Product Details

• Actors: Robin Ellis, Jill Townsend
• Directors: Roger Jenkins, Philip Dudley
• Format: Box set, Color, DVD, NTSC, Full Screen
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 4
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: ACORN MEDIA
• DVD Release Date: March 2, 2010
• Run Time: 816 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B002TY78P0
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #64,336 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Poldark, Series 1" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

As seen on Masterpiece Theatre “Romantic adventure, complete with raging ambition, terrible betrayals, frustrated loves, daring deeds, and a marvelously dashing hero” —The New York Times

Hailed as a British Gone with the Wind, Poldark created a sensation on PBS’s Masterpiece Theatre with its dashing, romantic hero and his infamous exploits. Based on the novels by Winston Graham, this classic miniseries demonstrates the enduring appeal of a gripping storyline and unforgettable characters.

Returning to Cornwall after the American Revolution, Capt. Ross Poldark (Robin Ellis, The Good Soldier) finds his life at home has fallen apart. His estate is in disarray. His former flame, Elizabeth (Jill Townsend, Cimarron Strip), is engaged to his cousin. And his family’s copper mines have become targets for the Poldarks’ bitter rivals. Duels, smuggling, and attempted murders unfold as Ross strives to resurrect his fortunes and find true love. This spellbinding saga dramatizes the deep rifts in British society on the brink of industrialization, played out against the rocky, ruggedly beautiful Cornish coast.

16 episodes; approx. 821 min.; 4:3 full screen; color; British drama; not rated; SDH subtitles

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

62 of 63 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cornish drama on a grand scale, December 23, 2009

By 

Flight Risk (The Gypsy Moth) "Exiled Yankee" (usa) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Poldark, Series 1 (DVD)

I challenge anyone to watch this series and not be moved, amused, intrigued, and glued to the screen. Faithful retellings of Winston Graham's unforgettable characters, coupled with a setting that makes me feel as though I am in Cornwall in reality, make this production of POLDARK an absolutely unmissable story. I chanced upon the series years ago (I wish PBS would rerun it) and had the forethought to tape some, but not all, of the episodes. The quality of my tapes, however, is not exceptional, and I've been hoping the DVD would come along.

Robin Ellis as Ross Poldark, Angharad Rees as Demelza, Jill Townsend as Elizabeth, Ralph Bates as Warleggan, and others make this fully-fledged epic of Cornish history and the people who made that history come alive in a story at once part soap opera, part action adventure, and all wonderful. Demelza is fiery, vulnerable, intense, steadfast in her love for Ross; Ross is headstrong, volatile, proud, but highly intelligent; Warleggan is everyone's imagined perfect villain, who actually had promise at one time but now is eaten away by jealousy. Jud Paynter, played with wicked, hilarious understanding by Paul Curran, was one of the most memorable side characters in the production; he has me laughing on the floor at nearly every appearance. The interweaving of all the lives in this tale - Ross, a member of landed gentry who has the odd trait many of the overlords don't - compassion for the working class - is so intricately done that it is hard to believe they aren't the actual characters. The accents are just right (it is almost worthy of a college course to try to unravel what Jud is saying sometimes) and the heartfelt performances by everyone in the cast are amazing. This series is at the top of my list of BBC productions, and instilled a need in me to absorb every book in the series as well (many times by now). I felt almost related to the people onscreen.

If you enjoy English period histories, superbly acted and staged, I cannot recommend anything higher than this series. I am looking forward to it coming on DVD. Even dated, it rings true and fresh. Now I want to go to Cornwall.

36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Series, AND the Visual Quality is High!, December 17, 2009

By 

LeGreatOne "LeGreatOne" (DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Poldark, Series 1 (DVD)

Regarding the new release of Poldark, Series 1, I hope the visual quality is up to the original broadcast standard. When on PBS, Poldark appeared to have been filmed on video tape, that is to say, very much like daytime soap shows, very clear and lifelike, given the TV definition quality of the time.
I own a complete set of DVDs Series 1 and 2, that was produced (legally licensed) by an Ebay seller. The episodes are wonderful, but unfortunately, the visual quality is poor, as the DVDs were made by transferring VHS episodes to disc.
With this NEW distribution of Poldark Series 1, I am hoping the DVDs have been created as remastered from the original tapes (and possibly enhanced) so that the visual quality will be much higher.
For anyone not aware of Poldark, the series is indeed unique and is among the finest of shows ever brought to television. All I can say is that few small or large screen movies or series even approach it in its impact on one's memory. A magnificent series, superb cast, great drama, youthful exuberance, deeply affecting, and characters so powerfully developed that one cannot forget them... Ever!
If there is one TV series that I would have liked to author or work on, it would be Poldark.

UPDATE: December 23, 2009
I ordered this set directly from Acorn Media at a higher price; it arrived last evening. I'm very happy to report that the DVD picture quality is much better than that of the DVDs I'd purchased from the Ebay seller. The picture is CLEAR and just as it was when first broadcast on PBS. If you like Poldark, then THIS is the DVD set to buy! Highly Recommended. BTW, you'll save about $[...] if you wait for Amazon to have it available. [...] is the producer (Acorn Media) so they have exclusive distribution until March 2010.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Oh boy! Oh joy! Oh happy day!, November 30, 2009

By 

HelenPearl (New York City) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Poldark, Series 1 (DVD)

Count me in! I too have been waiting forever for this series to make its appearance. It's the kind of romantic swashbuckling entertainment they don't make any more. Hooray!!! Can't wait for Series 2 to be announced.