Bramwell – The Complete First Season
Picture: C+
Sound: B- Extras: D Episodes: B-
Shanachie is finally backtracking to release the Bramwell
series. They actually began with Season
Four (1998, reviewed elsewhere on this site), so we all wondered where the
previous seasons were. While that was a
set of TV movies, The Complete First Season offers seven episodes
without titles, over three DVDs. To
repeat the set-up of the show (give or take the changes that occurred in three
seasons), the stories centers on a female doctor in a man’s world of
yesteryear, but this is not as light and romantic.
Dr. Eleanor Bramwell (Jemma Redgrave, perfect in the title
role from the beginning) has to fight to be a doctor at a time when the idea
was considered a fluke, if not a threat.
It is 1895 and her father (David Caulder) is a very successful medical
figure in the community. When all she
can get is work in the worst part of town, she takes it on and that is where
the stories really take off. As
compared to the later telefilms, these episodes can hold their own. Oddly, there are no end credits on these
shows and episodes are cut off between DVDs, so it is imperative you have the
whole set. That also attests to the
slight soap opera nature of the series.
The full screen 1.33 X 1 images are clean, color rich and
have an enjoyable degree of grain that gives the look of both shows an
authenticity we do not see in TV productions enough, but that approach affects
the detail a bit, though obviously intended.
I liked this very much. The
Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo fares better, offering very healthy Pro Logic type
surrounds. This is better than many
feature films, even with Dolby 5.1 mixes we have heard recently. There are no extras, but you may enjoy the
show. If it sounds like your kind of
series, start with this set.
- Nicholas Sheffo
