Poldark – Series 2 (1977/Acorn Media DVD Set)
Picture:
C Sound: C+ Extras: C- Series: B
In the
second series of Poldark we get to
continue to experience what was one of the most beloved British television
series of all time. Based on Winston
Graham’s novels the miniseries this time takes us on over 11 hours of
swashbuckling heroism and villainy. The
series has changed a bit since Series 1,
but for the most part retains all of the aspects that made it popular and
builds upon them to make them even better.
Since
this is an ongoing series with MANY twists and turns, it would not be in the
viewers’ best interest for me to be too revealing, but I can give a brief
synopsis. The blustery melodrama
continues for Poldark beyond that of
Winston Graham’s original intentions, but the fast paced nature of the series
coupled with treason, duels and feuds makes it for an exciting experience. Whereas Series
1 (though deviating form source material at times)
was striving to be a serious and tantalizing drama, Series 2 emphasizes the serial drama genre by having viewers
clamoring for more. The series mixes in
social and political upheaval to give it a historical edge along with the
melodrama and love triangles.
The
series is extremely entertaining and only gets better as it goes along. Some of the aspects are over the top (very
soap opera like) and the series seems dated at times, but overall it is
enjoyable and viewers will love seeing the relationships unravel.
The image
is a 1.33 X 1 full screen that was originally filmed on tape and shows its age
at that. The picture is often soft and
colors are not nearly as bold as they should be; this on top of faded blacks
that do not adequately frame the image. The
sound is not as bad in its Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono format, but like the image is
soft and has compression issues throughout.
Annoyingly
after the series is done, there are no extras here to enjoy; not even boring
text features. Making it feel as
something is missing and nothing capped off as there are no behind the scenes
looks or commentaries to reveal factoids for fans to enjoy.
I highly
recommend Poldark because it is a
serial drama that has aged well as it remains fun and engaging, escaping the
stereotypical stuffy BBC structure.
- Michael P. Dougherty II
