Love in a Cold Climate

Love In a Cold Climate (the first version, not the 2001 remake) is the best Masterpiece Theater series ever. The actors were perfectly cast and the dialogue was extremely well-written. I'm sure Nancy Mitford was proud!

I have looked for this on video for years with no success. I'd give up every video in my collection to be able to see this one again. I went out and bought the book after seeing the series and have gone through several copies of it as my teenaged daughters read it, lost it, went to college with it.

These characters have gone around in my mind over and over for years and have never lost their charm. I would recommend this movie highly to anyone.

2010 - I read from another reviewer that the DVD series was available from a company in Canada. I ordered it and have since watched the series several times. It is every bit as good as I remembered from when I first saw it on PBS!

I just rented the original version of Love in Cold Climate on DVD. Having never seen the broadcast, I was a bit taken aback at first because it clearly belies its age (1980), but after I got into the second episode I was hooked. All commentators who have bemoaned its absence should run to their favourite source and get the DVD. The DVD is well made and has subtitles for those of us who are hard of hearing or have trouble with the accents. It was interesting to see the younger Judi Dench and a set of excellent actors that have not had immense careers afterwards. Seeing the DVD has made me want to go and read the books on which the series was based just as seeing Brideshead Revisited (to me still the best book adaptation that I have seen on TV) sent me to read the novel.

At last. In September this year (2011) this masterful adaptation of Nancy Mitford's semi-autobiographical family saga is being released on DVD in all its eight-part glory. I'm not sure if it's slated for release in the States, but British buyers can advance-order now. This is one of the finest literary adaptations ever, ranking with Andrew Davies' 'Pride and Prejudice' and with the BBC adaptation of Evelyn Waugh's 'Brideshead Revisited'. It is witty, but also moving and at times tragic. The story inspires its cast (including Judy Dench, Vivian Pickles, Michael Williams and Michael Aldridge) to turn in some of their finest performances. I had often wondered why Thames Television was resolutely ignoring such a gem in its back-catalogue; thankfully, someone in that organisation has finally woken up.

Anthony, in Woodend, Victoria, Australia

This series was the apex of Masterpiece Theatre presentations. The late 70's through the mid 80's saw some of the best programming. The original Love In A Cold Climate had it all. Outstanding acting, excellent writing and great subtlety. It captured the mood of the intra war period with a brilliant plot. Whoever owns the rights should get this series to DVD. It will sell. I never understood the purpose of the remake. And why give it the sole stage for this story? Bring back the original with Alistair Cooke's introduction. Who can forget his tweed jackets, wry wit, carefully explaining anglo terms and concepts to an American audience. All Masterpiece Theatre DVD releases should include his introductions. It was a wonderful period where the erudite looked forward to Sunday evenings.

Are there just a handful of people who love and remember this mini-series? The story is so engaging and this production is a wonderful dramatization of the book.I love Nancy Mitford's books and so does my teenage daughter who unfortunately hasn't seen this miniseries. Does the story appeal only to women? I think that Nancy Mitford is comparable to Jane Austen as a novelist whose writings make great movies. Is the cost of producing the series on DVD thought to be greater than the potential market? Who controls the right to reissue this miniseries?

I thought this miniseries was absolutely delightful and one of the best I've ever seen on TV. Why isn't it available on DVD?