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Sally Lockhart Mysteries - (Ruby in the Smoke & Shadow in the North)
The first dramatization, Ruby in the Smoke The Shadow in the North Billie Piper says of her role as Sally Lockhart in The Shadow in the North: "Sally is quite feisty, and has a right old bee in her bonnet when one of her elderly clients loses all her savings after investing on Sally's recommendation. She is ahead of her times, outspoken and wants to be respected by those she considers her peers and is determined to get her client's money back one way or another."
RRP: £19.99
Our Price: £5.74 (subject to change)
Editorial
DVD Description
This DVD includes two BBC adaptations - Ruby in the Smoke and Shadow in the North - from a series of novels by the award-winning author, Philip Pullman. The stories follow the courageous and vibrant young heroine, Sally Lockhart, played here by award-winning actress, Billie Piper, who is a 16-year-old sleuth in the Victorian era.
Sally, recently orphaned, is alone and being hunted by an assassin. With her new friends - young photographer Frederick and quick-witted street child Jim - she must discover her father's killer. Facing them is an unseen, murderous opponent and at the heart of it all, the deadly, blood-drenched secret of the ruby in the smoke.
Once again Pullman's much-loved and fearless heroine Sally Lockhart embarks on a mission – this time to find out why her elderly client's investment crashed and what links the clairvoyant's murderous vision to the rich industrialist, Bellmann.
Too many cliches to be good
Review date: 2008-05-26 Rating: 4 out of 10
I found the idea of Sally Lockhart to be fresh and new, although I don't quite know how they expect anyone to believe that Sally Lockhart is just 16 years old. That aside there was potential to see a new period drama that focused solely on an independent young woman.
The first movie is passable, setting up mainly the characters, it is the second movie "Shadow in the North" where everything takes a substantial nosedive.
It was bad enough when they killed off Sally's dog, though her moment of grief quickly passed but I sensed there would be more as this episode was very predictable and up to this point I do say rather boring and uninteresting. Then Sally tells Fred she wants him and suddenly they're in bed - which of course leads me to the second most annoying cliche - they sleep together followed by Fred's tragic heroic death. At this point I was ready to turn away but I felt the movie might have been salvaged - but I was wrong. The ending of Sally being pregnant was annoying, cliched and predictable and for me it wiped away any credibility the first one had started. So much potential but why watch something when you already know how it will end?
Watch the first one, stay away from the second one.
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Reviews
Looks good but lacks depth.
Review date: 2008-03-21 Rating: 6 out of 10
The BBC does adaptations very well these days, but other than the impressive wardrobe and scenery these two programmes were far too light and simplistic for me, and some of the coincidences seemed to be more prominent on tv than in the book. Maybe I just overlooked them back then.
The acting is underplayed by most of the cast, especially Billie Piper who spends all her time either mildly puzzled or mildly concerned. The Ruby starts off intriguing, as did the book, but quickly becomes a simple chase whereas the novel gave better insights into the childhood of Sally. Even so, the books were both rather tedious and I'm not surprised the programmes went the same way. Would it have been so difficult to make the ruby look impressive? All that trouble for something that looks like it came out of a cracker. If you haven't read the books, the twist in The Ruby's ending looks as if it is setting up The Shadow, but sadly not. The Shadow was absurd, underplayed yet again, predictable and formulaic. It was worth one star. The Ruby gets two stars because it was less contrived than The Shadow. They both get an extra star for the costumes and sets so this review ends up with a 3 star rating.
The BBC does it again! Another excellent adaptation
Review date: 2008-02-26 Rating: 8 out of 10
As with many other BBC productions, this new adaptation of Philip Pullman's excellent Sally Lockhart series does not disappoint. It stars the headstrong protagonist Sally Lockhart, following her adventures and the enigmatic events that unfold around her. They story has all the right elements of a Victorian melodrama: rubies, murders, opium, a plot in the north, guns, Chinese traders... and it all comes together within a wonderful Victorian atmosphere. You can almost smell the opium lingering in the air and the run-down feel of the docklands. The plot meanders and tangles together, until it culminates in a dramatic climax.
I still feel that Billie Piper was a little miscast - I felt a lack of connection with her, and she does not match with my personal image of Sally. Objectively, however, she pulls off a great performance, as do the rest of the cast. A special mention must go to the chilling Julie Walters, as well as the actor who plays Jim.
All in all, an excellent adaptation that is well worth a watch. I shall be very much looking forward to The Tiger in the Well and The Tin Princess.
