Gary Couzens
01-08-2007, 23:49
In the words of the late George Melly, "The first authentic masterpiece written directly for televison", John Hopkins's 1966 serial (4 x 90 mins) has just been passed by the BBFC for a 12 certificate. The distributor is 2Entertain, release date TBA. Presumably this will be a two-disc set, and extras are also TBA.
The serial covers a fateful weekend in the lives of a family (Maurice Denham, Margery Mason, Judi Dench, Michael Bryant), each episode told from a different viewpoint. It's been repeated only twice - in 1989 on BBC2 (when I saw it) and in 2003 on BBC4 - so this DVD is very welcome.
Like a lot of TV drama of the time, it inclines more towards the theatrical than the cinematic, though director Christopher Morahan does some interesting things with flashbacks, especially in the opening episode from the POV of the daughter (Dench). It's very much a writer's piece, though that's not to discredit a VERY strong cast. I found it thoroughly absorbing and I intend to review it when the time comes.
Given what material sits gathering dust in BBC and ITV archives - almost never shown because TV executives seem to assume the set will explode if you show something in 4:3 and black and white - releases like this get the thumbs up from me. It's a pity it couldn't have been released while Hopkins was still alive and could contribute to it.
The serial covers a fateful weekend in the lives of a family (Maurice Denham, Margery Mason, Judi Dench, Michael Bryant), each episode told from a different viewpoint. It's been repeated only twice - in 1989 on BBC2 (when I saw it) and in 2003 on BBC4 - so this DVD is very welcome.
Like a lot of TV drama of the time, it inclines more towards the theatrical than the cinematic, though director Christopher Morahan does some interesting things with flashbacks, especially in the opening episode from the POV of the daughter (Dench). It's very much a writer's piece, though that's not to discredit a VERY strong cast. I found it thoroughly absorbing and I intend to review it when the time comes.
Given what material sits gathering dust in BBC and ITV archives - almost never shown because TV executives seem to assume the set will explode if you show something in 4:3 and black and white - releases like this get the thumbs up from me. It's a pity it couldn't have been released while Hopkins was still alive and could contribute to it.