Customer Reviews

Summer's Lease

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I caught this mini-series on PBS in the 80's and I have never forgotten it. I have, in fact, longed to see it again so much that for years I searched the internet for copies of it and hassled the people at Scarecrow Video. At last, I saw that it was available and snatched it up as soon as I could. Not only was I NOT disappointed with the show, I was even more intrigued and enchanted by the mystery and the wit and of course the lucious scenery of the Tuscan villa and surrounding landscape. Its a wonderful blend of Italian and English sentiment and character. While waiting for this to be available I read the Mortimer novel on which it was based and even that paled in comparison to this production!

I remember this mini-series on Masterpiece Theatre when it was shown in 1989. I loved the scenery (Italy/Tuscany) the terra cotta planter, the beautiful Tuscan architecture. Plus Sir John Gielgud was terrific as the "libidnous father" who weasles an invite to come along with the family. There's a plot, and of course, there's art: Piero della Francesco Renaissance artist, actually photographed in situ, and an almost documentary depiction of the Palia in Sienna. I studied in Tuscany some years later, and when I went to the town square in Sienna, I knew I'd seen it before (site of the Pallia). The dialogue is absolutely masterful at times. The author is the same as the one that wrote "Rumpole of the Bailey". (Sorry Senior moment--can't remember it--John Somebody.) The father/Gielgud at one time exclaims, "Oh! This coffee is as cold as chastity!."

I invited several of my girlfriends over to view this (yeah, it's a bonafide chick flick!!). We had vodka and caviar and then a cookout. Don't miss it!

Summer's Lease is a nicely done mystery series produced in the 1980s by the writer/playwright John Mortimer based on his novel of the same name. Mollie Pargeter is a forty-something London housewife who rents an Italian villa for the summer holidays. Neither her barrister husband (who is conducting a semi-respectable flirtation with a former client) nor her three daughters are very enthusiastic, but Mollie insists and they all wind up in Tuscany at the Villa "La Felicita," along with Mollie's father Haverford Downs, an ancient roue who writes a column for a magazine.

Immediately mysteries crop up. A host of eccentric characters appear, all of them cagey about the whereabouts of the owners of the villa, who are nowhere in evidence beyond some odd instructions, pictures, and lists. The water supply is shut off and the swimming pool become a murder site. And what is the significance of all the references to Piero della Francesca, especially his painting of "The Flagellation?" Mollie is fascinated by it all, and stoked by her rereading of Sherlock Holmes' "The Copper Beeches," begins to investigate. Eventually she discovers the truth, not just about "La Felicita" but about herself and her marriage as well.

The mystery is complex and takes some time to unwind, and in typical British fashion much is left for one to ponder and work out on one's own. The scenery is gorgeous (especially the scenes of the Palio in Siena) and most of the characters appealing, and the outcome, while sad and somewhat equivocal, is satisfying and leaves one happy for Mollie.

Although I am still not certain who did what to whom and why, I nevertheless enjoyed a second watching of John Mortimer's mystery, "Summer's Lease," which I saw when it was first broadcast on PBS. "Summer's Lease" is John Gielgud's show. It does not matter how old he is; he still steals every scene as the outrageously libidinous old pirate of a father to Molly(coddle) Pargeter, a repressed 40-something wife and mother, who cannot help being embarrassed by his unrepentant tales of jolly "rogering", which he will tell to anyone, anywhere, and at any time, no matter how inappropriate the occasion. Mortimer has given Gielgud some of his best lines; one of my favorites is his apology for being a poor excuse for a socialist in a capitalist world: "Until we've got the red flag flying, we've got to live with the rat race!"

Among the delights of this series are the magnificent locations of Umbria and Tuscany, renamed Chiantishire by the British expatriate characters, since so many of them live there. As a former resident of Italy, I reveled at the sight of the cypress-dotted hills and at the sound of so many birds chirping (now a rarity in my part of California). Watching this series is equivalent to going on a vicarious vacation to some of the most stunning parts of Italy; and to put the panna on top of the gelato, as it were, we are treated to the magnificent frescoes of Piero della Francesca.

As for the mystery, it is suspenseful, as all of Mortimer's mysteries are. If it leaves us rather unsatisfied because it does not tie up all the loose ends, it nevertheless makes us think about what actually might have happened. The body in the swimming pool is a reality, but are the contessa and the British residents as sinister as they seem? Or are we, the viewers, merely seeing them through the eyes of Molly, not only a stranger in a strange land, but also a woman whose emotions are raw due to the strains put on her marriage by her philandering husband? Are we perhaps influenced by Molly's misinterpretation of her surroundings? Such a scenario renders Molly's blunderings and their catastrophic results the more convincing.

