Customer Reviews

The Grand - Complete Collection

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

This is 15 hours (18 episodes) of delightful English storytelling that takes place just after WWI. You will be glad you have the complete series with no need to wait a week between each episode. Each segment builds upon the next drawing you into the story as though you are part of the family of The Grand hotel.

It ranks along side series giants like The Pallisers, The Barchester Chronicles, and Monarch of the Glen. Part of the reason might be that Susan Hampshire (3-Emmy winner) stars in all of those. She is outstanding in The Grand, playing Miss Harkness, a resident of the Grand, a prostitute, and proud of it. It takes a bit of acceptance, at first, seeing her as a lady of the evening,, instead of someone like Lady Glencora Palliser. Hampshire scores a perfect 10 for this performance.

Mrs. Harvey, played by Christine Mackie, is the Grand's head housekeeper. She acts and sounds quite like Gemma Jones in The Duchess of Duke Street. In my opinion, Mackie performs equally as fine with her character as Harness, as Jones did as the Duchess. She keeps the downstairs servants in tow and in their working class place--or tries to (similar to Upstairs, Downstairs). She and her counterpart, Mr. Jacob Collins, the hall porter (Tim Healy) are a huge part of the success of the stories linked together by the interconnected lives of the people who own, live and work at the Grand.

Marcus Bannerman (Mark McGann) is a ruthless owner you'll soon learn to love to hate.

It would take 18 reviews for the 18 episodes to tell the story. Since that is impossible, let me say there is something for everyone: romance, rape, costumes, sex, blackmail, lavish sets, arson, child selling, comedy, prostitution, murder, elegance, greed, gays, a hanging, class struggle, embezzlement, gossip, lust, child selling, and fun 20's music. If it's a sin or a pleasure, you'll encounter it through The Grand series. There are stories within a story. Overall it's about the Bannerman family (3 generations) and their attempt to save the Grand from failure. For some the cost it to high. For others, success will come at any cost necessary.

If you worry about the cost, divide the cost by the 18 episodes. Each one is a movie in itself and every segment is top notch. This is another of a long line of outstanding productions of British drama. The box calls it ADDICTIVE. That is TRUE.

That's the Pros. Now the Cons: The Grand ends with episode 18. You will want more.

I think my negative reaction to this series was a result of my unrealistic expectations. I had just finished watching Upstairs Downstairs and thought The Grand was along those lines, or at least more like The Duchess of Duke Street.

Instead, this was a seamy (and at times steamy) and trashed up soap opera. I failed to like or even feel sympathetic for the majority of the characters and, in real life, I would NOT have cared to stay an hour at a time with any of them. Why, then, would I sacrifice an hour of my time watching them?

Within the first two episodes, we're "treated" to someone blowing his brains out (focus on all that blood on the wall, please), a masochistic pervert being serviced by a former whore, and a swarmy villain who might as well have had a handlebar moustache to twirl.

Another reviewer noted, "This series has everything one could want: love, hate, war vets, lust, deceit, betrayal, money, and power." The problem for me was that it lacked compassion, affection, likeable people and all the other positive characteristics and activities that make a show worth viewing.

So, if you go into it knowing beforehand that it is a melodramatic dip into the dirty end of the pool, you may like it. If you are hoping for something with more smiles than sneers, or something closer to the "old style" Masterpiece Theater, you may -- like me -- decide that it just isn't that grand.

This series has everything one could want: love, hate, war vets, lust, deceit, betrayal, money, and power. You will love some of the characters and hate others, but will definitely be drawn to the compelling storylines. The sets and period dress serve to transport one directly to the twenties, and give one a taste of what life was like for not only the privileged but the not-so-privileged as well. The only complaint I would have is that there are not MORE episodes!

After the 3rd disc, I had had it with this series. I like Susan Hampshire (Monarch of the Glen was wonderful!) After the 17yrs old girl is hung for being raped and brutalized by 3 men-after she kills one of the attackers, that was it for me! Tragedy after adultery, prostitution, homosexuality, violence and arguments and sarcastic remarks. Never a funny or bright moment. I couldn't take it anymore! horrible. I wanted to like it-hoping it would get better.

Each episode keeps me wanting more and more. The story-lines are like no other I have seen in a mini-seires,there are so many twists and turns, I am constantly suprised by what is unfolding before my eyes. Each character no matter how "minor" gets his or her turn being the focus of their own story....The sets are amazing, the costumes as real as can be, makes me want to be there, as a guest at THE GRAND. Well worth buying and watching over and over.

This British soap opera had enough good actors to keep me watching through all of the episodes! My favorite was Mark McGan, an anti-hero to rival J.R.Ewing. He is the bad brother who we are supposed to hate, especially because he has the hots for his brother's wife, Sarah. He plays most of the series with a captivating smirk, and his hands in his pockets. Sarah, the good wife, is played by Julia St. John and I have to wonder why she was cast in the role, since she seems an unlikely person to capture the attention of her playboy brother-in-law. She does seem to be ideally mated with John, the good brother, who is equally unattractive, boring, and self-righteous. Marcus has a gorgeous, rich, smart girlfriend and again, one wonders just why he keeps letting his attention wander over to plain, dismal Sarah.

Sarah and John have a son, Stephen, who has returned from WWI with a bad case of what we would now call PTSD, or at least we can blame the war for his erratic behavior---sometimes sympathetic but mostly just a jerk. His parents adore him and enable him to continue his irresponsible behavior, which is just one of the many annoying things about the plot.

