The Beiderbecke Affair

I recently bought the DVD set of the Beiderbeck Trio - amazingly good stuff. The first one, the Beiderbeck Affair, was made thirty years ago and still retains all its charm and gentle humour.

It pokes fun at pomposity and and in particular "the system" without any expletives or stupidity, a difficult thing to do.

Every word of dialogue is beautifully delivered and every shot is nicely framed, especially the high-level shots.

The two remaining shows maintain the same features - a joy from start to finish. Wish it had been longer.

The additional info booklet was very interesting as were the interviews and the splendid CD of the music tracks.

well I think the summary says it all.

casting, pace and content are excellent.

I almost purr with pleasure while watching

i also fancy Barbara Flynn something rotten

Adventures under the duvet pfwoooar

Foolishly I left the UK to live abroad round about the time this was aired on TV, and so have come to it later than most, via DVD. If I said it was perfect, you would say I was exaggerating, but I would not be. Not only does it capture the era, the mood and the battles therein exquisitely, but the characters are drawn and portrayed with straightforward subtlety and affection. There are no horrible surprises, but it is a gentle very funny mystery which is sorted out tidily. I look forward to the next two stories - also contained in the boxed set - to watch them again too. I'm lucky in that I remember very few things thoroughly, no, it's not dementia, I've always been this way. The poor reviewer who didn't get it - I hope he's not still in therapy.

Having seen several of the later series, my wife and I were looking forward to this (the series opener) and enjoyed it very much. The review provided on this web page could only have been written by an American. There is a world of difference between American humour, which is mainly action based, and British humour, which relies heavily on the dialogue. By fast forwarding through the first two hours, the reviewer could only have made his incomprehension worse! you cannot watch British movies like that. On the other hand, perhaps his copy, like ours, had the content for disc 3 on the CD that was labeled 'Disc 1' in which case he could be forgiven for getting confused.

So far as the characterization is concerned, yes they are a little larger than life, and a little unusual, but as an expatriate Brit., I find most depictions of Americans by American actors equally unbelievable, and frequently find myself asking, "Would that bloke really behave like that?" PS. I spell in English English.

If you think "CAddyshack" or "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" are the funniest thing on earth, this is not for you. If you love cool jazz and warm humour prepare for a treat.

It's not just the script, although Alan Plater is undoubtedly a genius.

It's not just the acting, although not a gesture is out of place, every nuance in its place.

It's not just the soundtrack, although the Beiderbecke-inspired jazz soundtrack is superb in every respect.

It's the whole being greater than the sum of the parts. Pace? Who needs it. This is a series which proves beyond doubt that frenetic, fast-paced comedy is *not* the be-all and end-all. This is comedy to be enjoyed with a glass of wine and the life partner of your choice; it is as British as chips and brown ale, it is timeless. Watching it again twenty years on it is as perfect as it was on first viewing.