The Forsyte Saga, Series 1 (2002) Review

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(More customer reviews)Some of my readers might have very warm recollections of the 1967 black and white BBC mini-series (from before, I believe, the term was coined) that brought to life in 26 episodes and 21 hours all six of the nine novels written by John Galsworthy under the supertitle "The Forsyte Saga." Few video adaptations quite as good were to come again until "The Pallisers" attracted millions, and both would be very difficult to improve upon. Well, Granada has tried with what might be an 18 part remake of the Galsworthy saga; and the first series of 6 is now available on three DVDs from Acorn Media.
Taken on its own terms, it is extremely good--but not perfect--and had me and wife pretty well riveted to the screen on three successive evenings. It did not, however, erase fond memories of the earlier version. Now the 1967 version was "studio-bound, with static camera work, long scenes and long speeches" (as the press release puts it). What the release leaves out was superb acting by established stars and by newcomer Susan Hampshire whose Fleur made her a star.
For example, Eric Porter made Soames a sympathetic human who hurt himself more than he hurt others, especially his miserable first wife Irene. In the 2002 version, Damian Lewis, looking like a demonic Steve McQueen, is 99% pure villain; and his mother's recollection of how he loved a pet cat to death does little to soften his character. It is only in the very last minute of the last episode that he softens--but I will not tell you why.
Another problem is the actress playing Irene, Gina McKee. The original Irene was portrayed by the extremely beautiful Nyree Dawn Porter; and all of the comments in the script about her looks were not contradicted by what we saw of her. Here (at the risk of being attacked for being another John Simon), McKee is simply attractive but by no means beautiful. In fact, some of the profile shots make her quite unattractive; and somehow all the praises the other characters sing about her are not justified visually. Then too, Soames' sister, played in 1967 by Margaret Tyzack, was always referred to as unattractive and lucky to catch a husband at all, even if he is a "bounder." Here Amanda Root, being very pretty indeed, draws no such disparaging comments in this new script.
The rest of the cast-- Ioan Gruffudd, Rupert Graves, Gillian Kearney, Corin Redgrave, and so many more that I could only wish Acorn Media had provided a booklet with the cast as it did for "The Pallisers"--can stand comparison with the 1967 actors.
The production values are just fine, but all too often the camera work becomes annoyingly "innovative" when one character close to the camera is speaking to one further away, and they are brought alternatively in and out of focus as they speak or listen.
But, as a comic Shakespearean character says, comparisons are odious. Again, on its own terms, this is a very enjoyable if somewhat flawed remake of (so far) the first two Forsyte novels; and I can honestly recommend them for once and future viewing as I look forward to the next releases when they are filmed. But let us yet hope for some Kind Soul to restore the 1967 version not too long in the future.

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Masterpiece Theatre: Room With a View (2007) Review

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(More customer reviews)I didn't hate this version of Room With a View. Yes, I have seen the Merchant Ivory version. Yes, I have read the book. Although I thought the cast of the Merchant Ivory production was magnificent, I actually like a great deal of the cast in this adaptation as well, so I was prepared to view this with an open mind and not hate it instantly because it wasn't Merchant Ivory. I have seen several of this cast (Cassidy, Cusak, Thompson, Spall) in other productions and thought they were wonderful. The aspects of this production I found most disappointing were the script and direction. I found the dialogue to be lackluster, and the interpretation of some of the characters (primarily Cecil) just plain dull. I have admired some of Davies' adaptations in the past, but his more recent works seem to have an underlying conceit in them that I find distasteful, as though he would deign to "improve" the works of the authors he is adapting. Davies is, indeed a gifted and talented man, but is he really so lofty that he feels capable of enhancing Austen, Forster, and Waugh? He had a wonderful cast of people to work with for this adaptation, but their performances were never going to reach the stellar level they were capable of when the script they were given to work with was second rate. I know there was a time limitation, but the story was just diluted and unnecessary additions were made (the additional meeting with the gig driver, George's death, etc)that seemed to serve no purpose other than to needlessly outrage the audience. I don't understand why Davies feels the need to shock a response out of his audience, rather than impress them with quality. That cheapens the whole production. This production wasn't awful, but if could have been so much better.

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The Lost Prince (2005) Review

