Lost Empires [DVD]

This mini series taken from the book by J.B. Priestly is a superb recreation of the end of an era - the music hall way of life and the British Empire. Not since Topsy Turvy have I enjoyed a film about the theatre so much.It is hard for those who were not around before television and the cinema to understand what a major business and way of life the music hall was. The entertainers, booking agents, theatre staff and others who made their living from the travelling performers who moved from town to dreary town bringing a little cheer and entertainment to the lives of workers in hard dull occupations.The series shows how some entertainers spent their entire careers on the circuit singing maudlin songs, or performing in unchanging comedy or acrobatic routines - the animal acts, the knockabout comics. As there was no social security or unemployment pay, losing, or not getting a booking, could mean devastating poverty (read Charlie Chaplin's autobiography - his mother losing her voice and with it her singing career ended in the workhouse for the whole family). There was also a hierarchy in the circuits, London being the prize, and the northern and working class districts inferior. A performers status could be judged by where he or she was booked to play.Although the era of the music hall as a primary form of entertainment ended after WWI, it staggered on until the 1950's as I can remember being taken to the Palace in Halifax, Yorkshire to see variety shows every week, and it lasted even longer in seaside towns headlined by popular TV entertainers.The only reason for not rating this five stars is the quality of the picture - grainy and by disc 3, blurred. The color is uneven. I don't know whether this is due to the transfer from the British system, or whether TV quality 19 years ago was worse than we realise, but it is distracting. The lack of subtitles or close captions was also disappointing as it was hard to make out what they were saying at times, but as the miniseries was so faithful to the book, it was possible to read the book to find out what the characters had said.Other than the gripes, the location shooting and recreating of grimy working class towns, the seaside holiday resorts and the music hall is one glorious feast for the eyes. The statuesque contralto bellowing out patriotic songs while draped in the flag - the peppy recruiting songs by the chorus dressed as soldiers - the holidaymakers oblivious of the war to come, are worth the price of the DVD. I would recommend this to anyone interested not just in theatre, but in the way of life pre WWI.

Granada Television's 1986 "Lost Empires" is a series that proves that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Starring a sullen young Colin Firth, this eight-hour, three DVD set has held a place in my heart for the last 16 years. It was with much anticipation then that I opened this package and watched it anew with my family. Would it stand the test of time? Was it as great as I recalled?Based on the novel by JB Priestley, LE chronicles the adventures of young Richard Herncastle (Firth), an aspiring landscape painter, who in 1913 accepts an offer from his hard-nosed Uncle Nick (John Castle II) to join his magic act and tour the great `empire halls' on England.Uncle Nick promises "I'll show you the world lad!" In the process young Richard gets more than he bargained for in the way of life adventures. . Firth's Herncastle finds himself thrown together with magicians, dwarfs, sad-sack comedians, flirty torch-song singers, suffragettes and aging Sir Lawrence Olivier. And he also quickly becomes the lightning rod that somehow touches all their lives.The first half of LE, featuring Sir Lawrence Olivier as pathetic comedian Harry Barrard, Carmen du Sautoy as sultry Julie Blaine, John Castle's riveting Uncle Nick and Beattie Edney as love interest Nancy Ellis is where Lost Empires shines! We feel the whole world opening up for Richard as he is torn between Nancy and Julie. Every night this travelling company performs authentic song and dance numbers as we see World War I looming in the background.Of special note is John Castle. Playing master illusionist "Ganga Dun" Castle's Nick Ollanton creates a character so vivid and steely that he virtually steals the DVD.The second half of LE slows down a bit after young Richard has learned a few life lessons the hard way. The vibrant personalities of first half give way to more outrageous, less believable ones.The DVD transfer is what you'd expect from most Granada product of the 80's: film grain is a bit much, but the colors are good, and I quickly "saw beyond" the grain of film. The sound is actually quite clear and vibrant with a large dynamic range. I frequently was "riding" the volume control to back off the volume when the director cut from quiet dialog scenes to the Empire performance scenes. There is no info booklet to speak of with the three discs which was a bit of a letdown (Brideshead Revisited ships with a rather informative booklet by contrast.) ...If however you are looking for a group of clearly drawn characters desperate to hold onto a way of living, performing and loving as "The New World" is about to crush them under war and the onset of "talking movies" then LE is for you. If you've got the dough to spare, get it. If you're unsure, pick up Brideshead Revisited instead.Me, I'm happy now that my "Masterpiece Theater" DVD shelf contains the three things I've always wanted: Brideshead, Prime Suspect and now Lost Empires.