Very good adaptation of 2 very good books
Review date: 2008-01-21 Rating: 10 out of 10
It's about time Phillip Pullman got some positive limelight... all the stupid fuss over the anti-religious elements of 'His Dark Materials' rather overshadows the fact that he is an excellent writer. The 'Sally Lockhart' books are a fascinating glimpse into a shady Victorian world and how damn difficult it was to be a woman 150 years ago. Sally Lockhart is a feisty and engaging heroine and, for once, Billy Piper is well cast in the lead role. She manages to convey the spirited independence of the main character while clearly showing us the restrictions placed on women at that time. I hope very much that the next one will be filmed as it is a corker of a story.
As for these two, I heartily recommend them - they are very good stories with excellent characters and locations.
P.S. Does anyone else think that JJ Feild looks rather like Jude Law?!?
Of All the Girls that are so Smart
Review date: 2008-01-20 Rating: 10 out of 10
This two-DVD set features the opening two stories based on Philip Pullman's Sally Lockhart novels. I should point out that I have not read any of the books in this series; this review is purely based on the DVD package. Both stories are feature length, running to approximately 90 minutes each. Disc one ("The Ruby in the Smoke") includes an interview with Philip Pullman. This is the sole bonus feature in the package, but both DVDs contain English subtitles if required.
`The Ruby in the Smoke' is set in England in 1874. Sally Lockhart (Billie Piper), a feisty young woman whose father has been killed in mysterious circumstances, now resides with her fusty Aunt Caroline. "What accomplishments do you have?" asks the spiteful elderly lady. Sally tells her that she has none save the ability to fire a pistol, speak Hindustani and to read an accounts ledger as easily as a newspaper. By the time she has removed herself from this stifling atmosphere, Sally is immersed in her first mystery. The catalyst for this upheaval is a cryptic note that she has received from Singapore concerning her father's untimely death. Much murderous mayhem and derring-do ensues when the eponymous ruby's existence becomes known.
Sally's business acumen comes to her rescue when she takes on the books at the lovelorn Frederick's (JJ Field) photography business in return for bed and board. He and capable cockney lad, Jim (Matt Smith), take on sidekick status as they are confronted by the vile and devious Mrs. Holland (Julie Walters in superb form) who will stop at nothing in order to secure the ruby for herself.
Matt narrates some small portions of the story via voice-over. Unfortunately, his `cor blimey' tones are a little grating here, and, thankfully, this device was not continued for the next story in the series, `The Shadow in the North'.
In this story, a weapon capable of widespread destruction has been invented. The villain of the piece is Axel Bellman (Jared Harris), a businessman who is not above using mass murder and blackmail to get what he wants. Sally has now gone into business as a financial consultant and is distressed to learn that one of her clients is close to financial ruin thanks to her advice to invest in a shipping company whose vessel has subsequently sunk in mysterious circumstances. The owner of this company? None other than Axel Bellmann. This tale also takes music hall acts and psychics into the mix as the faithful Jim and Frederick rejoin Sally in a new mystery.
The acting is uniformly excellent (notably from Julie Walters in the first story). Billie Piper grows into the lead role nicely. The first story calls for a more restrained and understated performance given her character's age and status. `The Shadow in the North' sees Sally blossom into a more determined and independent woman. This story is also a little lighter in tone than its predecessor; there's even room for a few jokes. I particularly enjoyed theatre manager, Bram Stoker (Owen Roe) reject the disappointed Jim's play script, "There's no future in vampire stories," Stoker informs him. In another scene, Sally visits the Patents Office to find out about Bellmann's business dealings. Here she encounters an awkward young clerk played to perfection by Nitin Ganatra. His mannerisms and facial expressions are hilarious and his discomfort is palpable when faced with the attractive Sally. His is just an incidental character, but I'm glad they included him. Both stories are highly visual with some stunning photography which captures the colourful opulence of the haves as well as the dingy squalor of the have-nots.
It would have been nice if some more bonus material could have been included such as cast and crew interviews or audio commentaries, but the Philip Pullman interview on the first disc is interesting as he talks about the process of writing his books and gives his thoughts on their translation to the small screen.
Both stories are quite involved, but utterly compelling, and with television of this quality repeated viewing is a pleasure.
Product Details/Specifications
Actor(s):
Julie Walters
Billie Piper
Creators:
Billie Piper (Primary Contributor)
Julie Walters (Primary Contributor)
Recording label: 2 Entertain Video
Manufacturer: 2 Entertain Video
EAN: 5014503234829
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 2
Format: PAL,
Release date: 2008-01-07
Audience rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 180 minutes
Language: English (Original Language)