Lace

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.

"Lace" reminds me of "lifestyles of the rich and famous"...the Aaron Spelling soaps "Dynasty" & "Hotel"..."Sins" starring Joan Collins...and that tv-movie with Stephanie Powers where she plays her own twin and gets blown up on a yacht. But I have to say that "Lace" was the absolute pinnacle of greed, glitz and excess in the 1980's. I can remember this being on tv when I was a kid and it seemed great back then. Now I look back and gag at the decadence of it all. I think this movie was filmed in every major city in Europe, New York, and some of the middle east. The budget had to be incredible! It was totally unbelievable which woman turned out to be Lily's mother, a huge let-down. I have to say that the best reason for watching "Lace" is to see how incredibly sexy and young Pheobe Cates was back then. Hubba Hubba!

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.

"Lace" is an American mini-series from 1984, directed by Billy Hale and based on the popular novel by Shirley Conran.

Judy Hale, Pagan Trelowney and Maxine Pascal used to be best friends in the sixties, while attending the same boarding school in the Swiss Alps. Twenty years later, a glamorous movie star named Lili, summons the three women to her hotel, asking them: "Which one of you bitches it my mother?"

I first saw "Lace" as a kid, when the series was rerun on Swedish television in the nineties. I was so impressed by the powerful women, exotic locations and over-the-top story lines. A couple of years later, after my fascination with the eighties had begun, "Lace" was rerun yet again. This time around, I was old enough to fully enjoy this wonderful series.

I'm a big fan of trashy mini-series, especially from the eighties. But even though some parts of "Lace" could be considered trashy, it's a lot better than people give it credit! The acting is solid. Bess Armstrong, Brooke Adams and Arielle Dombasle all play their parts as glamorous and powerful women beautifully.

But my personal favourite is of course the amazing Phoebe Cates, known from eighties classics "Gremlins" and "Fast Times At Ridgemont High". She plays the strong, yet vulnerable Lili perfectly, bringing both sexiness and innocence to the complexed character.

Worth mentioning is that Angela Lansbury, of "Murder, She Wrote" fame, plays a small part as Maxine's aunt Hortense. She has the worst French accent in the history of fake accents, but who cares? It's Angela Lansbury for God's sake!

Also worth mentioning is the amazing soundtrack composed by Nick Bicât. Hearing the iconic theme song gives me goosebumps every time. The soundtrack finally available to buy digitally and physically from the composer's official website. It also includes the beautiful Deniece Williams track "No More Lies" from the sequel "Lace II".

"Lace" can be considered trashy and campy, but it's a lot better than most mini-series from the era. It's definitely one of my personal favourites. If you enjoy soap operas such as "Dynasty" and "Falcon Crest", I'm sure you'll love "Lace"!

"Lace" is available as a print-on-demand DVD from Amazon US. However, an official DVD have been released here in Scandinavia, and this edition can be imported from Amazon UK.

Aunt Hortense(in French dialect): "But the child is killed, it's dead, you know?" Lili (indefinable Euro dialect): "They'll wish I was. Their little school girl pact sent me to hell. I'll show them what I learned there..."

And so begins the saga that captivated millions of viewers in 1984. For this story of the poor little rich girl/porno queen/movie goddess had more charm, more style, and more suspense than anything ever seen before, or possibly since.. "Lace" also featured the most intoxicating and sweeping romantic situations, which stretched across no less than 5 countries, involving Arab Princes, French Champagne Barons, Shipping tycoons, and one vengeful Porno star turned legitimate actress. And this epic all begins with her, Lily, played by the outrageously exotic and sexy Phoebe Cates. Abandoned as a child, by a seemingly unfeeling mother, the young Elizebeth is cast into the cruel world and lands in a Hungarian work camp at the age of six, where she is mistreated and violated by soldiers, for 10 grueling years. Escaping at the age of 15, she flees to Paris, where she begins her descent into depravity, including back alley abortions, street prostitution, and finally ending up in pornographic cinema, all at the age of 16. Meanwhile her mother, who incidentally, could be any one of three amazingly successful and beautiful women, goes about her life believing that her child had been killed. Not true, as these three ladies are about to find out. And this is the most captivating element of this clever film: The viewer has no idea which one of these three is the mother of this vengeful wildcat, and we must wait until the end of this 4 hour epic to find out the truth. And as we find out at the same time as Lily, we really feel involved with these characters. Told effectively in flashbacks, we get to know each one of these fascinating women intimately. We are with them at their Swiss boarding school, where the scandal begins, and we follow them all on their separate paths of broken relationships, staggering romances, and jet setting around the world. Pagan, the sarcastic, raven haired English girl, who falls hard for Abdullah, the Prince of Sydon. And Maxine, the doll like French beauty, and her Champagne baron. And Judy, who is realizing her dream of seeing her New York fashion magazine, "Lace" become reality. And all the while, the life of the less fortunate Lily is also presented, in contrast to these womens seemingly easy and privileged lives. Lily's experiences have made her into a very hard and angry young woman, who fatefully decides to use her star power to bring each of these women to their knees. And there you have it. To say more might ruin the experience of "Lace." Now as cinema, "Lace" might not be considered a masterpiece compared the great classics. But as a piece of Escapism, this film absolutely cannot be rivaled. Women will most likely find themselves transfixed by the endless parade of haut couture fashions, clothes that are so classic and elegant that they would be right in style today. And the men will undoubtedly be drawn in by the collection of these strong and beautiful women. And the scenery is something to behold as well, from the Swiss Alps, to Ascot, to the wind blown deserts of the Middle East, to the glittering skyscrapers of Manhatten, not to mention the interiors of the most beautiful homes, hotel rooms, and castles, as well as exotic cars that are constantly on display. The budget for this production must have been staggering, for it makes Dynasty look absolutely anemic by comparison!

Compliment the goings on with a sweeping romantic score, and you have the ultimate trash novel come to blazing life on the screen. For the full impact of this one, it should be watched without commercial interruptions, so that the fantasy is not interrupted. I have a DVD box set, which includes the vastly inferior, and insulting "Lace II," and even when watched today, this has aged well. In the 80's perhaps this didn't really surprise people, as this level of decadence was presented often in this time, on television shows like Dynasty, and "Falcon Crest," but in present day, this unabashed show of opulence could almost be considered as politically incorrect, as the greed and status hunting lifestyles of the 80's is frowned upon today. But luckily, that specific time is immortalized in "Lace," an undeniable symbol of the 1980's.