Thought I'd give this a try - I didn't catch its original showing in the late '80s - as it covers the year immediately preceding the outbreak of WW1, exactly 100 years ago. It is also 50 years since Priestley's original novel was first published, which gives part of the discordant tone to the drama; there's a hard streak of cynicism in the men, and a knowing sexuality in the women, that sits as more contemporary in feel than might be expected. Put most simply it's a year in the life of an inexperienced young man, working the music halls in 1913/1914 - superficially a golden age of theatre mirroring the sense of complacent contentment in the country at large, with the looming threats (cinema/the approaching conflict) encroaching.The drama is tightly plotted, and the characterisations superb. Early Colin Firth, as the ubiquitous Richard Herncastle, catches the eye, battling his raging libido with a mix of naivety and pomposity fuelled by his ambitions as an artist; John Castle's sardonic and steely Uncle Nick gives compelling commentary to the illusions on the stage and the deceptions off it. It's also a nostalgic reminder of the leisurely and sumptuous multi-part ITV/Granada dramas of the 1980s, another lost empire!Essential viewing for Firth fans, and enthusiastically recommended for lovers of TV drama series at their very best.

Viewing this when it was first shown on ITV gave me my first experience of Colin Firth - long before Pride & Prejudice and even before Tumbledown. At 25 he grabbed my attention and I vowed to watch out for him in the future. His performance manages to combine gauchenss with an inner strength and great charm. Much of the time he is a spectator to the main action but it's difficult to take your eyes off him. He also manages a convincing Yorkshire accent with remarkable consistency - very important given his major narrative role. Equally mesmerising (appropriately) is John Castle as his Uncle Nick, the dazzling stage magician, who combines a brutal callousness with a vulnerability this actor always brings to a part. The supporting cast is excellent, including a last TV appearance from Laurence Olivier and the production values are superb. It seems no expense was spared to create the world of Music Hall in the months preceding WW1 and it has a feel of real autenticity. Although you get over 10 hours of viewing, the pace never slackens.Do not be put off by this being a region 1 product. Multi region DVD players are commonplace now or a conversion is easy. This is definitely a good buy.

This series is based on one of J.B.Priestley's best works and belongs to the period in the 1980s when Classic TV drama adaptations ruled the small screen. It boasts a stellar cast including Sir Laurence Oliver, John Castle,a very young Colin Firth, Brian Glover and Pamela Stephenson but is indebted to the script by the great Ian Curteis who also wrote Churchill and the Generals and Philby, Burgess and McLean.It is an accurate evocation of the lost age where the Music Hall was the entertainment medium of choice for a wide spectrum of the great British Public and follows the fortunes of a typical touring company of the time with their triumphs and tragedies, internal feuds, loves and hates. This is up there with The Forsyte Saga and Brideshead Revisited as one of the great TV Drama Series. [ASIN:B007T8690Q Lost Empires [DVD].

This is an excellent recreation of Mr Priestley's book,except for the initial war scenes.It then settles down and if you love the book as I do then you will love this.Quickly supplied by Amazon,my main reason for submitting this review is to correct the impression that it is not compatible with UK video players.It certainly plays on mine which is not a multi zone player.I believe that at one time only American imports were available and there were problems.Not any more it appears.I won't outline the story as other reviews have done that.

So thrilled to find this DVD. It's a delightful series and well worth the money. On two discs and a superb adaptation of J B Priestley's novel.I bought a second-hand copy which was in very good condition and the supplier is highly recommended for their service.