Lark Rise to Candleford - Series 1-4 Box Set [DVD]

"Lark Rise to Candleford" is another exemplary production that follows the heels of "Cranford" in what seems to be an ongoing revival of period series adapted from the English classics. It is, in every bit of its moments, PURE and JOYFUL IMMERSION into a bygone era of rural England, set in the Victorian 1880s. Based on Flora Thompson's "Lark Rise to Candleford" Trilogy, which was published in the late 1930s and early 1940s, this (loose) film adaptation is at times funny, always perceptive, and ultimately bittersweet. Unfortunately, its obvious sins are sometimes being maudlin (and thus, contrived) and corny, too, which can really make viewers squirm uncomfortably in their seats. This is evident in some (not all) of its dramatic and "funny" sequences. Plus, it is mostly sunny golden at the hamlet of Lark Rise and its neighboring market town Candleford. This is not your rainy and damp England. And yet, despite these drawbacks, "Lark R to C" is always redeemed by the highly likeable cast, strong performances by the same, a clever screenplay, and high-class meticulous attention to production details (the latter deserves more than honorable mention.) The story development also gets better with the passing of each episode. It brims with an earnest celebrative attitude towards rural life with songs and camaraderie, and there's no mistaking the love and care which the filmmakers have put into the production. It is perhaps this quality which makes the viewing so enjoyable (certainly more than enough to cover up its small sins.) The eponymous rural hamlet of Lark Rise and its busier eight-mile neighbor town Candleford are where the events take place. The tales are a strung-up assortment of sorts concerning country family life and traditions, rural attitudes about education, romantic rivalries, unrequited love, domestic violence and jealousy, lost fathers, and some Dickensian topics such as the harshness of the workhouse and child abuse. Seemingly at the center of these all is Olivia Hallinan's Laura Timmins, a young woman who hails from Lark Rise and who has subsequently come to Candleford to be under the charge of her more urbane cousin Dorcas Lane. It is Laura Timmins' journal that unravels the episodes. We hear a more adult version of her narrate events in a firsthand account. As such, the focus of the stories does not chiefly concern Laura's coming-of-age and her temporary disdain for her humble origins, but also looks into the lives of the other characters as well; in particular, her cousin Dorcas Lane. The effervescent Julia Sawalha, who has her own brand of sparkle, plays Dorcas Lane, the town postmistress who really has one weakness too many. In "Pride & Prejudice," Julia Sawalha plays Lydia Bennett, the sister who's prone to mischief; while in "Cranford," she's the long-suffering Jessie Brown. In "Lark R to C," she has both of these personalities in a well-balanced tow: forbearing and resigned to fate, but always with an infectious impishness lurking beneath. Notice the twinkle in her eyes, there's something impertinent about it that makes her portrayal very unique and a true enjoyment to watch. Her character, sarcastically referred to as "St. Dorcas" in one instance, is oftentimes the life of the town (she has around 60% of Dolly Levi in her.) Julia Sawalha is flanked by a great supporting cast. Notable among them are Brendan Coyle (whom we love in "North and South") and Claudie Blakely as Mr. and Mrs. Timmins, Ben Miles and the beautiful Olivia Grant as Squire and Lady Midwinter, Karl Johnson and Linda Bassett as the Turrills, Dawn French as the tipsy Caroline Arless, Liz Smith as the cranky housekeeper Zillah, newcomer John Dagleish as the lovelorn Alfie, and newcomer heartthrob Oliver Jackson-Cohen as Phillip the assistant gamekeeper. And who could resist the sumptuous location and production design?! The BBC outdoes itself again! The (manmade) locale and costumes are perfect and impeccable when it should be; very conducive to giving flesh and personality to Flora Thompson's sunny country novels. Some other minor complaints I have are: 1. The UK packaging. There are four discs in all, but divided into two overlapping stacks on each side of the inner case. Note the words "overlapping stacks." This not only increases the chance of the discs getting scratches, but also becomes an impractical nuisance when taking them out again by chronology. I hope the upcoming US edition addresses this problem, for the sake of collectors. 2. The Bonus Material, which only features "The Making of Lark Rise to Candleford." I wish they added a documentary about Flora Thompson and how she came to write these semi-autobiographical novels. It would also have been nice to add something about the workings of the postal service of olden days, the role of a Squire, the tradition of penny reading, or even provide the recipes for wine jelly and Banbury Cake. Yeah, yeah, I know I'm asking for too much. (^_^) To cap the review, I will repeat my introductory statement. "Lark R to C" is, in every bit of its moments, PURE and JOYFUL IMMERSION. People who delight in English country settings and tales from a slower era will no doubt rewatch this many times over. Perfect for chilling out on a lazy or rainy weekend afternoon with friends or loved ones. Also perfect for burning that midnight oil, just don't do it during weekdays. (-_^) "Arse is not a civil word." ~ Caroline Arless (Dawn French) "Love rarely crosses the great divide of social classes." ~ Dorcas Lane (Julia Sawalha) "I'm sure you won't always want to be bogged down in a backwater place like Candleford." ~ Mr. Rushton, the postal inspector, to Laura. *Ten episodes of anglophilic bliss, with English subtitles.

