Gentlemen from the movie "The Man Who Know Infinity"

If you recognize any of these actors, I would love to know who they are.  They certainly are a distinguished looking bunch of gentlemen. 

Filming in Oxford: The Man Who Knew Infinity

This is what I stumbled upon today in Oxford -- a bunch of tourists and cast members from the movie set "The Man Who Knew Infinity" mingling about between takes of a film shoot.  

"The Man Who Knew Infinity" movie is filming in Oxford

One of the things I love about living in Oxford is the surprise of going into town and coming across a movie being made. (It happens surprisingly often!)  Such was the case today as I went into town to meet a friend for lunch and there in the square by the Sheldonian, the Bodleian Library, and the Clarendon Building were several actors in tail coats and top hat and Oxford was transformed back to 1914.  

The movie is "The Man Who Knew Infinity" and is set at the beginning of the first World War.   

It is based on the book "The man Who Knew Infinity: A life of the Genius Ramanujan" by Robert Kanigel.   Here tourists and cast members mingle before the shooting of a scene.

It is the story of G.H. Hardy, the English mathematician who plucked Ramanujan from obscurity in Edwardian India and installed him in Cambridge University where he became a fellow of the Royal Society and the first Indian fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge. 

Jeremy Irons is playing G. H. Hardy, the English Mathematician and Dev Patel portrays the math genius Srinivasa Ramanujan.  

It is mostly being filmed in Cambridge and India but with a few scenes shot in Oxford. I think the officer having his make-up touched up is Toby Jones. 

I missed whatever scene they filmed outside the Clarendon Building but as I walked past again on my way home a large cast of gentlemen had just finished an inside scene and were coming out of the door to the courtroom that is at the back of the Divinity School.  

 They all lined up for an informal group photo after the shoot.  I wish I knew who these distinguished looking gentleman are. If you recognize any of them, please let me know. 

Mr. Irons did not join in the group photo but took a quiet coffee break in the corner with Toby Jones.

I don't know what role Oxford plays in the this story.  Whatever the reason they are filming here, I'm glad they are.  It just adds to the magic of Oxford to walk in to town and run into Jeremy Irons and about 5o other gentlemen dressed from 100 years ago. 

If you are wondering where they will be filming next, look for the TMWKI signs.

For more information: 

http://variety.com/2013/film/news/jeremy-irons-to-co-star-in-the-man-who-knew-infinity-1200921417/

http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/News/Slumdog-Millionaire-star-Dev-Patel-is-coming-to-Cambridge-to-film-Hollywood-movie-The-Man-Who-Knew-Infinity-with-Jeremy-Irons-20140722060156.htm

http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/News/SLIDESHOW-Hollywood-star-Dev-Patel-rescued-from-River-Cam-in-Cambridge-by-his-The-Man-Who-Knew-Infinity-co-star-Jeremy-Irons-20140819140751.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Srinivasa_Ramanujan

Setting up a scene for Downton Abbey's 5th Season Christmas special

I still haven't figured out how to download two video clips on one blog post.  Here's the cast getting ready for the scene I posted earlier.  

Filming a scene for Downton Abbey's 5th Season (Last episode)

They were filming today in Bampton -- it will be the Christmas day episode of season 5 of Downton Abbey (that would be the last episode in the U.S.).  It was one of those days where we had brilliant sunshine, rain, wind, and grey skies -- all several times an hour, so it seemed.  That made filming challenging.  And because it is school holidays and tourist season, there were many more on-lookers than in past shoots.  Security kept us further away than usual.

Here they are setting up the scene:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCzrjtkzbmo

It was a fun scene to watch since  most of the cast was there.  However, it wasn't so easy to see everyone -- security used umbrellas to block shots of important cast members.  I don't blame them.  A bus load of tourists showed up in the middle of a take and totally interrupted the filming.  Even so, it was fun to see the creative process of this beloved series and to see Bampton turned back into Downton.  

 The cast moving into place.  They hang out in Mrs. Crawley's home in between scenes and takes.

 Here is Mr. Molesley (Kevin Doyle) and behind him the lovely Cora Crawley, the Countess of Grantham (Elizabeth McGovern)

Dear Mrs. Hughes (Phyllis Logan)

Finishing touches on Lord Grantham

Making Mr. Carson perfect (I think he is already!)

Thomas (Rob James-Collier) --  How did he get those medals of honor?

The townspeople of Downton

Cora, Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) and Mrs. Crawley 

Such style and grace!

Sneaky Mr. Bates (Brendan Coyle)

Mr. Carson (Jim Carter) and Lord Grantham (Hugh Bonneville)

More takes of the same scene:  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8iEdzNTC44&feature=youtu.be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kicuiBIW8_s

Commemorating World War One

It is fascinating to be here in England during the beginning commemorations of World War I.  I feel as though I am living in a history book.  The U.K. has brilliantly created all sorts of ways to learn about, commemorate,  and immerse oneself in the history of the First World War.

Some of my favorites so far are: 

A calendar of daily events of the First World War detailed in an an easy-to-navigate timeline with links to addition resources, articles and information.   

http://ww1daily.com/daily-timeline/

The BBC has a terrific website with links to all sorts of special interests like women in the war,  special on-line classes you can take, even WW1's influence on J.R.R. Tolkien's writing.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/0/ww1/

If you have BBC Iplayer (It's easy to download it if you don't), you can listen to a daily 5-minute dispatch of the events of the First World War as they happened on this day, 100 years ago.  Each episodes draws together newspaper accounts, diplomatic correspondence and private journals from the same day exactly one hundred years ago, giving a picture of the world in 1914 as it was experienced at the time.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03t8m6h

The London Tower remembers:  Thousands of ceramic poppies have been planted around the Tower of London.  Titled "Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red" after a poem written by an unknown soldier, the collaboration between artist Paul Cummins and designer Tom Piper will see a total of 888, 246 poppies added over the summer until they encircle the tower.  Poppies are a symbol of remembrance in the U.K. You can even buy one of these poppies at: 

https://poppies.hrp.org.uk/buy-a-poppy/

There are thousands of events, lectures, concerts, broadcasts, etc. scheduled throughout the U.K. and the world these next four years. Here's a site that lists, for now, 125 pages of events happening around the world.  Take a look and see what is happening in your part of the world:

http://www.1914.org