By The Sword Divided – Series Two (1984 – 1985/Umbrella Entertainment/Region
Four/4/PAL)
Picture:
C Sound: C+ Extras: C Episodes: B-
PLEASE NOTE: This DVD set can only be
operated on machines capable of playing back DVDs that can handle Region 4 PAL
format software and can be ordered from our friends at Umbrella Entertainment
at the website address provided at the end of the review.
Another gem from the tail end of the last Golden Age of
TV, By The Sword Divided was a
series of two seasons worth of telefilm-length episodes that told the tale of
the conflict between Oliver Cromwell and Royal Family for power in England. Nicely done, the series deals with a civil
war we do not hear enough about and might be the longest telling of the story
to date.
Picking up from the last season (unreviewed at this time),
King Charles I (Jeremy Clyde) has lost power and Cromwell (a hard to recognize
Peter Jeffrey) is making his moves to alter the course of England forever
and gain as much power as possible. Arnescote Castle plays a key part in this tale, as
that is where many of the major players seem to turn up sooner or later, while
the landmark’s fate will reflect the result of the battle.
There are also actual war battles (we only see so much of
this via budget and that this is more a drama than epic) and other interesting
moments that make this compelling viewing on its 25th Anniversary,
but is a top notch production more than worthy of rediscovery. Sharon Maughan and Andrew MacLachlan also
star in these last 11 installments over 4 DVDs.
The 1.33
X 1 picture is a mix of 16mm film (transferred at the time to tape) and PAL
analog videotape that is softer than expected considering when it was made, but
it plays well enough once you get adjusted to the flaws. The Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono holds up a little
better, but has compression and distortion that is expected for an older taped
TV production. Extras include stills,
text on the history this series covers and text cast filmographies.
As noted above, you can order this PAL DVD import set exclusively
from Umbrella at:
http://www.umbrellaent.com.au/
- Nicholas Sheffo
