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I've probably seen Gosford Park at least a dozen times, and I'm still not entirely sure who all the upstairs people are and how they're related/involved with each other.
It's easy if you sit and watch long enough! *LOL*
William McCordle and Lady Sylvia McCordle
Isobel McCordle (their daughter)
Constance, Countess of Trentham (aunt of Lady Sylvia)
Lady Lavinia and Lady Louisa are the sisters of Lady Sylvia.
It is the old peerage story; Lady Sylvia's family had the name but no money, and Mr. McCordle had the money (he made a fortune during WWI from his factories supplying the war effort) but wanted social position. He married Lady Sylvia and agreed to bankroll her aunt Constance via an yearly allowance and funded much of the rest of his wife's various family members lavish lifestyle that they could not afford.
Did anyone else notice how shaky the camera was on most of the shots "downstairs?" It seemed like anytime there was a scene in Carson's office or in the downstairs dining room, the camera was bouncing all over like I was watching an action-adventure movie.
I can't believe how skimpy the women dressed back then, they had no heat in the homes , just the coal fires , but you don't see them hugging around the fire places .
I can't believe how skimpy the women dressed back then, they had no heat in the homes , just the coal fires , but you don't see them hugging around the fire places .
Fashions of the 1920's for women well at least those that kept up with such things was in large part reflected in rejecting the previous Edwardian era. Coco Channel and other designers shortened skirts, liberated women from corsets, and generally lightened women's clothing. The idea was to be "free" and "liberated" in one's life and fashions. Even long hair went in favour of bobbed.
Yes, those great big barns of family piles were cold and damp given England's climate. Few if any had central heating and coal fires in fireplaces only got you but so far. American heiresses who married into the peerage during the 1920's and 1930's complained in letters back home about literally freezing in their new homes. One told her mother that she stopped going to dinner parties because she couldn't bear exposing herself in the fashions of the day to the chilly indoor temps. She further confided that the only time she took off her furs was to get into bed.
I can't believe how skimpy the women dressed back then, they had no heat in the homes , just the coal fires , but you don't see them hugging around the fire places .
These shows misrepresent the absolute tedium of changing clothes three or four times day. Women needed maids because they spent so much time getting dressed and undressed. We imagine that it would be great fun “dressing for dinner,” but it got old very quickly if you have to do it every day.
These shows misrepresent the absolute tedium of changing clothes three or four times day. Women needed maids because they spent so much time getting dressed and undressed. We imagine that it would be great fun “dressing for dinner,” but it got old very quickly if you have to do it every day.
Not to mention the downstairs tedium of washing and ironing all the laundry and linens. Very little room for backstabbing and intrigue there, either.
To add a bit about the legality of Mathew's letter and its validity as a will. I was kind of surprised at Lord Grantham's comments that Matthew's letter to Lady Mary that the letter had no worth. American law is largely based on British law and in American law that would be called a "holographic will" (holographic meaning handwriting) and is considered a legal document with 'testamentary intent" as he found out. If there is no formal will typed, witnessed and notarized, a probate court will take a holographic will into serious consideration in lieu of a formally will. The purpose being that the law bends over backwards to fulfill the wishes of the deceased first and foremost.
I can't help wondering if Lord Grantham really knew that but was was trying to keep Mary out of the picture and by not wanting her to know the letter even existed. He did say he did get several opinions as to its validity. Or he was really ignorant of the fact that it was going to be considered as a legal document.
Personally, I was thinking it was more along the lines of showing us that Lord Grantham is not really as smart as he thinks he is and is of course of the old guard. Along the lines of his mismanagement of the estate previously, his hesitance to do anything different to try to help things along and his apparent wish to be able to run it all himself and potentially roll back some of Matthew's reforms. He is a going to run headlong into the coming buzzsaw of cultural change, just as some of the downstairs people are.
This is season 4. Is it known how many seasons they are planning??
Season five is a given after that who knows. Main actors were paid quite a lot of money to keep them on for season four. This was in part a reaction to "Matthew" and "Lady Sybil" decamping for the well paying shores of the USA. Creators and so forth of DA have made statements that there is enough material to keep DA going for many, many more seasons. Much will depend one supposes on ratings, though would hate to see the thing dragged out and die a slow death. Better to go on a high note IMHO, but ITV and PBS are making money so... not to mention those horrible Ralph Lauren and Cruise line adverts.
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