The Moonstone (1972) Review

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(More customer reviews)What a pleasure to see the original production of Collins' The Moonstone at last! The recent version was good, but this one seemed far more satisfying. I've always been a sucker for John Welsh, who was splendid as the detective. I've always been a Robin Ellis fan, so his presence was a bonus. The production held up well for its 30-odd years. I would recommend this production to those who love great British drama.

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A priceless exotic jewel disappears, sending the beautiful young woman who inherited it into turmoil as misfortune follows misfortune. Stolen from a Hindu shrine by a plundering ancestor, the jewel dazzles Rachel Verinder when she receives it on her 18th birthday. But its disappearance robs her of something she values even more. In a twisting plot that unfolds with dramatic surprises, the solution to this Victorian mystery requires the services of London detective Sergeant Cuff, whose incisive investigative work is matched only by his love of roses. Based on the 1868 novel by Wilkie Collins and starring Robin Ellis (Poldark), John Welsh (The Duchess of Duke Street), and Basil Dignam (The Pallisers). As seen on Masterpiece Theatre.

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Masterpiece Theatre: The Bronte Collection (1944) Review

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(More customer reviews)I already have the inital 2006 version of Jane Eyre with no extras so thought I could justify another purchase to get the commentary and star interviews. The truth is I wanted to see and hear more of Toby Stephens. Anyway, the interviews were quite good. The lead actors, director and writer all gave very interesting insights into their ideas for character and motivation. There is also running commentary on the first and fourth sections of the movie with all kinds of background info about locations, actor struggles, weather, you name it. Very entertaining except for the fact that my copy has the sound slightly out of synch for the movie running behind the commentary. I haven't watched Wuthering Heights yet but am disturbed by the other reviewer's remark of a rape by Heathcliff. Bottom line: extras or no extras, this is a GREAT movie with enough passion and heart to please anyone looking for a timeless story well told. The best version of Jane Eyre ever and Toby Stephens as Mr. Rochester is sublime.

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Jane Eyre: After a wretched childhood, orphaned Jane Eyre yearns for new experiences. She accepts a governess position at Thornfield Hall, where she soon finds herself falling in love with the brooding master of the houseñthe passionate Mr. Rochester. Jane gradually wins his heart, but they must overcome the dark secrets of the past before they can find happiness.This lavish and sensual new version of Charlotte BrontÎís classic novel is modern and moody, timeless and romantic. Starring Toby Stephens as Mr. Rochester, Ruth Wilson as Jane, and Francesca Annis as Lady Ingram.Special DVD features on the Jane Eyre Special Edition include:interviews with the cast and crew; Deleted scenes; Audio commentaries for hours 1 and 4; and trailers for the original British broadcast on BBC ONE.Wuthering Heights: This brilliant adaptation of Emily BrontÎ's timeless tale breaks new ground by covering the story of a love so powerful that it reaches beyond the grave. Orla Brady (The Rector's Wife) stars as literature's most controversial heroine, the spirited, but tragic Cathy. Robert Cavanah (Cracker) plays Heathcliff, the dark stranger whose love for Cathy leads him to take terrible revenge on anyone who comes between them. They are divided by birth, class, and Cathy's jealous brother, but nothing can break the bond between them.

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The Buccaneers (1995) Review

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(More customer reviews)My sister and I adore this mini-series which was shown in Masterpiece Theater many years ago. Anyone who enjoys turn-of-the-century films such as The Age of Innocence, House of Mirth, The Golden Bowl, A Room With A View and Howard's End or stories of the Astors and Vanderbilts will find themselves enraptured with this tale of 4 beautiful American women who find themselves being courted by sons of the British nobility.
In the center of the story are Nan (Carla Gugino) and Virginia St. George (Alison Eliott), and their friends Conchita Closson (Mira Sorvino) and Lizzy Elmsworth (Rya Kihlstedt) - four young women living in turn-of-the-century America, when social status and wealth were the most important considerations in a woman's life (these were the days of the Astors and Vanderbilts, after all). Early in the story we find Conchita married to Lord Marable and begins her new life with the English nobility. Spurned in Newport and New York social circles because they are considered "new money," Nan, Virginia and Lizzy travel to England to visit Conchita and hopefully try their luck there. With the help of 2 enterprising older women, they soon become the toast of the town and are courted by many handsome, wealthy young men. Virginia and Lizzy vie for the attentions of Lord Seadown (Mark Tandy) who is not quite what he seems. Nan is pursued by the humble but ambitious Guy Thwaite (Greg Wise from "Sense and Sensibility") and the wealthy and reserved Julius, the Duke of Trevenick (James Frain).
The mini-series offers beautiful scenery and costumes, great acting from members of the cast (including veterans Cherie Lunghi, Jenny Agutter, Michael Kitchen and Rosemary Leach) and a thoroughly engaging story. I loved the fantastic mansions, palaces and castles in Newport and England alike and the wonderful intertwining of the American and British sensibilities in the plot. It has "one foot in America and another foot in England," as Masterpiece Theater narrator Russell Baker aptly explains. I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys top-notch romance/drama!

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Deemed nouveau riche and shunned by elitist New York society, sisters Nan and Virginia St. George, along with their friends Lizzy Elmsworth and Conchita Closson (Academy Award winner Mira Sorvino), try their luck in London. The girls' New World spontaneity and impertinence constitute nothing less than a social invasion of Old World society and they soon find themselves courted by a coterie of fascinated admirers. But as the old and new worlds come to clash, something has to give.

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