Die Forsyte Saga

To my knowledge this series was the first of its kind, and established the style and tone for all the programs which the term "Masterpiece Theater" now stands for. It is a mystery to me why it seems to have been forgotten completely, and why videos of the series are not available. Its successor, "Upstairs, Downstairs" seems to have usurped The Forsyte Saga's rightful place as the favorite high-toned soaper. Because it was the first, it should be honored for that reason alone.

`The Forsyte Saga' was a landmark in the history of television, not just in the UK, but globally. It was apparently the first miniseries to be produced anywhere. It was produced in part to start up the BBC's highbrow BBC2 channel. It was the BBC's most ambitious and expensive series up to that time. It was also the BBC's last major production in black and white, although plenty of color publicity stills were shot for it and BBC2 was intended to inaugurate color television in Britain. The series was originally aired in early 1967 on BBC2, coinciding with the 100th anniversary of author John Galsworthy's birth. It was so popular that it was quickly repeated on the more popular BBC1 channel. The series' popularity was phenomenal. The entire country seemed to rearrange its collective schedule around the show and the streets were empty when it was on. In the following years, the BBC would produce a slew of other period piece miniseries such as `The Six Wives of Henry VIII' and `Elizabeth R.' Britain's commercial network, Independent Television (ITV), got into the act with works like `Upstairs, Downstairs.'

`The Forsyte Saga' was exported and had a major impact abroad. Networks in other countries were soon producing their own period miniseries. `The Forsyte Saga' was the first television series from a Western country to be shown in the Soviet Union.

`The Forsyte Saga' was first shown in the United States in 1969 on the National Educational Television (NET) network and was its first prime time hit. It was repeated on NET's successor, the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), which was soon importing and airing similar series under the `Masterpiece Theatre' banner. A few years later, the commercial networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC) were busy producing their own period miniseries like `Rich Man, Poor Man' and `Once An Eagle.'

`The Forsyte Saga' had a profound influence on the careers of its cast. It greatly boosted the fortunes of Eric Porter, Nyree Dawn Porter, and Margaret Tyzack, made Susan Hampshire the uncrowned queen of BBC2, and gave Michael York and Martin Jarvis their big breaks. The series gave Kenneth More his best role during the long and inexplicable twilight of his career. On the other hand, June Barry, Dalia Penn, and Nicholas Pennell all had prominent parts in the series, but were little seen in subsequent years.

In fact, the same can be said about the series itself. `The Forsyte Saga' hasn't been aired in the Washington, D.C., area in 20 or more years and is currently not available in this country on video or DVD. Its importance in television history is great and undisputed, but it's now spoken about more than seen.

This is one of the most influential series-and one of the best-ever made. It's the film that inspired the creation of PBS's "Masterpiece Theatre" and the birth of the U.S. mini-series and for it's almost 24 hours it's utterly spellbinding.

The series is adapted from six novels and three short stories by John Galsworthy about the Forsyte family of upwardly mobile Britishers in the late 19th-early 20th century, focussing in particular on the "Man of Property," Soames Forsyte (Eric Porter), who mistakes possession for love until he finally has a child, the spoiled yet totally captivating Fleur (Susan Hampshire). The adaptation is mostly faithful, though it opens with three episodes not in the original novels but dramatizing their backstory. In addition, Soames's first wife, Irene (the utterly amazing Nyree Dawn Porter), is more of a presence in the final chapters than she was in the later books.

If you ever get a chance to see this series (I don't think it's availabe on video at present), jump at it. The story is epic in scope yet quite moving on the personal level as Galsworthy traces the tortuous relationships of this large Victorian family in a manner that would make most soap opera writers green with envy.

As of this writing, all 26 episodes of this legendary series are available in the U.S. on DVD through BBC Video via Warner. For the past several evenings, I have been working my way through them, enchanted by its solid craft and thorough execution. What most impresses is the quality of the writing and acting, and how well it all holds up after nearly 40 years. Eric Porter's portrayal of Soames Forsyte is a remarkable creation: Caustic, selfish, sexually predatory, and haunted by sadness, it is among the small screen's great performances. This pillar of society is a suffering outsider and one of the series' most intriguing aspects is how the viewer's sympathies are subtly guided toward Soames and away from Jolyon and Irene as the saga progresses.

Soames may be loathsome in the early episodes, but age and a life of disappointment soften him into an admirable, if wintry, human being. Whereas Kenneth More's Jolyon and Nyree Dawn Porter's Irene seem more and more complacent and sanctimonious, especially in those scenes where Jolyon expounds endlessly on the need for freedom in human relations to a nodding, dewy-eyed Irene. Yet these two goody-goodies forbid their son Jon to pursue his love for Fleur! What is Jolyon, but a breezy, if fundamentally decent, charmer who blunders his way into an inherited fortune? And what is Irene, but a spineless beauty who cannot cope with the depth of Soames' feelings? (But then, who could?)

Other than the scenes where Soames appears, the later episodes relax. Nicholas Pennell is admirable as Michael Mont, the aristocrat with a heart-of-gold who marries the wayward Fleur (Susan Hampshire) and unintentionally causes endless unhappiness. His character underscores Galsworthy's essentially skeptical view of human endeavor. The outstanding cast included some of Britain's best performers of its day. Some went on to bigger things, such as the game Ms. Hampshire, but a review of the cast's vital statistics reveals that many have already passed away. This is their legacy.

This 1967 adaptation of Galsworthy is presented in the grand old style of Masterpiece Theatre and is riveting despite its length. At 26 hours, it can afford to spin out the tale in a rather leisurely fashion, thus providing us with a richer and deeper insight into the characters than the more curtailed 2003 version. But it never seems boring. Casting is strong with the possible exception of Irene, played mechanically by Nyree Dawn Porter, who seems more like a Barbie doll than a real woman. The young Susan Hampshire is a delight when she finally arrives on the scene.