Customer Reviews

The Anthony Trollope Collection (The Barchester Chronicles / He Knew He Was Right / The Way We Live Now)

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Anthony Trollope was remarkable, a man who understood feminist issues before there was a name for them. His female characters are often strong and sympathetic, and his insight into social issues made his novels more than ordinary potboilers. I do prefer the novels, where Trollope's wit and sometimes snide observations give depth to every scene. But every one of these elegantly filmed stories offers a long, luxurious look into a world long gone, and is perfect for a long lounge before the fire on a dismal day.

Anthony Trollope is a master of developing memorable characters. This collection brings us Melmotte of The Way We Live Now, played by David Suchet. All Poirot fans know Mr. Suchet. Hard to pick just one from The Barchester Chronicles. I choose the insufferable Rev. Slope, played by Alan Richman of Harry Potter fame. The rogue, Col. Osborne (Bill Nighty) from He Knew He Was Right.
Superb acting, beautiful settings and costumes, plus a glimpse into the world and conflicts of Victorian England make this series both informative and entertaining. Included in each DVD is a biography of the author and casts and a history of Peterborough Cathedral...wonderful additions.

The Anthony Trollope Collection arrived yesterday in perfect condition. I immediately was mesmerized by the excellent care in which the dialogue and setting of scenes regarding, "He Knew He Was Right" was filmed. Quick wit and well chosen actors were portrayed in this series. I am very, very impressed.
I am more familiar with the Jane Austen Series, especially "Persuasion" and "Sense and Sensibility," and was unsure the writing would stand up to her flow of the spoken word... it did! I am incredibly happy with my purchase and am proud to have this series as part of my collection. I watched the entire four parts of the movie in one sitting, and only wished it could have lasted another six hours... Excellent!

Cheers~

I am a huge Anthony Trollope fan. I particularly enjoy how he writes about women. Trollope's 19th century women are surprisingly feminist, deep, and complicated. He was ahead of his time in describing how women could be quite powerful despite their social and political limitations.

The Barchester Chronicles is noteworthy for Mrs. Proudy. She is a force of nature who can be quite vengeful if wronged. Per usual with these BBC productions the acting is excellent with Nigel Hawthorne, Alan Rickman, and Geraldine McEwan stealing their scenes. This one also includes an extra featuring a profile of Peterborough Cathedral.

He Knew He Was Right is probably the weakest of the three adaptations, but it's still good. Louis is likely insane but lives in a society that does not understand mental illness. This leads to tragedy. Some of the subplots are more interesting as they depict the schemings and power grabs by women. Acting honors go to Caroline Martin, David Tennant, and Anna Massey. This one also has an excellent feature/biography on writer Anthony Trollope. It provides fascinating insights into Trollope and the women in his real life as well as in his books.

The best of the adaptations is the wonderfully contemporary The Way We Live Now. Greed, corruption, fraud, deceit, discrimination fill this story in a similar way to what we've experienced in our own era. The acting is, again, top notch. David Suchet and Shirley Henderson blow everyone else off the screen.

It took me a while to view all these because I wanted to savor them. This is one of the most entertaining, enjoyable dvd sets I've ever bought.

Anthony Trollope has become one of my favorite authors in British Literature. I recently discovered his masterpiece The Way We Live Now in a used bookstore and once I had read the novel I could not believe that I had never heard of him before. I do not think he gets enough recognition for his work. His books are all masterpieces, his use of humor, wit, sarcasm and satire is present in all of the books I have read by him. I also love him for his creations of strong female characters. He is one of the only male writers I have read that makes women honest and portrays them truthfully. I love BBC Drama's period productions and I was excited when I found this boxed set on Amazon, even though I have not read He Knew He Was Right and The Barrister Chronicles, I have seen previews of this films and I knew I had to own this.

The Way We Live Now is an epic masterpiece of writing and I was really interested to see how it was close it would be to the book. I think it does an excellent job of measuring up. Matthew Macfayden is excellent as Sir Felix Carbury, even though I would have preferred him to be a hero, he really is a versatility as an actor and he plays his part so accurately. I also enjoyed the performances of Paloma Baeza as Hetta and Cillian Murphy as Mr. Paul Montague. Douglas Hodge was as an excellent choice for the loyal, kind and truly wonderful Roger Carbury. Even though the film strayed a bit from the book especially where the relationship of Mr. Montague and Mrs. Hurtle are concerned, I thought that it was still excellent and kept well with the spirit of the book. I think the audience can pick up the excellent satire of the production well from the performance David Suchet's as Mr. Melmotte.

He Knew He Was Right was probably my favorite of all three of the films. I thought this was excellent and might just be one of my favorite British period productions of all time. I have not read the book yet so I can not comment about how close it was to the book, but besides that the film itself is wonderful. The acting is fantastic, I love Oliver Dimsdale as Louis Trevelyan, I thought he did an excellent job connecting with the audience and we can not help but feel sorry for the way he chooses to destroy his life even though we might want to hate him for the way he accuses his wife. Laura Fraser played an excellent part of Mrs. Trevelyan, she captured the fierce independence and head-strong attitude of the character. All of the other actors are phenomenal. The story itself is excellent and original and filled with loads of rare human emotions and many memorable moments. I was hooked from start to finish and it will be one that I will watch over and over. I also enjoyed the way it was filmed where every major character sort of as a moments of monologues with the audience. I know it sounds really stupid but it is pulled off so well it enhances the story and creates a real connection between us and the characters.

The Barrister Cronicles is also another excellent production. I have not read this novel as well yet so I can not say how close it is to the book. Alan Rickman does an excellent job as Mr. Slope as are all of the other main characters in the series. It is really a delightful look at the time and I really enjoyed the story line. It is filled with humor and insight into the time period and is another great treasure that is part of this collection.

If you are into BBC dramas at all you will love this treasure. It is absolutely one of my favorite DVD sets of all time. SOME of the acting is a little bit of a put off at times, but not bad enough to ruin the films, and there are some brilliant performances too. On the whole it is just a visual treat with some great classy drama. I wish there were more movies like this!!

These are good, solid stories that stick with you, at least they stick with me better than many others. The stories have excellent plots and characters that are interesting. The actors are believable.

I'm trying to decide which one is my favorite and which one I would watch first if I were starting again.

I think I would watch "The Way We Live Now, then "He Knew He Was Right, and finally, The Barchester Chronicles.

My favorite? I love them all.

So you won't think I love all novels on DVD, I'm about to post one with a more negative review from a different collection. As far as Anthony Trollipe is concerned, I can't get enough of them.

I thoroughly enjoyed all of the stories in the set: Barchester Chronicles, He Knew He Was Right, and The Way We Live Now.
I caution, however, that these stories might not appeal to all audiences because there's no action (in the Hollywood sense of the word)and the stories are displayed in a stage-like manner.
But for those who read Dickens,Hardy, Trollope, Austen and other period novels I would recommend this set. Marian Bashaqw

Loved this collection though not quite Dickensonian in flavor. My personal favorite is 'The Barchester Chronicles'. Characters have depth and nuances that keep you watching for hours on end. least favorite? 'He Knew He Was Right'. More somber and dark than I like. 'The Way We Live Now' at least had some comic relief, and was superbly acted. Great story lines.

I love, love, love BBC Damas. The Anthony Trollope Collection was supurb. It brought me many hours of sheer joy. Beautifully acted, beautifully costumed and the stories were totally interesting. I think my favorite was the Barchester Chronicles and I would have given Alan Rickman an academy award for his performance. Don't buy this if you do not like British Drama because it is the best of that genre.