After a lot of early nineteenth-century focussed period dramas earlier this year, I’m excited to have lots of different things

Dangerous Liaisons

Confession: I’ve never read Les Liaisons Dangereuses by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, nor seen an adaptation of it. And there are some good ones to choose from: the 1988 film starring John Malkovich, Glenn Close and Michelle Pfeiffer; 1999’s Cruel Intentions, transporting the plot to modern day New York; and, of course, the one I really want to watch because I love Colin Firth, 1989’s Valmont, in which he stars alongside Meg Tilly and Annette Bening.

But I think I may start my foray into the world of the Marquise de Merteuil and Vicomte de Valmont, and their world of seduction and deception in pre-Revolutionary Paris, with this new TV adaptation by Starz. Starring Nicholas Denton, Lesley Manville (how I love her! Did anyone see Mrs Harris Goes To Paris recently? She was fabulous in it!) and Alice Englert, it has already been commissioned for a second series.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osTVupts9ow

Lady Chatterley’s Lover

Out this Friday 2nd December, apparently the theme of period dramas this season (after summer‘s Regency galore) is seduction in history. Lady Chatterley’s novel is based on the infamous novel by D. H. Lawrence that was banned for its explicit nature upon publication. Like Dangerous Liaisons, it has been adapted numerous times, most recently in 2015 with Holliday Grainger as Constance Chatterley and Richard Madden as her titular lover, Oliver Mellors.

I’m excited to see Emma Corrin and Jack O’Connell in these roles – what I enjoy about Lady Chatterley’s Lover is the exploration of societal expectations and the bearing they have upon people’s lives. You can find this adaptation on Netflix.

Emily

I have been SO excited for Frances O’Connor’s film about Emily Brontë ever since I saw the first stills. Written and directed by O’Connor, it stars Emma Mackey as the author of Wuthering Heights.

I will start by saying this is a fictionalized version of Brontë’s life, and primarily focusses on both her journey into writing and a romance with a curate named William Weightman. Whilst there is no evidence to suggest such a relationship ever happened, I’m really intrigued to see Brontë portrayed on screen.

The casting looks incredible (Adrian Dunbar takes on the role as Brontë patriarch Patrick), and so does the beautiful and wild setting of Yorkshire. Also, I should say it is O’Connor’s debut both as a writer and director, which is really exciting. (Has anyone else seen the 1999 Mansfield Park she starred in as Fanny Price? It’s one of my favourites.)

Blood, Sex and Royalty

This one is more of a docu-drama than a period drama per se, but it looks to be a fascinating look at the life of Anne Boleyn that promises a modern take on a queen who seems to have endlessly fascinated audiences, with scripted drama sections and input from historians.

It has also reminded me that I still haven’t watched the Anne Boleyn TV drama starring Jodie Turner-Smith, which has been high on my list for a while!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8co2uPx-FE

Chevalier

So this isn’t out until next year, but the trailer looks so fantastic – and the story so interesting – I had to share it with you now.

Chevalier tells the story of the musician, composer and fencer Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, who was the son of an enslaved African woman and a French plantation owner. As a fencer, he supposedly only lost one match, but he had a fascinating career as a composer. The film includes a love affair that goes awry and his tense falling out with Queen Marie Antoinette, as well as an exploration of his musicianship.

Kelvin Harrison Jr. takes on the role of the Chevalier, and Lucy Boynton Marie Antoinette – I can’t wait until I can see this, it looks amazing.