BRIDGERTON's History That Never Was

 Article first published as TV Review: BRIDGERTON on Seat42F.

On Christmas day, Netflix dropped the eight-episode first season of BRIDGERTON, a gift to many viewers. Created by Grey’s Anatomy’s Shonda Rhimes, this period piece is soapy drama from the Regency era of English history beginning around 1813. Part Pride and Prejudice, part Gossip Girl, the costumes and performances (not to mention narration by Dame Julie Andrews as Lady Whistledown) make it seem classy, even as its modern pacing will help it appeal to more modern audiences.

The story of BRIDGERTON begins as the local young ladies are introduced for courting season, essentially a period of open dating and marriage proposals. The Bridgerton family is one of the most powerful in town, and daughter Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor, Dickensian) even catches the eye of Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel, Lady Macbeth), making her pairing most promising. That is until her older brother, Anthony (Jonathan Bailey, Broadchurch), now head of the household, sabotages her prospects, leaving her with a single, unattractive suitor. Luckily, Daphne’s mother, Lady Violet (Ruth Gemmell, Deep State), plots with her friend, Lady Danbury (Adjoa Andoh, Fractured), to pair Daphne with Simon, the Duke of Hastings (Rege-Jean Page, For the People), who is refusing the marry, and just happens to be Anthony’s best friend. Simon and Daphne see right through the matchmaking, but decide that a fake relationship would serve them both.

Nearby family, the Featheringtons, is headed by Baroness Portia (Polly Walker, Rome), who has three daughters she’d like to see married off. This includes young Penelope (Nicola Coughlan, Derry Girls), who isn’t even interested in boys yet, and wishes she could delay a year like her bestie, Eloise Bridgerton (Claudia Jessie, Dixi). The girls would rather look at books, and are terrified when Portia’s new charge, Marina Thompson (Ruby Barker, Wolfblood), is revealed to be pregnant, wondering how that could happen outside of marriage so they can avoid it themselves.

And all of this drama is captured by Lady Whistledown, who distributes gossip pamphlets that the upper crust devour, all the while wondering at her identity.

These details are merely scratching the surface of BRIDGERTON, which is very involved and has a lot of characters. However, it doesn’t get bogged down by this, keeping its focus on a few, and using the supporting players appropriately where needed. The pacing isn’t too fast, but it isn’t slow, either, an enjoyable romp that should expand beyond the appeal of most shows set in this era.

One glaring question I had going into BRIDGERTON is how the series would deal with race, seeing as how I couldn’t imagine Shonda putting forth an all-white cast, as one might expect for a program set in this era, other than seeing a minority as a maid or other ancillary role. The answer is, the show doesn’t deal with it. Certain families in the series, including the Queen and the Duke himself, are just Black and there’s no comment one way or the other. Ethnicity doesn’t seem to play into the attraction of one character to another, nor does it influence the social structure displayed. Basically, it’s a reimagining of history that allows performers or all colors to participate and ignores what actually was, to its credit. I hope more shows follow suit.

I loved Downtown Abbey, but am not a fan of P&P nor most other shows like this. Yet, I do love Shonda, and I found this cast of mostly-unknowns (to me) to be charming and compelling. At eight episodes, it’s an easy season to swallow, and I can easily see myself finishing it, even as I had no plans to before watching. I wouldn’t call it must-see, but it is good, and if you like some soapy historical stuff, BRIDGERTON has you covered.

BRIDGERTON is available now on Netflix.

2013 Disney Blu-ray Gift Guide

Article first published as 2013 Disney Blu-ray Gift Guide on Blogcritics.

Walt Disney is always a great source for films, with many memorable classics, as well as new entries coming out all the time. This gift guide highlights some of the most recent releases by Disney that I had a chance to review. Any of them would make terrific Christmas gifts for your loved ones of any age. Plus, each of these come in a Blu-ray / DVD / Digital combo pack, so Disney has you covered no matter how you want to watch the movies.



Mary Poppins 50th Anniversary Edition

Mary Poppins was one of my favorite movies growing up. A mix of the magical with a nonsensical nanny who somehow seems stern, even as she is leading her charges in fun games. It’s the ultimate tale of a governess who fixes a family, full of catchy tunes and heartwarming scenes. While its running time is over two hours, the pacing flows, and no one should get bored.

For the anniversary edition, the picture has been digitally restored. This doesn’t mean it looks perfect, by any means. There is plenty of graininess and blurring to show its age. But it also doesn’t look like a VHS tape, updated to a decent presentation. The soundtrack is clearer than the picture, though perhaps not at the level one may be used to.

These are not complaints. Old movies often look aged, and that’s part of their charm. Mary Poppins could have new special effects added in, but why should it? It’s better to remember this nearly-perfect movie as it is.

Starring the extremely talented Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke (the latter plays two roles), and boasting some new extras, including a tie-in to the upcoming movie Saving Mr. Banks, which tells the story of the making this film, this is a solid release.



Monsters University

Monsters University is the result of a Pixar / Disney partnership, so you know it will be good. While not quite living up to Monsters Inc., this prequel, which tells the tale of how Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal) and Sulley (John Goodman) met in college, is better than expected. After getting off on the wrong foot, the two join a group of misfits and work their butts off for their dreams. This may sound formulaic, but there are quite a few surprises and fun moments.

Monsters University is available in 3D. While the review copy I was sent was not 3D, I did manage to find the title in the 3D format, and I must say that the visuals are amazing! The depth is well presented and the picture is crystal clear. Purely measured against other 3D releases, this is definitely one of the better ones, with most impressive effects. If you have the capability to watch 3D movies in your home, or think you might gain that soon, I definitely recommend going for 3D here. It’s well worth it.

The Blu-ray set contains a lot of extras, including a charming short entitled The Blue Umbrella, which does seem designed just to show us how awesome animation can look, a cool feat.



Mickey’s Christmas Carol 30th Anniversary

I can’t believe this short film, which I fondly recall from my own childhood, is thirty years old! Mickey and friends take on the story of the Charles Dickens book, A Christmas Carol, and give it a relatively traditional telling. With Scrooge McDuck filling in as (who else?) Ebenezer Scrooge, Goofy as Jacob Marley, Mickey as Bob Cratchit, Donald Duck as Scrooge’s nephew Fred, and familiar faces from other Disney movies like Pinocchio and The Wind in the Willows, this is a wonderful, family-friendly telling.

Disney keeps the ghosts from being too scary or Scrooge from being too cruel, but they still get the point across. Toss in a few Disney-style gags, this embodies the best of the older Disney shorts, with a fuller feeling of a film. Obviously, to get through everything in half an hour, the pacing is rapid, but not so much so that it feels rushed.

Visually, it does not look dated. It’s done in an older style of animation, of course, but the lines are crisp and the colors vivid. The soundtrack does feel a little like it’s being played back in a barrel, but it’s still easy enough to catch dialogue and lyrics.

Because of the quick running time, there has to be something else included to make the title worth buying. In this case, not only are there sing-along songs, a welcome inclusion, but also five additional shorts! Starring the likes of Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Pluto, Chip, and Dale, added together, these five roughly equal the running time of the feature. This provides enough material to make for a good release.


Other titles

While I only personally reviewed only the three titles above, there are several other releases which I’m sure are fantastic and am eager to add to my own Christmas list. The Little Mermaid has gotten a Diamond Edition update, and Marvel’s latest super hero flick, Iron Man 3, is out in 3D, too. Both of these movies are very enjoyable, so given Disney’s track record, those discs are likely worth finding, as well.