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The Forsyte Saga - First Generation [VHS]

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Possibly the greatest TV miniseries of all time, it is wonderful that it has been released with great care and pride in this marvelous DVD set.

What sets this particular adaptation apart from others, especially the recent (2002) version, is the outstanding ensemble acting and rich characterizations. For example, as Soames, compare Eric Porter's crisp, impeccable diction in this version with Damian Lewis's mushy delivery in the 2002 version. Compare the delightful, comic realization of James (Soames's father), played by John Welsh in 1969, with the indistinguishable-from-all-the-other-Forsytes character in 2002. Most compelling, compare Nyree Dawn Porter as Irene in 1969, with... well, there really is no comparison here.

Of course, visually, this version suffers compared to last year's. It's shot in black and white, mostly on stage sets. Clearly, they used very few takes (another tribute to the actors), as minor defects like coats falling off racks, cameras getting bumped, slightly muffed lines are retained. But, really, who cares when you're watching the finest combination of acting and screenwriting ever put on TV?

This DVD not only contains the entire set of 26 fifty-minute episodes, but also additional material: cast interviews, behind-the-scenes, even deleted scenes and outtakes. Altogether, a beautiful job.

Now available on 7 DVDs, comprising all 26 episodes plus several hours of additional features, this most celebrated and splendid of BBC TV serials was the brainchild of adapter and producer Donald Wilson. Its world-wide success is known to all, but some might not be aware of the following: -

Donald Wilson was denied funds to produce it for ten years. Had there been a delay of a further year the series would have been filmed in colour, as he wished, rather than black and white.

The first of the John Galsworthy novels on which the series is based contains almost no dialogue. BBC script writers supplied the dialogue that helped make the ten siblings in the eldest Forsyte generation so memorable.

Galsworthy intended the Forsytes to represent the rapaciousness, greed and snobbery of the English upper middle class. In this adaptation they are much more endearing.

Being filmed in black and white made it possible to interpolate archival film of Queen Victoria's funeral procession and of combat scenes from WW1.

Joseph O'Conor who plays the part of Old Jolyon was two years younger than Kenneth More who plays his son.

Eric Porter and Margaret Tyzack, who play Soames Forsyte and his sister Winifred, are in each episode and are required to age almost 50 years.

Although never credited, the music that opens and closes each episode is the first movement, "Halcyon Days", from the suite "The Three Elizabeths" written in the early 1940s by Eric Coates.

There is a major factual error in the review written by A Viewer in Arlington VA which may result in confusion to persons wishing to purchase this DVD.

This DVD series includes all 26 episodes of the original version of The Forsyte Saga, and runs approximately 21.75 hours. I believe the technical information concerning a runtime of approximately 660 minutes listed by Amazon.com is incorrect, leading to the confusion by A Viewer in Arlington VA.

With the help of a friend I checked numerous other sites offering the same DVD for sale, including the BBC which produced the series, and all sites stated this was the complete 26-episode version, with a running time as I stated above.

I write this only to clear up any confusion that might occur as a result of both the improper run time listed by Amazon.com, and the incorrect review that resulted from that incorrect information.

