Product Details

• Actors: Peter Gilmore, Jessica Benton, Howard Lang, Mary Webster, Brian Rawlinson
• Directors: Andrew Morgan, Ben Rea, Cyril Coke, David Cunliffe, Michael E. Briant
• Format: Box set, Color, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 4
• Studio: Bfs Entertainment
• VHS Release Date: March 6, 2001
• Run Time: 240 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00005A05R
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #40,238 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Ah, the sea, the sea. White-sailed ships manned by stouthearted sailors, oaken prows cleaving the Atlantic swell, carrying the wealth of Empire back home to England. Such is the appeal of The Onedin Line, which enjoyed a 10-year run on the BBC, from 1970 to 1980, providing an escape from that troubled decade into a world where Britannia still ruled the waves and a man could achieve riches and power with the sweat of his brow.

The saga begins in the 1860s, and this set contains the first four episodes of the long-running series. James Onedin (Peter Gilmore) is a headstrong young skipper from Liverpool who's tired of seeing all the profits from his voyages go to his shipping-magnate boss. Onedin is determined to start his own shipping line, and when an opportunity to buy a ship arises he doesn't balk at marrying the previous owner's daughter in order to cement the partnership. With his new ship Charlotte Rose--and a new wife who proves to be a shrewd business partner--Onedin begins to compete with his former employer for the most profitable routes, willing to risk everything to build his business empire. The big shipping lines, of course, want to crush the ambitious young upstart as quickly as possible.

While not quite Dallas-by-the-Sea, The Onedin Line is filled with intrigue, and Gilmore is riveting in the lead role--dashing, ruthless, with a very impressive set of whiskers. As befits a BBC costume drama, the period detail is wonderful, especially in the sailing scenes. The sight of the Charlotte Rose heeling to a strong breeze as the stirring theme music swells will be enough to make a sailor of any viewer. --Simon Leake

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Outstanding British Seafaring Period Drama!, June 13, 2003

By	Tiggah "the Anglophile" (Calgary, Alberta Canada) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

The Onedin Line is an outstanding 1971 BBC production set in 1860s England. The story is compelling and exciting, full of intrigue, ingenuity, suspense and scandal, and it is one which will appeal equally to men and women. It revolves around James Onedin, a shrewd and ambitious but honourable and fair sea captain. James is a no-nonsense man with a head for business. He is also a risk-taker with big dreams--and he has his heart and mind set on being master of his own merchant shipping line. This is no easy task when one is up against established shipping lines who have no desire to relinquish even a part of their business to an upstart. The establishment, in this case, takes the form of Mr. Callon, James' former employer, and James faces an uphill battle as he attempts to horn in on Callon's business.

James has a brother, Robert, a very nervous, cautious man who in many ways is James' polar opposite. A soft-hearted, responsible, and conscientious man, Robert inherited their father's grocery business, and he wants no part in James' grand plans. Robert lives above the shop with his wife, Sarah, and his beautiful but fickle and headstrong sister, Elizabeth. Elizabeth is afianced to one Daniel Fogarty, a swarthy seaman with a devilish temper who is in the employ of James' rival, Callon. But Elizabeth is also the object of much interest on the part of handsome, charming, and wealthy Albert Frazer, the son of a successful ship builder. Certainly, James would love to ally his family with a family of prosperous ship builders. But whom will Elizabeth ultimately choose?

This boxed set contains four 50-minute episodes, and so does the second set. I'd never seen this series before; but it is one our entire family absolutely loved from the first episode. One can only hope BFS will release it in its entirety. I enjoy the British productions of the 90s, but I've seen few whose stories even approach the quality of those produced in the 70s (and I speak as one who did NOT see any of the British dramas when originally broadcast in the 70s). Though the production values in the 90s may surpass those of the 70s, the stories in each episode combined with faultless acting on the part of all involved more than compensates. I have no hesitation in saying that if you enjoy other classic British 70s productions--shows like Poldark, Upstairs Downstairs, or the Duchess of Duke Street--you will love this one. Go ahead and get both sets, you won't regret it! Just hope and pray that BFS will continue to release more episodes in the future!

Very, very highly recommended to all fans of quality British period drama.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Business is Adventure, August 16, 2001

By A Customer

This is an unusual product, in that beneath the soap opera layer of the presentation, we have a very detailed business drama, with exceedingly realistic and accurate business terminology involving shipping rates, capital equipment financing, customer and vendor financing, factoring, agency agreements, partnership and corporation law, and the disruptive effects of new technology.

These business terms operate at the economic level, and also as the substructure of social relationships, as James the main business hero character ends up married to Jane, in exchange for Jane contributing her washed-out sea captain father's old ship to the marriage, thus forming the "Onedin line."

One disappointment here is the limited scope of the story contained in these four tapes. The description of them implied that the story gets fleshed out into the full efflorescence of the Onedin line's success and conversion of its fleet to steam power. But by the end of tape four, things are not nearly that far along. James has simply nailed down the warehouse, and they still have only one ship. There must be more installments of this out there somewhere.

But such as we have here, in these tapes, is still sufficient to move this presentation beyond something like Jane Austen videos, which mince along at a social level, but don't make as much business sense. Blackford Oakes would probably prefer the Onedin Line.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars left hanging, January 8, 2002

By A Customer

I enjoyed the first four videos, but purchased this set believing that there was a conclusion. The character development was excellent, as was the storyline. However, to spend 4 hours watching a series, and to be completely enveloped in the series, and then to have it end when all the characters are at their climax...This seems very unfair to viewers, especially when the viewer can not find the rest of the videos, to complete the story.