Broken Glass: Masterpiece Theatre (1996) Review

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(More customer reviews)This Mobil Masterpiece Theater production of an adapatation of Arthur Miller's play is a gripping look at both the dilemma of being Jewish in pre-war America, as well as a fascinating look at how fear can, literally, cripple a life.
The story revolves around a married Jewish couple, the Gellburgs, in Brooklyn in 1938. Mrs. Gellburg suddenly finds herself unable to move her legs, and becomes the patient of Dr. Hyman, played powerfully by Mandy Patinkin. Mr. Gellburg, in a way, also becomes the patient of Dr. Hyman as Mrs. Gellburg's diagnosis is revealed to be hysterical paralysis -- i.e., it's all in her head.
What Dr. Hyman is left to uncover about the Gellburgs, including both the extremely personal -- their marriage and their identity as Jews -- and the extremely impersonal -- the beginning of the torture and slaughter of Jews in Germany -- teaches great lessons about the choices we make in our lives; when to give in, when to stand up and say, "Enough." Fear can be either a force for change, or an excuse to avoid the inevitable pains of life.
I highly recommend this serious and thought-provoking drama; it provides much food for thought for people of any age or situation.

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Into the Blue (Masterpiece Theatre) (1997) Review

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(More customer reviews)For those who know John Thaw as the prickly Inspector Morse, you will enjoy this mystery almost as much as an episode of Morse. British mysteries do tend to be more involved than others and it is probably not a good idea to try and watch this one while you are catching up on your Spanish homework. All in all a enjoyable viewing. I only wish it was available on DVD.

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The Golden Bowl (1972) (3pc) (1973) Review

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(More customer reviews)Henry James' last novel, "The Golden Bowl," is a long work in which very little overt action occurs. The plot is basically as follows. After a long and intense love affair is over between a penniless Prince Amerigo and the beautiful Charlotte, they meet again just as he is ready to marry the American millionairess Maggie Verver. Maggie and her father Adam are very close knit; and as marriage will not seem to separate them for long, Charlotte gets Adam to propose. And so begins one of the most interesting menage a quatre in fiction.Published in 1904, the theme of adultery had to be handled with kid gloves; and this is where James is a master. When in 1972 it was dramatized and taped for the BBC (and then over here as a "Masterpiece Theater" presentation), the subtlety and ambiguity of the original had to be retained. So now that it has been made available by Acorn Media as a boxed set, we do not get to see as much as bare leg, let alone what some of the recent film versions would have offered by way of nudity. Indeed by never showing any of the amorous goings on between Amerigo and Charlotte, one can even begin to wonder if Maggie's suspicions--so long in being aroused--are actually justified.To replace the omniscient narrator of the novel, this adaptation gives us the urbane Bob Assingham (Cyril Cusack) who starts and ends each episode looking into the camera and telling us the story as he knows it. But what he knows is only what his wife Fanny (Kathleen Byron) tells him has happened. Of course, one might wonder, then, how he could know every word of dialogue that took place in Fanny's absence--but let us not quibble over technicalities.As the narrator tells us right off, this is a story not of what was said but of what was not said. At no time in the 6 episodes that make up this taped version does any character say what is really important until Maggie (Jill Townsend) finally confronts her husband and winds up simply stalemated. "No one must know" is the motto of the times and of the class of people with whom we are dealing.The acting is superb. Barry Morse (whom you might remember was the remorseless policeman pursuing The Fugitive many years ago on television) is a sympathetic Mr. Verver, too good to suspect the truth or to show he knows it when he finally does. Daniel Massey's Prince shows just the right balance between continental mores and those of the uptight upperclasses of England and America. Jill Townsend looks just fragile enough while she suffers immensely without batting an eyelash except for two moments of release during the 270 minutes of this dramatization.Gayle Hunnicut gives us a Charlotte who is not evil, who suffers ultimately more than any of the others, but who is simply in love and will not compromise. Kathleen Byron's Fanny never is reduced to caricature. Feeling responsible for introducing Maggie to the Prince, she tries to make amends by interfering and then lying about what she thinks. I am sure many of us can relate to her motivation and she emerges as a more sympathetic character, in a way, than do any of the others. And Cyril Cusack is just a joy, both as narrator and as something of a Richard Bucket to his socially motivated wife. I have to leave to my betters to find how closely this follows the original novel; but on its own terms this Acorn Media release is compelling drama and quite a treat for those who would appreciate some intelligent "adult treatment of adult themes" without the adolescent soft porn which that phrase usually implies. The three tapes hold two episodes each and are neatly boxed. Just the sort of thing you will want to see once a year to clear the mind and perhaps see yourself more objectively afterward.

