Victoria & Albert (2001) Review

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(More customer reviews)This new A&E production on the lives of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert was simply told and well-acted.It does not oversentimentalize the relationship of the couple, and the major events of their lives are reenacted without much sensationalism.
Victoria Hamilton, who may well be one of the Queen's many namesakes, captures the petite size of Britain's longest reigning monarch, making her an endearing character in the eyes of the viewer, even though many of my own forebears suffered under her regime. Jonathan Firth's Albert is potrayed as a gentle, decent, thoughtful man, made to leave his homeland and struggle to find acceptance in an entirely different country. But in the scene where this devoted father of nine comforts hs wife during labor while nearby, his critics suggest that he should be at a men's club instead, we see that, by following the German tradition on dealing with childbirth, he is a man ahead of his time. One of the more delightful moments ofthe film is when, during their courtship, he and Victoria play a duet together on the piano. One of the saddest, is when the Christmas tree, a custom Albert introduced to England, arrives a few days before his death on December 14,1861. It was nice to see a grown-up
Kate Mayberly in films again. She plays the couple's second daughter, Alice, who followed her older sister into marriage in the German Nobility, became the mother of Russia's last Czarina, and died of diptheria at the age of 35.The relationships of the Queen and her cabinet members is touched upon, as is the relationship with her overbearing mother. Peter Ustinov has a certain strained charisma as the Queen's predecessor, who is still aware of his sister-in-law's antics despite ill health. Diana Rigg is understated and dignified as the young Queen's devoted Lady-in-Waiting. The whole cast did a fine job. This elegant miniseries brings the chief players of the Victorian Era down from the oil-painted canvases and resurrects them quite nicely.

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"Albert really is quite charming, and so extremely handsome… myheart is quite going!" --Queen VictoriaThe world remembers Queen Victoria as a staidand stately dowager in black. But when the teenaged "Drina" ascended to the throne, shewas a vibrant young woman of powerful emotions, which found their greatest outlet inher consuming love for her German-born husband, Prince Albert.VICTORIA ANDALBERT tells the true story of their remarkable union, a bond of passion, politics andpower that that helped restore dignity and respect to a monarchy long held in contempt.Victoria Hamilton (Mansfield Park, King Lear) and Jonathan Firth (Middlemarch, AnIdeal Husband) play the royal couple to perfection, and the exceptional supporting castincludes Diana Rigg, Jonathan Pryce, Nigel Hawthorne and Sir Peter Ustinov.A&E andthe BBC proudly present the compelling tale of the original Victorian romance-a loveaffair that changed the world.

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My Uncle Silas: Series 2 (2001) Review

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(More customer reviews)My Uncle Silas series 2 staring Albert Finney is a great look at the relationship that can develop between a young boy and his older although not especially wiser great uncle. As Uncle Silas, Finney is excellent at showing his great nephew Edward, played wonderfully by Joe Prospero, the way not to carry on as a proper gentleman. Although set in England in the time before World War 1 the stories and the lessons that they teach are timeless. Take the time and sit back and relax and enjoy the delightful tales that playout in this series.

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The Road from Coorain (2003) Review

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(More customer reviews)I think this is a wonderful adaptation of a wonderful novel. The acting is superb. The cinematography exquisite. Juliet Stevenson and Tim Guinee are extraordinary. It is well worth your time.

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All the King's Men (2000) Review