I received my Forsyte Saga - The Complete Series late last week and by Sunday night was into the third disk. It was as wonderful as I remembered it being, even though it is in black and white, obviously filmed for the most part on a sound stage, and, yes, most of the actors are older than the characters they portray. But what a cast! The wonderful Eric Porter makes Soames the rich character that Galsworthy called The Man of Property. That Soames truly loves Irene but cannot help treating her as a possession shows clearly on Porter's face and in his mannerisms. His reaction when Irene tells him she loaths him is difficult to watch -- you truly "feel his pain," as disbelief changes to shock and bewilderment. The lovely Nyree Dawn Porter is the perfect Irene, and younger than the sadly miscast actress who portrays the same character in the new version. This Irene is full of repressed emotions under a placid surface -- she is the spokeswoman for Galsworthy's belief that people should not be married unless there is a spark, an irresistable attraction that draws them together, which is totally lacking in her feelings for Soames. Kenneth Moore is a more than adequate Young Joloyn, although he was a little too old for the role at age 53. The rest of the cast is equally wonderful, especially the elderly character actors and actresses who portray the aunts and uncles -- they are as vital and interesting in this version as in the books, not afterthoughts, as they are in the 2002 adaptation. Unlike the new version, the script stays close to the original -- no gratuitous modern sexual innuendos from the female characters, for instance, which seemed to me to be an attempt to pander to a younger audience. Yes, I agree that the new version is inhanced by color, grander sets, and better makeup...the actresses in The Complete Series do make one wonder if there were any eyeliner and false eyelashes left in all of England by the time the series was completed! But those are minor complaints....the brilliant case and inspired writing make this DVD set well worth owning and viewing for years to come.

Many reviewers have amply praised this landmark series and noted quite rightly that it is far superior to the new version recently shown on PBS. What I found most memorable about The Forsyte Saga was Soames Forysyte, The Man of Property. We begin with Soames, wonderfully played by Eric Porter, as a young man in search of a wife and the series ends with him being cared for by his daughter Fleur, the excellent Susan Hampshire.

Soames is villified and reproached by everyone because he is a tight fisted, hard, unyielding man who judges everything by its monetary value. He wants a wife in order to get for himself an heir to his considerable property. Love is not part of the equation for Soames. An obedient, thrifty, proper woman will serve him well. Unfortunatley for him, he falls in love with the beautiful Irene Herron, well played, for the most part, by Nyree Dawn Porter. Irene is a young pianist who needs to find a home for herself. She does not love Soames and tells him so, but this does not matter to Soames. He will acquire her as he does a beautiful painting and hope that in time she will at least develop some affection for him.

At first Irene tolerates Soames, but soon she comes to despise him because his soul is a mercantile product housed in a cash box for a body. Soames finds it unbelievable that his new wife does not value security and wealth. This is bad, but worse comes when she falls in love with the architect Soames commissions to build a house for her. The architect dies in a tragic accident and Irene leaves Soames to live on her own, if not in poverty, in seriously straightened circumstances.

This conflict of Soames and Irene is at the heart of the entire series. All of the Forsyte clan, and there are many members of this Victorian family, are touched in some way or another by the marriage and later divorce of Soames and Irene. The greatness of this series is that we are able to follow the ongoing dispute as both Soames and Irene grow old. Irene remains true to her artistic vision of herself, but Soames mellows somewhat because of his genuine love for his daughter. In the end we come to have some modest respect and understanding for the old man. He is as much a 21st Century American Man of Property as a Victorian gentleman.

For those viewers who fall in love with this series, I can recommend even more highly the books on which they are based by John Galsworthy. The Man of Property starts the series of well written, wonderfully entertaining novels. The books and DVDs of the Forsyte Saga are an excellent addition to any home library.

Before viewing the 2002 version, see the earlier one first! This twenty-six part series is an adaptation faithful to Galsworthy's series of six novels and extremely well cast.

This series tells the story of an upper class British family from the Victorian age through the time of the General Strike of 1926. The first part focuses on Young Jolyon Forsyte's affair and subsequent marriage to his daughter June's Governess Helene Hillmer; this causes his estrangement from his father. It also dramatizes the very complex relationship between Soames Forsyte and his wife Irene. Irene marriages Soames for security, but has an aversion to him which intensifies as the years of their marriage pass. She falls in love with her cousin's June's fiance Philip Bosinney.

The second part concerns the next generation: Soames daughter Fleur with his second wife, Annette and Irene's son Jon, from her second marriage to Young Jolyon. Fleur and Jon's love affair is a major theme of the second part.

