- BY THE HWP EDITORS -
The days are now officially getting colder, shorter and darker. And so, the ideal season is here to stay home in the evening and to watch some television or to read a good book. The Historical Women Project has made a selection of delightful multimedia for the colder months of the year, all with a female (historical) perspective.
LITTLE WOMEN
Louisa May Alcott's semi-biographical book from 1868 is about the transition from youth to adulthood for the American March sisters Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy during the Civil War. The story provided its audience an unprecedented glimpse into the invisible lives of women in the United States. But the book became especially popular due to its apeal to a wide range of women - from immigrants to early feminists. Alcott's book has been adapted ot the screen several times, but Gillian Armstrong's 1994 version (starring Winona Ryder as Jo, Susan Sarandon as mother 'Marmee' and Christian Bale as boy-next-door Laurie) was intended as a real Christmas film and radiates the necessary warmth for autumn .
GILMORE GIRLS
Which fictional place do you associate with autumn the most? For the HWP team, it is undoubtedly Stars Hollow, the fictional hometown of Lorelai and Rory Gilmore. Not only do most episodes of this popular series take place in autumn and winter, the most famous attractions of the small Connecticut town, such as Luke's Diner, The Dragonfly Inn, Doose's Market and Yale, simply exude an incredibly autumnal vibe. And don't those countless mega-mugs of coffee being slurped away by your favourite mother-daughter-duo just make you want to slump right down on your sofa? ‘Oy with the poodles already,’ time to binge!
SMALL THINGS LIKE THESE
In the 1990s, Ireland was rocked by the dark discoveries surrounding the so-called Magdalene Laundries. These Catholic institutions had been set up in the 18th century to help ‘fallen women’. But when profit got mixed up with Christian charity of the laundries, mental, physical and sexual abuse became the daily norm for the women trapped inside as prisoners. This dark page in Irish history has already been the subject of several films, books and documentaries. The short novel Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan is set in the weeks leading up to Christmas, making it the best choice for autumn. And if you are not a great reader, you can also see the new film adaptation starring Cillian Murphy in cinemas from November 21st.
STEPMOM
Another great mother role for Susan Sarandon! This time, she is getting some competition from Julia Roberts, her ex-husband's new girlfriend, and thus, the titular stepmom. Get some tissues ready for this heartwarming story, in which two women navigate what is best for their (step) children, while one of them turns out to be seriously ill. The film is set in autumn and there are plenty of elements in the film to remind you of this season. Still, it is mostly Susan Sarandon's stylish house in upstate New York surrounded by yellow and orange leafed woods, that brings a cosy autumnal atmosphere to your home. Who wants to sew a patchwork quilt of their own after seeing this movie?
FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD
Thomas Hardy' Far from the Madding Crowd from 1874 centres on the self-made Bathsheba Everdene, a young woman of simple origin, who wants to restore the farm she has inherited from her uncle. The 2015 film adaptation by Danish director does full justice to the landscape of Hardy's fictional county of Wessex, that is both rugged and idyllic, and features colourful characters donning beautiful costumes and moving through warm interiors. Besides, who doesn't need a costume drama in autumn with not one, not two, but three desirable single men wanting the hand of our heroine? Especially when one of them is the sweet, constant and humble shepherd Gabriel Oak, played by none other than Matthias Schoenaerts!?
THE TENANT OF WILDFELL HALL
Now that the leaves are falling from the trees, it is the perfect time of the year to transend ourselves to the wild moors of the Brontë sisters. And this 1996 miniseries, based on Anne's underrated masterpiece The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, does it best. The series' story is about Helen Graham, a widow and single mother, who is the newest tenant at Wildfell Hall. Her neighbours are incredibly curious about her, but she prefers to be alone. What does she have to hide? The bleak atmosphere of the series, with its wild English hills and wind-sculpted trees, combined with a melodramatic soundtrack, may be a bleak contrast to the autumnal orange forests of the Netherlands. But there is simply no better time of year than autumn to watch this enchanting series.
JANE EYRE
Another Brontë sister bringing the bleak autumnal atmosphere to your home! Like Wildfell Hall, the house that served as the setting for Charlotte's youngest sister Anne's best-known work, Thornfield Hall is a sensational and stately, yet melancholic manor, which, within the Brontë sisters' already gothic oeuvre, can truly be called a haunted house. In this bleak and dreary abode, our heroine Jane Eyre starts working as a governess for a lonely squire. Before setting foot there, the young woman has had her fair share of pretty nasty houses to call ‘home’. She grew up at Gateshead Hall under the tyranny of her Aunt Reed and received her education at Lowood, an orphanage where the pupils died by the sackful due to its poor conditions. But it is at Thornfield Hall, where her employer Edward Rochester hides a mysterious secret, which naturally jeopardizes Jane's happiness.
AMELIE
Okay, this may not really be a film that has a whole lot to do with autumn. But still, we think Amelie is a must-watch now that the days are getting shorter. Why? We don't exactly. Maybe it's the film's warm colours. Maybe it's Yann Tiersen's atmospheric soundtrack. Maybe it is the beautiful Montmartre or the French language, which allows us to forget for a moment that we live in our own cold little country. Maybe it's the attempts of the main character Amelie Poulain's to pull herself out of her isolation, making us feel a little less alone in these dark days. Or maybe it is her desire to make the people around her a little happier, allowing us to add some positivism to our winter depression. Whatever it is, The Historical Women Project thinks this classic is a shining bright spot for the dark months of autumn that are ahead of us.
