Disappearing history

BBC News covers the Red House story (don't forget to sign the petition if you haven't yet):

Joan Bellamy, author of a biography of Mary Taylor, said the sale of Red House would be a big loss to the history of the local area.
"It's a disaster. If it was sold then the history of the house would be in danger of disappearing," she said.
"The history of the area - the textiles, the Luddites and Charlotte Brontë's novel - all those elements represented by the house would disappear."
Kirklees Council said in its proposals for 2012 budget consideration that the possible closure of Red House at the end of September 2012 would mean a saving of £116,000 a year.
A council spokesman said: "Councillors have difficult decisions to make as there is a continuing need to achieve efficiencies from across the whole range of services in the three-year budget plan.
"The proposal to close Red House Museum is one of a large number of measures up for consideration which have been proposed to fill a very big gap in the council's budget and reduce expenditure."
The spokesman added that "no decision" had been made on the sale of Red House, and local residents were being invited to make their views known.

And the Yorkshire Evening Post has received a letter from a reader on the subject:

The Red House Museum is an integral part of the literary history of Yorkshire and of England.
Its value to the community and to the country is evidenced by the fact that it had 30,000 visitors from all over the world and is a place of learning and research.
In an age when much of Britain’s literary heritage is being lost, taking away such a valuable resource would be tantamount to permanantly removing a vital component of the literary history and traditions of a great people.
It also seems strange that when we are celebrating the 200th anniversay of Charles Dickens we should be considering closing a site of value to those other great literary giants – the Brontë sisters. It seems to me that Kirklees Council together with the Yorkshire Tourist Authority can make much more of the Museum and help, not only to increase its visitor numbers but to also use it as the Brontë sisters and the people of their times.
Judith Tampoe, by email

EDIT:   The Brontë Parsonage Blog posts more last minute information:

The Area Committee met yesterday evening in Cleckheaton Town Hall, and received a deputation of people who were deeply concerned about the threat to the existence of the Red House Museum. The public was very well represented - in fact the room was packed, every seat taken. Eight of the nine Spen Valley councillors sat in the front row, listening with what I took, fondly perhaps, to be approval. One of them sent apologies for being unavoidably absent. We must remember that the full Council consists of well over sixty members.
All of the deputation speakers were asked not to take up too much time and to avoid repeating points. On behalf of the Brontë Society, I gave brief details of the friendship between Charlotte Brontë and Mary Taylor, read descriptions of Briarmains taken from Shirley and generally repeated points made previously on this blog, adding that we were "horrified" by this proposal which had been "sprung upon us at short notice". Peter Jackson, on behalf of the Little Gomersal Community Association, using a set of well-prepared notes, made it quite clear that the proposal to close Red House was very unwelcome in the area, short-sighted and badly thought-out. Local historian Gordon North spoke about the radically-minded Taylors and the impact they made in the eighteenth and the nineteenth centuries, and in particular about Mary Taylor, a brave and strong-willed woman who had sailed to New Zealand in 1845 and who was treated with great respect in that country. Red House is often visited by New Zealanders. He also spoke about the excellent and imaginative educational resources on the site. Member of the Brontë Society Imelda Marsden added her voice, urging all councillors present to take heed of a swelling tide of indignation. The local press made copious notes.
All of the speakers were complimented by the chair of the area committee for sticking to the rules - and all of them were applauded enthusiastically. We were then told that the 'cabinet' meeting on 7 February to look at the proposal would be held in Huddersfield, and that it would be open to the public. (Richard Wilcocks)

The Globe and Mail has a slideshow of the best pictures of the day (January 30th) and slide number 3 is

A curator at the Musée des Lettres et Manuscrits in Paris displays the miniature manuscript dated 1830 written by Charlotte Brontë. The museum bought the second issue of Young Men's Magazine, which contains over 4,000 words on 19 pages, written when Brontë was 14 years old.

NTD Television has a video on the arrival and display of the manuscript at the Musée des Lettres et Manuscrits.