The series is well cast: Kenneth More as Young Jolyon; Eric Porter as Soames; Nyree Dawn Porter as Irene; Susan Hampshire as Fleur; and Nicholas Pennell as Michael Mont. The supporting cast is superb: Lana Morris as Helene; Margaret Tyzack is perfect as Soames' sister Winifred; Fay Compton as Aunt Ann; and Michael York in one of his first roles as Young Jolyon's son, Jolly.

Do see this one before the 2002 series which pales in comparison. The costuming is great and even newsreel footage of events taking place at the time of the plot (e.g. Victoria's funeral) is shown.

Being an "older generation" Forsyte Saga watcher, I first saw this series on PBS when it debuted in the USA in 1969. My whole family watched it faithfully, and I have retained pleasant memories of it ever since. When I saw the flashy and crude remake of the series this past season, I longed mightily to have the original back again, and it is just as good as I remember it.

True, it is in black and white, and the production values are not sophisticated by current standards, but the screenplays and acting are first-rate, and the series gives the viewer a chance to get to know most of the characters in depth. "The First Generation" (12 episodes) covers the first two books of Galsworthy's Forsyte Saga, ending with the births of Jon and Fleur Forsyte. The third book in the trilogy is covered in "The Second Generation," along with all of Galsworthy's second trilogy, "A Modern Comedy." As a result, the viewer gets to know nearly all of the original Forsyte family, and nearly all the important events are protrayed in detail. The first couple of episodes (Young Jolyon and Helene, the wooing of Irene by Soames) are mainly "back story," but there really isn't anything "invented"-- They just flesh out what Galsworthy alluded to in the novels anyway. After that, the series sticks to Galsworthy's story with admirable fidelity, even using dialog straight out of the novels in many cases. Some things are left out or greatly truncated, of course, but who cares whether Winifred Forsyte had 2 children or 4, or that Jolly Forsyte (played by Michael York) barely makes an appearance before he dies? Everything that matters is there.

Of course, the older Forsytes, from Old Jolyon and Aunt Ann through the ill-assorted twins James and Swithin, to the dependent aunts Hester and Juley, to Roger and Nicholas, provide a series of wonderful character parts. Old Jolyon and James, Soames' father, get the most airtime, and both parts are played to perfection. And when the mysterious Timothy finally makes an appearance near the end of "The First Generation," it turns out to be well worth the wait. Some of the other secondary roles, such as the cynical George Forsyte and the wastrel Montague Dartie, are memorably played as well.

Naturally, the main focus in "The First Generation" is on Young Jolyon, Soames, and Irene. Eric Porter as Soames is simply superb. He is eminently unlikeable in the early episodes, but he is not so extreme that he doesn't leave room to become gradually more sympathetic as the series wears on. Kenneth More as Young Jolyon (More was the big "star" of the ensemble in 1967 when the series was made) is very fine, although he has to battle somewhat against the goody-goody aspects of the role. Nyree Dawn Porter is good as Irene. She looks the part, and she acts well enough to be credible. It has to have been very difficult to play such a passive role and make some kind of impression in it, and you also get to see the negative aspects of her character, as well. Just the contrast between her body language and facial expressions when she interacts with Soames in comparison with Young Jolyon, is very striking.

The roles of Bosinney and June Forsyte are well cast, but my favorite of the "secondary" characters is Old Jolyon, who goes from being gruff and irrascible to winningly human and, in his "Indian Summer" with Irene, gentle and charming. Margeret Tyzack as Soames' sister Winifred is also superb.

The twelve 45-minute programs go past in a twinkling of the eye, and they will leave you hungry to watch "The Second Generation."

