Product Details

• Actors: John Duttine, Frank Middlemass, Alan MacNaughton, Neil Stacy, David King
• Format: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
• Subtitles: 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 9, 2004
• Run Time: 663 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00018WENM
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #42,197 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "To Serve Them All My Days" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

After barely surviving the trenches of World War I, an embittered young soldier takes a teaching post at Bamfylde, an elite boarding school in the uplands of West Devon. It is an unlikely job for a Welsh miner’s son without a degree, but David Powlett-Jones (John Duttine) proves to be a rare schoolmaster, as passionate about learning as he is about teaching. Through two tumultuous decades, Powlett-Jones inspires his students with his courage and idealism, qualities that help prepare him to send another generation of young men off to fight yet another war. A beloved PBS Masterpiece Theatre classic adapted by Andrew Davies (Pride and Prejudice, Bridget Jones’s Diary) from the novel by R. F. Delderfield.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Heartwarming And Inspiring, June 9, 2004

By 

John D. Cofield - See all my reviews
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This review is from: To Serve Them All My Days (DVD)

To Serve Them All My Days is a BBC production originally shown on Masterpiece Theater in the early 1980s. I saw it then and admired the wonderful acting, the lovely settings, and the excellent story. I am so glad it is finally available on DVD.

The story revolves around young David Powlett-Jones, a shell shocked and wounded veteran of World War I who is hired to teach history at Bamfylde School in the last days of the war. David is from a Welsh coal mining family, and he has strong socialist convictions as well as a large chip on his shoulder about the priviledged youths and men he now finds himself among. This is a subtext that runs throughout the series, but the primary story deals with David's growing self confidence and abilities. There is also a romantic subtext, with David being involved with three women, a wife who dies tragically, a brief fling with another woman, and finally a second wife who is both upper class and a Labour politician, thus combining the two disparate elements in David's life.

John Duttine is wonderful as the star of the series, but there is an excellent supporting cast led hy Frank Middlemass and Alan MacNaughton. Another nice aspect is the depiction of Bamfylde School itself, giving us Americans a pretty good idea of life in a British public school.

36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent adaptation of the R.F. Delderfield novel, January 12, 2005

By 

Gary M. Greenbaum (Fairfax, VA USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: To Serve Them All My Days (DVD)

Those who saw this 13-episode miniseries in 1984 or read the Delderfield book won't be disappointed in the adaptation, finally released on DVD.

David Powlett-Jones, invalided from World War I by shell-shock and a leg injury, is encouraged to take up a career as a schoolmaster. He is hired by the headmaster of a boys boarding school in Southwestern England, and under the gentle encouragement of that headmaster, Algy Herries, finds he has quite a knack for teaching. His leftist (for their time) political views shake up the school, but he is quickly accepted.

The series covers the period between near the end of World War I to the start of World War II, and in that rapidly changing world, we see David evolve and gain confidence in himself and what he believes in. Perhaps this is best brought out in the relationships he has with three women, his first wife, Beth, who is tragically killed, Julia Derbyshire, with whom he has a romance, and his second wife, Christine, a would-be Labour politician. All recognize his genius and encourage him, and it is with their help that he finds fulfillment.

This was definitely a low budget affair (you see the same boys over and over again, even though over twenty years transpires!), with few outside scenes, and when the school catches on fire, the effects are minimal. But it doesn't matter. The acting is spectacular. John Duttine is spectacular as David. Frank Middlemass, who is probably the most familiar name to American audiences due to his part in "As Time Goes By", also excels as Herries. Look for an excellent small part as the disciplinarian Cordwainer by longtime British character actor, John Welsh. Again, though, the British showed their knack of putting together a large cast using actors, few of whom have been heard of beyond their shores.

There are few extras on the DVDs. A text biography of Delderfield, the lyrics to the Bamfylde school song (custom written, though it sounds like a hymn), an explanation that the school scenes were filmed using a school in Dorset, as well as the students there. That's the sole disappointment. Though the series was filmed cheaply, more extras on the DVD wouldn't have cost much.

Excellent. Highly recommended.

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best of British Drama, March 10, 2004

By 

Richard Pain (Tulsa, OK United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: To Serve Them All My Days (DVD)

Simply put, TSTAMD is 11 hours of riveting drama, being without a doubt one of the best mini-series ever produced by the BBC. I first saw it on TV in 1980/81, and have been waiting ever since for it to be released either on tape or DVD. And now it's here, and well worth the wait. The acting is superb. The story is always interesting. Such is the exceptional level of production that you actually feel like you are really there; the characters and story being so well portrayed.

The DVD picture quality is superb; however the sound is only average by today's standards but quite acceptable.

If you love fine acting, deep character development and a great story this is a must see.

BUY 'TO SERVE THEM ALL MY DAYS' TODAY!