The Catherine Cookson Collection – Set Two
Picture: C
Sound: C+ Extras: C- Main Programs: B-
To my surprise, Acorn Media has issued a second set of TV
dramatizations of the work of Catherine Cookson, as the first shows and we
assume DVD versions fared well enough to justify The Catherine Cookson
Collection – Set Two. However,
despite some good actors in the next four telefilms included, they are no
better and Cookson’s work seems safer than one would like it to be, though that
is obviously the appeal to some.
The Dwelling Place offers a cholera
epidemic from 1832 and runs 153 minutes.
From 1993, James Fox stars in this tough tale about where personal
involvement collides with a public crisis.
The Gambling Man has the reliable Robson Green and Bernard Hill in
a tale about an ace card player (Green) willing to try and deal his way into a
legitimate, prosperous business for his family that can become legitimate. However, there will be catches. The Glass Virgin (what a title)
has Nigel Havers, Brendan Coyle and Emily Mortimer in a tale where Annabella
(Mortimer) knows the adults around her are full of it and when she becomes a
teenager, learns an uglier truth that has her running away with her best
friend. The Man Who Cried
is a Great Depression story involving child abuse, a marriage collapsing and a
wicked mother. The story also involves
fleeing with different results that The Glass Virgin. These are again competent, smart stories with
a bit of melodrama that some will really enjoy.
They are worth a look, but I was not any more impressed with these tales
than the last ones. However, they are
still solid enough and it does qualify as “quality television” those leaning
towards U.K. TV will have no problem with.
The 1.33 X 1 image on all four discs is fuzzier than the
last set, though it again also stylized to look a bit diffused. The Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo does not have
the Pro Logic surrounds that the last set had.
It is still clean and clear, but it does not decode as well this time as
last. The same text-only extras on
Cookson and applicable casts are on each DVD, but nothing more.
- Nicholas Sheffo
