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Amazon.co.uk Review
Perfect Strangers, Stephen Poliakoff's TV drama, depicts an upper-class English family where distrust, dysfunction and despair are guests at the party. "As you know, in all families, things happen", says the cool Lindsay Duncan. That's the premise: things happen, some of them nasty. The family, once "mini-Rothchilds" and still "drowning in money", are gathered together in an opulent hotel for a grand reunion; the only thing wrong with the idea is that many of them are perfect strangers and the event begins to look more like a conference than an event with heart. Into the blend of well-heeled guests comes the Hillingdon contingent led by Raymond (Michael Gambon), the black ram of the family. His son, Daniel, is a surveyor and true to his profession sets about assessing the fault lines running through the family. Underlying it all is a sense of unease so that even pleasantries come across as deeply unpleasant. Raymond warns us that: "Everybody always lies".
Drama arises from the emergence of truth and buried bits of the past, as old photographs are screened to family members provoking curiosity about what lies behind the images. Scratch a surface and everywhere there's pain and mystery. Filmed in lavish London settings where everything is clean and sleek, Perfect Strangers makes for slick visual entertainment. Although the dialogue is stilted and at times surreal, the music by Adrian Johnston cannot be faulted. --Joan Byrne
DVD Description
Winner of Best Actor Award for Michael Gambon at the BAFTAs, 2002. Written and directed by Stephen Poliakoff. Starring Michael Gambon, Lindsay Duncan, Matthew Macfadyen, Claire Skinner and Toby Stephens, with Timothy Spall.
When Daniel attends an extraordinary reunion with his parents, he discovers a world he hardly knew existed. Seduced by the glamour of this new world, Daniel adopts the role of go-between for his glamorous Aunt Alice and his dazzling cousins Rebecca (Claire Skinner) and Charles (Toby Stephens). But even the most honourable of intentions have the potential to go disastrously wrong …
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
40 of 41 people found the following review helpful
Format:VHS Tape
Anything starring Sir Michael Gambon and Timothy Spall is bound to be of a high quality, and Poliakoff's moving and heart-warming tale of discovery is certainly no exception. A beautifully complex story that begins with an invitation to a family reunion and blossoms into revelation and remembrance of a life passed never fails to keep the viewer transfixed. When Daniel is introduced to his extended family for the first time, he is unsure of what to expect. A gift of a photograph showing Daniel as a young boy in fancy dress encourages him to investigate further. As more and more stones are turned, Daniel discovers things about his family that he could not possibly have imagined. The main plot revolves around his new-found cousins, Charles and Rebecca, who immediately adopt Daniel as a long lost brother. When Daniel discovers that a tragic error has caused the omission of a third cousin's name, Charles and Becca's brother, long supressed emotions surface, and un-healed wounds are re-opened. A rift between family matriarch Alice and the three siblings comes to light, and Daniel is drawn in to the web as he acts as go-between and arbitrator. Completely believable and beautifully rounded characters are protrayed by some of the most convincing acting I have seen in years, and this, along with Poliakoff's stunning knack for absorbing the viewer fully makes for an enthralling drama that should not be missed. Absolutely first class.
34 of 36 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
A gentle, yet powerful and moving tale of family history, secrets and relationships, set over the weekend of a family reunion event, and then a later weekend at a family wedding.
As with all Poliakoff dramas, the pace of the story-telling, the length of scene, the camera work, are all designed to slow the tale down, to make the viewer ease into the story and the characters, to extend and challenge their 21st century attention span.
The casting is superlative, and every actor turns in flawless performance: Matthew MacFadyen's combination of youthful arrogance with a pervasive uncertainty and inferiority around his family; Lindsay Duncan's graceful noblesse which hides a painful story; Michael Gambon's irritable yet troubled father. Each character is a finely worked, intricate creation.
Another Poliakoff trait used here (and seen even more strongly in Shooting the Past) is the use of historical documents, particularly photographs, to flesh out characters' stories. He uses the images, breathing life into them through flashbacks, to draw meaning from the past, lighting on modernist "moments of being" to create empathy and understanding for his characters.
I could go on with the purple prose as this really is one of the finest examples of TV drama I have ever seen. In short, I couldn't recomend it enough.
As with all Poliakoff dramas, the pace of the story-telling, the length of scene, the camera work, are all designed to slow the tale down, to make the viewer ease into the story and the characters, to extend and challenge their 21st century attention span.