I bought the DVD set even though I already owned the series on tape. The extra footage seemed just too tempting ! I wasn't disappointed, not only is this an excellent transfer, it's a small miracle they have been able to dig up 2 hours of extra footage ! Each and every minute of it is worth watching, from the wonderful cast interviews to the Late Night Line-up program that so well documents the "Forsyte-madness" that struck millions and millions of Brits back in 1967. Only one word of criticism : Warner didn't do their homework when it came to write the cast's biographies. There are mistakes and omissions all over the place, i.e. Eric Porter is credited with work he never had anything to do with [an animated film by an Australian of the same name] and Nyree Dawn Porter is said to have "earned" an OBE [Officer of the British Empire] when it is wellknown that she got it because of a mistake made in Downing Street. The honour was to go to Eric Porter for services to television and the theatre [he was a founding member of the Royal Shakespeare Company] but went to Nyree instead because someone in the Prime Minister's Office got the 2 names mixed up. Let this not deter you, it's still a ***** set !!

I checked out this 1967 televison production of "The Forsyte Saga: First Generation" because of the 2002 mini-series, having not (yet) read the three novels and two short stories that make up John Galsworthy's epic. These two adaptations cover the same part of the saga, covering "The Man of Property" (1906), the short story interlude "Indian Summer of a Forsyte" (1918), and the novel "In Chancery" (1920), which leaves another interlude, "Awakening" (1920) and the novel "To Let" (1921) to comprise "The Forsyte Saga: Second Generation," which I look forward to viewing this weekend.

From that perspective it is interesting to look at the relative strengths of each production. The main one for me is that I get a much better sense of Jolyon Forsyte (Kenneth More) being one of the main characters in this version, along with Soames Forsyte (Eric Porter), than I did in the recent version. This is helped by the fact that "Young" Jolyon function as the narrator for the story. In terms of Soames I thought that Porter (who I recognized form one of my favorite B-monster movies, "The Lost Continent") had the hardness but not the buried heart that made Damian Lewis's performance in the final scene of the 2002 production so effective (and I want to track down Errol Flynn's performance as the original Soames in "That Forsyte Woman"). Then there is Irene Forsyte née Heron, the woman who is loved by each of the Forsytes, and my clear preference is for Nyree Dawn Porter in this version, because there is more of a sense of this woman being able to go on her own when dictated by the situation.

Overall there is clearly a sense of all of the characters in this dysfunctional family from the modern version. The problem is not that there are so many characters to juggle but rather than there are few opportunities for many of them to be established in our minds. For me the most compelling character was Old Jolyon Forsyte (Joseph O'Conor), who eventually decides that family is more important than propriety. All of the elements of his story are here, but they just seem sketched to be rather than fully developed. The same can be said for Irene's affair with Phillip Bosinney (John Bennett), the intended fiance of young June Forsyte (June Barry). The whole motivation and rational for that is suggested rather than revealed.

One benefit of this historical production, which led directly to the birth of "Masterpiece Theater" on PBS as a way of showing this series to American television audiences, being filed in black & white is that there are able to include actual film of the funeral of Queen Victoria in 1901. Ultimately, I am not bothered by either the black & white photography or the soap opera type sets. The limitations of this production are in the adaptation of Galsworthy's story by Lennox Philips and Donald Wilson, which gives us a sense of the breadth but not the depth of this narrative. However, this does not detract from the importance of this series in television history. Whatever its shortcomings this was the "mini-series" that opened the door for scores of noteworthy BBC programs.

I checked out this 1967 television production of "The Forsyte Saga: First Generation" in between the two parts of the 2002-2003 mini-series, having never read the three novels and two short stories that make up John Galsworthy's epic. Both divide the saga the same way, with "The Man of Property" (1906), the short story interlude "Indian Summer of a Forsyte" (1918), and the novel "In Chancery" (1920) comprising the First Generation and another interlude, "Awakening" (1920) and the novel "To Let" (1921) making up the Second Generation.

