The Pallisers, Set 1

The Pallisers, Set 1

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Movie Reviews of The Pallisers, Set 1

Movie Review: How to keep political power and a stable marriage
Summary: 5 Stars

In very brief, they deal with the fortunes of the Palliser
family and the demands for political reform by the English lower
classes. I suppose the single sentence from the script that can sum
all this up is spoken by the Duke of St. Bungay to the effect that the
upper classes must grant reforms but slowly so as to retain always
their rule over the country. This, to people like him, is axiomatic;
and very little has changed since.

Well, Acorn Media has at last
granted us a chance this year to see at least the first 8 episodes of
the series again, on four DVDs. And what a joy they are.

In a
charming interview on the first of the four discs, star Susan
Hampshire, who plays Lady Glencora Palliser, says she managed to whip
through the six novels in preparation for this series by skipping
every other chapter--the ones about politics! So cleverly has Trollope
woven the domestic with the political threads, that we can be grateful
that dramatist Simon Raven seems to have skipped very little.

Whether or not you know a Whig from a Tory (and definitions for such
terms are considerately inserted into the dialogue), you cannot help
but enjoy the humor of Trollope's situations, his characters, and
their way of speaking. Consider only some of the names: Lady Monk,
Lady Fawn, Duke of Omnium, Sir Orlando Draught, Lady Dumbello,
Patience Crabstick, and above all Plantagenet Palliser.

Of course
the acting is quite stylized and as such it is perfect for this
material. None of this whispering below the threshold of hearing that
seems to be demanded by directors today. And no need to show any
couple in bed, while that seems to be absolutely obligatory in recent
Masterpiece Theatre offerings. This is old style material and calls
for an acting style appropriate to it. The truths, however, never
change.

Much of the budget went to costumes and décor and you do
get the feeling of it all being shot in a studio: the background of
the Alps is blatantly a painted one and the constant shadow of the
microphone does not help. But the story is enough to keep you coming
back for more and the engrossing characters (even the villains have
their good points) can keep you amused on their own. Philip Latham's
"Planty Pal" begins almost cartoonishly but soon develops
into a very human character. And Hampshire is marvelous in her
transformation from a reluctant bride forced into a loveless marriage
to a loving and devoted wife. Even the minor characters, such as the
corrupt Police Sergeant, are utterly convincing. (Many of these actors
will be familiar from the old "Avengers" and "Lord
Peter Wimsey series.)

Acorn Media is to be even more highly
commended for including a 32-page booklet which gives us the
backgrounds of the novels and the televised series, a glossary of
names and terms, and a complete cast listing. Now the trick is to wait
until early 2001 for the second set to be available. ...

Summary of The Pallisers, Set 1