Lorna Doone (2001) Review

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(More customer reviews)Fortunately I was able to catch this originally when it ran on A&E and was so captivated I pre-ordered both the video and DVD. The video version differs only slightly from the DVD; the color is not as good. That's it. Overall it's a very good purchase at a reasonable price for such an excellent film.
Fans of A&E's lush romances like Pride & Prejudice, Victoria & Albert, and Emma will enjoy Lorna Doone. It's a blend of romance, adventure, mystery, and something of the sinister, with a Romeo & Julietish twist. The acting is stellar, particularly in the casting of Aidan Gillen as Carver Doone. He completely overpowers the screne whenever present and makes a loathable and yet empathetic villain. Richard Coyle is doubly good as the heroic John Ridd, and Amelia Warner proves she can play leads effortly as the spirited but puzzling Lorna.
It's a film my entire family enjoyed... there was enough romance for the girls, some action scenes for the guys, and enough lush English countryside and magnificent costuming for one and all. Rent it, buy it, borrow it -- see it.

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A rollicking romantic adventure set in 17th century England.Thecountry is torn by civil war, and the countryside is ruled by the bloodthirsty Doonefamily.As a young boy, John Ridd sees his own father murdered by the Doones.Yearslater, he falls in love with a beautiful country girl, never suspecting that she is theannointed Queen of the Doones.Based on the novel by Richard Blackmore, LORNA DOONE is a classic tale of romanceand bravery, vengeance and villainy

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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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Wyvern Mystery (2000) Review

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(More customer reviews)"The Wyvern Mystery" is from the PBS "Mystery!" series, based on J. Sheridan Le Fanu's gothic novel of the same title published 1869. It stars Derek Jacobi, Naomi Watts, Jack Davenport, and Iain Glen.
The story is aptly convoluted (but changed to suit the running time, especially the latter half of the film). Being orphaned, Alice Maybell (Watts) is brought to the mansion of austere Squire, Henry Fairfield (Jacobi), who locks up her in the dreary wing. Grown-up Alice is wooed by the Squire, but finds a new and secret love in one of the Squire's son, Captain Charles Fairfield (Glen). They find a new home in Carwell Grange, bleak house where no one visits except Charles's brother Harry (Davenport), but there is another secret hiding in this place, which sooner or later Alice is to find out behind the wall of her secluded room.
Le Fanu's original story is so complex particularly in the last one-third of the novel, so the film changed the whole story into more conventional form. That works to some extent, even though the spooky touch of this Irish writer, who really led a hermit-like life in his country, is somehow missing from the result. But the good acting from the leads, and the effective costumes and locations help us to be enticed to the gothic world, where the heroine is gradually threatened by weird things and the mental depression as their consequences. And Naomi Watts looks splendid in costume. Her fans should not miss it.
Le Fanu's most famous (and best) novel will be "Uncle Silas" which was also filmed (under the title of "The Dark Angel", not to be confused with Jessica Alva TV) early in the 1990s starring Peter O'Tool.

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The Edwardians (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)I love historical entertainment, but plowing through this collection of extremely boring programs was more than I could do....never watched the complete set.... first, the sound is awful, volume had to be turned way up to hear it....and the B/W wasn't crisp and clear... I was looking forward to this set, and was sorely disappointed. Wasted my money - and will donate it to the Friends of the Library book sale....

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Studio: Warner Home VideoRelease Date: 10/14/2008Run time: 635 minutesRating: Nr

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The Widowing of Mrs. Holroyd (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)D.H. Lawrence's play by the same name was not widely received nor did he even see it when it was first dramatised, and this is unfortunate because he seems to have understood the suffering of women in the confines of marriage-a theme in much of his work. Set in a mining town, Zoe Wanamaker plays the lonely and miserable wife of a violent, alcoholic brute played by Colin Firth. Unfortunately, this films' title is absolute poison--it basically ends the story before it begins. The audience has to at least believe that this unhappy woman might have a chance to begin life with a man who will love and respect her-a man, played by Stephen Dillane, who gives her this opportunity. This drama, though well-acted, did not transfer well to this production and needed a lot more character intimacy to keep it from playing all one note. On the other hand, another D.H. Lawrence story "The Rainbow," is an incredible, three-part "bonus feature" included on side two of this disc. Why "The Rainbow" is not sold on it's own is unusual because this is the more developed production. It was initially banned by the government because of it's sexual themes, but is more about the spiritual frustration of Ursula, played by Imogen Stubbs. She's a very brave actress considering some of the content in this film but she captures the characters' eccentricity who feels imprisoned by an unemotional and heartless society. She wants complete freedom but also to be loved-two ideals that cannot exist together. All things considered I was disapppointed with "The Widowing" but "The Rainbow" was an unexpected pleasure.

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DH LAWRENCE:RAINBOW/WIDOWING OF MRS H - DVD Movie

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