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Family secrets, scandal, thwarted love, intriguing characters, and great clothes: what more could an Anglophile want for a satisfying series of evening entertainment?
The House of Eliott, which originally aired in the U.K. from 1991 to 1993, has it all. Stella Gonet and Louise Lombard star as Beatrice and Evangeline Eliott, two free-spirited, talented sisters whose lives come unraveled when their father dies and leaves them unexpectedly broke. Their discovery of where his money went is just the first of several betrayals that befall them as they struggle to start their own fashion business. Yes, it's about women and clothes, but
The House of Eliott is much more than a chick flick. Bea and Evie's determination to make it on their own terms reflects every artist's struggle, and the fact that they are women trying to start a business in 1920s England adds another layer to that challenge. They are helped and hindered by a wide-ranging cast of characters: a freewheeling photographer, an impostor half-brother, a stuffy cousin and even stuffier aunt, temperamental bosses, and a handful of dedicated employees. Several of the supporting characters face their own struggles in subplots that are seamlessly woven into the main story. Series creator Jean Marsh's introductions helpfully remind the viewer where the last episode left off and also providing valuable historical background on fashion, politics, and women's rights. The characters that Marsh and the actors have jointly created are so compelling that watching the closing credits feels like bidding farewell to old friends.
--Larisa Lomacky Moore
Product Description
London of the Roaring Twenties. A new spirit of freedom and style is in the air. Rigid structures separating society by class and sex are falling. Into this exciting new world step Beatrice and Evangeline Eliott, two beautiful sisters born to wealth and privilege, and suddenly left penniless. Determined to make a new life for themselves, their pluck, talent and flair for fashion propels them into the center of London's heady social swirl. Their epic journey takes them through toil and tears, romance and heartbreak, and tragedy and triumph as they struggle to establish a name that will become synonymous with high fashion: the House of Eliott. This beautiful collection includes the first twelve episodes of the acclaimed BBC series from the creators of the landmark Upstairs Downstairs.
