- Actors: Nigel Hawthorne, Joan Collins, Timothy Spall, Tom Hollander, Paul Nicholls
- Directors: Christopher Miles
- Format: Colour, HiFi Sound, Full Screen, PAL
- Language English
- Aspect Ratio: 4:3 - 1.33:1
- Number of discs: 1
- Classification: 15
- Studio: Universal
- Run Time: 87 minutes
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- ASIN: B00004TIU4
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 125,279 in Film & TV (See Top 100 in Film & TV)
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Reviews
Delightful period comedy set around an English country house whose owners want to arrange a marriage of convenience between their elder daughter and an aristocratic heir of a hard-up noble family.
Filled with excellent performances from a very rich cast of familiar faces it's a real treat, not least to see Joan Collins (The Bravados; The Stud; The Bitch) in a wonderful role as Timothy Spall's (Secrets and Lies; Pierrepoint; Tv's - Outside Edge) snobby rich sister.
Other stars include; Nigel Hawthorne (The Madness of King George; Demolition Man; Tv's - Yes Minister), Paul Nicholls (The Trench), Natasha Little (Greenfingers), Emma Chambers (Notting Hill; Tv's - The Vicar of Dibley) & Tom Hollander (Martha - Meet Frank, Daniel and Laurence; In The Loop; Tv's - Rev).
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:VHS Tape
This was one of the funniest period dramas I have ever seen, with particularly fine comedic performances from Timothy Spall and Nigel Hawthorne. Nigel Hawthorne was perfectly cast as the aristocrat fighting against the signs of old age. Emma Chambers also deserves a mention for a role that is very different to the one she plays in 'The Vicar of Dibley'. Finally, the young couple involved in the "Clandestine Marriage" had good chemistry and made a believable couple. This is certainly a must for Paul Nicholls fans, as it is a role that allows him to show-off his acting ability to the fullest.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
This is a brilliant film. Amusing and entertaining. Great costumes, scenery, fun and frolic of the best british film kind.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
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6 reviews
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Better Than It Had To Be
23 Jan 2005
Format:DVD
Not bad at all - a movie starring Joan Collins always has the possibility of being a dicey affair, and she may have produced and starred in this one, but that doesn't stop it from being a charming, mannered comedy of errors. Collins has some big ol' surprises up her sleeve for us - for her first trick, she does not play Alexis Carrington, or any variation on her, in this movie. And, as if that weren't earth-shattering enough, she - I kid you not - plays a woman approximately her own age, who also looks her age. That's right, no black eyeliner and no raven tresses. It is amazing. Don't get me wrong, though - we're still dealing with Joan Collins here, so she's still pretty glam, in her own way, and certainly her character is as over-the-top as any Joan Collins character is supposed to be - but she actually acts as part of an ensemble in which she is not center stage at all times. Nigel Hawthorne, who excelled in *The Madness of King George*, capably plays her elderly brother in this English period piece of arranged marriages and un-arranged marriages. Set in a spectacular 17th century country estate, Stanway House, with all the requisite gorgeous accoutrement, the film does exceptionally well on what was obviously not an enormous budget. The costumes, hair and makeup are beautiful, and though the story gets somewhat messy in the middle of the film, the cinematography and art direction keep the eye glued to the screen. The supporting cast also serves the film well, with a variety of skilled actors who make the best out of minor roles. It is a fun movie to watch and it looks like the kind of movie that the cast and crew had a great deal of fun making. This is a valuable quality that is imparted in the finished product, and makes it easy to overlook any weaknesses.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
18th-Century farce of the most comical kind with a 5* cast!
27 Jan 2007
Anyone familiar with the English and French farce plays of the 16th-18th centuries will again revel in the delicious twists and turns of this excellently crafted comedy of misguided and unrequited loves and passions.In a day when family marriage contracts were the accepted norm for wealthy families to keep and create more capital for themselves,thus retaining their respectibility and place in Society,the Noblemen Lord Ogelsby,too, hopes to secure his families'fortune,nearly now in bankruptcy,by marrying his son,John,into the Sterling family via the eldest daughter,Betsy.Upon arrival at the Sterling Estate, Ogelsby and his son both fall madly in love with Betsy's sister,the ever-lovely Fanny,who is clandestinely already married to Lord Sterling's clerk,Lovewell.To tell you more is to unveil all of the hidden and secretive motives and behaviour of all of the scheming players in this piece.A MUST FOR ALL PERIOD PIECE LOVERS! The film NEVER drags and clocks in at a brisk 87 minutes of wild fun and frolic.The soundtrack composed by Stanislas Sgresvicz is an absolute MUST for lovers of fine film composition,not to mention the lovely end-credits song,SECRETS,sung by MIRIAM.
The cast is SO easily recognizable to anyone who is a devotee of both film AND live theatre.Of note:the role of the head housekeeper,Mrs.Tersey,is played by Jenny Galloway known for her role in LES MISERABLES:THE MUSICAL in London.Other performers of note are Emma Chambers of THE VICAR OF DIBLEY fame,Nigel Hawthorne from THE MADNESS OF KING GEORGE,Timothy Spall from NICHOLAS NICKELBY and Natasha Little of VANITY FAIR.Everyone already knows Joan Collins who plays with frivolity and her now famous bitchiness Lord Sterling's "nouveau riche-acting" sister,Lady Heidelberg.
Great COMPANION FILMS to view that are similar in time frame and subject matter are TRIUMPH OF LOVE,VATEL,THE SERPENT'S KISS,A MIDSUMMER'S NIGHT DREAM,PRIDE AND PREJUDICE,VANITY FAIR and ultimately GILBERT and SULLIVAN's H.M.S.PINAFORE.
The cast is SO easily recognizable to anyone who is a devotee of both film AND live theatre.Of note:the role of the head housekeeper,Mrs.Tersey,is played by Jenny Galloway known for her role in LES MISERABLES:THE MUSICAL in London.Other performers of note are Emma Chambers of THE VICAR OF DIBLEY fame,Nigel Hawthorne from THE MADNESS OF KING GEORGE,Timothy Spall from NICHOLAS NICKELBY and Natasha Little of VANITY FAIR.Everyone already knows Joan Collins who plays with frivolity and her now famous bitchiness Lord Sterling's "nouveau riche-acting" sister,Lady Heidelberg.
Great COMPANION FILMS to view that are similar in time frame and subject matter are TRIUMPH OF LOVE,VATEL,THE SERPENT'S KISS,A MIDSUMMER'S NIGHT DREAM,PRIDE AND PREJUDICE,VANITY FAIR and ultimately GILBERT and SULLIVAN's H.M.S.PINAFORE.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Great fun!
21 Oct 2002
Format:DVD
Nigel Hawthorne's adapation of the classic Garrick-Colman play is a delight. Wonderful ensemble acting and period flair--including beautiful shots of eighteenth-century landscape that bring Pope's poem "On the Use of Riches" to mind. And there are wonderful touches such as the turnspit dog in the kitchen juxtaposed with Mrs. Heidelberg's lapdog--there's the century summed up for you!
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