note the lean silhouette...eyes closed by the sun, though sharp as a hawk. He's got the look of both predator and prey

A couple of costume dramas and a couple of Westerns. Some good, some not so good, and one outstanding!

Mansfield Park (1983) - "Impoverished Fanny Price is sent to live with her more affluent uncle and aunt. The arrival of new neighbors brings a chance for romance to Fanny and her cousins."

Source: streamed on Amazon Prime
I watched it because: I'm getting into the BBC miniseries thing, and had not seen any adaptations of this story before
IMDB: 6.7/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: N/A%

notable quote: "Certainly—at my home, at my uncle's, of admirals and rears and vices, we saw a great deal. Now, do not suspect me of a pun, I entreat."
story: I've made fun of (or insulted) Jane Austen on the blog before, and this story is one reason why. It is insipid and irritating. Fanny Price is a passive dishrag, taking the shit from everyone "as is her lot" until someone hands her the big prize. 
visuals: even the slums are pretty
acting: Bernard Hepton (Sir Thomas Bertram) is a wonder of subtlety. (Incidentally, I was quite distracted by the voice of Christopher Villiers (Tom Bertram), who was notoriously and painfully funny as Nigel in Top Secret!)

intangibles: please, just don't
overall: not recommended

Tombstone (1993) - "A successful lawman's plans to retire anonymously in Tombstone, Arizona are disrupted by the kind of outlaws he was famous for eliminating."
Source: streamed on IMDB.TV
I watched it because: it was ordered for me
IMDB: 7.8/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 74% Audience: 94%

notable quote: "I have not yet begun to defile myself."
story: classic western with some clever twisting
visuals: marvelous
costumes, hair & makeup: fantastic costuming and hair. The makeup is truly magnificent.
acting: Val Kilmer (Doc Holliday) is thoroughly mesmerizing, and Kurt Russell (Wyatt Earp) is all right too

intangibles: this movie is an enthralling combination of wit, history, bittersweetness, revenge, action, romance, and justice. I liked it very much.
overall: most highly recommended 

Love in a Cold Climate (2001) - "In 1930s Britain, three young aristocratic women find love as the world around them slowly descends into war."
Source: streamed on Amazon Prime 
I watched it because: I'd heard the title - which is actually a quote from a George Orwell novel - but didn't know the story (which is based on a couple of Nancy Mitford novels, combined)
IMDB: 7.1/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: N/A% Audience: 61%

notable quote: "Love is for grown up people."
story: three British girls take different routes toward love and happiness in the years before the Second World War
visuals: sumptuous and affecting
costumes, hair & makeup: gorgeous
acting: all right, not worth crowing about

intangibles: there is one well-matched couple here, and all of the others are dramatically and bitterly dysfunctional. Everyone treats each other terribly and then seem surprised when they're unhappy. 
overall: not recommended

The Professionals (1966) - "An arrogant Texas millionaire hires four adventurers to rescue his kidnapped wife from a notorious Mexican bandit."
Source: I borrowed the DVD from my parents' collection
I watched it because: Lee Marvin is diverting
IMDB: 7.3/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 88% Audience: 82%

notable quote: "'I trust you...'

'...I trust you, too.'"
story: weird, cheesy, convoluted
visuals: stark and dramatic, clearly shot on location
acting: Burt Lancaster (Bill Dolworth) is marvelous, and Lee Marvin (Rico Fardan) kicks some serious Western butt

intangibles: not your everyday adventure movie, but totally worth seeing
Academy Award nominee:
• Best Director

• Best Writing, Screenplay based on material from another source

• Best Cinematography, color
overall: recommended

[the title quotation is from Tombstone]