Customer Reviews

A Respectable Trade (Box Set) [VHS]

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

 

 

After coming across this film quite accidentally on PBS, I found it thoroughly gripping, and agree completely with the other reviewers' high praise. I am adding my own words merely to encourage viewers not to overlook the extraordinary performance by Anna Massey as Sarah Cole. It is tempting to dismiss Sarah as a simple villain in this tale. However, I found Massey's stark performance deeply moving and expressive of Sarah's profound experience of displacement and loss. She is clearly the brains in her brother's business, for example, and depends on it for her own welfare, but is helpless to prevent its decline when Josiah begins to exclude her from his decisionmaking process. She is forced to abandon her lifelong home and lifestyle in pursuit of her brother's social pretensions. A proud and stoic worker, she is asked to curry favor with shallow and spoiled members aristocracy. I sympathized deeply with her scorn for unearned luxury.

Female in 18th century England, Sarah--like Frances, and like Mehuru--enjoys tragically little opportunity to guide her own fate.

A Respectable Trade was a fabulous book (go read it now!) and it was made into a fabulous film. All of the actors are superb - and Philippa Gregory herself wrote the screenplay, which gives the production the same magic the book had. The story begins in 1787, when ambitious trader Josiah Cole tries to cilmb the social ladder by asking the well blooded but dirt poor Frances Scott to marry him. Frances, thirty four and desperate, agrees to marry him. If only she'd known what she was getting herself into! It turns out that Josiah makes a good deal of his money trading slaves. Frances learns about the horrors of slavery, and learns about true love - from the kind and clever Mehuru - one of her husband's slaves. Yikes! Sounds like things could get complicated... and they do! It certainly makes for compelling watching.

I absolutely LOVED this movie!!!! The screenplay and direction were phenomenal. The costumes, sets, and actors were so authentic, at times I felt I was actually in 18th century England watching this story unfold. I am always interested in movies with slavery themes because I believe it is a crucial part of the history of people of African decent. This movie did not glamorize or down play the slavery element. It showed it in its true, brutal, sadistic form. If you are a sensitive viewer, I would say proceed with extreme caution.

Overall, I found this movie to be about forbidden love and about looking beyond race as in "color", and seeing race as in "human". There are plenty of unexpected surprises so be prepared to run the gamut of emotions.

Masterpiece Theater's production are always superb and this is no exception. I am sure anyone who watches this movie will love it as much as I did.

This is not the typical 18th century romance. The central themes are beautifully woven into a single strand, and the characters show a range and depth rarely seen in American cinema. Warren Clarke (remember him as "Dim", the slow-witted droog from "A Clockwork Orange"?) delivers an outstanding performance as Josiah Cole, a slavetrader and simple man who turns into a social climber. Aariyon Bakare puts the viewer squarely into the emotion of the story with his evocative, understated elegance. And Emma Fielding as Frances Scott absolutely steals this movie. This enormously talented London stage and RSC actress brings the whole package: extraordinary beauty, emotional range, presence, and a wondrous voice that is itself sheer theatrical viagra (forget about Nicole Kidman's bare bottom). I would love to see Ms. Fielding in full-length feature films, and fervently wish that Hollywood had enough intelligence and imagination to find star vehicles for this brilliant young actress. I'm thinking of starting an Emma Fielding Fan Club on this side of the herring-pond, if only for the pleasure of seeing more of her work here in the US. The book by Philippa Gregory is just as powerful and moving, and I highly recommend it as well.

A story such as this is perfectly suited to its Masterpiece Theater production. The length of the movie and excellent screenplay (written by the author of the novel which should say something) allows the characters to evolve naturally rather than becoming over simplified caricatures. This is a story involving all the ugliness and brutality of the institution of slavery, but we are also allowed to see a "few good white people" who were revolted and/or outraged at its existance. I was especially touched by the performance of Ariyon Bakare who portrayed the slave Mahura; he so effected the beauty of the man's integrity and spirituality that it shone above all the horror of the storyline. I also enjoyed the portrayal of the villanous slavetrader/owner Josiah, in that it revealed 'all' his human weaknesses not just his brutality. And for you women that feel there's scarcely an erotic moment between lovers that's not based on the male interpretation of such, your in for a welcome surprise! Rarely do you see such emotion expressed with an economy of language and action. I strongly reccommend this movie for anyone interested in well performed human drama, and 18th century English slavery and civilization.

I was not sure how I would like this movie. It showed how different people of another time and culture were yet the basics of humanity, love, hatred, lust and greed are timeless. I bought the film and have watched it several times. If you are a person who dislikes the idea of the races mixing maybe you should avoid viewing. then again, maybe this kind of person SHOULD watch it and gain an insight into the workings of true human nature.

It startled me to realize how much we miss and how little we really know about life when we cut ourselves off from the rest of the world who do not fit our own little ideas.

This film will make you think and feel. It was excellent. It might even make some a little "hot" under the collar! In a good way!

Quite a combination, right? I had mixed feelings about watching this video because I knew the combinations were deadly. There was a white impoverished woman, who is also a poor relation to the aristocracy, who is married off by them to the merchant class and who then then falls in love with one of the slaves her husband has her teaching. Hardly a Jane Austen piece! It was going to be difficult to resolve this drama on an "up" note but it did its best in that direction. It is an engrossing drama and I now know more about Britain's involvement in the slave trade from this very well done production. However, it is every bit as problematic romantically as "Romeo and Juliet"!

I remember this show from when it first aired in the US.
And have been trying to find it ever since. The quality of the production, acting and story are all the very best.
If you like Merchant-Ivory and history you will love this movie.

I saw this movie series here in the UK when it was originally aired, and recorded it on VHS (yes the old days) and since copied it to DVD, I'm so proud that history shows that for the most part, the brits abhored slavery and the way the Africans were treated, this portray of the Brit's involvement in the slave trade I feel is very honest, brutal and truthful, shame on all involved in the atrocity, but all praise to those that helped the Africans as best they could.

On a personal note not related to the film, I'm at one with Oprah, colour is but a mere 1/200th percentage of our genes, and I hate to be classed as WHITE before a BLACK person, fak that... I'm human and happen to be freckled and gingerish, not WHITE or BLACK! in my experience, we're all made up of a miriad of colours/shades, thank god for that or how boring would the world be!