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Mapp And Lucia


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Which epsiodes are on the discs?
Review date: 2008-10-09 Rating: 10 out of 10

Contents are (disc 1) The Village Fete, Battle Stations, The Italian Connection; (disc 2) Lobster Pots, The Own and the Pussycat, Winner Takes All; (disc 3) Change and Change About, Lady Bountiful, Worship, and Au Reservoir.


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Reviews


Social Pretensions And Sly Undertakings
Review date: 2007-11-09 Rating: 8 out of 10

Here are the ingredients: It's the early Thirties in the small English seaside town of Tilling. The doyen of Tilling society is Miss Elizabeth Mapp (Prunella Scales). Mapp is a gallumphing social climber of a certain age, unhesitatingly two-faced and who smiles broadly at you while she thinks suspicious thoughts. Into Tilling one summer comes the wealthy Emmeline "Lucia" Lucas (Geraldine McEwan), a purring social strategist. With her is Georgie Pillson (Nigel Hawthorne), her long-standing pal, who does embroidery, plays duets with Lucia on the piano and loves to chat with the upper set. His greatest concerns seem to be Lucia's happiness, his own comforts and his toupee. When Lucia decides to stay in Tilling, war is soon declared with Mapp to determine who will be the town's social queen.

Mapp & Lucia is an acquired taste. The only sensible people seem to be the servants. The social set which revolves around Lucia and Mapp are all largely unlikable, yet they gradually become endearing and amusing. There's Major Flint, ramrod straight even when he's downed too much liquid, which is often. Quaint Irene Coles is a free spirit who does what she likes, smokes a pipe and paints unconventional pictures, usually of female nudes. Mrs. Susan Wylie is a formidable and condescendingly gracious lady who, her bowing husband often points out, received an MBE from the King himself. Lucia, played by McEwan, is like a sly cat, very satisfied with herself and plotting not-so-subtle social victories over Mapp. And if Lucia is a cat, Mapp is more like a flummoxed but stubborn pug.

This is a program of high manners, of exaggerated and merciless social pretensions. If you stay with it, it's also very funny. The leads, Geraldine McEwan, Prunella Scales and Nigel Hawthorne, do marvelous jobs of creating characters so odd and self-involved that you can't help starting to like them. Mapp is so clueless you at times root for her. Lucia is so sly it's rather nice to realize she would never slide the social knife in too far...well, not unless she had to. And Georgie, so ineffectual without his servants, so fey, so devoted to Lucia and so utterly lightweight; he's actually a nice fellow if you can manage to make enough inconsequential small talk to get to know him.

Delightful comedy of manners series set in 1920s 'polite' society
Review date: 2007-10-23 Rating: 10 out of 10

Based on E. F. Benson's highly regarded novels from the 1920s and 1930s, this is a great comedy series filmed by L.W.T. for a young Channel 4. Being written during the era, the books, and this beautifully filmed adaptation, are spot on. It Stars Prunella Scales, Nigel Hawthorne and Geraldine McEwan. Visually it's not unlike Diana Rigg's "Mrs Bradley Mysteries", although this series follows a far darker and ruthless battle for social supremacy in the small town of Tilling (clearly based on Rye, East Sussex, where Benson was Mayor from 1934). Naturally this series was filmed in Rye and neighbouring Winchelsea.

Mrs Emmeline Lucas, known to her friends as Lucia, is a dreadful snob, but in Miss Elizabeth Mapp of Mallards, Lucia meets her match. Underlying the etiquette and politeness is a bitter and seething malice that unleashes the terrible weapons of garden parties, bridge evenings and afternoon teas. Although this may not sound promising material for modern-day viewers, the series [and books] are very funny and engage your interest just to see how sophisticated Lucia and frumpy Mapp score off each other and extricate themselves from social disasters. The witty and amusing episodes are based on the last three of Benson's books, and have a similar feel to P.G. Woodhouse's classic "Jeeves and Wooster". This DVD set has all ten episodes [two seasons of five episodes first broadcast in 1985 & 1986]. Total run time: 503 minutes or 8.4 hours. Sound is mono, and picture quality is fine for the small screen. It's a delight to watch, and all for just £15 or so.

Funny and Frivolous
Review date: 2007-06-27 Rating: 8 out of 10

This DVD is a real treat - as camp as Christmas but wonderfully acted and true to the E F Benson books. The world of 1920s village of Tilling and its eccentric inhabitants is welcome escapism from current TV drama's gritty realism. Prunella Scales and Geraldine McEwan play Mapp and Lucia, the rivals vying with each other for social standing and one upmanship amidst an endless round of bridge, gossip and musical evenings. Whilst some of the plots are OTT - when Mapp and Lucia are washed out to sea during floods and are then rescued by an Italian fishing trawler which keeps them in Newfoundland for months, only to return to find their memorial - the affected dialogue is very addictive - "au reservoir" "uno poco aperitivo" and of course Colonel Flint's, "kway hi". Nigel Hawthorne is equally superb as Lucia's needle pointing friend and neighbour. Think outside the box and discover "Mapp & Lucia".

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Geraldine McEwan
Nigel Hawthorne
Prunella Scales

Creators:
Prunella Scales (Primary Contributor)
Geraldine McEwan (Primary Contributor)

Recording label: Network
Manufacturer: Network
EAN: 5027626247447
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 3
Format: PAL,
Release date: 2006-04-10
Audience rating: Parental Guidance
Region code: 2
Running time: 500 minutes
Language: English (Original Language)

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