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In his last great novel, Henry James crafted perhaps his richest study of manners and morals.A wealthy American collector and his daughter innocently marry a pair of former lovers who are disposed to continue their intrigue.The fate of the four turns on a beautiful but flawed object-the golden bowl. This classic BBC adaptation takes viewers into the great dwellings of turn-of-the-century England and the lives of Henry James' richly drawn characters.Cyril Cusack (My Left Foot) performs the role of narrator to droll perfection.Also starring Daniel Massey (In the Name of the Father), Gayle Hunnicutt (A Woman of Substance), and Jill Townsend (Poldark).

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Bleak House (2005) Review

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(More customer reviews)For once, I am happy to find a remake of a fine old Masterpiece Theatre offering that is as good as the original. "Bleak House" is currently available on an DVD with Diana Rigg as the most familiar name; and except for some incomprehensible line readings by a young character named Joe, it is a very good account of the Dickens novel. Having already appeared on Public Television, the remake has Gillian Anderson (yes, the one from "X-Files") as Lady Dedlock, and a cast of 80 speaking roles, many of which are played by actors that will send you searching the cast listings that go by too quickly at the end of each episode.The eight parts will be shown so that the first and last will run two hours and the four in between an hour each. I found the complex plot actually easier to follow in this version than I did in the earlier one. And while I prefer Rigg to Anderson, I think I can easily recommend this new adaptation over the other.The story--lawyers will hate it--involves the infamous Court of Chancery in which disputes over estates can be buried for years until the lawyers' fees make further legalizing unnecessary. Against this background, the case of Jarndyce vs. Jarndyce being a major part of it, we have the story of John Jarndyce (Denis Lawson), his ward Ada (Carey Mulligan), her companion Esther (Anna Maxwell Martin), and Ada's beloved Richard (Patrick Kennedy).The latter becomes obsessed with the case, while Esther becomes involved in the mysterious past of Lady Dedlock, who happens to recognize the handwriting on some legal documents delivered by the utterly immoral family solicitor Tulkinghorn (Charles Dance). I will not reveal any more of the plot, lest it spoil your enjoyment. You will wind up guessing much of it, but it is a lot of fun--unless you are a lawyer.Peripheral to the plot are the usual cast of Dickens "characters": Krook the junkman (Johnny Vegas) who finds some incriminating letters (and dies the strangest death in all fiction), Smallweed the moneylender (Phil Davis) who cannot walk by himself and must be "shaken up" by his weird niece every few minutes and who gets the letters, and Miss Flite ( Pauline Collins) who looks forward to "judgment day" when her case will finally be settled and she can set her birds free.Most interesting of all is the policeman Bucket (Alun Armstong), the first real detective in English fiction. Although he looks like a toady for the rich, he does his job and does it well, solving a murder case and being considerate to a certain lady who would suffer if her connection with the case should come out.Of course, the arm of coincidence in Dickens is a long one; and while a good deal of the plot does strain credulity, the acting and period ambience are of the highest level. The only thing that annoyed me was the director segmenting his "establishing shots" (exterior views of buildings to let us know where we are) into two or three rapid cuts with some electronic "whoosh" for each one. Pretentious and irritating after the first dozen or so.


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An all-star cast comes together to bring to life some of Dickens?s most famous creations. There is the icily beautiful Lady Dedlock (Gillian Anderson), who faces the revelation of her dark past once Mr. Tulkinghorn, her husband?s sinister lawyer, catches wind of it. Then there?s Esther, whose own background, shrouded in mystery, begins to come to light after the murder of a strange man. Adopted by the kindly John Jarndyce, Esther acts as chaperone to wards Ada and Richard. But will the passionate young love of Ada and Richard survive Richard?s obsession with Jarndyce and an obscure legal case which seems to have no resolution in sight and threatens to destroy all who become entangled in it?

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Berkeley Square (1998) Review

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(More customer reviews)What a great series! I had never before seen it on television and, loving period pieces as I do, decided to make the purchase. It was worth every penny! My sister, who also loves period pieces, came over. Together, we hunkered down and proceeded to watch the entire series in one sitting, all eight and a half hours of it. We were positively riveted to the screen, so engrossing and well acted is the series.
The series centers around three young women, Mattie, Lydia, and Hannah, brought by fate to posh Berkley Square in turn of the twentieth century London. All three work in households where they are employed as nannies. All three meet and become fast friends.
Mattie is a an experienced nanny, who was brought up in the tough East End of London and, consequently, is firmly capable of holding her own. She works for a family that is on the unpleasant side with two children, a boy and a girl. The boy is a positive little beast, and the household is run by a crafty and cunning housekeeper. Mattie's benign and pleasant, baby faced countenance, however, belies a will of iron. She most certainly can take care of herself and hold her own with this motley crew.
Lydia, the fresh faced and naive country girl, works for a wonderful family, as assistant to a nanny who is like an old family retainer. She watches over the baby, the first child of her employer's second wife, who is an American with modern, egalitarian views. The only blight on her existence, is the grown, handsome son from her employer's first marriage.
Hannah has a more unusual history, as she is an unwed mother. She worked as a lady's maid for one of Yorkshire's first families. A love affair with her employer's handsome, only son leads to the birth of their illegitimate son. When her child's father unexpectedly dies, she and her child are forced to flee Yorkshire. She ends up in London, where a chance meeting with Lydia finds her accepting employment in a household in Berkley square, working with the nanny from hell.
The series revolves around their experiences and that of the families for whom they work. Over time, the threads of their lives are woven in such a way that they make for an intriguing tapestry of events. Very well acted, with engaging performances by all, and first rate production values, this is a series well worth having in one's collection and is recommended to all who love a well made, period piece.

