Anna of the Five Towns

Adapted from a novel written in1902, this production faithfully follows the morals and customs of the period without the usual anachronisms.

Anna is an intelligent young woman who does a fine job keeping house for her father and raising her younger sister, she also teaches Sunday school for the Methodist church, a position of great responsibility and gravity at the time.

On her 21st birthday her father informs Anna that she has inherited 50,000 pounds and so she is instantly flung into the world of business management and a much higher social circle.

The story becomes complicated and compelling as Anna is torn between the demands of good money management and the demands of her natural Christian kindness. She is also torn between a charming and appropriate suitor and a natural and unconditional love.

I found this series on Tubi recently. (Tubi has been a good source to find older, lesser-known Brit shows.) The series is based on a novel by Arnold Bennett, whom I'd never heard of previously. Bennett was a rather prolific author in the late 19th/early 20th century. He did well for his time, but not much critical success, which made him forgotten for decades, until more recently.

For a 1985 production, I found the series to be rather well done. It looks good technically (I've seen many later series(90s/early aughts) that just don't stream all that well now). It captures a bit of grimness and dreariness one can expect from a turn-of-the-century industrial town. I'm not sure the exact timeframe, despite looking everywhere, but I assume it is set close to the year it was written (1902).

One general comment is that the characters affect a rather strong dialect that I can't quite place. It's English that seems to have a Gaelic twist to it. Subtitles may be needed.

Overall, I enjoyed the series, though I felt it lacked much dramatic punch. The cast is not particularly handsome, but the actors are all solid. Not familiar with the main actress (Interestingly she is American/Canadian with some native Alaskan, but did grow up mainly in England) at all, and the only recognizable actors were the guy who played Qybern in GOT (I'd never seen him in anything else other than GOT but recognized him instantly despite being much younger here) and Peter Davison, who has been in tons of stuff.

The plot is fairly simplistic. It seems a bit of a social commentary while being a subdued romance. The summary had indicated that Anne would struggle between two men, Mynors and Price. However, there is very little tension here, and I felt that any connection between Anne and the doomed Price was not portrayed much at all. I'd say that aspect is the major complaint of the series. That and a rather lackluster ending, made so by that said lack of earlier tension.

In addition, a big apparent plot point is the money that Anne inherits, which leads to a struggle for independence from her tyrannical Father. This aspect is done better, but I never felt the money and her changed economic status were fully realized. Did the book lack this as well, or was this simply a faithful series? Not sure.

Regardless, I find the series worth watching as a satisfactory period piece.

I was surprised to learn I had access to this delightful series on Britbox. It also introduced me to Arnold Bennett's work which I had not been aware of.

This series is very well done. I was most impressed by the compelling story and charming grace of the main characters. Peter Davison is quite remarkable as Henry. It is no wonder his career skyrocketed after this series. I was also delighted to see young Anton Lesser. His acting talent in Anna of Five Towns is very much apparent.

The series is very true to Bennett's text. I love the casting. So wonderful to see character actors that depict real people without the Hollywood glamour.

I highly recommend this series!

Wonderful series that relies on character development, a good script and engaging actors. I very much enjoyed the costumes and the scenery, especially the outdoors scenes. Nothing seemed rushed, allowing the characters to Develop and endear themselves to us.

This was offered on Amazon prime Which is great because I'm not going to spend more money on things like BritBox. What I really have noticed and enjoy about these BBC productions is that the actors aren't always beautiful. Some are downright homely, but it doesn't matter because the acting is so good.

This is a great series to watch with an afternoon cup of tea in snippets, which is how I enjoyed it. It would be nice if it could be remastered in someway, but if you can overlook the picture quality you're in for a treat.

I thought it portrayed that time honestly, Especially as far as a woman's rights during that period. She had no idea she could stand up to Her father. I just wish that they would've had more than four episodes. The scenery and the costumes were fantastic. It made you think that you were there. I love the relationship between Anna and her sister. I thought the preview said that the father was going to die. So I kept expecting him to die and he never did. They world could've been a better place without that kind of man in it. I love how it showed the difference between loving families and strict hard-core families. And that we can choose what kind of family we will be.