The Flame Trees of Thika

The Flame Trees of Thika
by Roy Ward Baker

The Flame Trees of Thika
List Price: $39.95
Our Price: $23.99
You Save: $15.96 (40%)
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Buy Used: from $10.54 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD releases


(Click here)
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada

DVD Cover Information

Actor: Ben Cross, David Robb, Hayley Mills, Nicholas Jones, Sharon Maughan
Director: Roy Ward Baker
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.1
Format: Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Miniseries, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 350 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-03-29
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: A&E Home Video

Movie Reviews of The Flame Trees of Thika

Movie Review: Great family film
Summary: 5 Stars

If you are a fan of Hayley Mills then you will love this film. It is a great family film/series and is somewhat educational to boot.

Summary of The Flame Trees of Thika

When a young Edwardian family leaves the shores of England to build a home in the wilderness of East Africa, what they encounter is beyond their imagination, but forever remembered through the eyes of their 11-year-old daughter. Based on the beloved memoir by Elspeth Huxley, The Flame Trees of Thika brings to life the color and adventure of turn-of-the-century Kenya. In 1913, Robin (David Robb) and Tilly Grant (Hayley Mills) arrive in Kenya with the dream of transforming a barren plot of land into a thriving coffee plantation. But torrential rains, relentless insects and murderous animals, as well as relations with natives and other settlers, challenge their ambitions. Will England call them back? Or will the wide-eyed wonder of young Elspeth (Holly Aird) help unlock the mysteries of a foreign land and open the doors into the pleasures and rewards of a new home? From the creator of Upstairs, Downstairs, The Flame Trees of Thika is an enchanting, critically acclaimed mini-series featuring all seven episodes authentically shot on location.
Based on the beloved autobiographical novel by Elspeth Huxley, BBC miniseries The Flame Trees of Thika brings an eventful childhood in Eastern Africa to vivid life. In 1913, 11-year-old Elspeth Grant (Holly Aird) traveled with her mother, Tilly (Hayley Mills), from England to Kenya to help build a coffee plantation. (Born in 1907, Huxley was actually six at the time.) Her father, Robin (David Robb), who had preceded them, was waiting to greet his family in the arid town of Thika. Also waiting for them were lions, elephants, giraffes, and countless other creatures (the 18-week production was filmed on location in Kenya).

Directed by Roy Ward Baker (A Night To Remember) and written by John Hawkesworth (Upstairs, Downstairs), The Flame Trees of Thika isn't just about one girl, or one family, adrift in an occasionally hostile foreign land, but also about the dangers of colonialism. The Grants, their neighbors, the Palmers (Nicholas Jones and Sharon Maughan), and most of the other Europeans in Thika feel certain they're bringing culture to the uncivilized, without realizing what they're destroying in the process. Ian Crawford (Ben Cross from Chariots of Fire), is one possible exception to the rule, but he brings another kind of danger in his pursuit of Mrs. Palmer.

Since their actions are seen through the eyes of a child, The Flame Trees of Thika is never preachy, but the meddling of these adults--however well intentioned--in the affairs of the Masai, the Kikuyu, and other locals frequently creates tension. As Tilly notes, "It's like two whole separate circles revolving around each other--their world and ours--and only just touching occasionally." What began as Elspeth's coming-of-age story, becomes one for her parents, as well, in this sensitive and engaging series. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Art House & International DVD Video

DVD Video
Movies most talked about in Relive the British Empire
Young Winston [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - Germany ] ImageYoung Winston [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - Germany ]
DVD
Best price: $29.99
Queen of the East ImageQueen of the East
Release date: 2001-07-01; DVD
Price in other shops: $19.98
The Ghost and the Darkness ImageThe Ghost and the Darkness
Paramount; Release date: 1998-12-01; DVD
Best price: $3.50
Price in other shops: $12.98
The Chess Players ImageThe Chess Players
Release date: 2006-04-18; DVD
Best price: $16.18
Price in other shops: $29.95
The English Patient (Miramax Collector's Edition) ImageThe English Patient (Miramax Collector's Edition)
FIENNES,RALPH; Release date: 2004-06-29; DVD
Best price: $10.68
Price in other shops: $19.99
Lawrence of Arabia (Collector's Edition, 2 discs) - DVD ImageLawrence of Arabia (Collector's Edition, 2 discs) - DVD
Sony; Release date: 2008-04-15; DVD
Best price: $18.25
Price in other shops: $24.96
Conduct Unbecoming ImageConduct Unbecoming
Koch International; Release date: 2005-11-08; DVD
Best price: $2.00
Price in other shops: $14.98
Masterpiece Theatre: All the King's Men ImageMasterpiece Theatre: All the King's Men
Release date: 2005-11-01; DVD
Best price: $10.47
Price in other shops: $19.95
King Solomon's Mines ImageKing Solomon's Mines
TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENT; Release date: 2004-02-03; DVD
Best price: $3.89
Price in other shops: $14.98
The Flame Trees of Thika ImageThe Flame Trees of Thika
Release date: 2005-03-29; DVD
Best price: $11.78
Price in other shops: $39.95
Similar DVD Movies
The Trouble with Angels ImageThe Trouble with Angels
Sony; Release date: 2003-11-11; DVD
Best price: $7.50
Price in other shops: $14.94
A Passage To India (2-Disc Collector's Edition) ImageA Passage To India (2-Disc Collector's Edition)
Sony; Release date: 2008-04-15; DVD
Best price: $18.47
Price in other shops: $24.96
The Moon-Spinners ImageThe Moon-Spinners
Release date: 2003-01-14; DVD
Best price: $7.21
Price in other shops: $14.99
Out of Africa ImageOut of Africa
Release date: 2000-02-29; DVD
Best price: $6.02
Price in other shops: $12.98
Summer Magic ImageSummer Magic
Release date: 2005-05-03; DVD
Best price: $6.96
Price in other shops: $14.99
Cranford ImageCranford
Warner Brothers; Release date: 2008-05-20; DVD
Best price: $24.50
Price in other shops: $34.98
Brideshead Revisited (25th Anniversary Collector's Edition) ImageBrideshead Revisited (25th Anniversary Collector's Edition)
IRONS,JEREMY; Release date: 2006-10-10; DVD
Best price: $38.76
Price in other shops: $59.99
The Far Pavilions ImageThe Far Pavilions
Release date: 2000-09-12; DVD
Best price: $14.23
Price in other shops: $24.99
The Flame Trees of Thika: Memories of an African Childhood (Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics) ImageThe Flame Trees of Thika: Memories of an African Childhood (Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics)
by Elspeth Huxley
Penguin Classics; Published: 2000-02-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.46
Price in other shops: $15.00
The Jewel in the Crown (25th Anniversary Edition) ImageThe Jewel in the Crown (25th Anniversary Edition)
A&E; Release date: 2008-09-30; DVD
Best price: $19.82
Price in other shops: $39.95
Compare prices and read customer reviews for more than one million DVD titles.
Oscar 2005 Winners