Customer Reviews

Love for Lydia

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

From September 23 to December 9 in 1979, watchers of Masterpiece Theatre were all excited over a dramatization of H.E. Bates' jazz-age novel, "Love for Lydia." The title character, played flawlessly by Mel Martin, was an utterly self-centered young girl, who was brought to live with two aged aunts (Rachel Kempson and Beatrix Lehmann) and their parasitic brother (a great characterization by Michael Aldridge). She wanted only to have men cater to her every whim ("I will hate you if you don't") and enjoy herself to the fullest.

For several evenings, I have been watching the DVD release of this 13-part series, now available from Acorn Media in a boxed set of 4 discs (AMP-8648) with a running time of 650 minutes. So vivid were the characters that my wife and I fell into a disagreement as to how likable several of them were. (I voted that some man would have done her a favor by telling her to get stuffed--as one of them finally does but too politely; my spouse thought she was a very sad character who deserved pity.) Such was the quality of the acting.

There is little plot but a good deal of character interaction. A would-be writer Edward Richardson (played by Christopher Blake) is a sullen creature, always misunderstanding motives, is jealously in love with Lydia and cannot see how much he is loved by the farm girl Nancy (Sherrie Hewson, looking very much like Shelley Winters in "A Place in the Sun"). Her brother Tom (Peter Davison) and Richardson's best friend Alex (Jeremy Irons) are drawn to Lydia, as is the seemingly anti-social but actually terribly shy taxi-driver Blackie (Ralph Arliss). Her enjoyment of being vied for leads to the death of one of them, possibly another by indirection, and her own bout with near death towards the end.

Mel Martin was quoted as saying, "She was an innocent, untutored in the ways of the world [and] behaved instinctively." I have yet to read the book to see how closely it follows the novel, but the scriptwriter, Julian Bond, pointed out that given 13 episodes, he had 50 minutes to devote to every 17 pages of the original. (In the Penguin paperback, the novel runs 301 pages, making that 23 pages per episode.) So there is lots of time for lingering on the English countryside, the 1920s dresses, the dances and music, and most of all the complex characters.

Grab this one as soon as you can and hold "Lydia" parties to see and discuss it all with your friends.

LOVE FOR LYDIA, written by H.E. Bates (Darling Buds of May, My Uncle Silas) is 650 minutes of one of the best BBC/Masterpiece Theater presentations I've seen. The quality of the DVD transfer is B- but the story is so compelling, the photography so beautiful, and life in rural England in the late 1920's and early 1930's is so lovingly depicted that you will probably not care.

LYDIA is a love story, but it is also a complex psychological drama with fabulous character development. The six main characters and several secondary characters (played by stellar actors) exhibit all the strengths and weaknesses known to humans-especially envy and jealousy and undying friendship. The plot is deceptively simple - boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy finds girl. However, you won't know the outcome until the last five minutes of the DVD as several boys meet several girls and everything is in a muddle most of the time. "You will be difficult" Lydia says to Richardson on more than one occasion-an understatement of the facts.

The protagonist Edward Richardson (Christopher Blake), called Richardson by his friend Tom (Peter Davidson) and best pal Alex Sanderson (Jeremy Irons) becomes a mature man and a published writer by the end of the tale. Lydia Aspen (Mel Martin)-the object of Richardson's affection-has been characterized as a "charming young girl" and a "self-centered flapper" in some of the `blurbs' advertising the DVD, but Lydia is far more complex than either of these labels indicates. Lydia is a privileged young woman to be sure (heiress to the manor born) but she exhibits concern and caring for others on many occasions. During the course of the tale she changes from a shy teenager into a mature young woman. At one point following a devastating death she "parties" far too much for her own good, but this period receives very little screen time (the repercussions of her drinking receive more time).

Let me put it this way, if you are a Jane Austin fan and love all the twists and turns and near misses of Austin's lovers and think premarital sex is okay (tastefully done by the BBC of course) you will probably be a fan of LYDIA.

Well I have mixed feelings about this Masterpiece Theater Production. I'm not sure I would want own it to watch over and over, once may be enough, but it was thoroughly well made, it never occured to me this was a 1970ish film. The acting was top of the line, costumes and sets were certainly well done and not cheap.

