adam-oshaughnessy

Recently bought the DVD, and took the time to really watch the film. For those who have never seen it properly before, it may seem a tad long and hard to keep up with the first time, or even the second. Watch it again, and you will know that it is one of the best films ever made. The magic element - the thing that ultimately makes this movie great - is Mr. Peter O'Toole. He portrays the legendary T.E.Lawrence, a man whose soul becomes captured by the desert and its people. He is a man who believes he can achieve the impossible, a man who believes he can unite and lead the independent Bedouin tribes to rise against tremendous odds and become a nation. Although Peter O'Toole comes across as somewhat odd in some of the pictures that I have seen him in, In Lawrence of Arabia he is simply... immense. The sort of performance that burns into the memory. In fact if all the other movies he had ever done were no good at all he could still be rightly considered one of the greatest movie stars of all time, thats how good this one is. The second magic element in this film is the desert itself. No movie before or since has captured it in nearly the same way although many have tried to emulate. Were talking leagues ahead here. The beauty of it will blow your mind. Give this movie a chance and you'll appreciate it for what I do now, a masterpiece.

Set in the ruggedly beautiful Yorkshire Dales during the years leading up to WW2, All Creatures Great & Small follows the adventures of a veterinary practice supporting the local farming community in 1930s Northern England. This wonderful adaptation of the books by James Herriot has timeless appeal for the whole family. I've watched the series in its entirety three or four times since it was made and it still remains fresh and very enjoyable. In addition to an abundance of charm and humor, the quality that makes this TV series so exceptional is believability. After watching a few episodes, the viewer becomes convinced that James Herriot, Sigfried Farnon, and his brother Tristan Farnon are really qualified vets...just watch one or two of the many scenes involving surgery or calfing and you will see my point. Real proceedures, which the actors actually perform, are conducted under the expert guidance of qualified vets on the set, including the author James Herriot himself. The many and varied supporting actors are also convincing as real people involved in real situations. The leading cast led by Christopher Timothy as James Herriot, Robert Hardy as Siegfried Farnon, Peter Davidson as his brother Tristan, and Carol Drinkwater as James' wife Helen, are all fabulous. The powerful presence of Robert Hardy as Siegfried is particularly compelling, and its easy to see why he's considered by many to be the finest actor in Britain. When compared to other programs of its genre and indeed other TV series in general, this adaptation of the classic All Creatures Great & Small is simply outstanding. Eleven out of ten.