The Moonstone (British TV Mini-Series/1972/BBC/Acorn)

 

Picture: C     Sound: C     Extras: C-     Episodes: B

 

 

The second British TV adaptation of the Wilkie Collins literary classic is actually older and better than the 1996 British telefilm we already looked at.  You can read about the book and that telefilm at the following link:

 

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/2909/The+Moonstone+(Telefilm)

 

 

This version was shot on PAL tape, is in five parts and stars mostly unknown actors like Colin Baker, who later became Dr. Who in the mid-1980s.  There is just a little more life, fullness and detail to this version.  I like the sets and color choices more, plus the makers have more time to address the book properly.  This runs a healthy 221 minutes and with the very early feature film versions beings as short as the telefilm, is likely to be definitive.  That leaves us looking for the 1959 British TV mini-series.

 

The 1.33 X 1 image was shot on analog PAL video and shows its age.  Furthermore, the tapes have their moments of damage and color-poorness.  The Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono is also a bit lower in fullness than one would like.  The only extras are text on the cast and author, which is more than we got from WGBH.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo