The Grand - Series One: 2 Volume Gift Boxed Set Review

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(More customer reviews)"The Grand," a former Masterpiece Theatere presentation, is a classic costume drama in the tradition of fine British fare such as, "Upstairs, Downstairs" and "The Pallisers," but I personally feel "The Grand," which I'd never heard of but stumbled upon recently via DVD, is better than either of those BBC classics.
The scene is post-World World 1 Britian, and the family-run "Grand Hotel" has recently been restored to its former glory and is celebrating it's grand reopening on New Year's Eve. Unbeknownst to the Bannerman family, their business manager has lost the family money in speculation and, to embarassed to tell his friend and client, does away with himself during the party. (This all happens in the first three minutes of the movie, so I'm not giving anything away.)
From there "The Grand" takes off as the owner, John Bannerman, is forced to allow his sinister brother, who has a passion for the John's wife, Sarah, as well as ladies of questionable reput, to invest in the Grand to save her. But "The Grand" follows far more than that one family story. There is the new chambermaid whose dreams of living "above stairs" turns into a nightmare and John's misguided son, whose life has been forever altered by his involvement in the war. As has the existence of the stalwart and oh-so-proper hotel manager/head butler, who lost his son, under rather mysterious cicrumstances, in the war. Then there's the mysterious guest whose profession shocks the sensabilites of the Victorian owners and a host of other guests and staff members who populate "The Grand's" enchanting landscape.
This engrossing series even held my husband's attention, who usually rolls his eyes when I utter the words "British costume drama." Though he was reluctant to begin watching, after the first episode he was like, 'Is that it? This is great!' We actually watched the entire 8-hour mini-series in two evenings and he was as eager to find out "what happens next" as I was.

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Paradise Postponed/Titmuss Regained Review

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(More customer reviews)This was the best "Masterpiece Theatre" series in the 1980s - I can't wait to see it again. Following John Mortimer's novel closely, the plot revolves around a purplexing mystery: why has a saintly and steadfastly liberal vicar left his sizeable fortune to villainous Thatcherite cabinet minister Leslie Titmuss? All is revealed in as the series travels back several decades examining the tangled relationships between the middle class families of the Rapstone Valley and the working classes of Skurfield. The central mystery ultimately serves to illuminate how Britain has changed from the post-war period to the 1980s England of Margaret Thatcher.
The sequel "Titmuss Regained" is less sweeping but also bitterly amusing as cabinet minister Titmuss takes a bizarre detour from his political ambitions to attempt personal happiness and romantic love. Titmuss is an astounding fictional creation - Mortimer wrote a third "Titmuss" novel, "The Sound of Trumpets" - maybe someday the BBC will dramatize the last chapter in the life of this somehow loveable villain.

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When Hell Freezes Over, I'll Skate (Broadway Theatre Archive) (1979) Review

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(More customer reviews)This Vinnette Carroll production, brought to life by a talented 8-member troupe of singers and dancers, features a combination of poetry and song which reflects the African-American experience. Inspiring, at the same time that it is an indictment of the treatment black America endured over the ages, the production celebrates the ultimate triumph of the rich and varied African-American culture.
With music created and directed by Tony Award winner Cleavant Derricks and his twin brother Clinton Derricks-Carroll, the revue showcases the performers and their melodies and rhythms, rather than musical instruments. Hand-clapping, simple drums, and a single piano or sax often provide the only accompaniment.
Joyful and enthusiastic, the music ranges from early chants and marches, as in "When the Colored Band Comes Marching Down the Street," through folk dance, gospel, revival music, blues, and disco. The late Lynne Thigpen is the female anchor, doing a passionate blues solo, her voice a contrast to the soprano of Lynne Clifton-Allen, who "just spreads her mouth and shouts, 'Come to Jesus'" in a gospel song. Clevant Derricks is a powerful interpreter/singer throughout, as is his twin, Clinton Derricks-Carroll, whose stirring bass/baritone inspires both the live audience and the viewer.
The production contains almost as much poetry as it does music, with poems by Countee Cullen, Julian Bond, Nikki Giovanni, and Langston Hughes, among others, enacted by the talented cast. Sometimes humorous and satiric, the poems range from the elegantly expressed to the vernacular, always showcasing attitudes and events which have led to moments of triumph, including domestic triumph. Gracefully blending songs, dance, and poetry, the revue creates a moving and comprehensive tribute to the enduring spirit of Black America. As one singer attests, "You can't put out the fiery spirit [of] my soul." Mary Whipple


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The Rector's Wife (1994) Review

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(More customer reviews)THE RECTOR'S WIFE is one the most memorable British television productions from the 1990s. The lovely and accomplished Lindsay Duncan's understated, yet powerful performance as Anna Bouverie captures all the character's frustrations, disappointments and, finally, flowering in the wake of new love and the potential of a new life away from a loveless marriage and oppressive community. The film offers insightful comment about the nature of marriage and of the role of religion in modern society without being preachy or judgmental; if one chooses to ignore these themes, the film can just be enjoyed as fine, compelling drama. With Miss Duncan, there is fine support from the wonderful Stephen Dillane and from Ronald Pickup and, as always, Prunella Scales. Well worth repeated viewings.

