Poldark

What a series! My husband and I were spellbound for the 18 or so hours (over a month) it took to watch Part 1 and 2. The plot twists are great but what is primarily so entrancing is the presentation of life at the end of the 18th Century. We particularly like Ross Poldark's propensity for going into prisons and removing prisoners who have been falsely jailed or whom he is fond of. He does this on a fairly regular basis. Cornwall seems to be very much like Seattle - only a few scenes are shot in sunshine - all in all, a sort of up-scale, historical soap-opera.

Poldark originally was broadcast here in the US on Masterpiece Theater. While many Masterpiece Theater Shows have been excellent, Poldark stood out as probably the best of any I have ever seen. It was amazing. A story about a man just returning from the revolutionary war to find his home and estate in ruins, the girl he loved gone and many challenges to face. Well acted and well directed this story will keep you guessing and wanting more. I can't recommend this one enough. I hope they put it on DVD soon so I can see it again and again.

Note: There is also another Poldark series, Poldark II, which is a continuation of this series and tells you the rest of the story.

I first saw this in the '70's when I was about to enter my teens, it made such an impact on me that every time it was re-screened I was glued and made sure I got it on DVD when it was released. Set in 18th Century Cornwall it tells the story of the trials and tribulations of people who you deeply care about, which is part of it's real success. I lived in that part of the world for 14 years and the beauty of the area is shown perfectly and the atmosphere of the times is spot on, it is not glamourised at all. All the performances are excellent without exception and it is a complete joy to watch again and again. A must see. I quite simply love it.

If you read the books first or see the series first, either is a very satisfying experience. Lovers of romantic period novels should give this series a try. If I remember correctly, the first series covers the first 3 books; the second, books 4, 5, and 6 (the titles escape me). Graham wrote more books after the first six but those have never been dramatized for movie or television. Look this up on Amazon for more user comments.

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.