Love For Lydia (British Mini-series)
Picture: C+
Sound: C+ Extras: C- Episodes: B-
The British TV Mini-series dramas tend to hold up very
well and have a style and feel of their own unequaled or like anything that
American, Australian, or Canadian TV managed to produce. Growing up, I noticed this, but was always
bored with the look and length of these productions for the most part, then the
New Romantics of Music Video gloriously hijacked their look and the rest is
history. Because of its semi-successful
attempt at a sprawling love story, Love for Lydia (1977) made me think
of such things.
Lydia (Mel Martin) is a somewhat wild jazz flapper gal in
the late 1920s, but instead of staying a free spirit, she suddenly gets the
attention of Richardson (Christopher Blake), who starts falling in love with
her. If they did not, we would not have
a mini-series. There are the usual ups
and downs, then an eventual resolution, if you can call it that. Fans of “quality art TV” will say that this
is the way top do this kind of story, but it could be argued that melodrama is
dragged out until it is supposedly unrecognizable due to acting and a literate
teleplay. That does not ruin the show,
but probably thins out the point like many a British feature film.
However, what also makes such shows work is the attention
to detail, interaction, and a feel of authenticity. Though there is some stretching out to speak of, all 13
installments of Love for Lydia add up to a good coherent narrative. I would still have a drawn-out narrative
than something that forgets what a narrative is and wastes my time, which this
show did not. Peter Davidson (Doctor
Who, At Home With The Braithwaites) and Jeremy Irons add to a very
well rounded cast of the kinds of British actors you know are good and have
seen before, but most Americans can never seem to name. They are among the many who have cast
filmographies on DVD 1, along with a stills gallery and biography on author
H.E. Bates, on whose book this series is based.
The 1.33 X 1 full frame image is of the diffused PAL
format type just discussed, but the British managed to make an art out of the
limits of their analog TV signal. Color
is also slightly faded, but still a bit better than if this were produced in
the NTSC analog video format The United States is so well known for. This look creates its own world, which the
British had dominated for years. The
Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono is also good, but shows its age a bit, but the voices
were well recorded enough. It helped me
believe the romance enough and is recommended for those who like this type of
storytelling, all 650 minutes of it.
- Nicholas Sheffo
