August 2007
	by Max (with Walt Oleksy)	view previous issues here

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A DANCE TO THE MUSIC OF TIME

Something new to add to the list of treasures from British television, in a league right up there with BRIDESHEAD REVISITED, UPSTAIRS DOWNSTAIRS, and THE DUCHESS OF DUKE STREET. More like BRIDESHEAD than the others, this exceptional 8-hour television miniseries follows the lives, loves, and careers of four male university students through the social, political, and war years from the 1920s through the 1960s. Telecast in 1997 to critical and popular acclaim, it was never broadcast in the United States, so the just-released 4-DVD boxed set from Acorn Media will come as a complete and delightful surprise to Americans. Based on Anthony Powell’s 12-volume literary saga which was called “the absolute quintessence of Englishness.” The chronicle of a half century of British upper-class life is viewed through the eyes of one of the four friends, well-played by handsome James Purefoy (of the TV series Rome), who observes rather than actively participates in the affairs of the others. Purefoy is part of a stellar all-star cast that includes John Gielgud, James D’Arcy, Edward Fox, Eileen Atkins, and Miranda Richardson as one of the nastiest and most predatory beauties in literature and film. Simon Russell Beale plays Widmeerpool, perhaps the most despicable character since Dickens’ Uriah Heep, and won the British Oscar for his performance. This is grand drama that you will long remember after the eight hours of viewing.

Max’s rating: The highest.

MISS POTTER

My master and I loved this new British movie and think you will, too.
It follows the personal and literary life of Beatrix Potter who drew and wrote The Tale of Peter Rabbit and his friends which became one of the best-selling children’s books of all time. Renee Zellwegger plays Miss Potter, a spinster who found not only fame but love after a novice to publishing, played by Ewan McGregor, took both her book and her into his heart. Heart is perhaps the best word to describe this movie, which others have called “a very beautiful thing… enchanting,” and “a feel-good film.” Another said, “The film just really left me smiling… it’s a great reminder of what we go to the cinema for.” At least, those who are starved for mature, intelligent movies with sentiment go for but seldom see anymore. Directed by Chris Noonan, who gave us the equally charming “Babe.” From the Weinstein Company, I highly recommend it not only for grown-ups but the whole family.

Max’s rating: Two paws up and lots of tail wags and slurps.

Also recommended this month:


THE DERBY STALLION

Usually, it’s a girl and her horse. This time, it’s a boy. Teen star Zac Efron plays a boy who can only bond with horses, not his parents or others except an elderly black man who trains him to ride in an annual steeplechase. Bill Cobbs steals the picture as the man who befriends Efron. It’s a very good coming-of-age film for the whole family, from Echo Bridge.

HEDDA GABLER

Henrik Ibsen’s classic play has been filmed before, most recently in 1974 with Glenda Jackson as the beautiful but callous heroine, but Diana Rigg takes charge of the role in this new British movie. Trapped in a stifling marriage, Hedda throws her frustrations into manipulating a former lover which leads to very bad times for everyone involved. Adapted by John Osborne who wrote the more contemporary British social drama, Look Back in Anger, the film comes from Koch Releasing.

THE HOUSE OF ELIOTT

A handsome 12-disc boxed set of the complete collection of the award-winning BBC drama series follows the careers and loves of two beautiful sisters who become top fashion designers in 1920s London. Eileen Atkins and Jean Marsh, actress-writers who created “Upstairs, Downstairs,” teamed up again to fashion this second hit series. Louise Lombard and Stella Gonet star as the sisters who succeed against great odds in the cutthroat world of haute couture. Outstanding entertainment from Acorn Media.

LILIES

A new BBC series about three young women in working-class Liverpool just after the First World War. As different as they can be, the sisters all are buffeted by the brutal realities of poverty as they search for love, sometimes in the wrong places. Young actresses Kerrie Hayes, Catherine Tyldesley, and Leanne Rowe do fine jobs as the girls facing bleak choices. Eight episodes on three DVDs in a boxed set from Acorn Media.

PRIME SUSPECT: THE FINAL ACT

Helen Mirren, Oscar winner last spring for “The Queen,” reprises her acclaimed role as Detective Superintendent Jane Tennison in the conclusion of British television’s most honored crime series. “A perfect marriage of astoundingly talented actress and brilliantly conceived character,” said USA Today about Mirren as probably the best female detective ever. In this story she searches for a missing 14-year-old girl who is presumed to have been murdered. Mystery and detective fans will really like this 2-DVD boxed set from Acorn Media.

FABIO MONTALE

French superstar Alain Delon, older and perhaps wiser but still very handsome, stars as a crime squad superintendent in Marseille, which is crawling with gangs, corrupt policemen, shady politicians, and the Mafia. It’s good police action with three complete mysteries based on the novels by Jean-Claude Izzo on two DVDs from Koch Vision.

WORLD WAR II: The Epic Battles -- Three of World War Two’s greatest battles are given the full documentary treatment in this 3-DVD boxed set from WGBH Boston Video. They include The Battle of Britain, Iwo Jima, and The Battle of the Bulge.

NAZI SECRETS REVEALED reports on Hitler’s dictatorship and the calculated military secrets of his Third Reich. Five documentaries first seen on NOVA include Hitler’s Lost Subs, Hitler’s Sunken Secret, The Great Escape, Nazi Prison Escape, and Decoding Nazi Secrets. From WGBH Boston Video.

PATRICK HENRY: Quest for Freedom is an excellent animated educational feature in which Boomer, a comical but charming eagle, introduces young patriots to one of the American Revolution’s most influential advocates, best known for declaring “Give me liberty, or give me death!” First in a series called History’s Heroes, the DVD is from American Animation Studios. Future entries will be about Frederick Douglas, Amelia Earhart, Annie Oakley, and others.

KIDS OF DEGRASSI STREET is both heartfelt and humorous as it explores the lives of some friends as they tackle life’s challenges. A forerunner to the acclaimed DEGRASSI JUNIOR HIGH television series, this 26-episode series is for preteens, from WGBH Boston Video.

STORIES OF THE AMERICAN PUPPET is a loving nostalgic look into the most beloved puppets and their creators. Spanning 300 years of American puppet history, the 2001 Emmy-winning PBS documentary includes such puppet masters as Edgar Bergen, Jim Henson, Paul Winchell, and Shari Lewis, but many others deserving of places in Puppet Heaven. From Mazzarella Media.

KIDS LOVE SPANISH -- “Press One for English,” but if your kids want to learn Spanish during National Hispanic Heritage Month in September, now is the time to check out this award-winning new DVD from Brock Sisters Productions. Educators say that learning a second language, especially one as widely used as Spanish, before the age or six helps children read sooner, develop advanced cognitive and problem-solving abilities, become more creative, and have higher levels of self-confidence. But, again, don’t forget to “Press One for English.” haha, snarl.

A few years ago an American author rewrote a classic American novel, changed the names, but did little else to it. He sent it to a dozen top American book publishers and they all rejected it. Only one editor recognized that the book was actually the best-selling novel of a boy and his deer, THE YEARLING. It was also made into a beautiful family film starring Gregory Peck and Jane Wyman.

A British author just did the same thing. She rewrote a classic British novel, changed the names, but did little else to it. She sent it to fifteen top British publishers and they all rejected it. Not one of them recognized that the book was actually one of the best-selling novels of Jane Austen.

So much for the state of publishing today. And since many great movies were made from great books, and so few great books are being published today, this also says a lot for the state of movies today.

Woof woof!