La Griffe du destin

While SINS isn't perfect, and it's bloated at 5 1/2 hours, it has a crisp, glossy, mid-'80s competence that almost works, a program starring (and produced by) Joan Collins, doyenne of the decade.

Although Aaron Spelling would never have greenlit the budget for all this European location shooting for DYNASTY (despite his doing so for LOVE BOAT twice a year), SINS has the look, posh production design (compared to DYNASTY's drab, inert sets) and vibe that DYNASTY should have had -- at least in Seasons 5 and 6 -- but absolutely didn't.

A shame... Except for the very first and final years (which were pretty good) most of DYNASTY was muddled and suffocated -- sparkling PR to the contrary -- further scarred by the creative perversities of the producers and their excessive control-and-manipulation of the actors. With more relaxed love-and-attention (if not higher budget) DYNASTY could've, and should've, been more like what SINS gave us.

Joan Collins was at the height of her popularity when she made this monument to gaudy excess. Collins plays a young French woman who suffers at the hands of the Nazis in occupied France, sees her mother die, loses her brother and sister, becomes a fashion designer, builds her own couture house, falls in and out of love, and uses her fortune from peddling fashion to seek out her lost siblings. All, of course, while looking fabulous in period and couture costumes(can't disappoint all the DYNASTY fans, after all!)Melodramatic and hammy, but engaging if you're in the mood for glitzy trash.

Laughably appalling, this 1980's adaptation of a Judith Gould novel is truly a period piece in the worse sense. A heavily made up Joan Collins emotes her way through this dreadful saga, provoking unintentional giggles along the way. Successful business woman Helene Junot (Collins)is the verge of losing her empire but can she turn this around and triumph over adversity yet again? We are treated to flash backs of her past life during which Joan suddenly replaces the actress playing her much younger self to disconcerting effect. Watch it, if you will,for the hammy acting, implausible story-line and poor dialogue... and an array of rather nice frocks. There's plenty of comedic moments to select from in this trashy mini-series but whether you are prepared to sit through seven hours for them is another matter.

Joan Collins, on a roll as Alexis Carrington on that 80's soap, "Dynasty," adapted Judith Gould's novel, "Sins," into a miniseries. Those who have read the book will be disappointed by what is translated on the screen. However, the miniseries will make for a good time. The plots and characters are laughable, especially Collins, who is supposed to play a much younger character. Some of the scenes will make you cringe (The dance scene at the beginning of the film with that god-awful music and even worse dancing!)and some of them would just make you shake your head in disbelief (What's up with Timothy Dalton's daughter's hair?). Steven Berkoff makes a pretty good villain, as well as Neil Dickson as Hubert, a guy that spends the whole film obsessing about Collns because she wouldn't sleep with him. Worth buying just for the fun and the feel of the 80's.

Fabulous made for television movie of 1986 with Joan Collins starring as a woman who survived the Nazi horror in France only to come face to face with more brutality in the United States years later.

With a terrific supporting cast, the story traces Ms. Collins from a young girl who loses a younger sister and her parents in the Nazi horror and finds her brother, very well played by Timothy Dalton in a catatonic state.

In America, they find wealth along the way with all its glamor. Nevertheless, she makes enemies with a number of people who swear vengeance against her. Leading the pact is Steven Berkoff in another absolutely brilliant performance as her Nazi tormentor, who killed her mother and is sentenced to life in prison. Due to his connections, he is released from prison only to pursue Collins and Dalton, planning financial ruin for them both. His only opposition is when 2 of the conspirators want her death instead.

For the ladies, there are plenty of gorgeous fashions as Collins and Dalton lead a fashion magazine.

There is plenty of action along the way.

Neil Dickson is highly effective as Hubert, who loved Collins after the war only to be usurped by his father, a rather engaging but vicious Jean Pierre Aumont.

A very highly recommended mini-series. "Sins" was nominated for best mini-series of 1986 but lost the Emmy to "Peter The Great." We really need to examine that.