An Exquisite and Educative Documentary About the Brontës

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Source: Purchased

Brontë Country, located in West Yorkshire, a county in northern England, filled with fragrant heather and isolated moors, was home and inspiration for the famous writers Anne, Emily, and Charlotte Brontë. This delightful documentary transports viewers to Brontë Country where they see these famous Yorkshire moors and learn about the life and times of the Brontës.. Not only does this DVD highlight the lives of the three literary Brontë sisters, but it includes information and descriptions of the whole Brontë clan and the village of Haworth as well. There is much to be discovered about the history and life of the Brontës in this DVD, (perhaps not as much as an in-depth and detailed written biography) but for a little under an hour in length the viewer will see and learn about the most significant events in the Brontë’s lives.

What I learned from this DVD was how the Brontë’s lives were truly surrounded by disappointments and death. Between losing their mother and older sisters at such a young age, growing up near a village suffering from a cholera epidemic with a terrifyingly high death rate, and having a unsuccessful brother addicted to opium and alcohol, the Brontë’s did not live a carefree and blissful life. As children they escaped into their imaginations, penning fantasy stories about faraway lands and magical people. As adults they grew serious about their writing and endeavored to support themselves by publishing novels. It is amazing that daughters of a respectable clergyman can create such passionate, violent, dark, and haunting tales. I loved learning that they wrote in minuscule print in order to hide the nature of their stories from their father who had cataracts.

I greatly enjoyed viewing this DVD and I am very happy to have it in my collection! I loved the visuals of Haworth, Yorkshire, the family portraits, original documents, and the many possessions of the Brontës included in this documentary. In addition, I took pleasure in the narration by Liam Dale and lovely classical background music. With all the rich and striking landscapes and music by Beethoven playing in the background, this DVD was an aesthetic feast for my senses!

My one small complaint with this documentary is that there was not enough about Arthur Bell Nicholls in it. Since reading the novels The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Brontë and Romancing Miss Bronte, I have developed a fascination with Arthur Bell Nicholls and would have liked for his relationship with Charlotte to be highlighted more in this biography.

***Images courtesy of Brontë Parsonage Museum Website