Then there is the staff, headed by a noble Jacob Collins, excellently played by Tim Healy. He was one of the few characters who grabbed my genuine sympathy. Another was the indomitable Kate, a tiny dynamo of a housemaid, with enough heart and soul to make up for the rest of the sorry bunch. She was wonderfully played by Rebecca Collard.

It was a pleasure to see the wonderful Susan Hampshire again, although her role as an honorable prostitute is sort of a stretch.

The plot includes all sort of senstational trash, as other reviewers have mentioned. The ending, which I won't divulge, was really disappointing. It's too bad that some very good actors' talent was wasted with this drivvel.

I love movies, and I have seen just about everything from the BBC so I was looking for another interesting British film. The Grand was not the right choice. First, you can pretty much predict where the story line is going from the first episode - a husband (nice but stupid) and wife (smart, ambitious, dissatisfied with her husband) run a hotel and are in major debt. The husband's sinister/envious brother loans him the money to save the hotel, which enables him to move in to the hotel in order to spend all of his spare time trying to divide his brother and sister in law, in order to have her all to himself. The wife knows his game and just barely puts up a small amount of resistance. There are lots of problems between the husband and wife and their children, snore... There were several R rated scenes, I guess with the absence of a good story and decent lines...The most interesting characters are the hotel staff - and there is a ridiculous, long in the tooth, prostitute who lives in the hotel and espouses the virtues of her profession to any maid that will listen. Unfortunately she recruits a girl and around the fourth? episode there is a very disturbing rape scene. I would not recommend this movie. Poorly written, poorly acted.

I had so looked forward to finally getting to see "The Grand" as I am a real fan of "Upstairs, Downstairs" type of family sagas and I was so excited to see this story, but after viewing as much as I could stomach, I have to say that I was extremely disappointed. The story was so smarmy and the people in the series are so very unlikable and cruel that it was hard for me to care about the show at all. The Grand bears not the slightest resemblance to Upstairs, Downstairs. In USDS, the servants were part of the family and treated with dignity; however, in"The Grand" the servants are used and discarded like so many pieces of trash, and as for the owners of the Grand hotel, they are unsavory humans and completely unbelievable. In my ratings, I find it hard to even give it a one. Bunch of junk!

THIS REVIEW IS BASED ON THE GRAND: SERIES 1 AND SERIES 2.
We have owned The Grand, The Complete Collection for about 8 years now. We have watched it over and over, and over. We showed it to relatives that visited us from the U.S. and they felt the same as we do. Susan Hampshire is excellent and not at all 'wooden' in my opinion. Of course she played a high class prostitute and the role called for her to be 'cool' at times. Susan portrayed whatever the role/character called for. We have The Grand and its sequel. My only complaint is the original actress who played 'Ruth' Marcus' wife did not return for the sequel. Although Marcus was a scoundrel, he came through a few times when help was needed. (It was surprising to learn that Mark McGann is the same actor as the mild mannered Eugene Wrayburn in Charles Dickens' "Our Mutual Friend" adaptation.) Back to The Grand: We loved the scene when he through Ruth's grandmother out of the Grand. I won't spoil it for others by stating his 'technique'. What a witch! The surprise ending was priceless. If we could rate The Grand 10 stars, we would.

THE GRAND SERIES 2 continues with most of the same actors. It just gets better and better, surprising and more surprising as it moves along until the ultimate surprise ending!

In some ways The Grand reminds me of the Leslie Uggams movie Backstairs at the White House. (Based on the true story of an African American maid (played by Olivia Cole) Lillian Rogers Parks who served there over 30 years through many presidencies. Her daughter (Leslie) took up where she left off. What 'goings on' there was!) She handled her personal life and each president and first lady with wisdom and finesse. The civility and kindness of a couple of Presidents and First Lady's was touching, especially concerning her daughter. (No spoiler here.) Definitely a 9-10 star. If not available here check on eBay.

Another similar but very different account loosely based on fact is The Duchess of Duke Street. Oh my! the way the monarchy and aristocracy interfered in the "Duchess'" life was deplorable. Yet, it was a two way sword. This film gives great insight into the dynamics of Britain's monarchy and class distinctions. You have never seen or met anyone like outspoken Louisa, played by Gemma Jones as Louisa Trotter. She who works her way up from being a skivvy to being the Queen of cooks, cook to the King, and owner of the Bentinck Hotel in London. She actually did fulfill her dream of becoming the best cook in all of Europe. Her encounters with the 'upper crust' were priceless. She was ready for anything, including WWW I and III. Christopher Cazanove's Charlie is a main character from beginning to almost the end of the sequel. These movies are all great entertainment.

We highly recommended The Grand Series 1 and Series 2.

A thoroughly enjoyed my long weekend, deeply emmerced in the luxe, glamour and excitement of all the activities at this bastian of old world life and living, both above and below floor.

I started my Grand Marathon last Friday and watched it throughout the entire weekend. The finale came sometime late Monday. I was exilerated all through the 18 episodes and now I felt deflated and alone. I wanted to see more!

The cast was perfect! Sets and all visual detailing were magnificent. Direction was time and action appropriate. The story was quintessential "soap opera" and I found it wonderful to be drawn in and be part of the action (if only in my head).

Very Addictive!!! Wonderfully so...