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Aristocrats [1999] (REGION 1) (NTSC)


Our Price: £19.32 (subject to change)

Resplendent
Review date: 2008-02-01 Rating: 8 out of 10

"Caroline is clever, Emily is a mother to me, Louisa is an angel and Cecilia is a child. I am a disappointment."

That line (uttered by Sarah Lennox) sums up the tumultuous "Aristocrats," a sumptuous, glittering miniseries about the famous and/or infamous Lennox sisters, who were the great-granddaughters of Charles II and his mistress Louise de Kérouaille. Solid acting and a wonderfully soapy storyline make this a great historical drama, but it spins way out there in the last episode.

The Lennox family splinters when the eldest daughter, Caroline (Serena Gordon) falls in love with an older, ambitious politician, Mr. Fox -- and scandalously elopes with him. Emily (Geraldine Somerville) takes a different approach when she falls for the lusty Lord Kildare (Ben Daniels), and eventually her parents agree. They marry, have seemingly dozens of kids, and are happy despite Kildare's frequent infidelity.

But then Lord and Lady Richmond die, leaving their next three daughters Louisa, Sarah and Cecilia in Emily's care. Louisa (Anne-Marie Duff) gets happily married to a dim, loving husband. But when Sarah (Jodhi May) catches the eye of the timid Prince of Wales, the Foxes desperately maneuver to make her the next queen -- which naturally destroys her chances.

So she marries a very cold, inattentive man, and soon starts gambling, has an affair with a sexy Frenchman -- and elopes with a volatile Harlequin hunk, after having his illegitimate baby. As the family struggles with her disgrace and the brewing war in America, they face new losses and new scandals... and in the years that follow, the family is again thrown into turmoil when Emily's fiery son becomes involved in an Irish revolution...

"The Aristocrats" is kind of like a soap opera from the 1700s -- and it's even juicier when you consider that this stuff happened for real. Multiple adulterous affairs, deaths, feuds, scandals, revolutions, elopements, illegitimate babies, and a king dropping dead on the toilet. And it all more or less happens to one family, over the course of a generation.

And the adaptation wraps the entire era in lush sets and costumes -- big billowing dresses, powdered wigs, sumptuous furniture, opulent mansions, crumbly castles, and the prettily overgrown greenery of their gardens. Frankly, you could get drunk on the scenery alone in this miniseries. David Caffrey does an excellent job soaking the atmosphere into the scenes, whether it's the poignant loneliness of Sarah's "exile," or the sexy interludes between the women and their lovers/husbands.

Problem? The last episode shoots us forward twenty-plus years, and the focus shifts from the remaining sisters to Emily's son Edward, and the "serious" storyline rushes by way too fast. It's not bad, but it feels like an entirely different story was tacked on at the last minute, with all different actors and a totally different focus and "feel."

The actors are good all around: Somerville's brittle yet loving Caroline, Gordon's dutiful yet slightly wicked Emily, and Duff adding a bit of sorrow into the ever-good Louisa. May gives the most astounding performance -- she puts real desperation and sorrow into Sarah's rapid downward slide, and her genuine desire to do the right thing. Lots of frustration, anger, sorrow and finally love in there -- it's simply brilliant.

But the other actors put in good performances too -- Daniels does a great job showing how Kildare loves his wife even if he isn't faithful, and his final scene with Gordon is heartbreaking. George Anton is charming, Alun Armstrong is abrasively interesting, and Tom Mullion is cute in a dim way.

"The Aristocrats" is a solid, sumptuous costume drama with a befuddling final act, but some brilliant acting and direction carry it on through. Sexy, dignified and -- at one time -- scandalous.

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Reviews


Biography becomes drama
Review date: 2004-05-12 Rating: 8 out of 10

Aristocrats is the story of four eighteen century aristocratic sisters adapted from the biography by Stella Tillyard. Their fascinating lives connect with us, the historical and the personal is woven into a rich and complex tapestry. One of the reviewers seems to think it's a novel, perhaps they are referring to another book, which doubtless explains their disappointment

A poor adaptation of an enthralling novel
Review date: 2001-12-06 Rating: 4 out of 10

This lavishly costumed drama may disappoint anyone who has read the novel by Stella Tillyard. The Lennox sisters are difficult to identify, with several changes of actress and the dialogue is hardly what could be called 'period' - George 11 is played like an old buffoon, without the merest hint of his German accent (in truth he hated speaking in English.) There are substantial cuts in characters and time to fit the novel into 4 episodes and one gets the impression that this melodrama is targeted at an audience more familiar with Eastenders. Let us hope that this is not the shape of BBC period dramas to come!

Excellent!
Review date: 2001-06-22 Rating: 10 out of 10

A perfect, wonderful video for anyone who loves costume dramas, especially as it is based on a true story.

Beautifully well done, stunning with gorgeous costumes!
Review date: 2001-02-27 Rating: 10 out of 10

I first saw this on the television late at night. I only saw the first 10 minutes and I went out and bought the set of videos.

This story is based around the Lennox sisters, weathly aritocrats who have everything they could ever dream for. All the sisters have different stories to tell and what tales they are. I highly reccomend this series if you like costumes and enjoy drama.

Although it is sad around the ending, I still think it is just an amazing tale.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Ben Daniels
Julian Fellowes
Alun Armstrong
Geraldine Somerville
Serena Gordon

Creators:
Serena Gordon (Primary Contributor)
Alun Armstrong (Primary Contributor)
Christopher Hall (Producer)
David McLoughlin (Producer)
David Snodin (Producer)
John McDonnell (Producer)
Kevin Menton (Producer)
Harriet O'Carroll (Writer)

Director(s):

Recording label: Acorn Media
Manufacturer: Acorn Media
EAN: 0054961843190
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 3
Format: Box set, Closed-captioned, Colour, Dolby, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC,
Release date: 2006-08-08
Universal product code (UPC): 054961843190
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Region code: 1
Running time: 293 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1999-10-10
Language: English (Original Language)

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