The Barchester Chronicles

I have been waiting more than a decade for this version to be released in the US, and finally my wait is over. When it first aired on Masterpiece Theater, I was transfixed by the story, the acting, and the sets. Watching this production 2 decades later confirms my earlier opinion that Barchester Chronicles is one of the very best of the Brit adaptations ever to appear in America.

The story concentrates on the private and public lives of clergymen and their families in a cathedral town of the Victorian age. Political intrigue, romance, and situation comedy are deftly interwoven by Trollope's magical hand. What makes this production so wonderful, though, is the acting. Can anyone imagine a Machiavelli more accomplished and doomed than Alan Rickman as the bestial Obadiah Slope? Could anyone else play the awful Mrs. Proudie as well as Geraldine McEwan? Could any other actors than Donald Pleasance and Nigel Hawthorne make believable their affection despite persistent differences of opinion? A host of minor characters rounds out the cast, including the wonderfully irresponsible Bertie Stanhope (Peter Blythe) and his scheming sister Madeline (Susan Hampshire), the marvelously weak pawn of a bishop (Clive Swift) and the delightfully vague Susan Grantly (Angela Pleasance). Absolutely splendid!

The first two hours are on the slow side, to be sure. However, once the new Bishop and his entourage arrive on the scene, there is nonstop action and amusement for another five episodes. If you have never read Trollope, this production will send you to the library!

There's just nothing better than a BBC drama set in England in the 1800's. The ensemble cast plays each character archetype to perfection. The romantic & societal intrigue of the town of Barchester centers on the ambitions of the church clergy, which proves quite entertaining. The dialogue of this adaptation is excellent. A young Alan Rickman superbly plays the conniving Reverend Obadiah Slope, echoing his later tour de force performance as Professor Snape in the Harry Potter movies.

Enjoyable, like a Shakespearian comedy, leaving the viewer well satisfied.

This was another historical series of novels, which the BBC faithfully adhered to (and they managed to run two unequally-sized volumes, "The Warden" and "Barchester Towers", together without the join showing).

Donald Pleasance, normally noted for playing Bond villains, played the modest and unctuous Septimus Harding brilliantly. Nigel Hawthorne, as his son-in-law Dr. Grantly, provided the perfect combative foil. However, Alan Rickman, in one of his first major roles as the scheming Obadiah Slope, may have stolen the show. Clive Swift, as the henpecked Bishop of Barchester, established and refined the character he was later to play as the husband of Hyacinth Bouquet in "real" comedy.

The location shots in cloisters give a very real impression of a withdrawn and contemplative clergy, obsessed with its own affairs and internal squabbles. The jarring note of the first two or three episodes, when John Bold questions whether a long-established tradition connected with a charitable bequest is indeed in the interests of the recipients of that charity, shows the how uneasy the various clerical characters are when dealing with the world outside.

Many of the shots in scenes in a flat countryside seemingly locked into August throughout the eight episodes which covered a span of several years, also give the impression of withdrawal from the day-to-day life of any activity but that of the church.

As an examination of the mores and attitudes of his period, Anthony Trollope produced a brilliant pair of novels. The BBC have produced an equally brilliant adaptation, although slow enough in pace to be almost soporific in parts.

Ecclesiastical politics when your high............

Starts off seeming as if it's going to be boring, but turns out to be a delight! It just takes awhile laying the foundation of your understanding of each of the characters. Very well done, witty and with excellent acting! - Some parts drag by, but not unbearably so and not often. I've shown this film to "action-addicted" teenagers and was pleasantly surprised with how enthralled they became with the story.