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The deeply moving drama of one woman's rebellion against convention. Lindsay Duncan (Under the Tuscan Sun, A Year in Provence) delivers a formidable performance as Anna Bouverie, a 20th-century woman trapped in her role as a vicar's wife in the English village of Loxford. Arranging church socials, delivering the parish newsletter, and answering the rectory's endlessly ringing phone, Anna feels stifled by her marriage and her circumstances. "I married the man, not the job," she pleads. "I'm not an outboard motor. I'm another boat!"Anna's first tentative steps toward self-definition meet resistance from her increasingly distant husband as well as from patronizing parishioners. But when two other men in her orbit offer their support -and perhaps more-Anna must sort out their real motives and make her choices. Also featuring Miles Anderson, Stephen Dillane, Pam Ferris, Ronald Pickup, Joyce Redman, and Prunella Scales. As seen on Masterpiece Theatre. DVD SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDE Joanna Trollope bio and cast filmographies.

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Love in a Cold Climate (2002) Review

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(More customer reviews)Two episodes and approximately 2 to 2 1/2 hours is not enough time to do justice to Nancy Mitford's hilarious and moving novels The Pursuit of Love and Love in a Cold Climate. In this version so much of the humor and far too many of the characters are either eliminated or cut down sharply.
Nevertheless, given the time constraints this is a very fine adaptation. The main story concerns the love interests of three upper class young women in 1930s Britain: Fanny Logan (the narrator), Linda Radlett (the primary heroine who bounces from husband to husband to lover), and Polly Hampton (the enigmatic beauty who temporarily falls for an extremely distasteful older man). At that time girls from aristocratic families were expected to make their Society debuts at age 18 or so and marry by the time they were 21. Fanny, the most sensible of the trio, follows this path without any wrong turns and ends up with a husband she truly loves. Linda and Polly's vicissitudes lead them down many roads to tragedy in one case and final happiness in the other.
The series is beautifully filmed in England and France. Nancy Mitford's ancestral home Batsford Park stands in for the Radlett mansion, Alconleigh; while the magnificent Castle Ashby serves as Polly's enormous residence. In France similarly beautiful chateaus are used for Fabrice Sauveterre's homes. There is a real 1930s/1940s ambience throughout the series, particularly in the second episode set in the early years of World War II.
Although many of Mitford's funniest lines and scenes have not been included, there are some extremely amusing segments, such as a fur-coated Linda urging Londoners to join the Communist Party, or Sheila Gish's indomitable Lady Montdore's statement "hardly any of one's friends had even heard of India before we went there", or Uncle Matthew's emotional outbursts over Romeo and Juliet, or Fanny's aging socialite mother (The Bolter) arrival at Alconleigh with her Spanish lover.
There is also quite a bit of social commentary mixed in with the humor. The old landowning aristocracy is well represented by the Radletts and the Hamptons, and their encounters with nouveau riche types like the Kroesig family are a good depiction of the social changes going on in Britain during the early twentieth century. The Spanish Civil War scenes remind us that World War II's mass horrors are shortly to unfold.
So, even though this mini-series should have been much longer, it is still delightful and moving. If this is your first introduction to Nancy Mitford, by all means buy The Pursuit of Love and Love in a Cold Climate and read Linda, Polly, and Fanny's stories in their entirety.

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Based on Nancy Mitford's beloved novels The Pursuit of Love and Love in a Cold Climate-part thinly-veiled memoir, part biting satire, and part fascinating window on a vanished way of life-this witty drama from the BBC follows the romantic adventures of three young aristocrats in the decade between the wars. Starring British acting legends Alan Bates (Gosford Park), Celia Imrie (Bridget Jones's Diary), Sheila Gish (Mansfield Park), and Anthony Andrews (Brideshead Revisited), with young stars Rosamund Pike (Die Another Day), Elisabeth Dermot-Walsh (Bertie and Elizabeth), and Megan Dodds (Malice Aforethought). Providing an authentic backdrop are several English castles and country houses, including Batsford Park, home of the Mitford family from 1916 to 1919.

