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The Owl Service - Series 1 - Complete
RRP: £14.99
Our Price: £9.93 (subject to change)
dark suspense
Review date: 2008-09-15 Rating: 10 out of 10
With the screenplay adapted from his own book by Alan Garner, this TV series from the early 1970's very closely follows the book with narrative from the book becoming dialogue. I'd read the book beforehand and so was aware of what the storyline was about - the resonance of legend repeating and echoing itself down the ages in a remote Welsh Valley, and was enthralled by an excellent transfer to the small screen. The advantage of this DVD is that it is in colour - the original broadcast was in black and white - and we can see the three prime characters, Roger, his step sister Alison, and local boy Gwynn dressed in red, green and black - the colour of the wiring of a domestic plug at that time and this reflects one of the themes in the storyline that at times bristles with an adolescent sexual tension.
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Reviews
Typical Alan Garner
Review date: 2008-07-24 Rating: 6 out of 10
I found this series pretty hard going at times. If it wasn't for the narrative at the beginning of each episode that told you what had gone on in previous episodes then I think I would have been totally lost.
Alan Garner's style is that of you don't know what is happening until you are further on into the series. For a kid it would take some getting into but for an adult it wouldn't be so bad.
It brings up some strong issues of descrimination as well. Upper/Lower class, the Welsh and the English and going to a Grammar school. You do learn a lot from this series.
Been waiting for ages...
Review date: 2008-05-08 Rating: 10 out of 10
for this.
Haven't seen DVD yet but saw original broadcast after I'd read the book.
Childhood revisited
Review date: 2008-05-06 Rating: 10 out of 10
I was reading "The Owl Service" on holiday in Wales (1978) when, as a total coincidence, I first saw this series. At the time it seemed otherworldly and slightly confusing to an impressionable 13 year old boy. The phrase "She wants to be flowers and you make her owls" has haunted me for 30 years. Finally I can see it all and appreciate that which I was too young to fully understand at the time.
I'm glad to say that the passing of time has not diminished the slightly off-kilter atmosphere of this classic series. Unlike much of "children's TV drama" these days, "The Owl Service" keeps you off-balance and intrigued as to what's actually going on.
This is an intensely claustrophobic story of relationships within a very English (step) family and the staff of their holiday home. Set in an oppressive Welsh valley it focuses specifically on the experiences and tensions between three teenagers who are forced to relive an ancient "mythical" conflict. Using a tale from "The Mabinogion" as the basis for the conflict it explores the difficulty of growing up and dealing with attraction, jealousy, alienation, the pressures of family, responsibility and even national identity but places it all within a subtly creepy supernatural setting.
The acting may now seem slightly stilted and the patronising "Granada-enforced" recaps do somewhat spoil the deliberate ambiguity of certain events but the meaning and power of the story has survived intact and "The Owl Service" provides some of the most "adult" children's TV you will ever have the good fortune to see.
edit: A special honourable mention must be paid to Roger's shorts :)
A decent DVD release...
Review date: 2008-05-02 Rating: 8 out of 10
For a show that hardly anyone has heard of which hasn't been transmitted for 20 years, Network have put together a surprisingly nice DVD package for the series. It contains:
*The six episodes (split over two discs) with picture and sound as good as can be expected.
*A Granada TV documentary on Alan Garner from 1980.
*A booklet that details (well) the making of the show, and also features modern interviews with Gillian Hills and Raymond Llewellyn, finished off with a review by film critic Kim Newman.
All in all, it's a surprisingly well put together DVD release for a show that was, and is, unlike any other.
Product Details/Specifications
Actor(s):
Francis Wallis
Gillian Hills
Michael Holden
Creators:
Gillian Hills (Primary Contributor)
Francis Wallis (Primary Contributor)
Director(s):
Recording label: Network
Manufacturer: Network
EAN: 5027626267148
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 2
Format: PAL,
Release date: 2008-04-28
Audience rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 195 minutes
Language: English (Unknown)