Masterpiece Theatre - The Cazalets

Starring:Hugh Bonneville, Stephen Dillane, Paul Rhys, Lesley Manville, Joanna Page, Anna Chancellor, Penny Downie, Anastasia Hille, Ursula Howells, John McArdle, Frederick Treves, Patsy Rowlands, Catherine Russell, Jacqueline Tong, Florence Hoath, Jessica Turner, Tammy Mendelson, Claire Hackett, Katya Harvey, Lavinia Bertram
Director: Suri Krishnamma
Studio: Wgbh Boston
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Description
In the shadows of WWII, one family is blessed with privilege, prestige and unspeakable secrets.

It's 1937 and the storm clouds of World War II gather across Europe. Tensions also simmer beneath the seemingly charmed lives of the Cazalet family. While this grand family saga commences during an idyllic summer at the Cazalet's Sussex country estate, the years that follow will see birth, death, marriage, adultery, dementia, intrigue, and war play significant roles.

Acclaimed for its richly detailed production, talented cast and brilliant character depictions, this vivid and poignant family portrait revolves around the wives, lovers, and children of the four Cazalet siblings: hard-working Hugh, womanizing Edward, spinster Rachel, and the artistic Rupert.

Soon after Hitler enters Poland and England enters the war, the lives of three generations intertwine as devastating secrets explode like a blitzkrieg. Hardships invade with brutal reality, and slowly, the Cazalet's decorum can no longer mask their problems. As both the country and family are splintered by war, the Cazalets must prove they have the strength to endure.

Description

In the shadows of WWII, one family is blessed with privilege, prestige and unspeakable secrets.

Based on Elizabeth Jane Howard's captivating family epic, The Cazalets stars Tony Award®-winner Stephen Dillane (The Real Thing), Hugh Bonneville (Madame Bovary), Paul Rhys (From Hell) and Emma Griffiths Malin (Mary Reilly)

Customer Reviews:

good casting in a very lame screenplay.......2006-09-23

everything in this movie was just so trivial. typical english female writers' style, nothing but blah, blah, and blah. what we got here is one adultery husband, a womanizer who just wanted all the women, including his own daughter, but since this man was created by a female english writer, he himself in general is still a not a bad guy; then the second man who loved his wife so loyally; the 3rd brother was a dreamer, a romantic foolish idealist, but a very decent person who loved his 2nd wife and kids so much; then a sister who was a lesbian but a lovely woman, kind and generous...blah this and blah that for a total 5 episodes in 3 dvds. so what this story really delivered? nothing, a story so common and so cliched and might have been told and played thousand times. to the movie itself, it's a really good movie, well performed, directed, edited...whatever, all good. but the screenplay...well, same old sameold like all the other female writers already did, so stereotyped boring and typically feminine.

Beautifully photographed and acted!.......2006-08-02

This mini-series certainly helped to pass the long days of summer vacation for me! Usually anything from Masterpiece Theatre is excellent--but this one surpassed many other mini-series they've done. The intertwining stories of all the members of the Cazalet family are artfully put together in such a way that it keeps the viewer constantly interested. The costumes were very true to the era and the jazzy theme music sounded like a real tune right out of the 1940's. Among the engrossing characters there were two who stood out the most. Louise, one of the young Cazalet daughters, had to struggle with a perverted father while trying to move up in the theatre. The other was Christopher, a Cazalet counsin who objected to the war. His father wanted him to join up, but he eventually has a breakdown because of it. If you love character sketches and period pieces, this one is for you!

Fantastic BBC production - if you can ignore the US additions!.......2006-07-01

I have always loved the cazalets, but this American release was rather annoying.

From the constant "brought to you by ExxonMobil" voice overs to the fireside-feel basic WW2 history blurbs delivered after each episode, there are additions in this version which are unnecessary and spoil the 'BBC Englishness' which I reasonably expected. (It seems odd that the history blurbs were not made into a separate added-feature, instead of being embedded in the episodes)

The Cazalets appears to be unavailable on amazon.co.uk, so any non-American buyers should be aware of the changes. If it weren't for them, this would be five stars - the sound and picture are great!

Very entertaining!.......2005-11-11

I really did enjoy "The Cazalets" -- although, as other reviews indicate, it is left unfinished. I don't believe there are any plans to complete the series, however, so one is handicapped by ridiculous cliffhangers, like the fate of Rupert.

I have not read the Elizabeth Jane Howard novels (although I would like to at some point), and due to that I found many of the characters difficult to follow -- for example, there is a distinct focus on only the eldest Cazalet grandchildren, Louise, Polly, and Clary, to the detriment of the others. I believe Edward and Villy have a son, Edward Jr., who is hardly ever in the program. Also, two of the Cazalet sons, Edward and Hugh, have younger children, who are never fully connected to their parents. For example, I believe Lydia Cazalet was the daughter of Hugh and the long-suffering Sybil, but am not positive. Also, Villy and Sybil also have infant children (who grow into toddlers as the series progresses), the names of whom I cannot even say I processed since they were so seldom seen or mentioned. While I know this setup, i.e., having very young offfspring placed in the charge of nurses, governesses, and tutors (ah, the saintly Miss Millament!) was common among the upper crust, it made the family appear disjointed. Finally, were Christopher and his mother related to the Cazalets? I had a sense Mrs. Castle (Christopher's mother) was Villy Cazalet's sister, but, ONCE AGAIN, where was the solid evidence to support this...?! N-O-W-H-E-R-E!!!

The acting was very well executed in this piece. I agree that while life in World War II England couldn't have been as rosy for most people, even the upper classes (of which the Cazalets aren't even a proper part, as they are not members of the nobility or peerage), as the Cazalets enjoyed during that period, I was willing to overlook this suspension of fact in order to better appreciate the inter-familial drama.

Waiting for the next installment..........2005-07-28

I agree with the other reviewers. it is a great story. I have read all the books twice and although the DVD is worth buying it is disappointing not to see the end of the Saga.

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