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Tess of the d'Urbervilles (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)That haunting song has been stuck in my head ever since I saw this four-part BBC miniseries. It was a stroke of genius to incorporate this folk tune into the soundtrack (composed by Rob Lane), which sums up the mood and aura of this tragic tale of a young woman wronged so unjustly by two men. Gemma Arterton is wonderful as Tess Durbeyfield, probably Thomas Hardy's most well-loved heroine, exploited by her ignorant parents into claiming noble heritage and discarded by 19th century society. Hans Matheson is Alec Stoke-d'Urberville, the wealthy cad who violates her, unknowingly impregnates her with a child who doesn't survive babyhood and later comes back into her life as a supposedly reformed preacher. Eddie Redmayne is Angel Clare, the seemingly kind-hearted and tolerant parson's son who wins Tess's love but proves to be just as hypocritical as his religious family and his actions bring Tess to despair. As in most Hardy tales, tragedy looms a large shadow over the lives of his characters.
Arterton's Tess is matched perfectly by Matheson's Alec, who is given more depth than any of the earlier film adaptations. The dark and tormented essence gives you the sense how doomed these two characters really are - their actions and words toward each other leads to their downfall. Unfortunately, the same cannot be applied to Redmayne's Angel, who looks befuddled and lost more than half the time. There is a rushed directorial pace in the second installment that hurts the romantic appeal between Tess and Angel, and the love story element seems a bit forced as a result. Because of that, I didn't get the appeal of Angel in this one, or why Tess and her fellow dairymaids were in love with him, or why Tess takes the desperate course of action in order to get him back. Some of the modern dialogue used did take away from the affect of the story, and Redmayne seemed to have a hard time keeping up with Arterton performance-wise. Redmayne redeemed himself somewhat in the final episode but for the most part I was unimpressed with him. However, director David Blair must take some of the criticism, as the hurried scenes to establish the "romance" seemed to skim over the parts of the novel that gave the lovers the attachment to one another that eventually leads Angel to see the error of his ways and beg his wife's forgiveness. I was anticipating Alec's return so much that I found myself not really caring if Angel came back for Tess or not. In sharp contrast, the 1998 A&E/London Weekend Television production had me rooting for Tess and Angel's reunion even though I was aware of the outcome. I was so taken by Angel in that one, whereas here I found nothing in him to be slightly attractive or romantic. I sympathized with Tess completely and neither man deserved her, but at least in the other version and the novel I could see why she loved Angel and longed for him to return to her. I found myself almost rooting for Alec (I never thought I'd say that), because Matheson was so compelling and magnetic and he and Arterton generated such electricity, I couldn't take my eyes off them. Alec's fleeting conversion to Christianity and his sermon in the tent that Tess stumbles upon is foreshadowing of the path these two ill-fated characters will end up on. The moment he lays eyes on her again, his fatal attraction and twisted love for her resurfaces and consumes him, and Tess finds herself increasingly helpless to refuse his help after her father dies and her family is left destitute. Alec's wealth is the only way he can possess her and he is aware of that, but he is willing to get her the only way he can, only to discover that fate does indeed play a vengeful hand. It was also nice to see Tess revisiting her child's grave and placing fresh flowers upon it; her deeply felt sense of loss and rejection by both the church and her village is searingly devastating because it becomes all the more clear that she is victim of both society (in which women had few advantages) and fate. Having said that, Tess and Angel's reunion did not have the emotional impact it should have had, the sex scene was unnecessary, but the Stonehedge sequence was an emotional powerhouse for Arterton, as was the climax of her walking off to her fate with her signature tune heard wistfully in the background. The supporting cast was in top form, and while the cinematography was lovely, it could have emphasized far more considering how important landscape is in Hardy's work, as both the 1998 two part program and Roman Polanski's 1979 film have demonstrated. As a four-part miniseries, it had the opportunity to include more scenes from the novel and insight into character, particularly Angel, which would have helped the plot a great deal. However, it was good to see the mausoleum scene and the ending was heartbreaking and moving, although my tears were for Tess, her sister Liza-Lu, and, dare I say it, even Alec, but I felt nothing for Angel (although Redmayne's tearful breakdown was by far his best moment).
On the whole, this was a very good presentation, my second favorite version and very much worth seeing. Arterton and Matheson give tour-de-force portrayals; it would be great if they would co-star again, some have suggested as Cathy and Heathcliff in "Wuthering Heights" - I could definitely see that. And that song will linger on in your memory long after the final credits have rolled, as will the rest of the score.


