Customer Reviews

All Creatures Great & Small - Series 3, Vol. 1-6 [VHS]

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(2)

 

 

This series "All Creatures Great and Small" is special beyond a doubt. The Third season of episodes finds our friends concerned about the coming war and is contemplative about life changing soon among the dales. It is the most delightful of the 3 with wonderful flute music and genuinely funny plots that have Tristan taking over kitchen duties with his usual haplessness and we are also given another "dose" of Dr. Granville Bennett,a repeating character who constantly gets our heroes drunk. Another features a dog that is subject to "gas" straying into an afternoon tea party and stinks the place up while a stock character colonel is explaining the benefits of "curry powder" in the diet. Siegfried is distant at times and eventually reveals his feelings about the coming war to James. In the end, the obligations of duty summon them both while Tristan holds up the home vet practice (Finally passing his tests.)Things were never the same again after this season and for that and the reasons stated above I believe this to be the best. Well worth your time and investment. A sure tranquilizer for our hurried times.

For all of the faithful ACG&S fans another wonderful series. The first two volumes were great and the VHS quality superb. I would suspect that the brisk sales in America has prompted the producers to bring out the third volume. The first three are the best because they capture these wonderful characters just before the start of WW2. I would also like to mention that Jim Wight has written a wonderful book about his father called "The Real James Herriot" (Ballantine Books) The relationships between the actors and the "real" Herriot family is wonderful. Thanks Amazon for telling me the good news. Hello VCR. I promise I won't watch them all in one evening. ( Liar!)

If you are a fan of All Creatures Great and Small (ACGS), you will LOVE this newest release. It simply is terrific. Series III goes deeper, with both the characters and the storylines. Relationships are explored and, against the background of 1939 WWII Britain, the thriving practice of Farnon and Herriot offers up loads of teats. James and Helen anchor the show but certainly do not steal it. James is the consummate professional and we see him develop into a true journeyman vet, with both mistakes and miracles mixed together. His day at Grandville's garden is priceless, and James's locum at the practice of Seigfried's pal, Stewie, sets up a "colorful" day at the dog races. Siegfried falls in love, and exposes his heart in more ways than one. Tristan comes into his own as a vet and a man, yet is still capable of the idiotic behavior we've come to love. We even get to see a glimpse into the life of the stoic Mrs. Hall - her compassion as she reaches out to her family during a crisis; her steely countenance as she lurches about the pracitce following an afternoon of sherry drinking with her friends. And once again, the delightfully quirky folk of the Yorkshire Dales provide a wealth of great storylines. Vol III is a must-have for the ACGS fan. It truly is like visiting with an old friend - no pretense and wonderfully encouraging. Buy Vol III. You won't be disappointed!

The third series of this classic series is set against the events leading to WW2, and concludes in the final episode with the partners departing their beloved Darroby to fight for all they hold most dear in the war, following it's outbreak.

James Herriot is very happily married to Helen, and a half partner to Seigfried, with the latters younger Brother Tristan, still struggling to qualify as a vet. Despite the impending disaster of the war, life must go on, and here it does with another joyful collection of episodes including "Charity Begins at Home" with Seigfried determined to teach his partners an example in cost cutting...if only he practised what he preaches! "Hair of the Dog" where James is unable to resist a visit from Granville Bennet, a gregarious local vet with a taste for drink! "Matters of Life and Death" Seigfried and Tristan attend a military function, with dire concequences for Tristan!

The last episode, "Big Steps and Little 'uns" sees both James and Seigfried depart for the war, and contains a great scene by the fireside where James explains to Seigfried why he loves hs life in Darrowby so much, yet has to leave to defend it.

Although intended as the conclusion to this wonderfuil series, All Creatures returned some years later, post war, to continue to stories of the life and times of the partners. It continued to be hugely entertaining, but after this series 3 was no longer based on the books by James Herriot, and new writers were brought in. Subsequently, it never quite recaptured the magic of the early stories. Even though at times, it came close..

Words fail me to express how I love this series... but heres some that fail, but hopefully only a bit.

I love this series, I really really do. This season continues the same level of high quality that we have become accustomed to. There is an additional depth to the relationships as they see the growing clouds of war that loom closer and closer through the stories. This brings about what is my favorite exchange between Sigfried and Tristan in the whole series. These really should be watched in order and I recommend setting some time aside, watching them all in one sitting isnt hard to do AT ALL! As for the stories... well Theres Bangers and Mash, the Belltower Ringers last Hurah, And you HAVE to buy it.... because if you dont, you will never see Grandvile's garden!! And that would be a pity... "All the spices of the orient!" These books/shows remind me of why I'm so thankfull for every day I'm on this earth.

This series is addictive. This is the best of the BBC and has to be one of the finest series ever made. Once one has seen one series one is made restless to see the rest. Indeed they are such classics that it is easy to look at them over and over again. There is always something new to discover. The characters become like good family friends. I am delighted to discover that series IV will be soon available.

Finally volume III. I have not viewed yet, but this collection has audio commentary by Hardy, Drinkwater, Davison and a few select directors on episodes 6, 7 and 13. Plus, a 5 minute feature on the James Herriot museum in Thirsk, and the Who's Who in the cast. 722 minutes on four discs. I hope volume IV is on the way on DVD. .................................................

I've never quite been able to pick a single best episode of "All Creatures," my favorite TV series. However, there are certainly several contenders for that honor in Series Three, the final series before James Herriot (Christopher Timothy) goes off to war. The omnipresence of his impending departure makes this series kind of bittersweet, but fortunately the series came back in 1988 and ran through 1990 (with two Christmas specials and one full-length movie bridging the gap between the end of Series 3 and the beginning of series 4).

I hesitate to give away too much information about any of these episodes - they have to be seen! - but my personal favorites are "Charity Begins At Home," "If Wishes Were Horses," "Be Prepared," "A Dying Breed," "Plenty To Grouse About," and "Home and Away". As usual, the actors play their characters so convincingly that when reading Herriot's books it's impossible to imagine James, Siegfried, Tristan, etc. as anyone other than Christopher Timothy, Robert Hardy, and Peter Davison.

(One final note: after watching any given ACG&S episode with Mr. Davison in it - I admit I don't enjoy the ones without him quite as much - I can never help but consider the possibility that he may suffer from a hyperactive charm/appeal gland.)

All Creatures Great and Small was shown on PBS when our children were very young. After it was no longer aired, we really missed watching it. Now that we can purchase it on video/dvd, it's wonderful to be able watch all these episodes from the 70's and 80's. It is good, clean, wholesome viewing for children, grandchildren and adults - something that isn't always possible in today's world. Every year we have bought another series/season of the 45 minute shows. If you grew up watching Lassie, you won't want to miss All Creatures.

One can not get enough of Herriot's Yorkshire. The BBC series is of course the best.