Lace

My wife has been been talking for the last 10 years about this TV-show and finally we got a chance to see it. To my surprise it turned out far less a chick-flick then I assumed (Thornbirds was a memory-lane disaster for the both of us). The story has nice twists, is nicely built and could stand any comparison to modern dramas. Sure, 1984 filming standards and some (few) bad acting parts make you want to laugh out loud but otherwise the show is most entertaining and easily watchable even on 21k-standards. On the other hand, the innocence in the way the show was filmed make it more attractive. A modern version would most likely destroy some of that particular touch. Lace is not built on intelligent dialogs however tells a story of failed promises and friendships in a way that makes you want to watch until the end.

I have been trying for many years to get my hands on an original taped copy of the miniseries and have just been able to do so. Copies of this miniseries are extremely rare! Lace, the miniseries, is the best miniseries I have ever seen on TV. I saw this when I was about ten and fell in love with the glamor, the mystery, the romance, the suspense and the actors. Someone made a comment about the acting being shallow, however I say that the acting was superb. The quality of the production reminded me of old romantic masterpieces. Phoebe Cates,Brooke Adams, Bess Armstrong, Arielle Dombasle, and Anthony Higgins all give stunning performances. Lace II is also equally intriguing. My only wish is that Lorimar or the company currently owning the rights to this series will start making DVD copies for sale! Why can't one purchase this magnificent series on Amazon, or anywhere? Lace seems to be a gem in hiding.

If you like British soaps, I would recommend this one. I found it quite amusing. Any parts of the story which I found "silly" are all to the better, in my opinion, for a story that is not supposed to be serious art or a true-slice-of-life. After the character of Lili enters the story ...(perhaps I should say that I didn't see the first ten minutes of this and I presume Lili was not at the beginning) I began to get the feeling that I was watching a South American soap opera. Don't let that comment put you off; I didn't expect to like it but I did! The actors did a good job with their material. The music was poor as in most British television shows. Phoebe Cates' outrageous accent only added to the charm; I found myself looking forward to hearing it. I would give it a 8 out of 10... for the category of soap opera.

I agree with others that the movie did run for a long time but hey, when you have nothing to do on a rainy day or a slow day it is actually quite enjoyable. My biggest problem was with Phoebe Cates' acting. The accent was a little much and besides, in Lace II didn't her accent like, not exist anymore? Of course that's a whole different comment for that movie. Either way I enjoyed watching the three girls lives form with their romances and careers more so than I did with Lily's life. You could have skipped on that part altogether. Lily was abandoned, grows up and wants to know who her mother is. Simple. End there. Either way it's fun to watch if you have nothing else to do and some parts will have you interested.

Campy, trashy mini-series from the early 80s that received a lot of publicity for Lili's query that ends part one: "Which one of you bitches is my mother?" This five hour mini-series was inspired by Shirley Conran's popular novel, but isn't very similar. Phoebe Cates plays Lili, an orphan who grows from a child in a prison camp to hooker to porn star to legitimate actress to global phenom in flashbacks. Lili is glamorous and beautiful, but not very likeable or even sympathetic, and Cates' nonspecific Eurotrash accent must be heard to be believed. Lili eventually traces her roots back to a trio of students who attended a Swiss finishing school together, one of whom gave birth to her using the pseudonym Lucinda Lace. Each of their lives is examined in flashback as well, as the soap opera-style drama of each of their lives progresses. By the time Lili finds out which "bitch" is her mother, it doesn't really matter. But the glamorous 80s-style costumes and beautiful international locations alone make this worth spending an afternoon watching. NOTE: sometimes a truncated 180 minute version of this airs on TV. See the complete version if you can.