My only complaint is with Acorn Media, who, as usual, provides no subtitles that would aid those unused to British accents, or extras, other than a filmography of the actors that is difficult to read on a thirteen-inch screen (but perhaps it is more intelligible to those with a larger screen). Nevertheless, if you love Italy and enjoy John Mortimer, buy this DVD (but you might want to check out the "used and new" category on Amazon, because, as I discovered by accident, there are many new copies, straight from the manufacturer, at a much lower price, even with the $2.98 shipping and handling fees).

Dear Amazon - I'd be happy to review this product, however BOTH copies I ordered were corrupted and unwatchable. Because I was traveling a lot, I wasn't able to return them to you in time. However, I just want you to know that you may have a bad batch of this DVD.

I watched this on television years ago when it was broadcast and was completely charmed by it. Sir John Gielgud was perfect and the rest of the cast held their own along side him, especially Susan Fleetwood as his exasperated daughter. The setting is beautiful and the mystery is engaging and with enough twists to keep you guessing. I highly recommend it!

I taped this Masterpiece Theatre mystery/comedy/drama when it first appeared on PBS some years ago, and I view it again every year or so. It is a pleasure to watch Sir John Gielgud work even though, as mentioned by another reviewer, he was not up to his best in old age. (Another example of a remarkable performance by an aged actor is that of Sir Lawrence Olivier in "The Ebony Tower," adapted from the novel by John Fowles.)

In other reviews, Susan Fleetwood's characterization of Molly Pargeter comes in for some harsh criticism. She is seen to be "irritating" and "stupid." The only fault I see is that Molly is not a typical American-style heroine. She is a good-hearted woman whose dreamy demeanor is a defense against her charming but bullying father, her silly, ineffectual husband and her intelligent, somewhat boisterous children. Molly's interior life interests her more than her real life; thus her determination to ferret out the myterious owner of the family's rented villa by following clues along the Piero della Francesca "trail."

Summer's Lease is good fun for those who do not expect a high-powered, predictable mystery with a neatly wrapped ending but are happy to settle for quirky British characters in a lovely Tuscan setting. As a bonus, they'll receive a smattering of Italian art and regional customs.

I'm a huge fan of the English Murder/Mystery. I own many DVDs in the aforesaid genre. I bought a "Summer's Lease" thinking that I was getting yet another great English Murder/Mystery-after all Sir. John Gielgud had a leading role! WHAT could be better than that? I'm sorry to report that I was very disappointed in this entire presentation. The whole thing seemed very dated and unappealing to me. I think mainly because there wasn't one character I ended up caring one iota for; I didn't like one character NOT even the one portrayed by Sir John Gielgud.

Everyone on this board found Sir John's character enduring. I just found his character to be an annoying old feeble fart. My true feeling is that, at the time this was filmed, I'm afraid that (even as great of an actor as he was) Sir John was far too old to be playing this lecherous old man. He flubs many lines and is very hard to understand in many of the scenes. I've always found Sir John to be a marvelous actor; however NOT in this enterprise! Nevertheless, I found Molly as played by Susan Fleetwood to be the most irritating of all the characters.

For the entire film, Susan Fleetwood walks around, as Molly, with the stupidest grin on her face-at one point all I wanted to do was to slap her and to ask her if she was that stupid or just pretending to be that stupid? To me, she made the character of Molly just an annoying "harpy".

All of the reviews have talked of the gorgeous Italian scenery in the film. I'm afraid that the picture is so fuzzy that the scenery was hard to appreciate reflective, I'm sure of the technology of the day-it really look dated! Along with the aforesaid, the film has one of the most annoying sound tracts that I've heard (perhaps popular Italian music of the era??????)

Obviously, there are others that would disagree with the above; nevertheless, those are my feelings on this presentation.

AS USUAL, MR. GEILGUD, AND MR, KEMP ARE FLAWLESS IN THIS MOVIE. THE SCENES ARE ALSO BEAUTIFUL. I FEEL LIKE RENTING THE SAME PLACE.AFTER WATCHING THIS MOVIE UNFOLD.

I first saw this drama starring Sir John and the wonderful Susan Fleetwood in 1990. I,ve recently purchased the same on DVD from Amazon. Fabulous capturing of the intense love affair of the English for this jewel of Europe.What a wonderfully crafted, intelligent and intiguing plot line, acted to aplomb by all the cast of a Tuscan holiday with more twists than Dickens!
I delighted in all the scenes, especially the families enjoyment of the Palio race by virtue of Sir Johns (the fathers) huge deception of the good humoured
dentist of Sienna. The views of Tuscany were breathtaking and the interest of the viewer kept on a knife edge. If nothing else the Jottings From Tuscany" by Sir John playng Haverford Downs a Rogue with wit and charm are a delight to the ear and I'd doubt Shakespeare had a Nimbler touch of his quill! Wonderful, and a must to see and treasure.

Mike Atkinson