But as to the story, I am a person who likes to like the people in the movie. Like would be way too strong a word for these charcters, there were only redeeming moments, in fact the characters are so human they are downright disgusting at times. Lydia whom everyone loves, you find is selfish unkind, manipulative, but beautiful and rich so why does everyone love her anyway? Your typical mean girl who's so pretty she can get away with it. But I won't give the story away, it exlores this wickedly selfish manipulator of men in the 1920's and how it eventually ruins not only them but her. It is sad, not your feel good story, but it is about love true and painful and about character more then plot although there is some huge tense explosions of that here and there in the end that shock and sadden. So I have mixed feelings, you don't like the main people too awfully much but they are interesting to watch just when you hope they'll be nice. There are a few genuinely kind few like Tom and Nancy, not main characters but they balence it out. And Alex played by Jeremy Irons is intrigueing and not so bad as a faithful friend.

We watched these Lydia epiosodes every night until the end, you want to know what will happen, it does hook you, and you invest yourself in the characters, wondering where their lives will take them. But it is a tragedy of sorts. I will say the acting in this film was superb and outstanding by all, not one left you wanting.

Recommended: The House of Elliot a feel good series set in 1920's starring two strong female leads, and Poldark more tragic if you like that. Both are period pieces.

My wife and I just finished watching the 13 episodes of one of our favorite Masterpiece Theater offerings as the DVD version. It has been nearly 30 years since it appeared on PBS, thus we saw it from a different perspective than our initial viewing. It was still a compelling experience, and particularly interesting to see the early performances by Jeremy Irons, Peter Davison, Christopher Blake and Mel Martin. We continue to associate them with the roles they played in this production. Rachel Kempson, Beatrix Lehman and Michael Aldridge were delightful in their roles as Lydia's aunts and uncle.
Like so many of the Masterpiece productions of that time, the actors and actresses in this presentation are so convincing that we felt like a flies-on-the-wall observing life in a small village in England in the 1920's. Also like other PBS Masterpiece productions of this period, the attention to detail with automobiles, costumes and settings is very impressive, but a subtle backdrop for the story.
We highly recommend this for any one who enjoyed the original TV version as well as for those who would be viewing it for the first time.

We have not purchased the DVD yet, but have been looking for it for several years. We saw the original mini-series in England and it seems to have left a lasting impression on all five of our now grown children. It is something that they all talk about when we gather as a family. We hope to surprise all of them this Chrismas with this wonderful DVD. We know it is good and can't wait to watch it again.

The love of Lydia is the story of an heiress who grows up amid aristocratic society of the 1920s to 1930s England. Lydia is beautiful and lives life through a self-centered personality that makes men fall passionately in love with her while she simply toys with their emotions, not caring a bit for the pain and suffering she causes to others wherever she goes.

The story is filmed with the exquisite care of every detail that PBS Masterpiece Theatre provides. The development of the characters is so magnificent that we found ourselves discussing the exchanges that take place as Lydia demands that all men she meets cater to her wishes. Lydia is selfish, arrogant, and egotistical. Her ways bring up consequences that put an end to the life of one of her suitors and put her own health in jeopardy.

If you have teenagers around, this is a great series of episodes to watch and discuss to ensure personal growth and understanding of human nature, choice and the consequences of living life without a care for others.

We highly recommend purchasing the set and watching these episodes with your friends if you want the lively discussions that will make this a memorable experience.

Bought this on a whim, because I remembered watching a couple of episodes way back when it first aired on Masterpiece theater. I mostly remembered it for Jeremy Irons drunkenly exclaming Blackie! Blackie! ( a driver, and percieved rival for Lydia)in a jealous fit. On watching it on DVD I wish I had viewed the whole when it first aired. It really sneaks up on you in subtle ways, and is very deep emotionally. It doesn't have the production values or the beautiful prose of Brideshead (Jeremy Irons gets drunk and slurs Saaaamgrass into a phone in that one) but the performances are excellent, especially Lydia, she plays the part brilliantly, and reminds me of several people I have known in my life.

This "Love for Lydia", book turned film, is done as masterfully as H. E. Bates wrote the novel. Bates was a master at depicting life in the country and this film, all 13 episodes takes one on a pleasant trip through the countryside of England, with occasional jaunts into London. The scenery is beautiful.

H.E. Bates is also well known for "My Uncle Silas" and "The Darling Buds of May" which also have been converted to video versions. This indeed has become a Masterpiece Theatre classic.

