Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)As every review on Amazon for the PBS Masterpiece Classic presentation of "Any Human Heart" wants to challenge the editing of the film--I feel compelled to leap into the fray with the definitive answer. There is no denying that the show was broadcast for American audiences to fit the current format and timeslot of the network which resulted in unfortunate editing. However, what that has to do with the DVD release is absolutely nothing. Condemn PBS Broadcasting, if you must, for the televised end product--but any amount of investigation will confirm that the DVD offered for sale is absolutely intact with the full United Kingdom version. First, all you have to do is click on the DVD image above to read the bold print "Original UK Edition" and I have further confirmed the details through the PBS website. So, by all means, can we please just judge the full program and refrain from insinuating that this is a nefariously tampered with version?
Complete DVD specs:
Disc#1 - Episode 1 (RT: 1:17), and Episode (RT: 1:06)
Disc#2 - Episode 3 (RT: 1:10), and Episode 4 (RT: 1:07)
Bonus Content (approximately 48 minutes) includes)
(Interviews with actors, producers, directors, writer - all subtitled)
- In Oxford with Sam Clafin
- Matthew MacFayden on location in Spain
- Interview with Jim Broadbent
- Kim Cattral on "Gloria"
- Gillian Anderson and Tom Hollander on playing the Duke and Duchess of Windsor
- Hayley Atwell on "Freya"
- On the Set of "Any Human Heart"
- From Paper to Screen - William Boyd Discusses "Any Human Heart"
- Deleted Scenes (about 7 minutes of 11 clips - not subtitled)
This DVD is the original and unedited UK version
The following program contains mature content. Viewer discretion is advised.
This DVD features subtitles in English (SDH)Masterpiece Classic has certainly been serving up some sophisticated entertainment of late. This production headlined by an impressive international cast including Jim Broadbent, Matthew Macfadyen, Gillian Anderson, Tom Hollander, Kim Cattrall, Richard Schiff and Hayley Atwell seems, on the surface, to be one of its most promising entries. Following the recollections of author Logan Mountstuart as he tries to assimilate the pieces of his life, this biographical journey traverses approximately six decades with four actors of varying range portraying the novelist. It's an exciting idea and a fascinating trip with tales of success, stories of romance, bits of intrigue, and moments of struggle. This sometimes melancholy look at the vignettes that make up a life story is held together by Broadbent (as the eldest Mountstuart) while sorting through the memorabilia of the passing years.
While a child Mountstuart is featured in fantasy sequences, the tale really begins with the college aged version (Sam Claflin). Claflin is an appealing and engaging actor, and the youthful Mountstuart is depicted with energy and much humor. The bulk of the story is handled by the middle aged Mountstuart (MacFadyen)--this includes two marriages, infidelity, children, a foray into espionage, literary success, and waning literary success. And the late-in-life Mountstuart (Broadbent) is left to adapt to the ever changing world. MacFadyen, as I mentioned, carries much of the narrative and Mountstuart rubs elbows with everyone from Hemingway to Ian Fleming to the Duke and Duchess of Windsor (terrifically played by Hollander and Anderson). The film veers from slapstick to maudlin with little warning and its tone tends to be all over the place!
In truth, I didn't love "Any Human Heart" in the way I expected. I admired its effort, production values, and performances--but the film lacks a bit of heart. Mountstuart is never a particularly likable creation and, at various stages, he is displayed with a chilly emotional detachment. He all but abandons his first wife and child to start a family he dotes on--and never once does the screenplay challenge him to feel regret. Through infidelities, deception, and selfishness, the film never confronts the darker aspects of its own storytelling. I didn't mind the negative qualities that made Mountstuart whole--I just never felt there was a desire to portray him in totality. We're meant to like him at any cost. The end result was that I felt like I never got to know him very well--and since I spent a lifetime with him, that was a bit of an issue for me. Definitely recommended but it is one Masterpiece Classic I probably won't choose to revisit with frequency. KGHarris, 3/11.
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