The Forsyte Saga, Series 2
CDN$ 59.95
I didn t want it to end - I have never read the books or seen the original series. I only was obsessed with the first series on DVD last year and for the last couple of days have been obsessed with the second. The only reason why I went onto the internet as soon as the second one finished is I wanted to see if that was indeed the end. Unfortunately it is.I am upset that they rushed through the developing love affair between Jolyon and Irene in the first series. I also did not love Series 2 as much as Series I.But as I had not read the books or seen the 1969 series I did not miss the omissions that obviously disturbed other viewers. It was just a fabulous British drama with wonderful sets and costumes and it totally sucked me in. That is what I really want these days when constantly searching for new dramas to watch on DVD. This one fulfilled this requirement.I would recommend this version series to anyone!!!!!!!!!!!! I am now just going to have to buy the 1969 series.
A continuation of a most fabulous DVD series ever .. - This two disc six hour story is a continuation of series one and brings in the children of the two main characters, Soames and Ireene ..... The main characters of the first series do not disappear, and this series two is not a rehash of what happend to the parents but a continuation of the saga. Why the publishers decided to split this into two series is totally beyond me since I can t imgine buying the second series and asking a million complicated and intricate question of who what when and where ... So don t do it buy both Series one and two and follow the story ... Enclosed is a review I wrote for the Series one of this fabulous DVD set Series One: DVD series with 2 espisodes per disc, a full nine hour story was so exciting that my wife and I we had a veritable group show up at the house demanding that we can t finish the series without them being there to witness and enjoy every moment ..... And that s what happened, we not only went through the nine hours of Series one but also the more than 6 hours of Series two making it a FABULOUS weekend of 15 hours of exiting, thoughtfull, thrilling and tender stories of love, hate, revenege and posession ..... Trust me you are talking to a guy that falls asleep in most of today s movie theaters after the first half hour so for me to hang in there for a full 15 hourse makes this and absolute MUST recommendation to purchase for your DVD collection.... Oddy enough, I do however think that women from ages 19 and up will gobble up the love stories of the Forsythe saga while the men however MUST be at least 35 years old or older. I guess it has something to do with a lack of violence and explicit gratuitous sex, so, I suggest that you get a DVD of Kill Bill Vol1 and have them watch that in another room over and over .... OK I m not going to go into the story or more details in this review since much has already been written about this famous series ... suffice it to say that I certainly identified with the plight of one of the main characters, Soames, the wealthy Forsyth that marries Ireene, a beutifull young woman that does not love him.Thats the devilishness of the story, he suffers for the love of a woman he can t posess while she suffers for the love of men that get taken away from her...... WOW this is the best EVER in DVD and it will deliciously blow away a weekend with you, your friends and significant others ....
What Did They Do to My Galsworthy...again? - What a disappointment is Series 2 of Granada Televison s production of ",The Forsyte Saga",, based upon John Galsworthy s novel ",To Let.", Again, it is as though the producers and writers at Granada never read more than an outline of Galworthy s complex and richly detailed works. This time they were not content to make minor alterations to the plot....no, only a meat cleaver was good enough for the writers who adapted ",To Let", for the screen. The film opens with a scene that never took place in the novel, where pre-teens Jon Forsyte (son of Young Jolyn & Irene) and Fleur (daughter of Soames and Annette) meet and are instantly fast friends, in the way that children do. Seeing his daughter and the son of Jolyn & Irene (his sworn enemies) playing in the garden turns Soames into a raving monster who in his rage almost strikes Jon. Damian Lewis as Soames frequently appears to be foaming at the mouth when ever he becomes angry...the scenery must have been in constant danger during the filming of this production. Other equally strange liberties were taken with the book, including Jon and Fleur making love right after his father s funeral, and a reconciliation of sorts between Soames and Irene that concludes Series 2 and which never happened in the books. Now, as to the more positive aspects of the production: Gena McKee was not nearly as annoying as the middle aged Irene as she was in Series 1, when she was supposed to be a young woman possessing a fatal beauty that attracted all men into her orbit. Her character was warmer and more sympathetic than in the first series. Rupert Graves was an excellent Young Jolyn, wise, loving, and scared of what would happen to his family upon his death. I thought Emma Griffiths Malin was a more-than-adequate Fleur, although she could not quite get the same subtle emotions across as did Susan Hampshire in the 1969 production of ",To Let.", The character of Michael Mont was as charming and appealing in this version as it was in the original, but Lee Williams as Jon left much to be desired IMO, somewhat due to his too youthful appearance. This series gave us more insight into the relationship between Soames and Annette than did the original production, which was one case of the new series being more faithful to the book than was the 1969 version, where Annette simply disappeared never to be seen again after her relationship with Profond was discovered. However, that alone cannot make up for a deeply flawed script and the over-the-top acting of Damien Lewis. I really feel Mr Lewis could have benefited by watching the original Soames, the great Eric Porter, who had most viewers eating out of his hand by the end of the 26 episodes of the 1969 series. I hardly think that will be the case here.
Sadly, not as good as the first series. - Unlike other viewers, I don t mind when TV and movie adaptations are different from the books they are based on. As long as the CHARACTERS are not completely unrecognizable! Jon and Fleur are presented as Romeo and Juliet, star-crossed lovers. They weren t. In the books, it s made clear that like her father, Fleur is too selfish and possessive to be happy. Jon had doubts about her even before Soames came by and wrecked it. A few points that they got completely wrong:June did not hate Fleur. She felt rather sorry for the girl. In fact, June visited Fleur on her wedding day to wish her luck. Jon left the country to get on with his life after breaking off with Fleur. He did NOT wait around pining, or try to stop her from marrying Michael out of possessiveness. In fact, he sent her a letter with good wishes. Fleur held on to Jon s memory obsessively. Soames would NEVER have told Fleur about his rape of Irene. He was a Victorian. Not only would he not have spoken to his daughter about sexual matters, he never thought that he had done anything wrong. Irene was his wife back then, so it wasn t rape. Soames did not make peace with Irene directly. She left the country a few weeks after Fleur s wedding. They saw one another and she waved goodbye. A few points they got right. Fleur s having nature. Annette s observation that Soames was ruining their daughter was right on the mark. I enjoyed Annette s characterization. The book shows very little of her interacting with her daughter. The scene with Soames and Irene. Some people complained about that. But the fact is, for the rest of his life, Soames continued to think of Irene as the cause of all his troubles. Fleur s hysteria when she realized that Jon was not coming to her. No, she didn t make a scene at Robin Hill in the original. When Soames came back home and told her that Jon had told him that it was no good, she screamed at HIM, telling him that he had betrayed her. (Because for the first time in her life, Soames had failed to give her exactly what she wanted. It never occurred to her that he simply couldn t.)
McKee is Sensational... - As one of England s most gifted actors, Gina Mckee is superb in ",The Forsyth Saga", (BBC) . Her subtle, gentle performance gives her character an intensely complex dimension usually stripped out of BBC period dramas. KcKee almost leaves the other actors for dead in many of her most important scenes. An actor of superb technique and armed with undeniably the most beautiful, complex profiles in contemporary film and television. Her alluring, slightly theatrical presence and physicality are what make this remake so impressive. A fine example of an exceptional actor totally in control of her craft, handling an incredibly difficult role with decorum that only a first rate, classically trained, and gifted actor could.