Reptileenbu Did you people see the same film I saw?

Lightdeossk Captivating movie !

Deanna There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

Logan By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

jwiley-86292 This sort of story is easy to overlook because it is so low-key and so very wholesome. But for what it is I found it gripping; everyone needs something purely wholesome from time to time. Although, there is much more sexual tension than one would expect from a series about the Anglican clergy. Other reviews on this page seem to agree that Obadiah Slope steals the show in this regard. Yes, I would have chosen him over Mr. Arabin as well, but at least we can infer that Slope found some other lucky lady. It's not fair, though, to let Rickman dominate analysis of this series. The rest of the cast give performances which are just as mesmerizing, particularly Susan Hampshire as Madeline. But watching this, you can tell why Alan went on to become the biggest name of the entire cast. Sidenote: Give me Madeline's wardrobe YESTERDAY. Like any good period piece, this is gorgeous to look at. I found myself very worried about what would happen to Eleanor. I mean, being slut-shamed for RECEIVING a letter? That is COLD. I also liked that she had such a good relationship with her father; that he always had her back. It makes me teary-eyed just thinking about it. Recommended. Would watch again.

Lynmal I loathed Trollope as a child, I think I was introduced to him far too early. My son, knowing my love of Alan Rickman, purchased this DVD set for me. I later paid him back(that is another story!). I watched it over two days with my husband(a bit of a non-literary person), and I cannot comment on the faithful adaptation. I can only say we enjoyed it so much, we identified with the corporate Church of England, we gasped,we chuckled, we laughed aloud. We thoroughly enjoyed it. Simply cannot recommend it enough. A triumph. And dear, talented Alan Rickman. He was amongst the greats - Donald Pleasence, Nigel Hawthorn, Gereladine McKeown, and more than made his own. Superb, beastly little creep! (Slope, not Rickman!!) Why was he not snapped up then and there for future glory? He had to wait for "Die Hard"? For shame! I count this as one of the best DVD's I have ever purchased, I will watch it again and again - and, yes, I will be revisiting the books! Even if you do not know Trollope, even if you do not know the machinations of the C of E, this is a must-have for a superb piece of a by-gone age. In more senses than one!

JBall75487 One runs out of superlatives to describe this flawless representation of Trollope's masterpieces of ecclesiastical fiction. Against the sumptuous background of Peterborough Cathedral and its environs, one is carried into Trollope's world of the intriguing machinations of the clerical establishment of Barchester. Backed by the authenticity of the period detail, the portrayal of all the characters accurately conveys the whole range of human emotions within the stories,without a weak link amongst the members of the cast. In would be invidious to name particular names as meriting special attention, when even the smallest cameo stands comparison with the principals, but I would select Geraldine McEwen, Alan Rickman and Nigel Hawthorne for special commendation - their performances being of the type where the actors disappear and the characters come to life !I was particularly impressed by the clarity of diction and the beautiful,expressive language in this film A 'must see' not only for lovers of Trollope, but anyone interested in seeing character acting at its very best !

hgallon This was another historical series of novels, which the BBC faithfully adhered to (and they managed to run two unequally-sized volumes, "The Warden" and "Barchester Towers", together without the join showing).Donald Pleasance, normally noted for playing Bond villains, played the modest and unctuous Septimus Harding brilliantly. Nigel Hawthorne, as his son-in-law Dr. Grantly, provided the perfect combative foil. However, Alan Rickman, in one of his first major roles as the scheming Obadiah Slope, may have stolen the show. Clive Swift, as the henpecked Bishop of Barchester, established and refined the character he was later to play as the husband of Hyacinth Bouquet in "real" comedy.The location shots in cloisters give a very real impression of a withdrawn and contemplative clergy, obsessed with its own affairs and internal squabbles. The jarring note of the first two or three episodes, when John Bold questions whether a long-established tradition connected with a charitable bequest is indeed in the interests of the recipients of that charity, shows the how uneasy the various clerical characters are when dealing with the world outside.Many of the shots in scenes in a flat countryside seemingly locked into August throughout the eight episodes which covered a span of several years, also give the impression of withdrawal from the day-to-day life of any activity but that of the church.As an examination of the mores and attitudes of his period, Anthony Trollope produced a brilliant pair of novels. The BBC have produced an equally brilliant adaptation, although slow enough in pace to be almost soporific in parts.