Good value and product

Lark Rise to Candleford is a trilogy of semi-autobiographical novels about the English countryside, written by Flora Thompson, and first published in that form in 1945. This is the 2008 ten-part BBC adaptation, starring Julia Sawalha, Olivia Hallinan, Brendan Coyle and Dawn French. This is for me the perfect entertainment. Great filming, great language, style, elegance, human relationships, a world changing, extremes in poverty and richness. A world long gone is brought back. This is no trashy entertainment playing to a dump audience. This is just first class. The cast is just wonderful, all of them, but I have to admit that Julia Sawalha as Dorcas Lane is just fantastic. I am impressed by her as I am impressed by the whole adaption. Most impressive is the setting as well. Creating such a hamlet and market town is just phenomenal. The details are just amazing.Cannot wait for the second part to be filmed. In short this DVD will not be my one weakness -)

Gentle and thoroughly silly, this well-filmed, artful - if not a little too sanitised - depiction of rural life in the 'hamlet' of Larkrise, twinned with its more ilustrious village counterpart of Candleford, is thoroughly entertaining. Translating modern sentiments into a period soap works well enough to facilitate the transportation for an hour a time on a cloud of gentle sentimentality, pricked only ocassionally by the flimsiness of some of the concoctions. And to elicitit the ghost of longing for a softer, slower, more communal time when men were men and women were too, albeit with gentle manners and wearing unbelievably tight corsets, judging from the size of the acresses' waists. Apart, of course, from Dawn French who strides like a colossus - and not merely in girth - through mercifully only the first few of the series. A little to monumental in every way for the quietness of the storylines. Having said that, the weird, fixed, crescent-shaped slide of the Postmistress's lips become an object of mirth over the series. What's her name? Saffy? And young Laaara's - or is that Laura's - near weekly tearful state being delivered only as a result of the lass having to stare, unblinking, in order to summon sufficient lacrimonious response and reddened conjunctival reaction to depict her sorrow. And Mester Temmens's hamster cheeks wobbling in manly discomposure of yet another injustice against the poor of the land versus the have's. All in all, a jolly nice hour spent in preparation to end a weekend, ready for the sally-forth into the turmoil of the 21st century. Go on, buy it - you won't be disappointed!

Potentially delightful previously unseen well dressed BBC period drama that as the script progressed drifted somewhat from the book. In Series Two a child of the character that had opened a hotel in Candleford is virtually snaffled away from his father who is at first ill in hospital and then is cast into the shadows by the pushiness of the domineering central character portrayed by Julia Sawalha and who finally is out-generalled of his own son by this character who obviously fancied playing "Mumsy" for a bit - and who then did so throughout Series Three never once referring to the boy's father again. This piece of over-the-top old style feminist script-writing would naturally make any responsible father nauseous. Perhaps the BBC should insist on improved proof-reading of scripts for shows in production prior to any shooting of film before they damage their internationally renowned image for quality in casting, costuming, choice and dress of sets - and also surprisingly the script. In Larkrise to Candleford the built set for both Lark Rise and also Castleford is indeed excellent and I particularly liked the layering of pages of film that draw apart as a way of commencing each episode. While there are many strong performances in this production with Linda Basset superb as 'Queenie' - an older woman who talks to her bees - nailing down one of the possibly hardest to portray roles in the whole production which she did with grace. There are others that are effective and strong in this triple series but I found, as earlier stated, Julia Sawalha's role to be too domineering and without sufficient light or shade to provide an inner strength in any way equal to Flora Thompson's writing.