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(More customer reviews)Now that I have finally seen both episodes of The Lost Prince I can say confidently that it is one of the best Masterpiece Theater presentations in many years. As the story of Prince John, the youngest child of King George V and Queen Mary of Great Britain, it is heartbreakingly evocative of the tragedy of one child and of the loss of an entire world.
The first episode opens with Prince John at about the age of three or four. He is epileptic and probably autistic, handicaps which no one knew how to deal with effectively at the time and which were especially difficult to handle for a Royal on public display much of the time. His family is fond of him but emotionally distant, and the only real love John receives is from his nurse Lalla and his next older brother Georgie. Most of the time John is kept out of sight, though occasionally he gets to watch Royal occasions like the visit of the Russian Imperial Family to England (among the most beautiful of the scenes in this film, the Grand Duchesses and the Empress being elegant and charming) and the funeral of his grandfather Edward VII. His parents are so bound up with their royal duties and conscious of their dignity that they can't unbend enough to risk being with Johnnie too often. (With Queen Mary we are given an explanation for her apparent unfeelingness when we are shown glimpses of her own difficult and embarrassing childhood as the daughter of a very large and very undignified Princess.) Johnnie's handicaps make him refreshingly natural and spontaneous, which embarrasses his family when, for example, he repeats some unflattering comments he has overheard the Prime Minister make about the Royals. The first episode ends with the outbreak of World War I and Johnnie's removal to the countryside.
In the second episode Johnnie is safely ensconced at a farm near Sandringham with Lalla and a small retinue of servants. He rarely sees his family, who are busier with royal duties than ever. His main source of news and information is Georgie, who is a miserable cadet at the Royal Naval College. Georgie witnesses Britain's conversion to a war footing and the development of chauvinistic super-patriotic anti-German feelings. These lead to the Royal Family coming under attack for its German origins, and to the dynasty's renaming itself the House of Windsor. We also see the fate of the Romanovs after the fall of the Russian monarchy in 1917. Although the British government at first agreed to accept the Romanovs as exiles, rising anti-monarchical sentiment in Britain so alarmed George V that he prevailed on his government to rescind the invitation. This led to the eventual execution of the Romanovs and lifelong remorse by the King.
During these war years Johnnie lived a quiet life, roaming the countryside and planting gardens. His parents saw him rarely and were as distant as ever. Eventually, Lalla prevailed on the King and Queen to hear Johnnie give a recital. One of the happiest parts of The Lost Prince comes when the King and Queen find themselves listening to and enjoying the company of their youngest son, gradually unbending and smiling as he plays the trumpet and kicks a football. Johnnie lived only a short time after the end of World War I, but the King and Queen carried his memory with them for the rest of their lives. By the way, it may be of interest to know that his brother Georgie, to whom Johnnie gave the courage to pursue his own artistic interests, had difficulties of his own in his twenties and thirties with drug addiction and sundry other problems, finally dying in a plane crash in 1942. This Georgie was not King George VI, the father of the present Queen. George VI's original name was Albert (Bertie) and he appears only as an extra in this film.
The Lost Prince is a beautiful production. Extreme royal aficionados will notice a few missteps (the Romanovs may have been Russian Royals, but they didn't have Russian accents the way this film portrayed them. If anything, Nicholas and Alexandra and their children had British accents!) but these are mere fumbles in the delivery of a beautiful and evocative series.

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Masterpiece Theatre: Frenchman's Creek (2006) Review

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(More customer reviews)Tara Fitzgerald makes a lovely Dona and Anthony Delon portrays the Frenchman pirate of the title, Jean Aubery, to perfection. In fact all the players were selected admirably: Rockingham is disturbingly sly and manipulative, William combines the right combination of sex appeal with devoted servitude and Harry exudes vulnerability and inner strength as Dona's husband. Just like Du Maurier intended them to be, fleshed out from the pages of her novel and set on the lonely wild coast of Cornwall.
My main objection to this film, if it can be called an objection, is that it fails to tell the story of the novel. Yes, the characters are not changed and the local is the same. What differs is the setting--this story is driven by the religious revolution of 1688--Catholic King James has fled to France as Protestant William of Orange marches in from the Netherlands. Lady Dona is a Catholic fleeing the eventual destruction of the court of which she is alligned. France has declared war on England at this crucial time and so the pirate is, in a sense doing his duty, rather than ravaging the English coast simply for his own amusement as he does in the novel. Navaronne, Lady Dona's estate is not the idyllic refuge of the book, it too has transformed into a battle ground where corpses litter the roads patrolled by befeathered Orangeman troops.
There are far too many differences in this film version to comment on individually, so instead I will say that it simply does not faithfully adhere to the story told in the novel. The adventure and romance remains, but even this is twisted to appeal to a more modern day audience. Most disturbing was the addition of tension between Dona and her young daughter which unfortunately weaves its way into the dinner scene at the film's climax. The producers most likely and sadly felt that the notion of a woman wanting to escape the life she thought at one time satisfying not meaningful enough for audiences who expect the Lifetime Channel's grander causes. There is none of the frivolity that makes Du Maurier's work a delightful escape albeit with a philosophical tone.
Despite its plot differences, the film still entertains. Lady Dona remains a free spirit encumbered by her station in life. As much as I enjoyed Anthony Devon's Jean,I would have liked to have seen what he would have brought to the man-without-a-cause depicted in the book. Whether this is how Du Maurier intended Frenchman's Creek to flow, the film provides an enjoyable two hours of entertainment.

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In search of peace and solitude, wealthy Dona St. Columb retreats to her country estate in Cornwall and discovers the exact opposite. Tara Fitzgerald (The Woman in White) and Anthony Delon recreate classic romance in Daphne du Maurier's enduring story of piracy and betrayal.

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Adventures of the Scarlet Pimpernel, Volume 2 (2007) Review

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(More customer reviews)This DVD contains four episodes from the television show "The Adventures of the Scarlet Pimpernel" made in the 1950's. Each show is one-half hour long. I have enjoyed these shows on VHS. They have recently come out on DVD. One of my favorite characters is the Scarlet Pimpernel. I hope the rest of the episodes will come out on DVD. hint-hint to DVD makers

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A foppish British aristocrat is ""The Scarlet Pimpernel,"" a masked hero who rescues innocent victims from the guillotine during the French Revolution.

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