A different way of telling a story

A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

I agreed to watch this one just for my girlfriend, so we could spend some quality time together, and it turned out to be pretty good. I was expecting a major yawn-fest about ladies in big hats drinking tea, but it actually had a very intriguing plot, full of deceit and attempted murder, etc.; it wasn't really an "edge of your seat" type of thriller, but it had enough to keep me interested throughout. The plot was somewhat original, although not entirely dissimilar from some of the other standard fare from this genre, such as Jane Eyre. It was also very well-acted and had good production values; the sets and locations looked very authentic and the background score was appropriate. In my opinion, it was an entertaining film.

I was surprised to see the number of negative commentary on this made for TV film. Much of it I think fails to understand the limitations of the genre of the story book Victorian Romance.A client once told me, "Middle class marriages of that era were all arranged; that is why they were more enduring!"Of course in MAKING OF A LADY, we're dealing with the upper crust. In England, that's the landed aristocracy, enjoying its last hurrah in the time of the Queen-regnant Victoria.In reality making of the Lady is two stories in one. The first story is how Emily is selected to become the Lady of the Manor.Meet Emily Fox-Seton (Lydia Wilson) good-natured, tall, with a respected family name but no money. Boarding with the Cupps, mother and daughter, Emily acts as a as a secretary to Lady Maria Byrne. (Joanna Lumley). At Lady Marie's country home, Emily meets Maria's cousin Lord James Walderhurst, a retired 50 year old colonel. Lord James is widower who needs to get marry and quickly produce an heir to his fortune. It's a set up and Emily elected. Notwithstanding a little hesitation, Emily trots off in white to wed Lord James in an impressive church service which concludes with the arch of swords.Now, James for all his hurry proves to be a bit of a shy breeder, until he shows Emily the "priest hole," a secret passage that connects their rooms. Mission accomplished. Had the story ended there, this would be a cute Victorian Romantic comedy with the cheery assurance that life goes on.Enter Part II: The struggle for the Family Estate. A critical facet of the Victorian Romance was the struggle for the family estate and wealth.By the time James is recalled to service in India, Emily is pregnant. Against the advice of Jame's loyal servants who are abit frosty to Emily, Emily admits two of Jame's relatives: Captain Alec Osborn (James D'Arcy) and Alec's Anglo-Indian wife dark complexioned Hester Osborn (Hasina Haque) to the Estate. They stand to inherit the entire Estate if James and Emily are unsuccessful in producing a new generation of Walderhursts. There's an interesting play on words at work in Walder (forest) Hurst (treed hill) suggesting Emily is riding a slippery slope.Naturally, Captain Alec, his Anglo-Indian wife and her Indian servant with the frightfully sounding name Ameerah though syrupy friendly to Emily at least initially hatch plot after plot against the pregnant Emily. James returns from India in the nick-of-time to keep Emily from being suffocated by the powerful servant Ameerah.The art form is the Victorian romance: the conflict is preserving the family line. Told in the version adapted by MAKING OF A LADY, the forces of evil are the fallen cousin who is wasteful and profligate and has moved from the protection of the caste structure by marrying beneath his station.There are variations on the basic structure of the Victorian Romance where the wife of the lord of the manor and a servant are plotting against order and stability of the realm. This sometimes takes the form of the Butler did it. A more modern version of this yarn might daringly make the Anglo-Indian wife of the spent-thrift poorer relative the heroine of the story.

I was shocked at the number of people who said they didn't enjoy this movie. When it first came on, I thought perhaps it was a new series. I was so relieved when an hour passed, and the plot kept going. I absolutely fell in love with the lead character. Now granted I was a college English major and later earned a Masters of Divinity. I do love the "Hand me a handkerchief" emotion which doesn't seem to reach recent literature. I have a passion for stories which take place in old England. Most of my favorite writers fall into the category of romance in the 1800's, early 1900's. I will very likely now read the book and buy the DVD. I am surprised I haven't run on to it before. Thank you for a beautiful job...such a relief from reality shows and bad comedies.

THE MAKING OF A LADY is a 2012 ITV adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett's novel, THE MAKING OF A MARCHIONESS. Being entirely unfamiliar with the story, I sat down to check it out, and ended up watching a television film of two parts.The first half is an entirely conventional romance between ANY HUMAN HEART's Lydia Wilson (keeping her clothes on this time around) and Linus Roache, playing almost exactly the same role as the one in ITV'S TITANIC shown earlier this year. The look, the feel, the script, everything is familiar and safe.The second half moves into unfamiliar territory as the plot gradually develops into a mystery/thriller, somewhere along the lines of a Wilkie Collins novel. I don't mind a bit of melodrama, but this ends up just as clichéd and predictable as the first half, albeit in a different genre. The would-be villains aren't menacing in the least and there's a pantomime feel to the whole production.In the end, I didn't buy it. I appreciate the thought and effort that went into this, and I always like new productions of the more unfamiliar classics, but THE MARKING OF A LADY has zero style and not much else to recommend it.