The action of “The Gilded Age” begins in 1882, when, after the death of her father, young Marian Brook (Louisa Jacobson) moves from rural Pennsylvania to New York to live with wealthy aunts Agnes van Rhijn (Christine Baranski) and Ada Brook (Cynthia Nixon) . Marian spends time with Peggy Scott (Denée Benton), an aspiring writer looking for an excuse to start all over again. Miss Brook at one point accidentally becomes embroiled in a conflict between one of her aunts, heir to an old fortune, and her wealthy neighbors – the ruthless railway tycoon George Russell (Morgan Spector) and his ambitious wife Bertha (Carrie Coon). In the world on the brink of modernity, will Marian adapt to the existing social rules, or will he, however, look for his own way?
Entertainment combined with subtle history lessons. “The Gilded Age” is “the beginning of modern America”
In the series “The Golden Age” we will find not only entertainment, but also – as the director Salli Richardson-Whitfield emphasizes – “subtle lessons of history”. – Julian [Fellowes] and Sonja [Warfield] found a great way to do it. I learned a lot of things myself and had fun watching the series. There is no force to force our heads into our heads, says Richardson-Whitfield. – I think it was important for Julian: to reflect the reality of this era, but not overdo it, not aspire to be the best series in its field.
On the screen, on the one hand, we can observe dramatic elements or “a comedy of manners”, on the other hand, the creators touch, among others, women’s activism in the suffragette movement. – We can often feel that we live in the most interesting moment in history. There is no doubt that the last two years, mainly due to the pandemic, have caused enormous social changes. The period that we present in this series, i.e. the 1880s, is also a time after extraordinary transformations. The world has sped up tremendously since then – these people were already doing amazing things, so it’s easier for us to connect in some way, says Graham Naeme.
“The best and the worst in us are always alive and constantly fighting,” adds director Michael Engler. – In one episode, Agnes, played by Christine Baranski, says that charities exist for two reasons: first, to help people; second, that a charitable person can climb the rungs of the social ladder. Nothing has changed in this matter. To this day, it often happens that people help only to satisfy their own ego – emphasizes the filmmaker.
It is impossible to avoid comparisons with “Downton Abbey”, where a significant part of the team working on the new HBO production is responsible for the success of the series. Naeme was one of the executive producers of stories about the adventures of British aristocrats and their servants. When asked what makes “The Gilded Age” not “Downton Abbey” for Americans, he replies:
Downton Abbey tells the story of the end of an era; it is not without reason that the plot begins in 1912 with the sinking of the Titanic. This was a turning point in the history of the British aristocracy and the entire empire in general. So we wanted to depict the beginning of the decline of power and control that those characters had. The “Gilded Age” is something else entirely – when we see New York City, it is by no means a landscape that any of us have experienced before. It is a city that is just being built, and with it the American economy, society, great wealth and US domination in the world are born. This is the beginning of modern America.
The cast of “The Golden Age” includes: the aforementioned Christine Baranski, who has, among others, “The Perfect Case” and “Mamma Mia!”; Cynthia Nixon, well known to Sex and the City fans as Miranda; Broadway legend Audra McDonald or Louisa Jacobson, daughter of Meryl Streep. Other roles will be played by: Ben Ahlers, Michael Cerveris, Kelley Curran, Claybourne Elder, Linda Emond, Katie Finneran, Amy Forsyth, Michel Gill, Ward Horton, Bill Irwin, Sullivan Jones, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Nathan Lane, Audra McDonald, Debra Monk, Donna Murphy, Kristine Nielsen, Kelli O’Hara, Patrick Page, Taylor Richardson, Douglas Sills, John Douglas Thompson, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Erin Wilhelmi.
“The Gilded Age” will debut on the HBO GO platform on January 25.
Source: Gazeta
Tristin is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
