Masterpiece Theatre: Painted Lady (1998) Review

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(More customer reviews)if you like helen mirren you will love this movie, since it was expressly written for her by allan cubitt. there are art forgeries and theft, there is great music, gay characters and situations, and a good sampling of gangsters and the chaos they bring upon a group of people who are attempting for the first time to live an "ordinary, quiet life". And there is murder and deep personal loss. it shows that in even well meaning situations the price for breathing is very high indeed. this is what every mystery writer should aspire to, and again our british cousins show us how it is done.

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Helen Mirren (Prime Suspect, The Clearing) stars in this compelling murder-mystery set amid the murky underworld of illegal art trade.Maggie Sheridan (Mirren), once one of the most famous blues voices of her generation, lost decades of her life to drinking and hard-living. After a failed suicide attempt, she was taken in by Sir Charles Stafford (Iain Cuthbertson, Antonia and Jane) and his son Sebastian (Iain Glen, Tomb Raider). She has lived quietly on their Irish estate for ten years. But one summer evening, her peaceful life is shattered when Sir Charles is brutally murdered, and a valuable sixteenth century painting is stolen. The painting is one of several disturbing pictures sent to Sir Charles marking the major events in his life.Maggie is convinced that the stolen painting holds the key to Sir Charles' death and decides to track it down. Meanwhile, Sebastian uncovers a terrible secret, with horrific consequences.

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Moll Flanders (2pc) (Mobile Masterpiece Theatre) (1996) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is the BBC/Masterpiece version of MOLL FLANDERS (most recent version) and definitely a film to buy if you are fond of English literature adapted for film. This is a long film 3 hours and 40 minutes, and was shown over several nights on our local PBS station. I own the DVD and it is excellent. The costumes, settings, etc. are fabulous and accurate and comparable to other Masterpiece dramas on DVD such as the recently released WIVES AND DAUGHTERS.
Moll Flanders (played by Alex Kingston) was an incredibly resourceful woman. Daniel Defoe (author of ROBINSON CRUSOE, 1719) wrote Moll Flanders and in some respects Moll is a mirror-twin to Robinson. While Robinson battled nature Moll battled civilization. Civilization in late 16th-early 17th Century England was ragged around the edges. We hear much about slavery during this period, but life for the ordinary working-class male and female was just as ugly. Through Moll we learn just how ugly life could be and what it meant to survive, especially for those not "To the Manor Born" and in some cases those who were. Poverty, illness, sexism, seduction, rape, murder--Moll sees it all. In spite of all this, Moll has her moments of gracious living, so you won't be watching a poor tattered Moll during the whole film. Moll is elegantly dressed most of the time, and the settings for the action in this film include everything from the finest drawing rooms in Tudor style manors to a plantation house in the English colony of Virginia.
Moll marries five times, and each marriage is perfectly logical, pragmatic, and a choice she makes to survive. Moll turns to the camera in each instance and asks, "What would you do" much as Defoe asked the reader the same question. Her marriages face incredible odds. Her favorite beau Jemmy, played by Daniel Craig (The Ice House), surfaces over and over. Are these two star-crossed lovers or destined to be together? The end will tell.
I like Moll, and though she's been characterized as a "bad girl" I don't think she was at all. Moll took what she was handed and made the best of it. Moll was street smart before the term was invented. More than one of us is descended from someone who faced these incredible odds of survival. Does Moll beat the odds, you'll have to see the film to find out. A special treat--the wonderful Diana Rigg as Mrs. Golightly.

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Rebecca (1997) Review

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(More customer reviews)While I will always like the Hitchcock film better, this adaptation is a great example of how a book should be turned into a movie. This will always be a classic love story between a young woman and an older mysterious widower that changes and matures with tragedy and the revelation of secrets. As with the originial film, this movie is suspenseful, romantic, and tragic. This faithful adapation from the book expands on issues that were skimmed over in the orginial movie but should have been filmed in black and white. In the new adaptation, the feelings between Maxim and the new Mrs. de Winter are underscored with some blatant scenes where they are still laying in bed and with more dubtle touches, such as holding hands when they walk or when Maxin touches Mrs. de W's face while in conversation. However, Lawrence Olivier somehow portrayed a more tragic and angry Maxim than is seen in this version.

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Romance, suspense and wrenching jealousy abound in this adaptation of theDaphne du Maurier novel. Charles Dance stars as Maxim de Winter, a brooding English nobleman who marries a much younger woman is forced to live in the shadow of de Winter's first wife, Rebecca, whose memory is tenaciously preserved by a sinister housekeeper.

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Masterpiece Theatre: Railway Children (2000) Review

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(More customer reviews)This PBS version of "The Railway Children" is nowhere near as
charming as the original 1970 movie. If you saw this TV version and liked it, you owe it to yourself to see the young Jenny Agutter in the earlier film. In my opinion, the PBS remake lacks the warmth and civility of the original.

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Set at the turn of the 20th century, three Edwardian children and their mother move to a country house in Yorkshire after their father is mysteriously taken away by the police. However, their mother refuses to inform the children of the circumstances surrounding their father's disappearance. The children become fascinated by a nearby railroad, and they faithfully wave to passengers daily. Their kindness helps them make friends with some important travelers, one old gentleman in particular. Can he help solve the mystery of their missing father?Special DVD features include: Cast list; Masterpiece Theatre poster gallery; access to The Railway Children Web site featuring essays, an interview with leading actress Jenny Agutter, biographies and photos of Golden Age authors, and more; scene selection; English audiotrack; and closed captions.On one DVD5 disc.Region coding: All regions.Audio: Dolby stereo.Screen format: Widescreen (Anamorphic)

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