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A passionate, sensual and very modern version of Thomas Hardy's infamous novel, combining young, upcoming acting talent with recognisable and much-loved faces. When the beautiful and innocent Tess Durbeyfield is driven by family poverty to claim kinship with the wealthy D'Urbervilles and seek a portion of their family fortune, meeting the manipulative Alec proves to be her downfall. Starring Gemma Arterton (James Bond: Quantum of Solace), Eddie Redmayne (The Other Boleyn Girl) and Hans Matheson (The Tudors).

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Wuthering Heights (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)Director Coky Giedroyc provides the newly thrice-spliced Masterpiece Theatre with a two and a half-hour remake of Emily Bronte's Gothic classic, "Wuthering Heights (Signet Classics)" that adequately depicts the passionate love/hate relationship made famous by Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff for readers since 1847.
I have not had the pleasure of rereading the novel for a few years, but this adaptation seems remarkably true to the overall spirit of the story. It includes the two generations of Earnshaws and Lintons most noticeably removed from the 1939 film version starring Lawrence Olivier as Heathcliff and Merle Oberon as Catherine (Wuthering Heights 1939 Classic Black and White with Original Theatrical Trailer (Import, All-Region)). The non-linear time sequencing of the film's plot mirrors the timeline of the novel; the only real difference here is the absence of the novel's first person narrators, Mr. Lockwood (Heathcliff's tenant) and Nellie (housekeeper of both Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange). Giedroyc's version employs a third person technique in both the flashback and present day storyline to retell the Earnshaw/Linton history rather than rely on the biased comments of Bronte's storytellers.
Lockwood's absence also means the sequence of events revolving around the apparition of Catherine's ghost does not move the plotline. Instead the opening scene treats us to a vengeful Heathcliff, manipulating his sickly son Linton's marriage to the second generation Catherine, daughter of Edgar and his love. In fact, the entire aspect of the supernatural is not touched upon in the film as intensely as in the novel. Heathcliff yearns for his dead companion, and participates in a ghoulish digging up of Catherine's corpse. In a fantastic feat of cinematography the audience is privy to two vantage points: Heathcliff's vision of her--young and fully fleshed as if alive--and then the gruesome reality seen from behind Heathcliff's back--Catherine's decomposing skull. This film emphasizes the real and the gritty rather than the ethereal.
Similarly, it includes some passionate and psychologically intense moments that add carnality to the overall telling of the story that fits well with and enhances the wild emotions portrayed by Bronte. Heathcliff and his Catherine consummate their love on the moors; Edgar desperately makes love to Catherine in their marriage bed and Heathcliff commands that his wife not look at him as he takes her after their impromptu elopement. Somehow these moments add drama and needed adult content and motivation to what the other adaptations skirted around. When Heathcliff realizes that his woman has slept with Edgar, his anger boils over with helpless indignation. He wants revenge and after witnessing his closeness to Catherine, the audience sees him more as a jilted second choice despite his accomplishment; the face of the gypsy orphan still stares back at him.
Not that actor Tom Hardy resembles a gypsy in any way. His incontrollable mop of dark brown hair flops annoyingly onto his face; it definitely could use a trim or a ribbon holding it away. Nevertheless, he does the character of Heathcliff and the Byronic hero justice; he most decidedly reigns supreme in the scenes in which he participates. His passion seems almost Pilate-controlled from a steel core that is both practical and functional within the constraints of his world. However, like the novel's character, he loses himself frequently with a cynic's paranoia that lashes out with the intent to destroy whatever is in its path.
Cathy, on the other hand, as portrayed by Charlotte Riley has a feral beauty that aptly suggests the novel's heroine. However, Riley's Catherine has been "de-bratted"; the novel depicts Cathy with a nasty selfish streak while this Masterpiece Presentation shows us a confused child/woman that indeed does what she chooses but then seems at odds with the results.
Isolation plays a big part in Bronte's novel. However, this film fills the screen with an assemblage of others that makes the entire presentation more real. Rather than just the dire foursome and their progeny, villagers, church-goers, barroom card players and fighting children add authenticity to the period and in comparison more starkness to the actual footage shot on the moors.
Bottom Line? The 2009 presentation of "Wuthering Heights" created for Masterpiece Theatre Classics smolders with a raw sexuality and practical strength that will probably not please most purists. Nevertheless, the film's team put together a good adaptation that brings the feel of the novel to life without imitating other film presentations of the past. Recommended.
Diana Faillace Von Behren
"reneofc"


