The Rector’s Wife (Acorn)

 

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

 

 

Lindsay Duncan plays a woman who marries the man she loves, but being The Rector’s Wife (1993) finds out that she is gong to get more than she bargained for with ignorant parishioners and a threat to her very individuality unless she finds a way to manage or fight back.  It does not help that her husband is an ingrate, but when two other males enter the picture for the better, she may find a way out of this mess yet.

 

Obviously, it is not as easy as walking away, which means propriety is a factor.  Also, she obviously believes in the same faith and this is the kind of thing that is “not supposed to happen” as it continues to and gets even worse and worse.  Hugh Whitemore’s teleplay adaptation of Joanna Trollope’s book is very good, especially about how ignorant, demanding and even hatemongering a crowd of organized religious people can be when they can only find happiness through someone else’s misery.  If anything, the mini-series could and should have gone further on this point.

 

Then there are those who would say “what did she expect” which also misses the point.  Many do things in good faith, especially when they are good (not perfect either, we should add) people.  The issue is what is right and expected.  However, as we have seen so recently, the desperate will take advantage of such good will to insane extents, making this a timely DVD release form Acorn.

 

The letterboxed 1.66 X 1 image is very soft and almost got a lower rating if it were not for some color and image consistency.  This is when U.K. TV was still playing it safe before the 16 X 9 HD aspect ratio was settled upon.  The Dolby Digital 2.0 is simple stereo and more like it.  The only extras are text cast filmographies and text on Trollope.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo