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40 of 40 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Although I am still not certain who did what to whom and why, I nevertheless enjoyed a second watching of John Mortimer's mystery, "Summer's Lease," which I saw when it was first broadcast in the 1980s. "Summer's Lease" is John Gielgud's show. It does not matter how old he is; he still steals every scene as the outrageously libidinous old pirate of a father to Molly(coddle) Pargeter, a repressed 40-something wife and mother, who cannot help being embarrassed by his unrepentant tales of jolly "rogering", which he will tell to anyone, anywhere, and at any time, no matter how inappropriate the occasion. Mortimer has given Gielgud some of his best lines; one of my favorites is his apology for being a poor excuse for a socialist in a capitalist world: "Until we've got the red flag flying, we've got to live with the rat race!"
Among the delights of this series are the magnificent locations of Umbria and Tuscany, the latter renamed Chiantishire by its British expatriate inhabitants. As a former resident of Italy, I reveled at the sight of the cypress-dotted hills and at the sound of so many birds chirping (now a rarity in my part of California). Watching this series is equivalent to going on a vicarious vacation to some of the most stunning parts of Italy; and to put the panna on top of the gelato, as it were, we are treated to the magnificent frescoes of Piero della Francesca.
As for the mystery, it is suspenseful, as all of Mortimer's mysteries are. If it leaves us rather unsatisfied because it does not tie up all the loose ends, it nevertheless makes us think about what actually might have happened. The body in the swimming pool is a reality, but are the contessa and the British residents as sinister as they seem? Or are we, the viewers, merely seeing them through the eyes of Molly, not only a stranger in a strange land, but also a woman whose emotions are raw due to the strains put on her marriage by her philandering husband? Are we perhaps influenced by Molly's misinterpretation of her surroundings? Such a scenario renders Molly's blunderings and their catastrophic results the more convincing.
For those who love Italy and adore John Mortimer, this DVD is highly recommended!
Among the delights of this series are the magnificent locations of Umbria and Tuscany, the latter renamed Chiantishire by its British expatriate inhabitants. As a former resident of Italy, I reveled at the sight of the cypress-dotted hills and at the sound of so many birds chirping (now a rarity in my part of California). Watching this series is equivalent to going on a vicarious vacation to some of the most stunning parts of Italy; and to put the panna on top of the gelato, as it were, we are treated to the magnificent frescoes of Piero della Francesca.
As for the mystery, it is suspenseful, as all of Mortimer's mysteries are. If it leaves us rather unsatisfied because it does not tie up all the loose ends, it nevertheless makes us think about what actually might have happened. The body in the swimming pool is a reality, but are the contessa and the British residents as sinister as they seem? Or are we, the viewers, merely seeing them through the eyes of Molly, not only a stranger in a strange land, but also a woman whose emotions are raw due to the strains put on her marriage by her philandering husband? Are we perhaps influenced by Molly's misinterpretation of her surroundings? Such a scenario renders Molly's blunderings and their catastrophic results the more convincing.
For those who love Italy and adore John Mortimer, this DVD is highly recommended!
27 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
My love affair with this series began when back in the summer of 1988 I heard a book review on Radio 4 and went out and bought the then very expensive hard back of John Mortimer's novel. I lay on my bedroom floor in the sun one Friday evening and read it over two days. I recall thinking what an excellent TV programme it would make and low and behold the four part series came to light in 1989. Better even than the book, the simple yet engaging and clearly contrived plot is none the less deeply satisfying. It has been on the original VHS recorded from the TV for years to the point where its worn out. John Gielgud is wonderful, simply outstanding. This is one of my favourite programmes of all time, and eventually in 2000, I finally made the pilgrimage Molly Pargeter, played with exceptional dignity by Karen Fleetwood, was so keen to make herself. And it was well worth while. An abosloute must for any Italophile.
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I bought this when Acorn released it in the US last year. John Gielgud delivers an Emmy-winning performance in this memorable drama as an eccentric English patriarch spending the summer in a Tuscan villa with his daughter and her family. When a neighbour mysteriously dies and the residence's water service unexpectedly fails, he teams with his child for some amateur sleuthing while attempting to romance a wealthy expatriate. With Susan Fleetwood.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Summer's Lease
Wonderful film, John Gielgud and particularly Susan Fleetwood give excellent performances and filming in northern Italy is beautiful. Altogether a delight to watch. Read more
Published 9 months ago by A. M. Pardoe
Sensational Summer`s Lease
John Mortimer`s book of the same title has always been a favourite of mine, and re-read it every summer: it`like a trip to Tuscany, without going there! Read more
Published 13 months ago by Robbie
Antedote to winter
A gentle and restful piece of television. A wonderful cast give extremely well judged performances. Undemanding entertainment at its best and a wonderful tonic to cold winter and... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Andrew C. Lane
Summer 's Lease
Summer's Lease is excellent - one of the best items I have bought and one of the best Mortimer stories ever written.
Published 17 months ago by Tuscany
A Tuscan Delight!
What a gem of a movie, with Gielgud giving a masterclass in acting in his eighties. The Tuscan mystery is set near Sienna, at time of the Palio horse race around its famous square. Read more
Published on 28 Sep 2009 by sdouglas
Immortal Geilgud
The old boy excels, the plot thrilling, tortuous and imaginative, scenery evocative, why don't they make it like this anymore?
Published on 3 Sep 2009 by M. Harriman
So so
I thought that this DVD was going to be amazing but I was disappointed. John Gielgud was excellent (despite playing a rather tacky old man)but the actress who played his meddling... Read more
Published on 11 Jun 2009 by Valerie J.
Hoist the Jolly Roger!
Although I am still not certain who did what to whom and why, I nevertheless enjoyed a second watching of John Mortimer's mystery, "Summer's Lease," which I saw when it was first... Read more
Published on 11 Aug 2007 by F. S. L'hoir
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