A total classic from the BBC. These series have everything: wonderful costumes, authentic set design, well-drawn characters, engaging scripts and, above all, a fantastic ensemble cast. These series deliver for the most part great plots, genuine drama, appropriate pathos, bearable bathos and plenty of hugely enjoyable comedy. Yes, the stories are cosy, and the "poor folk/rich folk" hokiness will be too much for some, but if you can suspend your cynicism there is much to treasure here. The whole cast is fabulous although for me special mention must go to Julia Sawalha (Dorcas Lane), Ruby Bentall (Minnie); Victoria Hamilton and Matilda Ziegler (the fantastic Misses Pratt), Sandy McFadden (Margaret Browne), Mark Heap (Thomas Browne) and Linda Bassett (Queenie). If you're looking for a beautifully-realised world you can immerse yourself in and perhaps emerge from a little less cynical and a little more joyful, then lose yourself somewhere between Larkrise and Candleford. BBC costume drama at its absolute best.

I have watched this whole series twice now and will watch it again. Based on the books written by Flora Thompson, this is a joyful beauty that only could be produced by the English. A little gem that will have you weeping with joy as well as sadness, that involves you with each and every character with equal interest. It is based on two towns - Lark Rise and Candleford, which are located 8 miles from each other. Lark Rise is a working man's town, dirt poor and scraping by to feed their children from day to day. It centres around Laura Timmins, a 16 year-old Lark Rise girl who is the narrator and who captures life in both towns in her journal. She is sent by her mother to Candleford, which is a prosperous town to work in the Post Office, owned by Dorcas Lane, who is a delightful single woman looked up to by both towns and is the centre of every event. You will fall in love with Queenie and Twister Turrell (the scene with them singing "Darling I am Growing Old" to each other will stay in your memory), The Arliss family starring Dawn French as Mother Arliss, Alf Arliss, the Timmins family, Pearl and Ruby Pratt who are the Candleford seamstresses. It is set in the late 1800's and clearly delineates the difficulty of life back then. I don't want to give anything away (although I'd love to!!) so I'll stop now. But buy it, each and every episode will have you sitting on your lounge, forgetting to feed the dog and yourself. Love it, love it, love it.

Best thing I bought in a long time. This serie displays so many christian values like kindness, helpfulness, thruthfulness, care, patience etcetera, that it was a delight to watch these episodes. Usually I felt truly satisfied after watching, like I ate a perfect dinner. It made me feel fulfilled and happy in a still kind of way. There are a few episodes that I will not watch again, because of their spiritual implication, like the first episode of the second series where the spirit world is involved. Just skip those ones and enjoy thoroughly the many other ones. It is worth it. True, some characters are a bit over the top, so narrow are the portrayed. Yet, that is funny too and don't we all know people who are caught up with their own views a little too much? Truly, we can all be like that once and again. So you may even learn something from these. I found myself loving the characters and feeling involved in their everyday lives. Besides that it offers a nice look at a certain time frame of country living. Too bad there were not more episodes. I could watch this for years.

Je viens de visionner les quatre saisons de cette série de la bbc fort sympathique. L'ensemble est très agréable à regarder, on découvre avec délice la vie rurale de la fin du 19 ème siècle. Les personnages sont attachants, avec des caractères bien trempés. Au dela des personnages prinvipaux, les personnages secondaires sont tout aussi attachants, notamment les soeurs Pratt, les Timmins et Tom le postier très maladroit dans la cour qu'il fait auprès de la fille du pasteur. Les acteurs sont excellents, on retrouve avec bonheur Brendan Coyle qui officie à Downton Abbey dans le rôle de Bat es et Julia Sawalha qui jouait la jeune Lydia d'orgueil et préjugés. Les décors et les costumes sont superbes. La diction des acteurs est excellente et les épisodes sont faciles à suivre. Cela m'a donné envie de lire les livres en version originale. C'est en résumé une excellente série comme la bbc sait si bien les faire. Si british! A visionner accompagné d'une tasse de thé!

la storia e i personaggi sono carini, le scenografie talvolta mediocri, ma perlopiù carine. sul filo conduttore della memoria, un personaggio, carino, evoca gli anni della sua gioventù nell'inghilterra rurale contrapposta ai centri commerciali di provincia, vari personaggi piacevolmente anacronistici, superficiale: se non c'è niente di meglio si può vedere, o se uno ha voglia di carino...