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Masterpiece Theatre: The Bronte Collection (1944) Review

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(More customer reviews)I already have the inital 2006 version of Jane Eyre with no extras so thought I could justify another purchase to get the commentary and star interviews. The truth is I wanted to see and hear more of Toby Stephens. Anyway, the interviews were quite good. The lead actors, director and writer all gave very interesting insights into their ideas for character and motivation. There is also running commentary on the first and fourth sections of the movie with all kinds of background info about locations, actor struggles, weather, you name it. Very entertaining except for the fact that my copy has the sound slightly out of synch for the movie running behind the commentary. I haven't watched Wuthering Heights yet but am disturbed by the other reviewer's remark of a rape by Heathcliff. Bottom line: extras or no extras, this is a GREAT movie with enough passion and heart to please anyone looking for a timeless story well told. The best version of Jane Eyre ever and Toby Stephens as Mr. Rochester is sublime.

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Lost Empires (3 DVD Set) Review

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(More customer reviews)Granada Television's 1986 "Lost Empires" is a series that proves that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Starring a sullen young Colin Firth, this eight-hour, three DVD set has held a place in my heart for the last 16 years. It was with much anticipation then that I opened this package and watched it anew with my family. Would it stand the test of time? Was it as great as I recalled?
Based on the novel by JB Priestley, LE chronicles the adventures of young Richard Herncastle (Firth), an aspiring landscape painter, who in 1913 accepts an offer from his hard-nosed Uncle Nick (John Castle II) to join his magic act and tour the great `empire halls' on England.
Uncle Nick promises "I'll show you the world lad!" In the process young Richard gets more than he bargained for in the way of life adventures. . Firth's Herncastle finds himself thrown together with magicians, dwarfs, sad-sack comedians, flirty torch-song singers, suffragettes and aging Sir Lawrence Olivier. And he also quickly becomes the lightning rod that somehow touches all their lives.
The first half of LE, featuring Sir Lawrence Olivier as pathetic comedian Harry Barrard, Carmen du Sautoy as sultry Julie Blaine, John Castle's riveting Uncle Nick and Beattie Edney as love interest Nancy Ellis is where Lost Empires shines! We feel the whole world opening up for Richard as he is torn between Nancy and Julie. Every night this travelling company performs authentic song and dance numbers as we see World War I looming in the background.
Of special note is John Castle. Playing master illusionist "Ganga Dun" Castle's Nick Ollanton creates a character so vivid and steely that he virtually steals the DVD.
The second half of LE slows down a bit after young Richard has learned a few life lessons the hard way. The vibrant personalities of first half give way to more outrageous, less believable ones.
The DVD transfer is what you'd expect from most Granada product of the 80's: film grain is a bit much, but the colors are good, and I quickly "saw beyond" the grain of film. The sound is actually quite clear and vibrant with a large dynamic range. I frequently was "riding" the volume control to back off the volume when the director cut from quiet dialog scenes to the Empire performance scenes. There is no info booklet to speak of with the three discs which was a bit of a letdown (Brideshead Revisited ships with a rather informative booklet by contrast.) ...
If however you are looking for a group of clearly drawn characters desperate to hold onto a way of living, performing and loving as "The New World" is about to crush them under war and the onset of "talking movies" then LE is for you. If you've got the dough to spare, get it. If you're unsure, pick up Brideshead Revisited instead.
Me, I'm happy now that my "Masterpiece Theater" DVD shelf contains the three things I've always wanted: Brideshead, Prime Suspect and now Lost Empires.

