Blackeyes

A long and drawn out study about how wealthy men use and coerce women.

There was a night-club owner in Prague who used to say that the reason why there was so many sex shows was because that few people understood Czech "so we better give them something they do understand."

In a lot of Dennis Potters work sex is -- indeed -- they only thing they understand.

This is a very long and drawn out piece with a good number of points to be made -- if you want money you have to either to work for it or put up with those that have it.

Gina Bellman (Blackeyes) doesn't give herself up easily -- but she does give herself up with a series of rationalisations about how she is not prostituting herself. Even though she clearly is.

Sadly this is very very long and besides the point above I gained little by watching it. Dennis Potter has made some original pieces of work, but this is one of the less interesting ones.

One of Potter's last TV dramas, it was panned by the popular press for its sex scenes. This however was a front for a more basic tabloid journalistic problem - no-one understood it. Not surprising as this multilevel play is three stories not one, each containing a variation of the most desired woman - Blackeyes. Underlying each of these scenarios are the questions of men and their sexual desire and idolatry of women, each as fruitless fantasy.

The acting is superb and the inter change between the various levels of the story mesmeric, however it is over long. Most of the third part could have been cut without loss. This is a small price to see one of the greatest TV dramas ever constructed. With the BBC having lost its nerve to produce drama of this depth I doubt if we will ever see its like again.