Julia Sawalha, Ben Miles, Brendan Coyle und Olivia Hallinan sind nicht die einzigen Stars dieser zauberhaften Adaption von Flora Thompsons autobiografischer Novelle "Lark Rise to Candleford", die als BBC Fernsehserie am 13. Januar 2008 auf BBC 1 startete und jetzt schon als englischsprachige DVD-Ausgabe zu haben ist. Ende des 19. Jahrhunderts: Die 16 Jährige Laura Timmins (Olivia Hallinan) ist ein einfaches Mädchen, das aus dem Bauern-Kaff Lark Rise stammt. Sie wird von ihren Eltern in die wohlhabende Nachbarstadt Candleford geschickt, wo sie bei der Postmeisterin Dorcas Lane (Julia Sawalha) in die Lehre geht. Zu Anfang kommt es Laura beinahe so vor, als wäre sie in ein völlig fremdes Land gereist, obwohl Lark Rise und Candleford noch nicht mal 8 Meilen auseinander liegen. Dorcas Lane ist eine sehr liberale und attraktive Frau nicht mehr ganz jungen Datums, die unverheiratet und unabhängig ihren Mann als "Postmistress" von Candleford steht, und deren wohl geführtes Postbüro der Dreh- und Angelpunkt des Lebens in Candleford und Lark Rise ist. Außer Dorcas und Laura leben im Postamt und der dazugehörigen Schmiede auch noch drei weiter, skurrile Herrschaften: Der fromme Postbote Thomas (Marc Heap), der schweigsame Schmied Mattew (Stephen Marcus) und die schrullige alte Haushälterin Zillah (Liz Smith) für welche Dorcas Mutter und Chefin zugleich ist. In zehn Episoden entsteht nun das bunte und zauberhafte Bild einer "heilen Welt" in Oxfordshire am Ende des 19. Jahrhunderts. Laura, die Erzählerin, erlebt ihre erste Liebe und lernt nicht nur wie man eine Poststelle führt, sondern sie wird unter der Obhut der weisen und lebensfrohen Dorcas auch langsam erwachsen. Sie lernt viel über die Menschen und das Leben und wird Zeugin vieler größerer und kleinerer Nöte, Skandale, Streitereien und Kämpfe der Bewohner von Lark Rise und Candleford. Und auch Dorcas selbst hat eine eigene, traurigschöne Geschichte, die im Verlaufe der Serie allmählich einem Höhepunkt zusteuert. Die Stars und ihre Rollen: Wer Julia Sawalha in ihrer Rolle als taktlose Lydia aus P&P 1995 noch in Erinnerung hat, weiß dass sie eine großartige Darstellerin ist. Hier hat sie eine Rolle ganz anderer Art. Sie spielt die gute Seele der ganzen Umgebung und das einfach so perfekt und charmant und glaubwürdig, dass sie schon nach den ersten Minuten der ersten Episode zur guten Seele der gesamten Serie wird - eine distinguierte, bewunderstwerte Dame, die "only one weakness" hat ;-). Brendan Coyle (Mr. Higgins aus North & South) ist Lauras Vater, ein Steinmetz und Freidenker, der ungeniert seine Meinung äußert auch wenn er damit den Pfarrer und den Squire und sein angetrautes Eheweib vergrault. Claudie Blakley (Charlotte Lukas aus P&P 2005 und Dienstmädchen Martha aus Cranford) ist Lauras Mutter und gleichzeitig die Kusine von Dorcas Lanes. Sie ist die ordnende Seele des Fleckens Lark Rise, immer ein leuchtendes Vorbild an Vernunft und Tugendhaftigkeit ;-). Im krassen Gegensatz dazu steht Mrs. Arless, gespielt von der mehr als fülligen und manchmal etwas übertrieben spielenden Komödiantin Dawn French. Mrs. Arless ist eine leichtherzige und unbekümmerte Seemannsfrau, die kaum ihre Kinder satt kriegt aber einem guten Fass Bier niemals abgeneigt ist. Dann gibt es in Candleford noch die zwei Schwestern Ruby (Viktoria Hamilton) und Pearl Pratt (Matilda Ziegler). Sie sind einfach köstlich, wie zwei bunte "Hühner". Sie betreiben den hiesigen Modesalon, sind immer einen Hauch overdressed und außerdem verbreiten sie Geheimnisse jeder Art bei Bedarf sehr gerne weiter. Ihre Figuren sind auf so feinsinnige Weise lächerlich, dass jedes ihrer Worte und jeder Blick ein echter satirischer Genuss ist. Der einfache Landarbeiter