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Aristocrats (1999) Review

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(More customer reviews)"I remained convinced that our prestigious family with its significant connections could still hold sway over history." Thus spake Emily, Duchess of Leinster, in 1798, shortly before her son, the notorious and dashing Irish revolutionary, Edward Fitzgerald, was executed for the murder of a British soldier. The world they knew was rapidly changing, and, indeed, there was little, if *anything*, the Duchess or her aristocratic family held sway over anymore, except each other. But a few short years before, she and her sisters were among the most admired and privileged women on earth. The five sisters, Caroline, Emily, Louisa, Sarah and Cecilia, were the great-granddaughters of Charles II with his mistress, Louise de Keroualle, the Duchess of Portsmouth. Their grandfather, the king's illegitimate son, was Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond. His son, also Charles, became the 2nd Duke of Richmond. The 2nd Duke married an Irish woman, of whose backround, both were deeply ashamed of and desperately tried to conceal. When their eldest daughter Caroline, an intelligent woman with a thirst for sophisticated pleasures, eloped with Henry Fox, 1st Baron Holland, the Duke and Duchess were mortified at her insubordination - marrying a politician against the wishes of her father brought swift judgement upon Caroline, and she was banished from her family. Caroline missed her family greatly and grieved over their estrangement, but from her home, Holland House (the same one on the Holland House liquor labels), she kept discreet correspondence with her sisters. When second eldest daughter, Emily, begged her parents to allow her to marry James Fitzgerald, 20th Earl of Kildare, an Irish statesman, the parents were aghast at the possibility of Irish blood (re-)entering their bloodline, but fearing another estrangement, they agreed to the marriage, partially because it was evident that the Earl deeply loved Emily, and partially because the Earl was extraordinarily wealthy. She had a son, Edward Fitzgerald, a celebrated United Irishman, whose dedication to Irish freedom would have been incomprehensible to his grandparents. Louisa, the third sister, married Thomas Conolly, a kind and loving man, had a brood of children and lived happily ever after. Fourth sister, Sarah, married badly, had an affair, a baby, a divorce, and complete social ostracism all in short order. Fifth sister, Cecilia, died in her teens. There was also a brother who became 3rd Duke of Richmond.
Meticulously adapted from Stella Tillyard's masterpiece by the same name, *Aristocrats* is a story of magnificent scope and grandeur, but told without the usual gassy adoration of the British upper class. Its basis is not embellished reports and embroidered tales, but the massive archives of correspondence and household and historical records left behind by these women. It is as much a story of the sisters' love for each other and their families, as it is a historical drama, but the viewer never forgets that it is through the eyes of these women that we see the epic unfold. As with many epics, it makes short work of some of history's more momentous occasions, but that serves to keep the story focused on the sisters. The production values are top notch. With an excellent screenplay by Harriet O'Carroll, superb direction, and outstanding craftsmanship throughout, *Aristocrats* is as splendid a production as it is a story.

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Decades of history unfold in a dazzling saga of privileged lives and sisterly devotion As seen on Masterpiece Theatre With characters, drama, and romance vivid enough for a masterwork of fiction, this story is all the more fascinating because it is true. Based on Stella Tillyard's acclaimed biography that "made history sexy again" (London Sunday Times), it paints an intimate portrait of 18th-century upper-class life in England and Ireland through the eyes of four beautiful high-born sisters. Caroline, Emily, Louisa, and Sarah Lennox were great-granddaughters of a king, daughters of a cabinet minister, and wives of politicians and peers. Well-educated, strong-minded, and distinctly individual, they take charge of their own lives, tempting scandal with their unconventional ideas about love, marriage, education, and fidelity. Starring Serena Gordon, Geraldine Somerville, Anne-Marie Duff, Jodhi May, Siân Phillips, Alun Armstrong, and Julian Fellowes in a sumptuous BBC production.

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The Elizabeth Gaskell Collection (Wives and Daughters / Cranford / North and South) (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)"North & South" alone is reason enough to buy this dvd collection. This coupled with two other period drama powerhouses "Wives & Daughters" and "Cranford" makes this a collection that any period drama/classics/romance fan should be without. These dramas by author Elizabeth Gaskell represent the finest that BBC drama has to offer.
** "North & South" is the spectacular adaptation of the novel that centers on John Thornton (who represents the industrial north) and Margaret Hale (who represents the idyllic, agricultural south). Theirs is a war of words, cultures and personalities as Margaret Hale (Daniela Denby Ashe) and her family struggle to adapt to life in the dirty, noisy, mill town of Milton after a carefree, comfortable life in the southern town of Helstone. There her family meets manufacturer John Thornton (played by the unforgettable Richard Armitage) and his family and it is dislike-at-first-sight for Margaret. She finds Mr. Thornton a rough, proud and haughty man who treats his employees with disdain. Mr. Thornton, however, is instantly smitten with the outspoken and fearless Margaret. But as Margaret gradually learns to appreciate Mr. Thornton, events take place that threaten to divide them from each other forever.
** "Wives and Daughters" is the story of young Molly Gibson (Justine Waddell) and her widowed father (Bill Paterson). Molly lives a carefree life, until her father remarries and brings home his new wife, Hyacinth (Francesca Annis). She and her lovely daughter Cynthia (Keeley Hawes) bring change and sometimes chaos to the Gibson's lives and Molly finds herself in competition with Cynthia for the affections of Roger Hamley (Anthony Howell), the son of the local squire (Michael Gambon). We soon find that all is not as it seems and long-kept secrets are unearthed which threaten the love lives and reputations of both Molly and Cynthia.
** The splendid "Cranford" starring a bevy of British acting greats led by Judi Dench, Michael Gambon, Eileen Atkins, Francesca Annis and Imelda Staunton. The story centers around the locals in the sleepy town of Cranford, where everyone makes it their business to know everything about their neighbors. Their lives are turned topsy turvy when a handsome young doctor (Simon Woods) with new ideas arrives and rumors of the railroad threaten to destroy their idyllic town. This is truly an ensemble cast, as all stories intermingle and each character makes an impact of the lives of others in the town. Judi Dench and Eileen Atkins play the Jenkyns sisters; Lisa Dillon play their cousin Mary Smith; Deborah Findlay and Selena Griffiths play the Tomkinson sisters; Imelda Staunton is the quirky and nosy Miss Pole; Barbara Flynn is the elegant Mrs. Jamieson; Julia Sawalha is the quiet spinster Jessie Brown and Jim Carter is her outspoken father; Francesca Annis plays the haughty and aristocratic Lady Ludlow; Greg Wise plays her cousin Sir Charles Maulver; Phillip Glenister plays Lady Ludlow's land agent, Mr. Carter; and Alex Etel is a young man that Mr. Carter takes on.
What sets these apart from other costume dramas is the consistency of the acting, the high production values, the compelling stories, and memorable characters. I dare you not to feel John Thornton's pain as he says "Look back at me" as he watches Margaret climb up the carriage on her way back to London, or Harry Gregson's pain as he says goodbye to a beloved mentor, or the thrill as Roger Hamley sees Molly's transformation at the Cumnor's ball. These are wonderful stories that you will want to watch over and over, which make this dvd collection an absolute gem.