Lydia is masterfully played by Mel Martin ("The Pallisers" & "Persuasion") giving such a performance that you can't quite decide if you love her or hate her. She seeks love, not found in her youth, after 2 decades. In the late 1920s, near her 21st birthday, she begins to become interested in men and love. She struggles with what it is to be and how it is to be shown. Her wealth seems of little consequence.

Young newspaperman, Edward Richardson (Christopher Blake)also a want-to-be writer, helps bashful Lydia, through the insistence of her aunts, get her skates wet and enter society of other young adults. He falls in love with Lydia, but will Lydia respond fully? Must it be unrequited love? Richardson's friend, Alex (Jeremy Irons also of "Brideshead Revisited"), rich and always drinking, encourages Edward. To a point!

Other friends join the trio and create a flapper-era dance group racing from one party to the next enjoyable outing. Till their worlds begin to crash, one at a time. In the end, who can survive the life-style and who will find love? There seems to be a lot of love and lovers to pass around.

Is it drama or romance? Is it historical or period? Perhaps all of the above. It is an enjoyable 650 minutes done in 13 episodes that will delight any British literature fan as well as those who have come to expect excellence from Masterpiece Theatre.

Captioning would have been nice, but is not completely necessary. Make sure you buy the complete set, you will want to see the total once you get episode one started. It's so nice having this on DVD and not being expected to wait a week between episodes.

I have read the book and watched the DVDs. I heartily recommend both.

Be prepared to hate yourself for two reasons: if you watched all 13 episodes to their completion, there's the first reason. If you found yourself wishing ill on nearly every character, there's the second.

The first disc, 4 entire episodes, moved so sloooowly that it was painful. It's rare, however, that I give up on a series; I'll watch it to the bitter end and bitter it was indeed. The excruciatingly long closeups were maddening; I timed one at 15 seconds and counting. Paired w/the long silences it was just too much. No, not every second needs to be filled w/dialogue; there are times when silence speaks much more loudly but it felt as though none of the actors could remember their lines so the camera just panned from one to the other in hopes that someone would speak up.

The story itself was good although there wasn't a likable character in the bunch, most especially Lydia and Richardson. She was referred to several times in the series as the one who "made" the players turn against each other but, obviously, each already had that in them. Richardson was just as selfish as Lydia but in a different way; he whined and if that didn't work, he stalked off. Lydia would say "I shall hate you if you don't" do whatever she wanted you to do. Richardson's best friends, rich playboy Alex and clumsy farmer Tom shamelessly flirted with and later pursued Lydia in full view of Richardson, resulting in the deaths of both. I couldn't have cared less and found myself wishing that the same eventuality would come to Lydia and Richardson. So you can imagine the truly unlikability of the characters.

Lydia's uncle Rollo, an alcoholic parasite on the family's riches, was the insightful one in spite of it all. During Lydia's 21st birthday party, a fire broke out in the garage of the local mechanic, Blackie, who later became devoted to Lydia. When Lydia actually became annoyed about the fire, Rollo commented that it was because all the attention was taken away from her, that people stopped looking at her. One of the aunts even said something to the effect that the fire was damned inconsiderate of somebody. This should give you some idea of the self absorbed and narcissistic character of Lydia. She was disappointed and bored w/life and she was determined to squeeze every last drop of attention from everyone around her, a vampire at its worst. No one was spared.

Obviously, the acting was good enough to evoke such emotion in me and had they picked up the pace and not wasted so much time on closeups and dead silence, I might have rated this series w/more stars even though the ending made me want to tear my hair out. As it is, though, the series was painful to watch and it isn't one that I'll revisit. Ever.

I first saw this series when I was a teenage girl in the 70's and loved it then. Watching it many many years later it still holds up as a beautiful piece of television. I planned to watch 1-2 episodes a week but found myself spending one weekend watching the whole series! The quality of the picture and sound is, of course, a bit different to present-day recordings but that just adds to the era the series is evoking. Some reveiwers on here have remarked on the slowness of the production and the lingering camera shots. Once again that all adds to this period piece. The location shots are beautiful. The casting was wonderful. Unfortunately Mel Martin never did much of note after this, which is surprising. Peter Davison (Tom) went on to more popular series All Creatures Great and Small and Dr. Who. Jeremy Irons (Alex), out of all the cast, went on to gain international success as an actor. What is sad is that I recently learned that Christopher Blake (Richardson) died at a relatively young age of cancer. I remember having a real "thing" for him when I was a teenager.

I ordered a used copy and was very happy with the quality. This is definitely a keeper and I'm sure I'll be watching it again in the near future.