Poldark – Series One (1975/Acorn Media DVD)
Picture:
C Sound: C+ Extras: C- Episodes: B
From a
time when network TV in the U.K. and U.S. was more ambitious than it ever was
or ever would be again, Poldark
(1975) was a two-season series that played more like an elongated Mini-Series
based off of Winston Graham’s novel series about American just after its
original revolution. The title character
(Robin Ellis, Callan, The Main Chance) comes home to Cornwall to find his home
a wreck. These are the first 16
hour-long shows.
I
remember how popular this was (and on the heals of Upstairs, Downstairs) as the tale of Poldark has him escaping
prison, letting other out who should not be there, losing his lover to his
cousin and seeing his financially broke father dead. That is only the beginning of what is an epic
in its own right and that it was produced on old tape and is still this
ambitious, smart and rich not only has the whole season hold up well, but embarrasses
so many bad mini-series and other attempts at epics of its kind since.
We then
meet new characters at every turn and the tale becomes richer and more
interesting as it goes on. Costumes and
production design are decent, even in the year of Barry Lyndon. Writing is exceptional, directing is
impressive and the cast is also a standout including Jill Townsend (The Seven-Per-Cent Solution), Paul
Curran, Clive Francis (Middlemarch),
Judy Geeson (Star Maidens), Ralph
Bates, Cynthia Grenville, Martin Fisk (The
Guardians, The New Avengers), Edward
Evans (The Troubleshooters), Dave
Carter (Doctor Who), Michael Gwynn (Department S), Roy Evans (Adam Adamant Lives!), Wensley Pithey (Callan) and Barry Jackson (A For Andromeda).
The 1.33
X 1 image was shot in PAL videotape (a BBC production) with some 16mm filming,
but even the film footage is older film-to-tape transfer material and the
overall effect is a soft, weak image, even though good color is trying to get
through. The Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono is a
little better, yet also shows signs of its age with some compression and other
sonic limits for such TV productions of the time. Text cast filmographies and historical
background on Cornwall
are the only extras.
- Nicholas Sheffo
