that we came to love but sadly did it make the cut to come back the following season( Forever anyone? Timeless?) We are disappointed to say the least and utter a few choice words at the network that shattered our hopes of seeing our characters come back and entertain us for an hour each week.

This year however was different.

The fall of 2018 told us that an adaptation of Jane Austen’s Sanditon would premiere the following year. I was intrigued but at the time went on with my life and forgot about it. Then came the summer of 2019. An ad somewhere popped up about Sanditon. I pulled up the trailer on YouTube and right after sought out how I could stream the show ( I live in the US and really hate waiting months for shows to air here). So by the time I found it the first 3 episodes had aired. Needless to say I was hooked! Every Sunday I anxiously waited until the stream was available around 7ish and let myself escape to the world of Sanditon and all its glory. I watched by myself ( not really the hubby’s cup of tea) wishing my mom lived closer so that we could watch together. I laughed, squeeled, and cheered as the storyline lead us along Charlotte’s journey into Sanditon. At the time I did not have Twitter account but I wanted to see the reaction to the show. So I looked up the official account, waited on baited breath for the teasers that would get released thoughtout the week, and read all the comments from the fans without interacting with anyone. This made it so much more enjoyable as I could “experience” the show with others! So when our hearts were broken with Charlotte on the cliff tops in EP 8, we had each other to rant, rave, and cry to. But also hope. And belief. This was a JA story after all. And Davies had given us outstanding adaptations of not only Austen but Dickens as well( Little Dorrit I’m looking at you!). I mean this was the man that gave us Colon Firth’s Darcy... in a clinging wet shirt no less! So of course he would have to finish the story in a second season. Yes,he gambled but surely the network would NEVER not renew something created by him?! Or leave JA’s unfinished novel, oh I don’t know... UNFINISHED?! I mean that would be network suicide right?! But as time went on and there was no confirmation about a S2 we began to get worried... and then panic set in. And so I felt compelled to create a Twitter account and fight along with the Sanditon Sisterhood, as someone had named them, to convince ITV to renew another season. I have NEVER before felt this compelled to add my voice to a shows renewal. But that just speaks to the fantastic writing of this series. Through this interaction on Twitter and then the Sanditon FB fan page, I learned much more about the show-it’s writers, cast, and crew. The amount of talent that put this production together is truly remarkable! So as days turned into weeks then a month or so I had tweeted and retweeted alongside my sisterhood my thoughts, feelings, and desires to see S2 come to fruition. And then it happened. Our worst fear.

The “announcement” that ITV would not renew for a second season. So again we the audience found ourselves victims of the network and their archaic ways of measuring the success of a series-Viewing numbers on the night the episodes air. Because we the audience watch shows the same way we did 10-20 years ago right?

I clearly remember the nights Alias aired. ( 2001-2005) Mom and I would watch faithfully each week. If the phone rang it was not answered. No-I was watching my Sydney Bristow kick butt and no one was allowed to interrupt that time! And it was on a night I was always home, so no need to record and watch later. But as time went on and our lives began to change,so did how we watch TV. No longer did we need to make sure we were home to watch a show or worry if we forgot to set the timer to record our show, we could stream it later and watch the whole season at once when it was CONVIENTIENT for us! Yay!! I could make entertainment fit my schedule. I could watch when I WANTED to. However like anything that seems to good to be true -there was a catch. Those types of viewing do not count for the network airing your show. Nope. Nada.

While media and streaming platforms keep advancing, we the audience (and our favorite shows) are held to a rule that is no longer applicable. We are punished for not capitulating to a newtworks old fashioned way of measuring the popularity of a show. So YT videos promoting the series, social media interactions, and streaming have no value in the eyes of many networks.

Yet this is exactly how we experience our shows in 2019! Heck we now have the ability to interact with the shows actors and some even reply back ( Jack Fox we love you!❤️). Sadly ITV saw no relevance in this. Only immediate viewing numbers counted. Viewing numbers that were counted against a terrible release date(bank holiday in the UK so many were naturally on holiday.) and a less then stellar promotion of the series. Still many tuned in and fell in love with Sanditon. I could go on and on about the terrific acting of the cast, the original music, character development, cinematography... but that is not the purpose of this blog. It is this-

Let us as the audience tell you by more then one measurement how much we love and support a series. Stop living in the past and embrace a new way! Get in touch with your audience and quit being tone deaf. We are your customers! We are your promoters! Give us the chance to show you our love for your shows! #renewsanditon #sidlotteforever