It is impossible not to look at the relative strengths of each production, both of which are well worth the watching. The main one for me is that I get a much better sense of Jolyon Forsyte (Kenneth More) being one of the main characters in this version, along with Soames Forsyte (Eric Porter), than I did in the recent version. This is helped by the fact that "Young" Jolyon function as the narrator for the story. In terms of Soames I thought that Porter (who I recognized form one of my favorite B-monster movies, "The Lost Continent") had the hardness but not the buried heart that made Damian Lewis's performance in the final scene of the 2002 production so effective (as is Errol Flynn's understated performance as Soames in "That Forsyte Woman"). Then there is Irene Forsyte née Heron, the woman who is loved by each of the Forsytes, and my clear preference is for Nyree Dawn Porter in this version, because there is more of a sense of this woman being able to go on her own when dictated by the situation.

Overall there is clearly a sense of all of the characters in this dysfunctional family from the modern version. The problem is not that there are so many characters to juggle but rather than there are few opportunities for many of them to be established in our minds. For me the most compelling character was Old Jolyon Forsyte (Joseph O'Conor), who eventually decides that family is more important than propriety. All of the elements of his story are here, but they just seem sketched to be rather than fully developed. The same can be said for Irene's affair with Phillip Bosinney (John Bennett), the intended fiancé of young June Forsyte (June Barry). The whole motivation and rational for that is suggested rather than revealed.

In the second part of the saga the Victorian age has come to an end and now the family conflict is passed on to a new generation, represented by Soames's daughter Fleur (Susan Hampshire) and Jon Forsyte (Martin Jarvis), son of Irene and Jo. Unaware of the family feud the two youngsters meet and fall in love, but it is only a matter of time until the truth comes out and all hell breaks loose. The other principle character is Michael Mont (Nicholas Pennell), who is fated to love Fleur more than she will ever love him. However, even with his daughter taking the central part in the drama, the story keeps coming back to Soames and we wonder what when all is said and done is finally going to be the death blow for the old man. When the end comes it is something of a surprising, but certainly a fitting climax. As Michael says towards the end, "It's pretty hard sometimes to remember that it is all comedy."

The soap opera elements, which include a case for libel, are balanced by a sense of the changing society, which moves beyond the Edwardian age to that of the post-World War I era. Michael Mont becomes the spokesperson for the concerns of the times, probably because he is not a Forsyte, and in that regard he becomes the counterpart of Young Jo for the second-generation characters. But in the end it is Soames who defines his family, both its strengths and weaknesses, and the second half of the saga resonates with our memory of how the first half ended. Soames Forsyte was a man of property, but the term was clearly one of evolving meaning. Ultimately, this production is one of those marvelous marriages of actors and characters, graced with a script that does a superb job of adapting a series of novels and two short stories by John Galsworthy that is rather sparse on actual dialogue in the initial works (this second half is essentially the 1921 novel "To Let"). Even in black & white it remains something to be equaled, but not surpassed.

One benefit of this historical production, which led directly to the birth of "Masterpiece Theater" on PBS as a way of showing this series to American television audiences, being filed in black & white is that there are able to include actual film of the funeral of Queen Victoria in 1901. Ultimately, I am not bothered by either the black & white photography or the soap opera type sets. The limitations of this production are in the adaptation of Galsworthy's story by Lennox Philips and Donald Wilson, which gives us a sense of the breadth but not the depth of this narrative. However, this does not detract from the importance of this series in television history. Whatever its shortcomings this was the "mini-series" that opened the door for scores of noteworthy BBC programs.

You definitely want to catch this landmark 1967 television series on DVD because of the supplemental material. Surprisingly you will find a couple of deleted scenes and a whole series of outtakes; the latter are not of the comic variety, but more a collection of the technical problems reflecting state of the art television production at the time (it took 15 minutes to splice together two bits of video tape so they went to great lengths to avoid having to do so). Even more fascinating are the public debates over the mini-series, including a very passionate debate over the issue of who was the injured party in the Soames-Irene question and the infamous scene in which he "reasserted his marital rights." Any illusion you had of "The Forsyte Saga" being high brow (i.e., "Masterpiece Theater") is quickly dispelled as ordinary folk in the street reduce the entire affair to something on the level of "All My Children" but with the obsession of the level of "Who Shot J.R.?"