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(More customer reviews)It is unusual in the history of warfare for entire units to disappear without a trace and when it does occur, such occurrences are usually the result of serious mistakes that lead to the annihilation of one's command. In American history, Custer and the 7th Cavalry come to mind. Further back, the disappearance of the entire Roman 9th Hispana Legion in Scotland is another example. In the British-made movie entitled "All the King's Men," a more recent occurrence of such an incident is portrayed. On August 12, 1915 at Gallipoli, over 300 British soldiers of the 1/5th Norfolk Battalion attacked into a morning mist and where never seen again. Few of the bodies were ever found and none returned from Turkish prisons after the war. Winston Churchill no less, called it one of the great-unsolved mysteries of the 20th Century.
This film focuses on the "Sandringham Company," formed mostly from servants, gardeners and other workers on King George V's estate of that name, which were part of the 1/5th Norfolk Battalion. Virtually none of these men were ever seen again and the Royal family made great efforts during and after the war to ascertain their fate. The main characters in this film are Captain Frank Beck (David Jason), his two nephews who are lieutenants in the company, a Sergeant Grimes, King George V and Queen Alexandra. Beck is the main focus, as the fifty-plus estate manager who organizes and prepares the unit for war; rather than appearing as an odious "Colonel Blimp" type character, Jason wonderfully portrays Beck as a trusted father figure in the unit, respected by both the King and the troops. Much of the early part of the film focuses on the lives of the men while on the estate, and Beck's efforts to go to war with them despite his age. Eventually, Queen Alexandra lends her support to his martial ambitions and Beck is allowed to lead his men off to Gallipoli.
Unfortunately, the film bogs down a bit once the unit gets to Gallipoli. In reality, the 1/5th Norfolk landed at Suvla Bay on 10 August and was lost two days later, but in the film these two days seem to drag. The fact that the British were making a major effort to break out of the Suvla Bay enclave is missed here, because the film shows the men of the company lounging about and engaging in mundane camp activities. Some patrol activity against Turkish snipers is shown, but this has little relevance. On 12 August, as part of a minor preliminary operation to clear the way for a larger attack on the next day, the 1/5th Norfolks and several other units are sent forward to clear out Turkish outposts. At this point in the film, when the unit disappears in the mists, the director begins to switch back and forth between post-war investigations into the disappearance and a hypothetical depiction of what actually occurred on that day.
Historically, the film is a bit disappointing in recounting the fate of the "Sandringham Company" because it fails to put the day in perspective. The Sandringham company is shown in total isolation from the rest of the British army. The participation of other units or even the rest of the battalion is not depicted in this film, nor is even the audience told what their mission was. In fact, Captain Frank Beck did not lead the attack; it was his superior Colonel Beauchamp (Beck is never shown interacting with his superiors), who also died. The 1/5th Norfolk lost 372 men that day, of which the Sandringham men were only 2/3rds of the casualties. Even more glaring is that the British suffered about 18,000 casualties in less than a week at Suvla Bay during the period of the Sandringham company's brief involvement in the campaign; the disappearance of a few hundred troops in the midst of such slaughter and confusion might have made more sense given these facts.
Obviously the men were all killed, since none ever returned, but the exact nature of their fate remained a mystery. This film depicts the Sandringham's as punching through the thin Turkish line in a glorious charge, but are then overwhelmed once they become surrounded behind enemy lines. The Turks execute all the captured survivors, including Beck. While this theory has merit, it is not the only possibility. The film depicts the mist as obscuring the battlefield, but fails to show the heavy scrub brush and small trees that hindered the British advance and made it difficult for the officers to maintain control. Another plausible theory, not suggested by the film, is that the 1/5th Norfolk lost cohesion in the rough terrain and the battle-hardened Turks destroyed the untried unit piece-meal. While there is little doubt that the Turks were not taking prisoners that day, there is no evidence to suggest that the "Sandringham's" went down in a blaze of glory as depicted in this film (although certainly such a depiction is preferred to anything that suggests an ignominious end). Perhaps they did, but the loss of the entire unit is more indicative of incompetence than competence.
Despite these historical reservations, the film is very well done and provides a poignant example of the enthusiasm of men to go off to war in the early days of the First World War. Although some minor characters, including a conscientious objector and a shell-shock casualty, temper the glorious view of war to some extent, the film remains committed to a patriotic depiction of martial duty. The cost of such devotion is apparent by the end of the film, but the meaning of such sacrifice is left ambiguous. Contrast this British-made ambivalence about the sacrifices of the First World War with the current American films that glorify the sacrifices of the Second World War.

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Sergeant Cribb: The Horizontal Witness (2006) Review

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(More customer reviews)Whether it involves brutal, bare-knuckle boxing, hip-swiveling walk races, Victorian houses of pleasure or English boarding schools for privileged boys, Detective Inspector Cribb is unfazed and unimpressed. Although polite, that includes his dealings with his betters.
Sergeant Cribb - Set Two includes six one-hour mysteries, two from the first season from 1980 and four from the second season from 1981. As originally broadcast, according to IMDb, the first season had eight shows and the second season had six.
Cribb, played by Alan Dobie, is a Scotland Yard detective in Victorian London. He's smart, and smart enough to defer to his superiors both in Scotland Yard and in society. He has a wry sense of humor. He'll probably never get promoted. He is very good at his job. He's aided by Detective Constable Thackery (William Simons), a steadfast but none too bright copper. His superior, Inspector Jowett (David Waller), is an elderly gent of the old school, comfortable with his club and highly deferential to royalty.
The mysteries in this set are for the most part clever with solutions that make sense. What makes them interesting, however, is the evocation of Victorian life. In set two we find ourselves in an elegant Victorian bawdy house, a nursery in Windsor Castle and an "old boy's" boarding school. The production values are high, from the details of Victorian working life to the well-tailored tails and gowns of wealthy Englishmen and their ladies at dinner.
One of the pleasures of British mystery series is the acting depth. Almost without exception the acting is first-rate, from the smallest parts of elderly gents and maids to the lead roles. David Waller, for instance, is the epitome of the older, well-fed, complacent English gentleman, stuffy, experienced, supportive of Cribb -- but not too supportive. Then watch his performance as Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin in Edward & Mrs. Simpson (1978). Same man, same physical appearance, but here he is a shrewd politician, not unsympathetic to Edward, and fully prepared to be ruthless in protecting what he sees as the integrity of the crown.
Sergeant Cribb is a well-produced, well acted entry into the category of British TV mysteries. The DVD color transfer is well done. The extras in set two include information about author Peter Lovesey and key actor filmographies.

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AS SEEN ON PBS MYSTERY!Unravelling the mysterious and lurid crimes of Victorian societyBased on the novels of prize-winning author Peter Lovesey and filled with lavish period detail and jaw-dropping plot twists, the adventures of Sergeant Cribb cast a spotlight on the dark underbelly of Victorian life.From the vulgar brothels of London’s fogbound streets to the respectable royal apartments of Windsor Castle, Sergeant Cribb maintains a level head and a wry sense of humour to unravel complex crimes in Queen Victoria’s England. A detective of Scotland Yard’s newly formed Criminal Investigation Department, Cribb receives little support for his efforts from his superiors. Wearing his trademark bowler hat and squeaky boots, Cribb relies on his own shrewdness and the plodding assistance of Constable Thackeray to expose the vile deeds of Victorian criminals. approx. 298 mins. col.Includes: The Horizontal Witness / Something Old, Something New / The Hand That Rocks the Cradle / The Last Trumpet / The Choir That Wouldn’t Sing / Murder Old Boy?

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