TinsHeadline Touches You

Evengyny Thanks for the memories!

Humaira Grant It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Sarita Rafferty There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

TheLittleSongbird Don't get me wrong, as explained in my review for the recent 'Poldark' series, the recent adaptation of 'Poldark' which first aired last year is a great and often magnificent series that was one of 2015 television's highlights in a year where my television watching was pretty sporadic.Just that this 1975 adaptation is even better. Whereas the newer version had minor flaws with occasional pacing issues and Jud being played too straight (for my liking that is), this one was perfectly paced and the performance of Jud brought much needed levity and beautifully timed humour to the proceedings. Didn't have any problem with this version, didn't detect any scenery chewing (something that's obvious to me) and the 70s production values still looked good and added to 'Poldark's' charm.Even if the production values are of its time and the newer version has more clarity and polish, the series still looks great. It's beautifully photographed, evocatively costumed to the extent that it's like being transported back in time to that period, has very faithful attention to detail (even more so than the recent version) and has splendid scenery that doesn't look confined or studio-bound.'Poldark' is understatedly scored, intelligently written, richly characterised and dramatically compelling with plenty of tense and poignant moments handsomely staged. Robin Ellis and particularly Angharad Rees are excellent in the lead roles, while Jill Townsend and Paul Curran are notably sterling support.In summary, wonderful and the superior version. Both versions are highly recommended. Will watch the 1996 version, but am not expecting much. 10/10 Bethany Cox

butaneggbert I'm a big fan of exactly this kind of movie/series: period setting, based on a literary work, and complex, involving characters.I've heard of "Poldark" my whole life, and because both the description and the reviews here made it sound like a slam-dunk for me.It was good enough that I watched all the episodes. But oh, my - how in the world does this rate as one of the best dramatic series to come out of England? It is nowhere near that, and for very concrete reasons.The caliber of acting is all over the map. The primary leads are very strong; some secondary characters are well-handled, others performed at community-theatre level. And the bit parts - oh, my god. Almost painfully bad in a lot of cases. Scenery chewing,overly-affected clichéd personas - I actually burst out laughing more than once.Even some who are very good reveal their weaknesses over the long run, as the performances (and the episodic plots) become more predictable, more repetitious. I started hearing the bots from MST3k in my head, mocking both script and actors. (Never a good sign.) Adult characters, never age. Kids get older and bigger, from cooing in their crib to middle-school age, while their elders go on looking exactly the same. Not even a wave in the direction of smile lines or a sneaky streak of grey hair. Perfect for all eternity.The oldest character, on the other hand, is comically over-made up with thick, vaudeville-style aging, including lines drawn so clearly and boldly over her entire face it would read to the back of the fourth balcony. Great for stage; not so much with movie closeups. She looked like a Halloween partier.When one character dies a sudden shocking death, arguably a homicide - the topic is dropped. This character has a three or four episode run, is well established, and more likable than many. Who will discover the death? What will become of the miscreant whose hand she died by? Will he get away with it? Will her relatives probe this at all, or accept it as a natural death? NOTHING happens. She's dead upstairs, and her departure is never noted. An episode or two later her grave is mentioned, which is our first indication she's not rotting undiscovered in the attic.Eventually, mean people being mean just because they're mean, and good people being valiant and good because that's what they are, wears really thin. With one amazing getaway after another, lucky breaks and timely interruptions at a Monty Python-esque rate, and a cliffhanger at the end of almost every episode, what began as a great tale well told turns into a beautifully-dressed, implausible soap opera.That "Poldark" was made in the 70s doesn't account for any of the above. Good story-telling is ageless; continuity should be a given; screen makeup has been an established art for decades.One final note about accents and subtitles: almost every American will appreciate subtitles for this. One character in particular affects a thick, nearly unintelligible accent. But beware Netflix! The caption quality varies. In one episode, nearly every place name is displayed as "(inaudible)". One character's name changes twice in the subtitles in one short scene! And too many subtitles are just wrong. You'll get by, but you'll be distracted and perhaps irritated.But hey - if you've got laundry to fold and want some company, this will do the job.

whateverfour20110 I did like this series when it first aired. I never understand why no one ever mentions Jill Townsend. I remember liking her very much when she was in the western series Cimarron Strip. She played a young girl named Dulcey (early lust). I later enjoyed the actress who played Elizabeth in the Poldark series. It wasn't until later that I realized that it was Duclie matured. Jill appeared in a few movies, TV spots and then nothing. Her last movie was the Awakening. I remember enjoying seeing her in that movie. No, she seems to have disappeared off the media's radar screen. Anyway, here is a 10 vote for Jill Townsend. I wish she would return to the screen.

sarahsmith-2 I have been watching this series since I was a child and absolutely love it. The actors are wonderful and the drama keeps going. You really learn to love these people, or hate them as the case may be. Some drama is not appropriate for children. I rent it from my local library once a year. My husband can even stand this one. There is a lot of character development as the people mature and they diverge through several different groups and couples. You get to see love develop and change through many different relationships. I only wish they would hurry up and provide this series on DVD, one and two. You need to watch the whole series, right now it is 12 episodes of 2 hours each. I have been requesting it for years now. A definite worth the time.