The casting is superlative, and every actor turns in flawless performance: Matthew MacFadyen's combination of youthful arrogance with a pervasive uncertainty and inferiority around his family; Lindsay Duncan's graceful noblesse which hides a painful story; Michael Gambon's irritable yet troubled father. Each character is a finely worked, intricate creation.
Another Poliakoff trait used here (and seen even more strongly in Shooting the Past) is the use of historical documents, particularly photographs, to flesh out characters' stories. He uses the images, breathing life into them through flashbacks, to draw meaning from the past, lighting on modernist "moments of being" to create empathy and understanding for his characters.
I could go on with the purple prose as this really is one of the finest examples of TV drama I have ever seen. In short, I couldn't recomend it enough.
54 of 58 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
If we ever had any doubts, Perfect Strangers confirms that Poliakoff is the best writer for TV in the UK (and the world?). Also worthy of special praise is the score composer, Adrian Johnston. The music is such an integral aspect, forming a thread which runs through the whole story. His haunting themes offer a real insight into the feelings of the characters and highlight echoes of the past.
For me, the greatest achievement of the piece is that it is deeply moving without ever becoming sentimental. This is primarily because of the performances. I have never seen such a large and talented group of actors in one program. The central performances of Matthew Macfadyen, Michael Gambon, Lindsay Duncan and Claire Skinner are rich with emotion and conviction. But it is the fact that all the actors surrounding them are so universally excellent which truly marks Perfect Strangers out.
Having never had more than a passing interest in my genealogy, this story has really tempted me to delve deeper into my family. Themes of connection to relatives both living and dead, permeate the piece. The feelings of being on the outside of a group and of inclusion and exclusion are ones we can all empathise with.
What transforms Perfect Strangers from a good drama to a brilliant one, are the stories. Structured around the amazing photographs and delivered beautifully, the tales of Michael, the sisters and Richard are thoroughly compelling. And the photos of Raymond’s father and of Daniel as a boy are spellbinding.
What I have heard of the commentary so far isn’t fantastically illuminating, but fairly interesting for a dedicated fan. Altogether, a tender, moving and beautiful piece of television.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Boringly Soporific
This production of Perfect Strangers by Stephen Poliakoff comes across very strongly as an unbelievable story with unbelievable characters played by unconvincing actors in an... Read more
Published 1 month ago by H. A. Weedon
Is this a case of the Emperor's new clothes? Not for me.
I think I must have been watching a different film as I didn't like this at all.What a rambling load of baloney.Anyone want mine for free is welcome.
Published 1 month ago by Mrs. D. Surrey
Excellent reconditioning and prompt delivery.
The pnone although reconditioned looked like new and came the next day . Delighted with the service. Read more
Published 3 months ago by sarsfietime
Unusual but witty and true to life.
After my poor review of "Joe's Palace" I found this film almost equally difficult to grasp.
I watched Part 1 again and got into the story, becoming engrossed as I... Read more
I watched Part 1 again and got into the story, becoming engrossed as I... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Richard Mirfin
Wonderful
I loved Perfect Strangers. It is a deeply moving and evocative emotional tale of family discovery. Beautifully written with great acting and, I have to say, with a musical score... Read more
Published 6 months ago by R. C. Harris
Riveting!!!
I finished watching this last night and found the final part very moving. The acting was superb and so well cast. Michael Gambon and Matthew Macfadyen were outstanding. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Paddyslass
Perfect Strangers
I have seen it several times now, and have loved every single moment of this phenomenal film.
Published 20 months ago by alsoanonyma
Great stories highly recommended
I loved this. All the characters wonderfully played by all the actors with a special mention for Matthew Macfadyen, Michael Gambon and Lyndsay Duncan. Read more
Published on 27 Jun 2009 by C. Dew
Perfect strangers perfect film
Perfect Strangers is an excellent film by Stephen Poliakoff ,very unusual storyline. A family invited to a Family Tree week-end in London to meet up with long lost relatives . Read more
Published on 21 Mar 2009 by Mrs. Valerie M. King
A moving reconstruction of family history
How do we remember the earliest years of our lives? Do we recall only scattered fragments, preserved out of context and therefore oddly disjointed and somehow incomprehensible? Read more
Published on 17 Mar 2009 by Triestino
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