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The Buccaneers (1995) Review

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(More customer reviews)My sister and I adore this mini-series which was shown in Masterpiece Theater many years ago. Anyone who enjoys turn-of-the-century films such as The Age of Innocence, House of Mirth, The Golden Bowl, A Room With A View and Howard's End or stories of the Astors and Vanderbilts will find themselves enraptured with this tale of 4 beautiful American women who find themselves being courted by sons of the British nobility.
In the center of the story are Nan (Carla Gugino) and Virginia St. George (Alison Eliott), and their friends Conchita Closson (Mira Sorvino) and Lizzy Elmsworth (Rya Kihlstedt) - four young women living in turn-of-the-century America, when social status and wealth were the most important considerations in a woman's life (these were the days of the Astors and Vanderbilts, after all). Early in the story we find Conchita married to Lord Marable and begins her new life with the English nobility. Spurned in Newport and New York social circles because they are considered "new money," Nan, Virginia and Lizzy travel to England to visit Conchita and hopefully try their luck there. With the help of 2 enterprising older women, they soon become the toast of the town and are courted by many handsome, wealthy young men. Virginia and Lizzy vie for the attentions of Lord Seadown (Mark Tandy) who is not quite what he seems. Nan is pursued by the humble but ambitious Guy Thwaite (Greg Wise from "Sense and Sensibility") and the wealthy and reserved Julius, the Duke of Trevenick (James Frain).
The mini-series offers beautiful scenery and costumes, great acting from members of the cast (including veterans Cherie Lunghi, Jenny Agutter, Michael Kitchen and Rosemary Leach) and a thoroughly engaging story. I loved the fantastic mansions, palaces and castles in Newport and England alike and the wonderful intertwining of the American and British sensibilities in the plot. It has "one foot in America and another foot in England," as Masterpiece Theater narrator Russell Baker aptly explains. I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys top-notch romance/drama!

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Deemed nouveau riche and shunned by elitist New York society, sisters Nan and Virginia St. George, along with their friends Lizzy Elmsworth and Conchita Closson (Academy Award winner Mira Sorvino), try their luck in London. The girls' New World spontaneity and impertinence constitute nothing less than a social invasion of Old World society and they soon find themselves courted by a coterie of fascinated admirers. But as the old and new worlds come to clash, something has to give.

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The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1997) Review

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(More customer reviews)While not wholly faithful to Anne Bronte's novel of the same name, this BBC adaptation has much to commend it. Excellent cinematography, as well as strong performances by the entire cast, makes this a must see production for all lovers of period pieces.
An intriguing widow woman of mystery, Helen Graham (Tara Fitzgerald), moves into a crumbling residence known as Wildfell Hall. There, she sets up house with her very young son. Plain spoken, independent, and seeming to lack charm, she rebuffs the initial, friendly overtures of the local townsfolk and manages to alienate most of them. Gilbert Markham (Toby Stephens), a young and handsome yeoman farmer, is not put off by her manner, however, and being smitten by her, pursues her, hoping to gain her affections. Soon, however, the townsfolk begin gossiping about her supposed assignations with a wealthy, local gentleman, Mr. Lawrence (James Purefoy), the owner of Wildfell Hall. There comes a point where even the steadfast Mr. Markham wavers in his belief in her. It is then that Mrs. Graham tells him the true nature of her relationship with Mr. Lawrence and reveals her dark past.
Rupert Graves steals the show as Arthur Huntingdon, the charming rake who captures and seduces Helen's young, romantic heart. Once married to her, however, he reveals himself to be a brutish, dissolute, and depraved philanderer, who causes her to flee their home with their young son. The role of Huntingdon is, undoubtedly, the juiciest. The film uses the narrative contrivance of flashbacks in order to explain the events that led Helen to take the extraordinary measures that she did. It tells the viewer of the sad story that brought Helen and her son to this sorry pass. Ultimately, Helen takes the high road, when an event occurs that causes her past to collide with her present. In that decision, however, lies the key to her future.
Toby Stephens is wonderful as the yeoman farmer, whose tender heart is captured by the beautiful Helen. Tara Fitsgerald, while indeed beautiful, plays the role of Helen a tad too harshly, which, while serving to alenate the townsfolk, serves also to alienate the viewer somewhat. Even though the flashbacks serve to explain her present manner, and the viewer sees her in happier days, Helen is still not as simpatico a character as she could or should be. Still, this is a handsome, though somewhat dark and somber production that those who love period pieces will appreciate and enjoy.

