Barchester Chronicles [DVD] [1982] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

Lowest New Price: £17.81
Lowest Used Price: £9.90
Total New: 3
Total Used: 5
Total Collectible: 0
Total Refurbished: 0

Actor : Donald Pleasence
Actor : Janet Maw
Actor : Nigel Hawthorne
Actor : Angela Pleasence
Actor : Barbara Flynn
Aspect Ratio : 4:3 - 1.33:1
Binding : DVD
Creator : Donald Pleasence
Creator : Janet Maw
Creator : Stan Pow
EAN : 0794051211125
Format : Closed-captioned
Format : Colour
Format : DVD-Video
Format : Original recording remastered
Format : NTSC
Is Adult Product? : No
Label : BBC Warner
Languages : Original Language: English
Manufacturer : BBC Warner
Model : E2111
MPN : E2111
Number Of Discs : 2
Number Of Items : 2
Package Dimensions : 0.58 inches (Height) x 7.10 inches (Length) x 0.18 pounds (Weight) x 5.42 inches (Width)
Package Quantity : 1
Part Number : E2111
Product Group : DVD
Publisher : BBC Warner
Region Code : 1
Release Date : 2005-01-25
SKU : S794051211125
Studio : BBC Warner
UPC : 794051211125

The first two episodes of this BBC miniseries only hint at the delights to come. A lawsuit aimed at church reform in the town of Barchester forces a decent middle-aged clergyman (Donald Pleasence) into a moral crisis and a conflict with his son-in-law, a pompous archdeacon (Nigel Hawthorne, The Madness of King George). The gracefully written and acted narrative shows glimpses of dry wit--but in episode 3, the arrival of a new bishop (Clive Swift, Keeping Up Appearances), his imperious wife (Geraldine McEwan, The Magdalene Sisters), and his devious chaplain (Alan Rickman, Truly Madly Deeply, the Harry Potter movies) launches The Barchester Chronicles into a satirical power struggle all the more mesmerizing because of the smallness of the territory. The scheming of the citizens and clergy of this British town is both Byzantine and wonderfully comic as the tempestuous personalities claw and dig at each other. Rickman, in one of his first film or television roles, turns in a tour de force of oily ambition. McEwan's ferocious machinations are downright terrifying, while the sputtering Hawthorne seems constantly in danger of bursting a vein. At the center of it all is Pleasence. Making goodness compelling has always been difficult, since wickedness is always more dramatic; but Pleasence brings a deep and stirring passion to his role that proves as engaging as all the back-biting that surrounds him. And these are just the more familiar faces; a host of lesser-known actors give equally superb performances. The final episode (of seven) will have you on pins and needles. The Barchester Chronicles, adapted from two novels by Anthony Trollope, is one of those marvels of British television, a skillful production that proves intelligent fare can be hugely entertaining. --Bret Fetzer

- Amazon.co.uk Review

Barchester Chronicles [DVD] [1982] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

Look for Similar Items in these Categories:

Leave a Comment: