Queenie’s Castle – The Complete Series (1970 – 72/Network U.K./Region Two/2/PAL DVD)
Picture:
C Sound: C+ Extras: D Episodes: B-
PLEASE
NOTE: This
DVD set can only be operated on machines capable of playing back DVDs that can
handle Region Two/2/PAL format software and can be ordered from our friends at
Network U.K. at the website address provided at the end of the review or at
finer retailers.
In her
early days, Diana Dors was one of British Cinema’s sex sirens and slowly showed
up in her share of Film Noirs in the 1940s and 1950s. Then TV gave her further exposure and she
stayed a star for decades. Eventually,
after working with the likes of Joan Crawford on Berserk (1967), she began to put on weight and became more of a
comic figure, though she could always do comedy. Queenie’s
Castle is the exceptionally good, enduring sitcom she made in the early
1970s, now on DVD.
In it,
she is the mother of a poor, dysfunctional family. A loudmouth, she cannot stand her lazy
children, husband or relatives and is always battling them and complacency just
to keep her life going and theirs alive.
Still a show with edge, those who enjoy Absolutely Fabulous will particularly appreciate its edgier humor
and what a great character this was for Dors.
This 3-DVD set has all 18 half-hours.
Of
course, the show was way ahead of a hit like Roseanne in its explicit dealings with poverty and class division,
still today seeming like a bolder show.
This ran for three seasons and it is a shame it was not more. However, this is very entertaining and any
serious BritCom fan must see it.
It may
also be the reason she played the fairy godmother to Adam Ant in his classic
Music Video for Prince Charming, now
actually available on a PAL DVD set (unreviewed) from Sony Music worth your
time. Dors was a real star and really
shines here.
The 1.33
X 1 PAL image is softer than we would have liked, but color quality is good and
these copies are in good shape. The
Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono is even better and you can hear Dors loud and clear. There are no extras.
As noted above, you can order this PAL DVD import
exclusively from Network U.K. at:
http://www.networkdvd.net/
or
www.networkdvd.co.uk
- Nicholas Sheffo
