Wigs and Candles

Episode 6 - Barry Lyndon

To cap off their 4th season,  Gaby and Andreina discuss the 1975 Stanley Kubrick film Barry Lyndon. With the help of a very special guest, we discuss the technical marvels of this film as well as it enduring beauty and depth. Sources and links: Barry Lyndon Making of Leon Vitali on Kubrick Review from The Guardian Roger Ebert Review

Episode 5 - Pride and Prejudice

In this episode, Gaby, Andreina, and a special guest, discuss the beloved 2005 Joe Wright adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. One of the most popular adaptions of the novel by Jane Austen, the film remains surprisingly fresh after almost 20 years since it was released. Gaby, Andreina and their guest discuss the movie timelessness, the remarkable cast, and many other fun detours along the way. ***Spoiler alert! While reviewing this film we go through key scenes and may reveal the ending, so ...

Episode 4 - A Royal Affair

In this episode, Gaby and Andreina finally watch a movie they have been waiting a long time to discuss. A Royal Affair, tells the story of Princess Caroline Matilda of Great Britain and her husband King Christian VII. The story follows the years during Christian's reign when the ideas of the Enlightenment start to be introduced into the kingdom, mainly through the influence of Johann Friedrich Struensee, a physician and thinker who is deeply influenced by the movement. Released in 2012 in ...

Episode 3 - The Woman King

In this episode, Andreina and Gabriela discuss the 2022 filmThe Woman King. Written by  Dana Stevens and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, The Woman King tells the true story of the Agojie, an all-female warrior force in the Kingdom of Dahomey in the 1830s, in what is present-day Benin. Starring a formidable Viola Davis as the military general who eventually would become the woman king, the film tells a story of bravery, sacrifice, and female empowerment hidden within the history books dur...

Episode 2 - Little Women

There’s nothing little in the story of this film nor in the significance of the topics it touches on. Greta Gerwig’s Little Women (2019) is a wonderful, fierce, and modern adaptation of this classic, bringing all the themes that have made it one of the most beloved books of the last 150 years.  Centered on the character of Jo March, an aspiring writer, Little Women tells the story of the March sisters, four deeply loving but very different young women, all trying to find their path in life ...

Episode 1 - Chevalier

In a baroque opera hall in Paris sometime in the late 1700s, there’s a concert taking place.  The audience is hypnotized by the virtuosity of the main violin player and the beauty of the music. And still, the most puzzling fact about the scene is the player’s skin colour: it’s Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint Georges, and he’s Black.  Born in Guadeloupe to an enslaved African woman and a French aristocrat, Joseph grows up in Paris and enjoys a high-class education. His talent for music c...

Episode 7 - The Liberator

The Liberator tells the story, in wide strokes, of Simón Bolívar, the military leader, and most important Venezuelan historical figure. In this episode, Gaby and Andreina discuss the 2013 film with the help of a very special guest. Placing the film in the historical and political context in which it was made, we look at the role of historical films in creating a national identity and memory.  Join us as we discuss the relevance of cultural representation on the big screen, the humanisation ...

Episode 6-Ammonite

In this episode, Andreina and Gabriela discuss the 2020 film Ammonite with a very special guest. Ammonite tells the story of 19th-century British paleontologist Mary Anning.  An imaginary retelling of a brief period of her life, the film is directed by Francis Lee and stars Kate Winslet in the role of  Mary Anning and Saoirse Ronan as Charlotte Murchinson, her lover. Join us as we discuss this period film mixing science, history, and romance in the South West of England. In the process, ...

Episode 5 - Emily

In this episode, Gaby and Andreina discuss the 2022 film Emily, written and directed by Frances O'Connor in her directorial debut. Emily is a part-fictional portrait of English writer Emily Brontë mostly converting the period of her life before she wrote her novel Wuthering Heights. Gaby and Andreina talk about the cinematic representation of Emily as a historical character, Brontë’s relationship with her equally celebrated siblings, and how the film fits within the period film movie genre. ...

