The Donati Conspiracy

But yet, I still gave this a "10" because the script and the performance by ANTHONY VALENTINE were so absorbing, so intense that no other rating would suffice.

What is most surprising is that in almost 50 years, I have neither heard of it nor has anyone had the compulsion to review this title. I found it on YouTube and merged the three chapters and waited for a good solid watch on this rainy Saturday afternoon.

There is no reason to spoil it for anyone here. The story is compelling to watch as the details of the story unfold and we realize just what kind of a world this takes place in.

Of course, dear Richard Beckinsale was terrific as was Michael Aldridge and Ian Gelder.

If you find it, watch it. That is all I am saying. It won't change the world, but you might be intrigued.

I also found this on YouTube -- I had not heard of it before.

It is quite compelling watching -- sinister and chilling without any melodramatics to it. It is done, as many British dramas of the time were, without incidental music, which adds verisimilitude to the drama -- I particularly remember this from The Sandbaggers, one of the best spy series I ever watched.

The leading actors are all very good, from a young Anthony Valentine to the mature Michael Aldridge.

I began to see where it was leading before it got there, but that did not diminish the eeriness of the society that was being painted. Made in 1973, this series forecasts much of what has happened since as people have accepted the reduction of their freedoms in the name of security.

A salutary tale, well worth watching for its dramatic story and for its prescience. Recommended.