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Rupert Graves, Toby Stephens and Tara Fitzgerald star in this Peabody Award and BAFTA winning BBC Adaptation of the Anne Brontë novel. Powerful, haunting and disturbing, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is as powerful a story as those of Brontë's more famous sisters. In a remote village on the Yorkshire moors, a beautiful widow and her son move into the near-derelict Wildfell Hall. Befriended by a handsome young farmer, she remains mysteriously silent about her past and why she is afraid – until she becomes the focus of malicious village gossip.

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Sense & Sensibility Collector's Set (Sense & Sensibility 2008 / Miss Austen Regrets / Persuasion 2007) Review

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(More customer reviews)This three DVD set captures the latest and very adequate BBC versions of "Sense and Sensibility" (adapted by veteran Austen screenwriter Andrew Davies) and "Persuasion". It includes "Miss Austen Regrets", only just aired in February 2008, a nicely done biopic of romance writer Jane Austen.
Jane Austen left very little behind for her future biographers. Her family destroyed much of her correspondence at her death. This film is faithful to the known details of her life, and fills in some of the gaps with cautious but respectful speculation.
In "Miss Austen Regrets", a 40-ish but still feisty and flirtatious Jane Austen (in a sympathetic performance by Olivia Williams) is called upon to advise her young niece on a possible marriage. Jane enjoys a quiet notoriety for her romantic novels, which are a guilty pleasure of Regency England. She lives with an aging mother and loving older sister (nicely played by Greta Sacchi) in a rural cottage. Writing novels was not quite a respectable occupation in that day; Jane writes because she must and because she needs the money.
The conundrum for Jane's niece, as we discover was once true for a younger Jane, is whether to marry for love or money and safety. In Jane's fiction, her patient heroines all eventually managed to marry for both. In her own life, we learn that a younger Jane Austen was deterred by her parents from one agreeable but penniless suitor, then turned down a wealthier one whom she did not love.
The movie is studiously ambiguous about the impact of Jane's choices on her life. The straitened financial circumstances of her family are clearly a burden for her. A rather shocking fit of jealousy over a handsome doctor who favors her niece, and her mixed feelings upon meeting an old suitor, indicate she has not lost her interest in men. However, the movie takes pains to show that Jane values the life she has made for herself, and suggests that Jane understood that had she married in the conventional way, she might never have found the inspiration or freedom to write her novels.
"Miss Austen Regrets" is a very nicely done and sympathetic portrayal that places Jane in the context of her time without overrunning the limited biographical material available. It is an excellent addition to this DVD collection that Jane Austen fans are likely to enjoy.

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1) Sense and Sensibility From acclaimed writer Andrew Davies (BBCs Pride and Prejudice starring Colin Firth) comes this enchanting new adaptation of Jane Austen's classic novel about love and marriage. Marianne Dashwood wears her heart on her sleeve when she falls in love with the charming but unsuitable John Willoughby, ignoring her sister Elinor's warning that her impulsive behavior leaves her open to gossip and innuendo. Elinor, sensitive to social convention, struggles to conceal her own romantic disappointment, even from those closest to her. Will the sisters learn that sense must mix with sensibility if they are to find personal happiness in a society where status and money govern the rules of love? 2) Miss Austen Regrets A biopic unraveling the secrets of the elusive author based on Jane Austen's actual letters and diaries. 3) Persuasion Anne Elliot fell deeply in love with the handsome young naval officer Frederick Wentworth at the age of nineteen. But with neither fortune nor rank to recommend him, Anne was persuaded to break off her engagement. Eight years later, Anne has lived to regret her decision. She never stopped loving Wentworth, and when he returns from sea with fortune and rank, she can only watch as every eligible young woman in the district falls at his feet.

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