Aristocracy · Cinema · Observations · Society

Criticism of the romanticisation of aristocratic privilege in the film “Downton Abbey”

The one thing about "Downton Abbey" that I simply cannot bring myself to accept is the romanticisation of what are, in essence, monstrously unjust foundations, built upon feudal inheritance, the treacherous will of monarchs of old, very nearly slaveholding and vassal-suzerain relations. It is not easy to

Aristocracy · Cinema · Monarchies · Observations

The new Downton Abbey captures Mary of Teck, consort of George V, with remarkable precision, while the actor chosen to play the King is astonishingly unlike him: simply a stately, charming old gentleman, some king out of Shrek, bearing no resemblance to…

In the ballroom scene Mary of Teck wears the famous Vladimir Tiara, so beloved of Elizabeth II, but with the emerald rather than the pearl set. The tiara originates from the Romanov family.

Aristocracy · Cinema · Monarchies · Observations · Mores

The film “Downton Abbey” about George V and his wife visiting the Crawley family

Downton Abbey throws open its doors once more: a feature-length film based on the plot of the eponymous series has been released. The Crawley family, in full strength, awaits an exalted visit from the royal couple, and the vicissitudes of the plot are chiefly bound up with preparations for

NB! · Aristocracy · Cinema · Monarchies · Mores · People · Humour

And yes, the ancestor of Kit Harington, who played Jon Snow in "Game of Thrones", a poet and courtier of the sixteenth century, Sir John Harington, invented the first flushing lavatory for the aged Queen Elizabeth I

In the Press · Cinema · Observations · Pop Culture

The new Vogue carries a touching piece by Yana Lukina on the most anticipated release of the year, the feature-length "Downton Abbey", in which the Crawley family prepares to receive George V under its roof

The new Vogue carries a touching piece by Yana Lukina on the most anticipated release of the year, the feature-length "Downton Abbey", in which the Crawley family prepares to receive George V under its roof. The material is good; I was even surprised that it was Vogue,

NB! · Art · Cinema · Monarchies · Museums · Paris · Pop Culture

On 16 October the exhibition "Marie Antoinette, Metamorphosis of an Image" opened in Paris, bringing together hundreds of images of the queen, from the classic portraits of Vigée Le Brun to excerpts from films about Marie Antoinette and the manga "The Ros

Art · Cinema · Observations · Pop Culture

Finished watching Hunter's episodes about the auction and the flea market, and a little wave of nostalgia came over me for the days when I had a pop-up stall and was a happy seller of old junk, though in my case the splendid things usually went for far be

Finished watching Hunter's episodes about the auction and the flea market, and a little wave of nostalgia came over me for the days when I had a pop-up stall and was a happy seller of old junk, though in my case the splendid things usually went for

NB! · Coming Up · Cinema · Humour

Plans for the Evening: Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (1968)

Plans for the evening: Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (1968). As for the posters with Christopher Lee, they fully merit attention in their own right.

Archaeology · Cinema · Mores · Rome

As for the leather jerkin in which Maximus the gladiator performs on the arena floor, this is yet another unpardonable stretch on the part of the film's makers: gladiators had no armour to speak of, for the most part they fought quite naked, and only in t

As for the leather jerkin in which Maximus the gladiator performs on the arena floor, this is yet another unpardonable stretch on the part of the film's makers: gladiators had no armour to speak of, for the most part they fought quite naked, and only in the rarest

Archaeology · Cinema · Rome

The lorica musculata in the film “Gladiator” does not suit the period of AD 180

But then, the specialists already snort at this armour as it is, the so-called lorica musculata, that is, a two-plate cuirass fashioned in the shape of a male torso, with the detailed contours of a muscular chest at the front. Such armour was in use in the Roman

Cinema · London · Pop Culture

Russell Crowe denies wearing the armour from “Gladiator” offered at auction

Russell Crowe has denied that he wore in "Gladiator" the armour of General Maximus now on show at the British Film Institute and soon to be sold at auction. And although the armour the actor supposedly wore in the opening scenes of "Gladiator" is valued at

A turquoise dress with gold lace on a mannequin, beside a film still of a woman in the same dress and a gold headband.

NB! · Cinema · Museums · Observations · Pop Culture

Exhibition in Boston marking the release of the film “Downton Abbey” closes

The bombshell exhibition marking the release of the Downton Abbey feature film closes tomorrow. All that remains is to bite one's elbows for having failed to get there. But what is one to do? The exhibition was in Boston, after all! 😣