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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
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MELODRAMA
I wanted to really enjoy this miniseries because of the good reviews and because of the subject matter--generally favorable reviews from pros and the general public about an extended family reminiscing about their lives before, during and after World War II. However, I just found the whole effort along with its characters rather tedious. I have not read the novel by Mary Wesley that this miniseries is based on. Perhaps that is my problem. Nevertheless, I just found the entire presentation along with its characters and its tremendous amount of sex to be very melodramatic I don't consider myself to be a prude; however, with everyone either "getting it on" or trying desperately to "get it on" I grew a little weary of the story and its subject matter.
This presentation has many good actors that I have admired in other performances but NOT in this one. I adored Jennifer Ehle in "Pride Prejudice" but found her as blond Calypso in this outing to be very shallow and unconvincing as this rather ditzy character. . I also adored Toby Stephens as Philby in `Cambridge Spies" but not as extremely randy Oliver which I just found the character to be annoying, In fact I did not care for Felicity Kendal or her most irritating husband played by Paul Eddington (both of "Good neighbors fame). I did not find them to be interesting at all. I just found it impossible to "connect" with any of the characters or characterizations. (The one thing I can say about the characters in this presentation is they remained dreary from youth to old age and they remained so no matter who portrayed them even if it were the likes of Claire Bloom (Sophie in old age) or Rosemary Harris (Calypso in old age)
Rating: 
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fascinating and excellent
just finished watching this, and absolutely loved it. the only flaw for me was the quicky ending which seemed a little disjointed, but the rest of the series was just wonderful, filled with complex and real characters.
yes, some puritans may balk at the frank and realistic protrayal of relationships (including sex), but this, finally, is really how people talk, rather than how we THINK folks talked 50 years ago.
great series. highly recommended.
Rating: -
Reminiscent randy relationships of relatives and friends
The story starts out with people going to Max's (Oliver Cotton) funeral 40 years after WWII. On the way to the funeral each person, several generations of family and friends reminisce on their earlier war years where five cousins gathered at their uncles' house with a chamomile lawn.
The costumes and sets were impeccable and carried you to a different world and time. You feel that you lived through the war. We see the destruction and disruption caused by the war.
We see the casualties of war and the trials for those left behind. In the midst of this people are growing up and making decisions, strange or unconventional decisions. Some of the film has the feel of the movie "To Kill a Mockingbird".
At first I was distracted because the actors are so well known such as Felicity Kendal (Helena Cuthbertson) and Paul Eddington (Richard Cuthbertson.) Hoverer by the end I came to look on them as the characters that they are playing.
Being a mini-series there is more time to add the finer points of the book. However there are a lot of subjects and actions that are just implied or not complete thoughts. I can only assume that the film relies heavily on one reading the book first. With the exception on one story line being wrapped up in the end many lose ends lead one to realize this is not a story with a beginning middle and end; it is just a snippet of life that is taken at face value as we move on.
Rating: 
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the dehumanization of art
This movie is composed of quick glimpses, not scenes, and consists mostly of talk. There is virtually no action of any kind in this four-and-a-half hour movie.
The funeral at the end is as perfunctory as everything else. Contrary to the product description, there is no story of a reunion of characters at the funeral. Mostly, they appear driving their various cars to the funeral and, like a chorus, commenting on and explaining the actions that we have just been shown.
The nasty-surprise ending gives a clue as to why the author may have written this book--to gloat over the sexual prowess of one of the characters. Most viewers will find this revelation repulsive. If you make a guess as to why the author wrote such a story and then read the Mary Wesley biographical summary included with this DVD, you'll probably find your guess vindicated. Viewers who do not share her prejudices will not enjoy this movie.
Some of the "characters" like the twins and Walter are merely ciphers, not characters at all, not even caricatures. All the characters with the exception of Sophie are sociopaths. It's true that there are sociopaths in the world, but they are relatively rare (at least they were rare in the past). There is not a shred of humanity in any of these people. Some, I suppose, are intended to be "quirky", but quirky does not have to be infuriating or obnoxious. The entire movie is an exhibition of contempt for human beings or at least contempt for the British upper-middle class. No doubt there are people who will agree with this assessment. They should enjoy this movie.
Unlike other period movies, WWII is merely a device in this movie. It plays almost no role and hardly appears, except as drawn curtains, taped windows and some sound effects. The war seems to mean little to most of the characters. A couple of times, someone mourns for a dead cousin; but since there was no evidence of positive regard between them before, the mourning hardly has any effect on the audience.
Even the sex scenes are too cold-blooded to be erotic scenes, let alone love scenes. People casually hop into bed with no evidence of desire or other positive feelings. Consequently, they are ineffective as cinema.
The music is appropriate: all spikes, quirks, jerks and plucked strings.
I can't believe that the amazon reviewer actually watched this movie. His statements sound more like promotional material for the movie than like a review.
Rating: -
Very Mediocre
I wanted to watch this movie mainly because of Jennifer Ehle. Ms. Ehle played Elizabeth Bennett is the very lovely-made version of Pride and Prejudice. However, I did not like her character or her blonde hair. The story, mostly told in flashback, was poorly done and somewhat confusing. I was very glad when the film ended.
