Mother Love

use this link http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000MV8H3Y/102-4681375-7474562 or the link to the right of the name of this movie at the top of the page and ask to be alerted when the movie comes to DVD. According to the people at Amazon.com, these votes will alert the studio that people want this movie released to video. It may really help, because it is only recently that Amazon put up a page for this wonderful movie.

I won't bother to add more comments, because they all agree and they are all right--it's one of Ms. Rigg's finest, and overwhelmingly deserves a DVD release.

I don't understand why this first-rate television movie isn't widely available on DVD. Are the producers holding it back to drive up the market price? One would think that the demand is already as high as it is ever likely to get.

Anyway, this movie will give you a look at Diana Rigg that you won't soon forget. I saw it only once (back in '89), and was greatly impressed by Rigg's ability to communicate the sly, murderous, sick mind of her character. The story is well structured, the script well written, the parts well played. It is far better than most of the stuff you find in the PBS catalogs--but as I say...

I had known for a long time that Rigg was a classically trained actresses, but having seen her in nothing but _The Avengers_ before this film, I was unaware of the extent of her gifts.

Bob Champ

The votes say it all. This is an astonishing piece of TV drama. Diana Rigg gives the performance of a lifetime as the monstrously possessive mother, switching from poised charmer to wicked schemer and demented mother with no more than the flick of an eyebrow. The witty and literate script is by Andrew Davies - I saw Mother Love as part of an Andrew Davies season on a new BBC digital channel - and the direction by Simon Langton drives the plot relentlessly forward, keeping the viewer on the edge of the seat, with clenched fists and sweaty palms, never sure what will happen next.

The other main roles - James Wilby, Isla Blair, James Grout and David McCallum - are realistic and provide able foils for Rigg. But it is Diana Rigg's role with her chilling personality, cleverly reinforced with flashbacks to a terrible childhood incident, and her wonderful over-the-top dialogue, which makes this a memorable thriller and a 'must-watch' television masterpiece.

Now that DVD recordings of films are commonplace, the producers of "Mother Love" owe it to Dame Diana's global fans to issue this fantastic horror/suspense film as a two-DVD set. Rarely have we seen such a tour d'force by any actress, even though Dame Diana has gratified us with many other outstanding performances. This rich characterization bears repeated viewing because so many of her inspired expressions and gestures can be overlooked when we focus on the twists and turns of the complex story line.

Fortunately for us, we taped the four "Mother Love" episodes on VHS when PBS-TV broadcast them in 1990. The film was not bleeped for language, and we did not see any indications of content censorship. My wife and I watch the tapes about once a year, and we see something different each time. But we would love to have the film on DVD because we're sure they would be sharper than the TV reception was, and our 16-year-old videotape copies are starting to show their age.

One note: the PBS broadcasts included interviews with the screenwriter and actors, as well as introductions by Dame Diana herself. Those would make dandy extras in a DVD set, because Dame Diana explains how she built her character into the believable psychopath named Helena Vesey.

as that of a woman, scorned. Diana Rigg is superb in the role of Helena Vesy, a woman with a mysterious and nefarious past, who becomes infuriated with her ex-husband (well portrayed by David McCallum,) and his new family, including a young new wife.

Some of the scenes are memorable, as when she is strolling in the park, debating her lot in life, and walks under the shade of a laburnum tree. Laburnum, such a lovely tree, she ponders, as her mind wanders to its poisonous qualities.

Another scene with the young children, and an arsenic laced gift of marzipan at Christmas time is also quite chilling.

Rigg looks wonderful and believable in this role, would be nice if she were able to do a sequel. Highly recommended, excellent suspense. 9/10.