As you know, I've been reading the children's books written by Lucy Boston. I was so excited to find a DVD, "From Time to Time" based on the second book, "The Chimneys of Green Knowe" (or "The Treasures of Green Knowe" if you're reading the American version). The movie was written and directed by Academy Award winner, Julian Fellowes, who was also the writer and producer of Downton Abbey. The cast for the movie is superb, but my favorites were Maggie Smith and Hugh Bonneville of Downton Abbey fame.
The movie actually mixes parts of both of the first two books and is a haunting ghost story spanning two distinct worlds, two centuries apart - two distinct worlds linked by a single family and the house in which they live. In the movie it is 1944 and 13 year old Tolly Oldknowe is sent to spend Christmas with his grandmother (played by Maggie Smith) while his mother searches for news of his father in wartime London. In the house, Tolly discovers he can mysteriously travel between time and he is witness to events during the Napoleonic wars eventually being slowly drawn into participating in the drama.
He's invisible to most people in the past, yet he's able to move among them and, so, is able to unravel a mystery of missing treasure that has bewildered the family for two centuries.
Even if ghosts and time travel don't seem to be your cup of tea, I would encourage you to watch this DVD. It's more historic than science fiction and it's a fun story. The costumes, the house and the scenery are fabulous, true to Julian Fellowes form!
The movie was filmed at Athelhampton in Dorset rather than at Hemingford Grey which is the ancient Manor house Lucy Boston lived in and based the books on, but the topiary and the statue of St. Michael are still in the movie.
My favorite parts of the movie were the scenes of Maggie Smith quilting. Look at the close-up and you will see she was working on a Patchwork of the Crosses quilt!
The movie was produced in 2009, but wasn't available in the U.S. until 2010 (I think!). It's still available on Amazon at a very reasonable price.
1 comment:
Loved reading this post, I went to Lucy Bostons house in the summer and it was beautiful.I saw the original patchwork of the crosses and had hold in my hands of the piece that Maggie Smith is working on, lucky me!
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