Love for Lydia (1979) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)From September 23 to December 9 in 1979, watchers of Masterpiece Theatre were all excited over a dramatization of H.E. Bates' jazz-age novel, "Love for Lydia." The title character, played flawlessly by Mel Martin, was an utterly self-centered young girl, who was brought to live with two aged aunts (Rachel Kempson and Beatrix Lehmann) and their parasitic brother (a great characterization by Michael Aldridge). She wanted only to have men cater to her every whim ("I will hate you if you don't") and enjoy herself to the fullest.
For several evenings, I have been watching the DVD release of this 13-part series, now available from Acorn Media in a boxed set of 4 discs (AMP-8648) with a running time of 650 minutes. So vivid were the characters that my wife and I fell into a disagreement as to how likable several of them were. (I voted that some man would have done her a favor by telling her to get stuffed--as one of them finally does but too politely; my spouse thought she was a very sad character who deserved pity.) Such was the quality of the acting.
There is little plot but a good deal of character interaction. A would-be writer Edward Richardson (played by Christopher Blake) is a sullen creature, always misunderstanding motives, is jealously in love with Lydia and cannot see how much he is loved by the farm girl Nancy (Sherrie Hewson, looking very much like Shelley Winters in "A Place in the Sun"). Her brother Tom (Peter Davison) and Richardson's best friend Alex (Jeremy Irons) are drawn to Lydia, as is the seemingly anti-social but actually terribly shy taxi-driver Blackie (Ralph Arliss). Her enjoyment of being vied for leads to the death of one of them, possibly another by indirection, and her own bout with near death towards the end.
Mel Martin was quoted as saying, "She was an innocent, untutored in the ways of the world [and] behaved instinctively." I have yet to read the book to see how closely it follows the novel, but the scriptwriter, Julian Bond, pointed out that given 13 episodes, he had 50 minutes to devote to every 17 pages of the original. (In the Penguin paperback, the novel runs 301 pages, making that 23 pages per episode.) So there is lots of time for lingering on the English countryside, the 1920s dresses, the dances and music, and most of all the complex characters.
Grab this one as soon as you can and hold "Lydia" parties to see and discuss it all with your friends.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Love for Lydia (1979)

LOVE FOR LYDIA - DVD Movie

Get 10% OFF

Click here for more information about Love for Lydia (1979)

Read More...

The House of Eliott - Complete Collection Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I absolutely loved the entire series of The House of Elliot. I'm an all American who really enjoyed this British BBC series. Anyone who loves the 1920's, it's history, will be sure to like the two sister characters trying to succeed in the fashion world of high couture. Their small but lovely gem of a business is really quite inspiring. I loved how smart, how strong, yet vulnerable at times these two women are. Every episode is like looking through a glossy Vogue magazine, but with a good story. You can't help but become fond of the working class cloth beaders, seamstresses, and cutter who all work for The House of Elliot. There is something here for everyone. There is no vulgarity here, not to say that everyone is behaving well. Yes, there are hints and gossip of risque behavior. We watch the occasional love story develop and unfold within some of the characters. I'd be totally comfortable having my 11 year old daughter watching this with me. Why can't they make more of this great stuff!

Click Here to see more reviews about: The House of Eliott - Complete Collection

In stylish 1920s London, two beautiful sisters struggle to the top of the fashion world From the creators of Upstairs, Downstairs (Jean Marsh, Eileen Atkins) comes an addictive drama series set in the era of flappers and suffragettes. Louise Lombard (Hidalgo, CSI) and Stella Gonet (Nicholas Nickleby) star as Evangeline and Beatrice Eliott, sisters born into wealth and privilege who must support themselves after their profligate father dies and leaves them penniless. They have no education or training, just a passion for fashion design. As suitors try to woo them and scoundrels try to trip them up, they make independent, exciting lives for themselves and the women they employ in their house of haute couture. Seen on A&E, PBS, and BBC America. Winner of top awards for costume design, including an Emmy® and a BAFTA. DVD SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDE an exclusive interview with Louise Lombard, production notes, 1920s fashion background, photo gallery, and cast filmographies.

Get 13% OFF

Click here for more information about The House of Eliott - Complete Collection

Read More...

The Grand - Complete Collection (2008) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This is 15 hours (18 episodes) of delightful English storytelling that takes place just after WWI. You will be glad you have the complete series with no need to wait a week between each episode. Each segment builds upon the next drawing you into the story as though you are part of the family of The Grand hotel.
It ranks along side series giants like The Pallisers, The Barchester Chronicles, and Monarch of the Glen. Part of the reason might be that Susan Hampshire (3-Emmy winner) stars in all of those. She is outstanding in The Grand, playing Miss Harkness, a resident of the Grand, a prostitute, and proud of it. It takes a bit of acceptance, at first, seeing her as a lady of the evening,, instead of someone like Lady Glencora Palliser. Hampshire scores a perfect 10 for this performance.
Mrs. Harvey, played by Christine Mackie, is the Grand's head housekeeper. She acts and sounds quite like Gemma Jones in The Duchess of Duke Street. In my opinion, Mackie performs equally as fine with her character as Harness, as Jones did as the Duchess. She keeps the downstairs servants in tow and in their working class place--or tries to (similar to Upstairs, Downstairs). She and her counterpart, Mr. Jacob Collins, the hall porter (Tim Healy) are a huge part of the success of the stories linked together by the interconnected lives of the people who own, live and work at the Grand.
Marcus Bannerman (Mark McGann) is a ruthless owner you'll soon learn to love to hate.
It would take 18 reviews for the 18 episodes to tell the story. Since that is impossible, let me say there is something for everyone: romance, rape, costumes, sex, blackmail, lavish sets, arson, child selling, comedy, prostitution, murder, elegance, greed, gays, a hanging, class struggle, embezzlement, gossip, lust, child selling, and fun 20's music. If it's a sin or a pleasure, you'll encounter it through The Grand series. There are stories within a story. Overall it's about the Bannerman family (3 generations) and their attempt to save the Grand from failure. For some the cost it to high. For others, success will come at any cost necessary.
If you worry about the cost, divide the cost by the 18 episodes. Each one is a movie in itself and every segment is top notch. This is another of a long line of outstanding productions of British drama. The box calls it ADDICTIVE. That is TRUE.
That's the Pros. Now the Cons: The Grand ends with episode 18. You will want more.


Click Here to see more reviews about: The Grand - Complete Collection (2008)

Lust, greed, and gossip in a glamorous British hotel of the 1920s As the most opulent hotel in Manchester, England, during the decadent Roaring '20s, The Grand is more than a building. It's a nexus for schemes, scandals, romance, and intrigue. For owner John Bannerman, The Grand symbolizes a tradition of luxury and elegance begun by his father. For Marcus Bannerman, it becomes a risky investment and a way to entice his brother's wife into bed. And for the maids and porters employed there, it represents a possible escape from their hardscrabble past--and an endless source of backstairs gossip. Written by Russell T Davies (Casanova, Touching Evil) and featuring three-time Emmy®-winner Susan Hampshire, this is addictive period drama in the tradition of Upstairs, Downstairs and The Duchess of Duke Street. Divided by class and circumstance or tied together by love and loyalty, the myriad characters who populate The Grand prove unforgettable.

Get 13% OFF

Click here for more information about The Grand - Complete Collection (2008)

Read More...