Kidnapped

This is by far and away the best historical drama aired by British television since Sharpe. Brilliant performances from the two leading males, with veteran actor Iain Glen vividly portraying the charismatic Alan Breck, and relative newcomer James Pearson giving a commendable performance as his somewhat unwitting side-kick Davie Balfour. Characters are developed sufficiently enough for one to actually care whether or not they survive the English occupation, whilst the script allows for some genuinely funny moments to emerge periodically, lightening the overall tone of the play whilst still maintaining the desperation of Alan, Davie and Catroina's plight. McGann plays the quintessential English villain as the ruthless Colonel McNabb, (fans of "The Patriot", if any exist, will recognize a similar character to that of William Tavington played by Jason Isaacs) and acquits himself very well as the villain everyone loves to hate.

Stunning settings, a rousing script and almost flawless performances make this an extremely watchable three-part drama, and one which I highly recommend.

I loved this because it gave me insights into issues between the Scottish Highlanders and the Lowlanders and the relationship with the king. While there are some dull moments at times, the issues facing the young Davie Balfour are portrayed very well. The inexperienced young man falls into no man's land when he puts his trust in the authorities and in the crown and is treated horribly. The rest of the cast does nicely including the actor portraying Alan Breck. He is such a loose cannon and Davie must constantly be on his guard, not knowing who his friends really are. The scenes of the Scottish Highlands are breathtaking and the threat of the nasty British is always in the air. People are so proud of their heritage and are still fighting for autonomy to this day (the recent vote for independence which failed). This is worth dying for in the eyes of the rebels and is portrayed nicely in this film. I really felt a kinship with young Davy and felt his bull headedness and naïveté were well portrayed.

What fun! I wasn't expecting to watch or like this show, not being a huge Robert Louis Stevenson, but I was wonderfully surprised! Iain Glen (Alan Breck) was awesome and captivating. He was the reason I started watching. I was flipping channels and when it landed on Kidnapped it stayed there. Its hard to find that level of believability. (This is the guy in Lara Croft?! What the...) It was also fun to find out that James Pearson (David Balfour) could not only act just as well, but could play off of Alan Breck perfectly! I discovered that was the best, and most important, thing about the book. Even with whatever script changes they needed to make to fit the book into two hours, they captured David and Alan's relationship perfectly. I picked up the book after watching Part 1 and finished it before Part 2 aired. The only disappointment was that PBS didn't have the funds or time to fully expand the story longer than two hours. I loved the cast but its sad to think that they could have done even more if they'd had the means. They had to cut some corners around the book to finish off the story in an hour. I'll regret what they could have done but the cast was perfect and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Except for that wig the son of James wears. Ahhh. Kidnapped, who knew?

The BBC Sunday tea time classic serial has been away a long time; in case anyone was feeling nostalgic this is a typical example of the amateurish, patronising fare considered appropriate for the slot. This is a far from faithful adaptation; which would be acceptable if the changes had been effective in replicating the excitement of the book in another medium. Unfortunately this was very, very dull. Precious little of the tension of the novel survives, but there is a lot of running around. The expanded role given to the cabin boy does nothing to advance the plot, and the young actor playing him is rather irritating. In another major plot change Catriona, the eponymous heroine of the sequel, appears a book early as the feisty daughter of the noble James of the Glens (rather than of the villainous James More MacGregor). On the plus side, Iain Glenn makes quite a decent Alan Breck, and New Zealand puts in a perfectly adequate performance as Scotland.

A rollicking good yarn that starts a bit slowly but once it hits its stride, carries you through at a good clip. I found James Anthony Pearson (Davy Balfour) a bit flat initially, in an otherwise stellar cast. Thank goodness Davy Balfour is rescued and the whole show as well, by the ever captivating Iain Glen (Alan Breck) or the whole thing might have sunk without a ripple into the briny waves as just another rehashing of a well told tale. Once Alan Breck literally hops on board, the whole thing lifts measurably and is propelled forward as the story rapidly picks up momentum. What fun it is watching Davy and Alan match wits with the devious Col.Mac Nab (played with great relish by Paul McGann)and the other host of baddies scattered throughout. The character who comes closest to matching Alan both intellectually and in her daring escapades is Catriona Stewart (excitingly played by Kirsten Coulter Smith.) Too bad the main character was a male role. Kirsten Coulter Smith shows the right combination of intelligence, righteous anger and fearless daring with the full range of emotions associated with these feelings, to have made a perfect lead. She's someone to watch for in future productions. (On a small but fun side note, Iain Glen had the opportunity to display some of his impressive fencing skills. While a student at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts he and fellow school chum, Ralph Fiennes spent two years perfecting their swordsmanship so they could win the prize awarded at the end of their last term. Mr. Glen says that most students spent a couple of weeks at it, but he and Ralph turned it into a personal quest. They wanted that prize over some of the more esoteric such as "Best Hand Gestures" or "Best Silly Walk" (not really prizes but you get the picture.) Thankfully they won, or as Mr. Glen asserts it would have been pretty sad because they had spent so much time at it.)