Episode 4-The Wonder

In this episode, Gaby and Andreina discuss the 2022 Netflix movie The Wonder, based on the novel of the same name by Irish-Canadian writer Emma Donoghue.  The movie, starring the brilliant Florence Pugh as a 19th-century nurse charged with observing a so-called “ fasting girl” in a rural town in Ireland in 1862, pushes against the limits of the period film genre and opens up conversations about science, religion, faith, and belief.  Joins us as we walk through this mysterious and fascinating...

Episode 3-Corsage

In this episode, Gaby and Andreina discuss the much-talked-about 2022 Austrian movie Corsage, which depicts a year in the life of Elisabeth of Austria, better known as Sisi.  Mixing historical fact with imaginative interpretation, the film is a fascinating portrayal of this beloved Austrian icon, one that remains more a myth than a real person in the general imagination.  Gaby and Andreina also welcome a very special guest to talk about Sisi and help separate fact from fiction.  ***Spoile...

Episode 2-Far from the Madding Crowd

We rarely find a more determined fictional female character in literature from the late 19th century than Bathsheba Everdeen.  Guided by a strong will and a deep-rooted desire to build her path while keeping her full independence, Bathsheba learns the hard way that love and companionship are still not that bad after all.  A film full of breathtaking landscapes, a plot with unexpected twists, and a love story to remember, Far from the Madding Crowd made us think about women's leadership in ...

Episode 1-The Handmaiden

To open up our third season, Gaby and Andreina discuss the South Korean film The Handmaiden, directed by Park Chan-wook. Acclaimed by critics, this movie is a work of extraordinary vision from beginning to end: cinematography, performances, costume and set design, in addition to an incredibly well-written script–every detail of this film shows the highest ambition and achievement.  We hope you enjoy our discussion and fall in love with this movie as much as we did.  ***Spoiler alert! Whil...

Jane Eyre

What do you get when you take a pitch-perfect cast, beautiful but expressive cinematography, restraint but character-revealing costumes, and an inspired and poetic direction? The 2011 adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s classic novel, Jane Eyre!  Directed by then up-and-coming filmmaker Cary Fukunaga, it remains one of the most underrated period films of the last two decades.  Join us as we discuss the incredible and timeless characters of Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester and the way they are port...

Harriet

“I’m gonna stand up, take my people with me, together we are going to a brand new home” – so sings Cyntia Erivo in the song “Stand Up,” the Academy Award nominated song for the film Harriet she co-wrote after playing the film’s leading role.   In their first review of an American film so far, Andreina and Gabriela discuss the 2019 film Harriet, which tells the story of the abolitionist and social activist Harriet Tubman. Formerly enslaved, Tubman escaped to freedom in 1849 and then worked f...

Emma vs Emma.

Oh, Emma! Got into trouble again?  Although she always meant good, Jane Austen’s Emma is known for stirring things up in her hometown while playing the matchmaker.  Set in the early 19th century, this all-time classic has been brought to the big screen in many ways, but which one is your favourite?  We couldn’t answer this question easily so we watched two versions and tried to make up our minds! So, tune in to listen to our discussion about Emma and Emma.! Two wonderful films, both true ...

Marie Antoinette

Acclaimed by many as avant garde cinema and derided by others for being too frivolous, Sophia Coppola’s “Marie Antoinette,'' from 2006, offers indeed a lot to talk about! Starring an outstanding Kirsten Dunst, this Marie Antoinette is a woman full of passion, motherly love and sense of duty–perhaps a more sympathetic portrayal than we have seen in other films.   Either you love the colorful and luscious production design and celebrate the modern touches of pop music and teenage-like partie...

Maurice

In 1909, same-sex relationships were illegal in Great Britain and the consequences of being “caught” were heavy and, at times, catastrophic. Imagine yourself trapped in that situation of not being able to live your love and passion in freedom–without a doubt, a terrifying, soul-crushing feeling. The 1987 Merchant-Ivory film Maurice, based on the novel by the same name by E. M. Forster, gives us a glimpse into the asphyxiating constraints early 20th-century British society placed on gay peo...