THE FAVOURITE
Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos has not only produced a feminist classic with his acclaimed film The Favourite, which is about the power games between three historical women. With the dark walled and black-and-white tiled interiors, which are provided with atmospheric candlelight in the dark, and the drably coloured costumes, often paired with jaunty ermine, he has also created a film that we love to watch in autumn. If the atmosphere and aesthetics of the film were not enough to convince you, the intriguing relationships between Queen Anne (1665-1714), Sarah Churchill (1660-1744) and Abigail Masham (c. 1670-1734) - portrayed by Olivia Colman, Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone, respectively - may be able to win you over.
PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
Once again, a series that is not necessarily set in the colder seasons of the year. Yet, there is simply something specifically heartwarming about this classic that makes it perfect for those bleak autumn evenings: the Bennet family scenes, the cosy house parties, the funny characters from Hertfortshire, the late-night conversations between Elizabeth and her sister Jane, feathers, silks and lace, Derbeyshire, Pemberley's estates and its ponds, wet shirts ... ahem! Considered to be the best costume drama of all time, which emphasises the true experiences of English author Jane Austen (1775-1816) herself, Pride and Prejudice is a cosy series that is great to sit down to with hot drinks and cakes on a cold autumn day.
WUTHERING HEIGHTS
Well, with this book, we have listed all three Brontë sisters. Because if there is one challenge you can set yourself to in autumn, it is to read all the major works by Anne, Charlotte and Emily Brontë. Wuthering Heights is undoubtedly the most famous one among them, and for good reason. Not only has the world-famous story of Cathy and Heathcliff been adapted to the screen countless times and immortalised by Kate Bush's song. Out of the Brontë sisters' best-known works, Wuthering Heights was the most dramatic and most in keeping with the popular gothic genre of their time. And so the book makes for a fitting story during the dark spooky months around Halloween. Haunted houses, ghosts, coffins, and of course the bleak moors: Emily threw it all into the mix for an autumnal tale for the ages.
YOU'VE GOT MAIL
All the writers of the HWP grew up in a time when bookstores were mostly small businesses, where salespeople were knowledgeable experts, and no expenses were spared to decorate the interiors for the magical holidays of autumn and winter. So when we merely look at Meg Ryan's shop The Shop Around the Corner, we immediately get nostalgic. Don't we all want to live in the Upper East Side of New York in autumn, working in a romantic children's bookstore, surrounded by orange leaves that have fallen from the trees, drinking pumpkin spice lattes, while secretly nurturing an internet love with whom we can share our enthusiasm for books?
MONA LISA SMILE
When this film came out in 2003, HWP founder Jasmijn was not a big fan. But a recent second rewatch has made her change her mind about this film, in which Julia Roberts plays an unmarried art history teacher who wants to change the rules of the prestigious Wellesley College girls' school. Kirsten Dunst in particular is good at playing a seemingly insufferable student, who makes the teacher's life miserable. But her character does reflect the historical reality that feminist change was met with resistance - even among educated women, who for a long time continued to see access to university education primarily as access to an affluent marriage market. All in all, Mona Lisa Smile is a delicious autumn film due to its 1950s costumes, the autumnal setting that is Massachusetts, and because of its terrific dose of feminism.
ANNE WITH AN E
This beautiful adaptation of Lucy Maud Montgomery's classic Anne of Green Gables is not only highly recommended due to the heartwarming story of Anne Shirley being adopted by Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert. This adaptation makes great use of the beautifully rugged and wide-open landscapes of Canada's Prince Edward Island, where the story is set. And as if that were not enough, the series stays true to the historic way of life in a rural town like Avonlea circa 1900, where everything was homemade and the community came to each other's aid in times of need. It's the perfect mix for our favourite series this autumn!
THE SHOVEL AND THE LOOM
Carl Friedman's 1993 book The shovel and the loom delivers some powerful messages about anti-Semitism and the lack of connection and self-acceptance among assimilated Jews in 1970s Antwerp. In this moving but easy-to-read story, we follow young philosophy student Chaia, who, through her work for the Hasidic Kalman family and her love for their four-year-old son Simcha, finds inner peace with her own Jewish identity and is able to understand her parents' trauma caused by their Holocaust past. If you are not a big reader, we highly recommend watching the film adaptation Left Luggage, directed by Jeroen Krabbé, and with a star studded cast featuring Laura Fraser, Isabella Rosellini, David Bradley, Miriam Margolyes and Antonie Kamerling, among others.
JUNO
Everything in this classic by genius screenwriter Diablo Cody, about a quirky teenager from a small Minnesota town, who turns out to be pregnant after a wild night in a chair with her crush, screams autumn! The wardrobe of the main character Juno, the design of her father Mac and stepmother Bren's house, the wooden middle-class houses of the American North, the Dancing Elk Drugstore, the hamburger phone and the blue slushies - in addition to the fact that the film is set mostly in autumn and winter, of course. Not to mention the soundtrack by Kimya Dawson. In short: this coming-of-age comedy-drama must be watched in autumn!
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