Although they’re wary of giving too much biographical background – “I’ve got parents, I’ve got siblings” – Patrick has a Lancashire accent and says they attended “a relatively remote all-girls school” where the Brontë sisters were educated. They roll their eyes at the way the Brontës have been packaged as brochure heritage when “in fact they had a really bad time at the school. Charlotte used it as the basis for Lowood School in Jane Eyre [which Brontë described as “a cradle of fog and fog-bred pestilence”] where the girls had a terrible time. Their friends all died of typhus. It was an absolute s***hole.”
They shake their head. “I wanted to set Mrs S in an environment that explored class and nostalgia, which is why it’s so important that my narrator is an outsider, from Australia; she doesn’t know all these weird, ancient rules.” They tell me that in most of their own school memories, “I’m on my own. I had a feeling I wasn’t the same as everyone else. Constantly aware of how I was being processed and filtered as a body.” So they found themselves “constantly creating narratives into that vacuum and reacting to the focus on sameness. Receding into fantasy.” They smile, softly, recalling how the Brontës’ “filthy” gothic romances fed into those fantasies. “I thought the sexiest place in the world was a dark castle, nothing else for miles, creepy staircases, closed doors, candlelight, dark eyes…” A chuckle, then a sigh. “When you’re young and queer, you have a really rich fantasy life. Probably the book is born out of all those really intense crushes on teachers I had.” (Helen Brown)
The Wrap interviews actor Alicia Vikander about her role as Katherine Parr in Firebrand.
“Firebrand” is visceral and immersive in the way it re-creates the chaos of the court of Henry VIII. When you were making the film did you feel immersed in that world?
Obviously, in filmmaking you come in every day and do your work – it’s not like theater where you play out the whole thing every night. You go in these pockets, and I always feel like naturally, when you get halfway through your film, you will start to feel like you have it in you. All the pillars of the bridge are coming together, and you can see it all.
With period pieces, it’s very difficult to find anything that’s accurate. Either you build stages or you have to go to different locations to try and put together. But the historical setting in this film, we actually shot in one house (the Haddon House in Derbyshire, England). It’s an incredible place. My husband (Michael Fassbender) actually shot “Jane Eyre” there. He came to my shoot and said, “You’re shooting in the exact same rooms I was.” (Laughs) (Steve Pond)
Groovy History's '60 Eerie Photos From Forgotten Moments In History' includes a picture of the worn steps at Wycoller Hall.
Worn out footsteps at Wycoller Hall in the north of England.
You may not know Wycoller Hall, but if you’re a fan of Charlotte Bronte then you’ve already taken a trip down these well worn stairs. Wycoller, first built in the 16th century, served as the inspiration for Jane Eyre. While Bronte was working on her gothic masterpiece she was living in Haworth, which is a stone’s throw from Wycoller.
Initially, Wycoller Hall was built by the Hartley’s and it was in constant construction until the 18th century. After the final owner, Squire Cunliffe, passed away stones from the Hall were stolen in order to build nearby houses. Now, Wycoller Hall sits in ruins. (Sarah Norman)
It is believed that Charlotte may have based Ferndean Manor on Wycoller Hall.
The blunder of the day comes from
The Apopka Voice listing everything that's coming to Netflix in July:
Pride & Prejudice (2005) – Adaptation of Jane Eyre’s beloved novel.
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