- Release year: 2020
- Director: Tom Verica, Sheree Folkson, Alrick Riley and Julie Anne Robinson.
- Producers: Holden Chang, Sarah Dollard, Sarada McDermott, and Cathy Lew.
- Screenplay by: Chris Van Dusen, Abby Mc Donald, Joy C. Mitchell, Leila Cohan-Miccio, Sarah Dollard, and Janet Lin.
- Cinematography by: Jeffrey Jur and Philipp Blaubach.
- Music by: Kris Bowers.
Synopsis: a young girl is presented in society and tries to achieve a love match, like her mother did before her.
Shotgun Commentary: anachronic Pride and Prejudice.
Review
Bridgerton is Gossip Girl (2007-2012) in a Regency era where all of Austen’s stories are happening at once in an anachronistic but gorgeous backdrop. If you enjoy romantic tales and #THEDRAMA, this is definitely for you.
The story follows Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor), the eldest girl of seven siblings. She is the first girl to come out in society, which is essentially her only reason for existing. As such, she is determined to secure a good match. Not just for herself, but also to set good prospects for her younger sisters.
Still, her sense of duty is overridden, and rightly so, by her desire to find a love match, much like her parents did. This goal leads her to join forces with the Duke of Hastings (Regé-Jean Page), an attractive young man who has no interest in ever marrying. They pretend to be enamoured with each other so she will look desirable and he, unattainable. Thus, she will have more options to marry, and he won’t have to put up with hungry mamas throwing their daughters at him.
The pointless controversy
First things first, taking into consideration the decorative styles of the balls, the makeup and hairstyles, the music… How on Earth did the Black queen of England become such an issue? It is clear from the very beginning that this show, while loosely based on the beginning of the 1800s, is not a period piece at all, so it is hard to understand why this was such an issue upon its release. Even the protagonist’s love interest, Simon, has a huge hole in his ear. Is he a pirate along with a duke? Doubtful. So maybe audiences should look into their real issues rather than disguising them in the name of historical accuracy…
On the other hand, there are those who think this is a cheap way to erase England’s racist past. To be honest, they are right up to a point, but one also needs to understand the context of the piece. In the same way one should not be surprised to see a sexist relationship in a 40s film, it is to be expected that a romantic drama focused on lush aesthetics and tangled romances will not make much space for social critique.
There are some mentions of race and the precarious position of Black lords and royalty, but it is quite veiled. Still, this is not a piece to make you rage about life’s realities. It is a show to make you swoon about an idyllic, fictional world in which all women recognise the difference between a gentleman and a caveman. Even the topic of patriarchy, which is quite central to the story, is approached in a light, humorous way. This is not a show to make you think about changing the world. It is a show to make you forget about it for a while.
Reliable, bingeable, easy
Despite the Gossip Girl viewpoint, the story is actually a lot more like Little Women at the beginning, with a quick transformation into Pride and Prejudice (2005). In fact, the show uses many of the locations featured in the 2005 classic. The story has all the necessary elements to be easy, highly addictive entertainment for anyone who falls victim to the classic “I’ll just watch 5 minutes to see what it is about.”
Sadly, Netflix forgets that the true power of period romances relies on the lack of consummation. That is where the compelling tension is born. Regrettably, the streaming service is known for its love of gratuitous sex scenes, failing to notice that you can’t recreate ardent passion and anticipation between two characters that already spend the whole day having sex, regardless of how good the actors are. The sad truth is, you will only get that classic period-drama tension for a little while. After that, it all becomes a string of sex that goes nowhere and arguments with little to no basis.
The unexpected message
Luckily, this situation also provides the story with the perfect space to talk about “the after”. More often than not, fairy tales end with the first “I love you” or the final “I do”. This first season of Bridgerton uses the wedding as a mid-season climax. This gives the show time to bring up a really crucial topic: the lack of sex education.
Young girls were thrust into the marriage market without so much as knowing the basic biology of how to make a child, let alone how to find their own pleasure in intimate activities. It would be great to be able to say, “How barbaric; thank goodness we left that all behind.” Sadly, this issue is still very much present all over the world. One needs to look no further than the US, where all of women’s rights are being taken away along with any books that provide any sort of real sexual education.
All in all, the first season of Bridgerton is a strong opening. It promises great stories in the future and a dose of “old-fashioned”, surreal romanticism. The use of colours is smart; the cast is very talented—Phoebe Dynevor reminds of a very young Keira Knightley in her acting, mostly due to her mouth gestures—and the soundtrack is fantastic.
Advice to take from this movie:
- Never be afraid to ask questions.
- Gatekeeping information from your children can only lead to disaster.
- Sometimes a small wound on the back of an otherwise perfectly healthy young girl provides the perfect critique.
What’s your take? Have you watched Bridgerton? Don’t hesitate to let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, or leave a message on my contact page! For more reviews and cinema-related articles, check out the rest of my blog! 😀