Portrait of a Lady on Fire

There is so much about this film that impacted us that we struggled to compact it all in one single conversation: The subtlety of the main love story: a love between equal-leveled minds and opposite characters. The delicacy of the cinematography that works as a piece of art on each frame of the movie. The smartness with which key elements were built in the story: femininity, women in art, working women in the 18th century, sorority among women regardless of their background. The famous “f...

Episode 7 - Bridgerton

What happens when you create a period drama with a young, North American audience in mind? And when you add on one of the most successful Black, female producers in television to helm the show? Bridgerton, that’s what you get!  In this episode, we bring a very special guest, our sister Adriana, a mechanical engineer in the sunny Silicon Valley in California who also happens to be a huge TV series lover.  With her help, we discuss the influence that Shonda Rhimes had on the production of Br...

Episode 7 - Bridgerton

What happens when you create a period drama with a young, North American audience in mind? And when you add on one of the most successful Black, female producers in television to helm the show? Bridgerton, that’s what you get!  In this episode, we bring a very special guest, our sister Adriana, a mechanical engineer in the sunny Silicon Valley in California who also happens to be a huge TV series lover.  With her help, we discuss the influence that Shonda Rhimes had on the production of Br...

Episode 6-Belle

How many times have you seen a dark-skinned woman wearing a high-society 18th-century dress in history books? How much do you know about the lives of people of colour in the 18th century in England? (at least those who were not enslaved) And here’s one more: how often have you seen a Black woman starring in a period film?   With these and a few other challenging questions, we invite you to listen to our conversation about the film “Belle”. Inspired by the real-life story of Dido Elizabeth ...

Episode 5-Farewell, My Queen

Did you ever wonder what it must have been like for Marie Antoinette when the riots of the French Revolution started to heat up the mood in the country? Did you ever wonder what it must have been like to be in the Versaille Palace and witness the uncertainty among the royals on the verge of free-fall? What happened behind those walls? How did those days pass for those living inside? In the film  “Les Adieux a la Reine” or “Farewell, My Queen” you get a good glimpse at this fascinating chapt...

Episode 4-Sense and Sensibility

Take a Jane Austen classic, a Taiwanese director, a novice screenplay-writer and some of the best actors in England from the early 1990s and voilà! You get an unforgettable film adaptation of one of the most famous love stories in British literature.  This award-winning version of Sense & Sensibility stole our hearts many years ago and still today it makes us fall in awe of its humour, its portrayal of female characters and the quality of the production. From the award winning script, to th...

Cyrano de Bergerac

“A kiss is a secret which takes the lips for the ear.” Pure Poetry that is! And so is the next film we review on this new episode: Cyrano de Bergerac.  The 1990 film adaptation of this classic of French literature is one of our all-time favorites, a fast-paced story with no redundancies.  Starring Gerard Depardieu in what became his most pivotal performance, a very young and handsome Vincent Perez, and a passionate Anne Brochet—the movie truly honours this hero of romanticism.  While revi...

Episode 2 - A Room with a View

It’s 1908. Europe is at peace. The upper-middle class is living carefree.  Now, picture Italy, its warmth, its sunlight-bathed landscapes.  Picture Florence and a young handsome couple.  Picture England’s countryside with green pastures and people playing feather ball.  You’re now immersed in the setting of a beautiful story about love, romance, society expectations, heart’s desires, and intrigues.  You’re watching: “A room with a view”! A timeless movie with a message that still speaks to...

Origins

Why would two Latin American sisters do a podcast about period films, a genre dominated by European films? This is the departing question for this first episode as Gabriela (calling from Germany) and Andreina (connecting from Canada) explore the origins of their obsession. Join us as we reminisce about growing in Maracaibo, Venezuela—the hottest city in the country—and dreaming about far away places both in distance and time. 

Coming Soon: Wigs and Candles