Sunday, December 27, 2020

Louise Brooks biopic screens on PBS in NYC on December 31

Is The Chaperone, the Louise Brooks biopic about her early days as a dancer, becoming a new holiday TV favorite? The PBS produced film made its television debut in 2019 just before Thanksgiving, with encore showings around the country on Thanksgiving day. And now, this year, The Chaperone is set to air again on at least one station on December 31, New Year's Eve. 

Many PBS stations have not yet released their program schedule for the end of this month, but one that has, WNET in New York City, is set to show The Chaperone at year's end. Here is their announcement.

New Year’s Eve TV

Stay in, stay healthy, and say goodbye to 2020 on Thursday, December 31.

Ring in the new year with United in Song: Celebrating the Resilience of America (Thursday, December 31, 8 p.m.), featuring Anna Deavere Smith and Denyce Graves. Say goodbye to 2020 with a concert celebrating the irrepressible strength of Americans. From the enormity of COVID-19 to the presence of social injustice, this special evening brings us together in the pursuit of our uniting as one America.

The special is followed by encores of two Masterpiece series. The Chaperone (Thursday, December 31, 9:30 p.m.) is a fictionalized story of young Louise Brooks leaving Kansas to pursue a dance career in New York City, escorted by her aunt, played by Elizabeth McGovern (Downton Abbey).  

My Mother and Other Strangers (Thursday, December 31, 11:30 p.m.) is set in Northern Ireland during World War II. A village is transformed by the presence of American soldiers at the nearby base.

The Chaperone is based on Laura Moriarty’s 2012 New York Times bestselling novel. It tells the story of the summer a teenage Brooks left her Kansas home and headed off to New York City, where she studied dance at Denishawn.The show reunites several individuals associated with the hit PBS series, Downton Abbey. Among them is Julian Fellowes, who scripted Downton Abbey and adapted The Chaperone, and Elizabeth McGovern, who starred in the TV series and produced and stars in The Chaperone. Michael Engler, who directed episodes of the TV show as well as the Downton Abbey film, directed The Chaperone.


The BIG star of The Chaperone is Haley Lu Richardson, a talented young actress who plays Brooks in what I think was an Oscar worthy performance. She is charming, vivacious, and even inspiring. And what's more, I think Richardson gets Brooks. I think she really captures Brooks' spirit. I like the film, and am pleased to own it on DVD. My long article on the film, "Never the Victim: Louise Brooks and The Chaperone," was published on Film International. Please do check it out.

The Chaperone is an inspiring, holiday worthy film because it is essentially a story about overcoming adversity, about redemption, and hope. It is about making something of one's self when you doubted you could. Those who know Brooks' life story will know what I am talking about. If you haven't had a chance to see the film, track it down streaming online, on DVD, or on television.

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