Alf Arless (John Dagleish) ist Lauras Jugendfreund. Er kann es nicht verkraften als sie mit dem Wildhüter Phillip (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) anbandelt und lässt sich was einfallen. Das alte Pärchen Queenie und Twister Turrill (Linda Bassett und Karl Johnson) sind für ihre kindischen Einfälle bekannt und die zart-schöne Olivia Grant überzeugt als traurige und tragische Lady Adelaide Midwinter. Ben Miles (Michael aus Sex and the City) spielt den sympathischen und fürsorglichen Squire Sir Timothy Midwinter. Wunderschön! Diese Serie ist eine Liebeserklärung an die verschwundene Idylle des ländlichen Lebens und der heilen Welt am Ende der 19. Jahrhunderts, eine Serie, die voller herzerwärmender und bejahender Geschichten steckt, die mit Witz und Weisheit und Romantik erzählt sind und über das Leben der einfachen Leute berichten, über ihre Hoffnungen, Enttäuschungen ihre Fehler und ihre Größe. Bezaubernde, bunte und idyllische Bilder und großartige Darsteller sorgen für Hochgenuss: Einfach herzerwärmend schön und unbedingt sehenswert. Die Serie: Obwohl in jeder Episode eine kleine abgeschlossene Geschichte erzählt wird, so zieht sich doch das Leben von Dorcas Lane und ihrer kleinen "Postfamilie" wie ein roter Faden durch die gesamte Staffel und endet in der letzten Episode mit einem perfekten Schluss (auch wenn ich nicht mit so einem Ende gerechnet hätte ;-)), der dem Ganzen ein abgerundetes Bild gibt und durchaus nicht nach einer Fortsetzung verlangt, dennoch darf man sich bereits auf die zweite Staffel freuen, denn die BBC hat wegen des großen Erfolgs dieser Serie bereits eine zweite Staffel in Auftrag gegeben, die im Februar 2009 starten soll. Bitte kein Vergleich mit Austen- oder Gaskellverfilmungen: Um eventuell enttäuschten Erwartungen vorzubeugen, muss ich an dieser Stelle unbedingt erwähnen, dass diese Serie selbstverständlich nicht das erzählerische Niveau einer Austen- oder den emotionalen Tiefgang einer Gaskellverfilmung hat, einfach weil die "Memoiren" von Flora Thompson, die sie 1938 verfasst hat, nicht nur aus einer anderen Epoche sondern auch aus einer anderen Feder stammen ;-). Thompson war weder gesellschafts- noch sozialkritisch sondern einfach eine begabte Novellenschreiberin, die in der charmanten "Lark Rise to Candleford" Trilogie ihrer glücklichen Jugendzeit in Oxfordshire huldigte. In manchen Kritiken wurden die moderne Sprache der Verfilmung und der stark übertriebene und imitiert wirkende Akzent des Landvolks bemängelt. Das ist zwar zutreffend, aber störte mich in keinem Moment des Filmes (obwohl manche Dialoge durch den merkwürdigen Akzent nicht so leicht verständlich sind). Aber wie erwähnt liegen zwischen Austen und Thompson mehr als 100 Jahre. Wer also altmodische und barock elaborierte Ausdrucksweisen wie von Austen und Gaskell erwartet, könnte sich unter Umständen an manchen Dialogen, besonders zwischen Laura und Phillip oder Alf, stören. DVD: Bildschirm 16:9 Anamorph, Sprache Englisch, mit englischen Untertiteln für Hörgeschädigte, Ton: Stereo, Dolby Digital, Region 2 + 4 Colour PAL, 4 DVDs mit 10 Episoden Filmzeit 582 Minuten, Extras: The Making of.

Very good buy. You will enjoy it.

Este es otro ejemplo de lo bien que hacen las series de época los de la BBC Muy buenos actores y mejor ambientación Todos los personajes son protagonistas y tienen su propia historia que se entrelaza con elegancia cambiando el protagonismo según evolucionan las historias en los dos pueblos vecinos. El hilo de la historia lo lleva Laura Timmins que relata los episodios y Dorcas Lane, la inteligente encargada de la oficina postal de Candleford. A su alrededor se van tejiendo las historias de los vecinos de ambas poblaciones.