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The Politician's Wife (1996) Review

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(More customer reviews)The Politician's Wife plays out in three installments, each lasting a little over an hour. This playing time is needed to allow for the intricate plotting of this complex drama. In the first part Flora Matlock, wife of Tory minister and rising star Duncan Matlock, learns that her husband has been unfaithful to her. This infidelity is ironic given that Duncan represents the family in the conservative English government. At first Flora is surprised and angry. We watch as she packs her bags to leave her husband. Before she finishes her packing she gets pressure from all sides to support her husband. She gives in to the manipulations of the men who want to keep Duncan in power. A little later on Flora learns from Duncan's assistant that the affair with an escort girl, Jennifer Cairn, lasted for a year or so. She is given pictures and an audio tape documenting Duncan's infidelity.
In part two Flora, an exceptionally bright and capable woman, plots Duncan's downfall. Whenever she begins to question her motives, she listens to the audio tape to steel her in her resolve. Flora is as clever as Iago in Othello. We marvel at her political astuteness as she makes her plans and lays her traps for her husband, who deserves everything she does to him. In part three we hold our breath as she springs the trap and sets in motion a string of events that should keep all viewers watching closely to see what will happen next.
The Politican's Wife represents the best of television drama. The acting is first-rate by all participants, particularly Juliet Stepenson as Flora, Trevor Eve as Duncan, Ian Bannen, unfortunately now dead, as Sir Donald Frazier, confidant to Flora, and Minnie Driver as the escort girl. A large cast supports these principals superbly.
The story moves quickly and inexorably to the finale. The only mild violence in the plot happens in the bedroom as we watch Flora begin to take control over her wayward husband by playing to his many sexual weaknesses. Duncan is a manipulative villain and Flora is every bit his equal when it comes to scheming. Flora can lie and cheat with the best of the men who surround her.
Is lying ahd cheating what it takes to succeed in government? The Politician's Wife suggests that honesty is for losers and those on the fast track to political power need to learn to manipulate the system to their advantage if they are going to have any chance at success. The Politician's Wife demontrates dramatically that women are not the weaker sex -- quite the contrary. Highly recommended.


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When the tabloids scream the news that Minister of the Family Duncan Matlock has been caught in an affair with an "escort" girl, no one is more stunned than Flora, his wife. As her husband and the Tory establishment behind him expect, Flora maintains her loyal façade. But behind her public smiles, she seethes with mounting fury. Employing strange sexual games and covert political tactics, she plots to exact the ultimate revenge against her husband and the system that created him. This powerful, award-winning PBS drama stars Juliet Stevenson (Truly, Madly, Deeply; Bend It Like Beckham), Trevor Eve (In the Name of the Father), and Minnie Driver (Good Will Hunting, Grosse Pointe Blank). DVD SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDE background essay by writer Paula Milne and cast filmographies. "Splendidly wicked" -The New York Times "Smashing!" -TV Guide "A true PBS ‘Masterpiece'. . . a brilliant, incisive political potboiler"-Los Angeles Times

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Quills (2000) Review

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(More customer reviews)This review refers to the 20th Cent Fox DVD edition of "Quills"...
I can think of several films based on historical events or figures that do not follow the facts exactly, yet are enlightening, entertaining and are considered fine films as well. Two of recent times that come to mind immediatley are "The Hurricane" and "The Insider".These stories gave us an insight into events that we may not have known about or paid little attention to until the film burst onto the screen. Here we have another story that although was inspired by the life and the writings of the Marquis de Sade is clearly defined as an original work by writier Doug Wright.
In the late 18th century, we find Sade(Geoffrey Rush) committed to a mad house, as his literay works are so outrageously sexual and "sadistic", that he is accussed of inciting others to act out in evil ways. He, along with the other inmates, is cared for by the head of the asylum. a liberal priest, The Abbe du Coulmier(Joaquin Phoenix). Coulmier is a progressive thinker and allows Sade and the others artisitc freedoms within the confines of the asylum.
Sade has a passion for writing and is smuggling his provacative stories out with a beautiful young laundry maid(Kate Winslet) who has befriended him.They are published and all of France is is eager to read them. Napolean is appalled and appoints Dr. Royer-Collard (Michael Caine) to oversee the activities at the asylum. Collard's methods and thinking prove to be as cruel as any the Marquis could write about.
The Abbe trying to cooperate begins by taking away Sade's writing material, all his quills and ink, and eventually all of Sade's belongings. Sade becomes obsessed with wanting the freedom to write and goes to great extremes, using first wine, then his own blood and eventually other body excrements to accomplish what he feels is his right.
The more they try to stop him, the more obsessive he becomes. It is also interesting to note that, as these books became banned, the more the masses clamored for them.
Directed by Phillip Kaufman, this film has alot to offer and poses many questions to the viewer. It does not glorify the Marquis de Sade, nor does it make him the extreme villan. So was Sade a madman, or pioneer for freedom of speech? Can the freedom to write pornographic material incite others to act out their agressions? And if so, are these traits already within those persons? These are issues that are still prevalant today. The story of "The People vs Larry Flint" comes to mind as a more contemporary case.
The film is wonderfully made and acted.It is cutting edge and makes great use of the Marquis' wickedness, his wit and his prose. There are stories within stories.All the performances were exquiste and I especially thought Joaquin Phoenix's performance was outstanding. The cinematography and costumes add greatly to this period piece. Also adding their wonderful talents are Billie Whitelaw as Madame Le Clerc and Jane Menelaus as Renne Pelagie(Sade's wife). Jane is Geoffrey Rush's real life wife and their chemistry exudes on the screen.The movie was honored with Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor(Phoenix) form the National Board of Review.
There are some disturbing as well as some sexual scenes, so this film may not be for everyone.
A terrific DVD package. First of all it is a beautiful transfer. The film is presented in Anamorphic Widescreen(1.85:1) and is clear and sharp with excellent colors. Sound set-up gives the choice of 5.1 Surround or Stereo surround(Dolby)and everything is clear and distinct. There are 3 featurettes and some very enlightening commentary by the writer(Wright). It may be viewed in French(Stereo) and has subtitles in English and Spanish.
Was the Marquis de Sade a raving lunatic or a great literary figure? You decide....
Thanks and enjoy......Laurie
recommended reading:Marat/Sade also sold under the title:The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat As Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the Direction of The Marquis de Sade (or Marat Sade)(see my book review for details)