The Philadelphia Weekly looks back on the Sundance Film Festival:

I also quite liked Andrea Arnold’s Wuthering Heights, which sent many audience members streaming for the exits. Eschewing Masterpiece Theatre period tropes, the Fish Tank director chucks most of Emily Brontë’s dialogue, shooting Heathcliff’s and Catherine’s doomed romance with jagged, visceral immediacy. Arnold can’t quite stick the landing, but the movie’s rawness sticks in your ribs. (Sean Burns)

The London Evening Standard has an article on the local company Angels of Hendon:

Angels of Hendon provided clothes and accessories for four of the five movies up for best costume design at the Academy Awards.
Martin Scorsese's Hugo, the new version of Jane Eyre, Madonna's W.E. and Shakespearean drama Anonymous all feature clothes taken from Angels' huge stock or created by its 120 staff and contractors.
In Madonna's re-telling of the abdication crisis, the costumes were hailed as a hit. "The undisputed star is the wardrobe," You magazine affirmed. Hugo was "beautifully rendered," Anonymous "splendidly decked out" and Jane Eyre "sumptuously costumed" - even if the movie itself was "dry, drab and a little dull," according to critics. (Louise Jury)

Why the need to put the rest of the film down, though? Many critics liked it too. According to indieWire the film has no possibilities of taking the Best Costume Design Oscar home, as they think the battle is between Hugo and The Artist.

DVD Talk reviews The Brontës of Haworth, soon to be released on DVD, and says it is 'highly recommended':

Those hoping for a light dramatization of historical fact will be sorely disappointed, as "The Brontës of Haworth" spends as much time if not more studying the family dynamic as it does the actual literary creations of Patrick Brontës (Alfred Burke) offspring. As the first episode closes, the viewer has a good idea of where the creative spark came from in all the children as well as tragic events (the death of 12-year old Mary Brontë) that likely shaped the tone of a few works to follow in later years. From episode two to five though, the focus is on the older Brontës: Charlotte (Vickery Turner), author of most notably "Jane Eyre"), Anne (Ann Penfold), author of "Agnes Grey" and "The Tenant of Wildfelld Hall"), Emily (Rosemary McHale), author of "Wuthering Heights", and Branwell (a very young Michael Kitchen), artist and poet.
To call it surprising would be an understatement, but the focus on Branwell Brontë is one of the most welcome surprises in all of the series and a perfect summarized statement of why the series is much more than contrived isolated events going on to (truthfully or not) influence the later writings of the Brontë sisters themselves. I honestly had no knowledge of Branwell's life apart from the fact he did once exist. With Michael Kitchen in what ends up being a pivotal role, "The Brontës of Haworth" takes viewers on a harrowing tragic ride that for fans of the sister's at large, does provide subtle hints at future inspiration. That's not to say the series doesn't focus on the writings, it just takes longer than most might expect to get there, and what they do cover is mostly known information. No single well-known element is dwelt on to the point where it robs viewers of the more intimate aspects of the Brontë family dynamic, a key reason why the series is both captivating and exhausting
"The Brontës of Haworth" is a worthwhile viewing experience, but demands close attention. Strong production design allow one to easily get lost in the period setting, while across the board sold performances make each character feel alive and unique; there is no doubt I will re-read at least "Wuthering Heights" in the future and having seen the iconic novel's author's life dramatized before my eyes will add an additional layer to examine. In the end, "The Brontës of Haworth" reveal that the real Brontë family was as every bit complex and fascinating as the lives created within the pages of Anne, Emily and Charlotte's work. [...]
The Extras. The lone extra resides on disc two and is a small text based biography on the Brontë home itself with a few repeated facts about the family.
Final Thoughts. While "The Brontës of Haworth" was far more emotionally draining than I expected, its sharp dialogue and consistent performances make it a delight to experience for fans of the Brontës or the uninitiated. One need not know a single detail of "Jane Eyre" or "Wuthering Heights" to appreciate this carefully crafted study of a brilliant family in a complex time. Highly Recommended. (Nick Hartel)

Fox31 Denver reviews the Blu-ray edition of Rebecca:

Rebecca follows a formula that was extremely popular in films of the time (see Jane Eyre and Dragonwyck for examples as the supplements kindly point out) of a young woman meeting her Prince Charming, being whisked away to his castle only to discover that her dream life is actually a nightmare. 

Actress Emily Watson on why she turned down a role on the French film Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain, as reported by the Congleton Guardian:

"With Amelie, I don't speak French. Not long ago, I saw Juliette Binoche do Wuthering Heights and making a t** of herself with her English. [...]"

Broadway.com mourns the death of actress and operatic soprano Patricia Neway, who

sang in many productions at the New York City Opera, including [...] Wuthering Heights. . . 

She was Nellie in the New York 1959 revised version of Carlisle Floyd's Wuthering Heights.

Flickr user chrcoal has uploaded a 'Still Life with Jane Eyre'. Una Locura de Película reviews (in Spanish) Jane Eyre 2011. The Low Countries Blog posts about Wuthering Heights: Restless Souls.