The Gilded Age

Charting the years of the Industrial Revolution in the United States, The Gilded Age delves into the lives and times of a country oscillating between traditional ways of life and the modern elements which get introduced as a result of mass mechanisation.

The Gilded Age is like a cinematic tableau that charts the events of the Industrial Revolution that changed the economic canvas of the country. While the rich got richer, mass mechanisation and faster production led to people being let off. Yet, the American people faced a widescale economic boost due to the corporate conglomerates taking centre stage.

Using 1882 New York as its setting, Julian Fellowes’ The Gilded Age is all about class and its intricate divisions. Hailing from a world of the evergreen Downton Abbey, Fellowes’ production was much-hyped, especially since this time around, he chose to go trans-Atlantic with the American period drama. The nine-episode series follows an American country during the enterprising years of The Industrial Revolution. Caught between the concepts of human manpower and mechanization, the series follows an America that was slowly and steadily growing in wealth and the nouveau riche being considered equal to (and sometimes more respectable) than erudite families with ancestral wealth.