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Rush gives a tour-de-force performance as history's most infamous sexual adventurer, the Marquis de Sade.A nobleman with a literary flair, the Marquis lives in a madhouse where a beautiful laundry maid (Winslet) smuggles his erotic stories to a printer, defying orders from the asylum's resident priest (Phoenix).The titillating passages whip all of France into a sexual frenzy, until a fiercely conservative doctor (Caine) tries to put an end to the fun, inadvertently stoking the excitement to a fever pitch.

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Doctor Zhivago (TV Miniseries) (2003) Review

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(More customer reviews)It may be somewhat sacrilegious to admit this, but I actually prefer this production to the David Lean classic. That is an admission however that I do not take lightly, the Lean version having left an indelible impression on my younger life and the beautiful Lara's Theme having haunted me since I first saw the original version on television back in the 1980s.
No, when I sat down to watch this 2002 adaptation of the Boris Pasternak epic I was all prepared to be both disappointed and resistant to a newer version of the Omar Sharif/Julie Christie favorite - so what happened? Why am I now sitting here so impressed and involved in what should by all accounts be a poorer step child to the colorful, star-filled 1960s movie.
Simply put this movie has the advantage of time. A whole hour longer than the other movie that extra time gives the production of filling in some of the blanks that inhabited the original and more fully exploring the human relationships and interaction between characters. Matheson may not have the acting ability of Sharif but what he does have is the opportunity to more fully realize the character of Zhivago. In this sense this movie is more faithful to the source material and all the better for it.
Matheson plays the part of Zhivago, a man brought up in the shadow of tragedy who feels the pull of loyalty to his wife (and childhood friend) Tonya and a deep infatuation for Lara. With the violence of World War I and the Russian Revolution as a backdrop, Zhivago travels through life torn by conflict.
Less colorful than the original this mini-series compensates with a strong, well defined script and some star turning peformances by Sam Neill and one-time Bond girl Maryam D'Abo (as Lara's mother). Many have also dismissed Keira Knightley in her role as Lara, but I found her both competent and powerful in the role. I found myself both involved in her story and convinced by her portrayal - she was certainly a different Lara than the one depicted by Christie some four decades ago, but one no less realized or compelling. In fact, I would go as far as to say that Knightley's Lara is a more rounded character than Christie's, no doubt due to Knightley's impressive screen presence, but also the longer screentime afforded to her character.
One device I found both clever and interesting was real archive footage from the period that is woven into the story in a fascinating manner.
Included on this DVD is a text biography of author Boris Pasternak as well as over an hour of interviews with the cast. Prepared to be surprised by this DVD and be prepared to fall in love with a whole new version of the DOCTOR ZHIVAGO story.

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DOCTOR ZHIVAGO A man torn between two women amid the chaos and brutality of the Russian Revolution One of the world's most famous love stories and half a century of Russian history come to life in this adaptation of Pasternak's masterpiece by celebrated screenwriter Andrew Davies (Bridget Jones's Diary, Pride and Prejudice). War and revolution bring poet and physician Yury Zhivago (Hans Matheson) together with the beautiful Lara (Keira Knightley), his muse and all-consuming passion. But both are haunted--Yury by guilt over his betrayal of Tonya, his beloved wife, and Lara by fear of Komarovsky (Sam Neill), the powerful man who means to have her any way he can. DVD SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDE 70 minutes of cast and crew interviews, photo gallery, filmographies, Boris Pasternak biography, English subtitles. Complete UK broadcast edition RECOMMENDED FOR MATURE AUDIENCES

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