Yammering Muse: Monday Inspiration #44: Glorious 39

Forgive the poor quality of these. The programme I use to take screen caps is not very good!

I found out about this film a few months ago and eagerly awaited it's release on Netflix. Initially I thought it a harrowing story of Britain prior to the breakout of World War Two. I expected some heart braking tale and some eye candy costumes. What I got was more than I could have imagined.

Why can't modern nightwear be this beautiful!!

Without giving away too much of the plot, this is the story Of the Keys family. Anne (The fabulous Romala Garai), is the eldest and adopted, Ralph, and Celia are not. The Keys are a happy family, and Anne maybe the happiest among them. She has a bright future ahead of her as a film actress, a loving family, and is falling madly for a dapper young politician. It is 1939, and though all of England, including Anne's Member of Parliament father (played by Bill Nighy (who swing dances in Pasadena. He's mine)) are abuzz with talk of Germany and Herr Hitler, but war seems so distant in the idyllic English Countryside. Until a certain dinner guest arrives.

One of my favourite looks in the film!

The man is strange and spooky, and does not sit well with Anne's friend Hector (David Tennant!), a strong supporter of Winston Churchill. But Anne has other things to concern herself with, like her film. Life as she knows it, is peaceful. Until a phone call alerts Anne of terrible news. Suddenly Anne finds herself mixed in with conspiracies, death, dark family secrets and is unsure whom to trust. She seems to be going mad, anxious, and her family all try to keep her safe in the country. Slowly her world begins to collapse as she searches for the answers to the strange events around her. It seems that the deeper she digs more questions arise than answers. What exactly is her family's connection with the mysterious phonographs found in the shed? Why is everyone keeping secrets from her? Whom does she trust? To finds these answers, Anne will have to put her own life in grave danger.

My fave! I adore everything about this!

Those shoes!

The film is beautifully shot. The lighting, sets, colours, breathtaking! The story is engrossing, captivating, and intense. I cannot say enough how much I loved this film. I will warn you though, it is not always a bed of pretty hued roses. Those of you sensative about animals may want to take caution. There is one particularly gruesome scene involving animals who've been put down. It is a very important scene in the film, but even as someone who is not too fond of our furry friends, it was tough to watch. There was also some language, though I think after watching the film you will all agree that they are very fitting. Also a naked hiney is shown. It's a nice hiney, but a hiney nonetheless. I highly recommend this film though, especially for history and costume drama buffs. This is a must see.

And, of course, the clothes were *amazing*. Sometimes I feel like dramas like this tend to costume very dark and bland. Glorious 39 did not. There were beautiful saturated hues (that are all becoming my inspiration for Autumn), prints and patterns, and enough beautiful shoes to make me want to rip them off their owner's feet. I mean, seriously, there was about one thing that anyone wore that I hated (It was a hat. It was ugly. I don't care if it was period.). My mother and sisters and I were all gasping and ooing over each new outfit (thought what I really loved was that they did repeat items throughout the film, which I always think adds a bit of realism to any film). At one point Anne is running and her hat falls off and all the girls in my family cried out "don't leave the hat behind!!" It was a good hat (I have a similar one I intent to embellish to match her's). There were gowns, a stunning nightgown, perfect wide leg pants, beautiful coats, some of the best dresses I've ever seen, and enough knitwear to make me very happy! Truly a treat for the eyes!