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In A Land Of Plenty [VHS] [2001]
 
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In A Land Of Plenty [VHS] [2001]

VHS ~ Robert Pugh
4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Actors: Robert Pugh, Shaun Dingwall, Hazel Monaghan, Kaye Wragg, Garry Cooper
  • Directors: Dave Moore, Hettie Macdonald
  • Writers: Kevin Hood, Tim Pears
  • Producers: Claire Hirsch, Peter Fincham, Tessa Ross
  • Format: PAL
  • Classification: 12
  • Studio: 2 Entertain Video
  • VHS Release Date: 12 Mar 2001
  • Run Time: 500 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B000056X2A
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 3,749 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

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Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review
When it comes to period drama, the BBC can't be bettered, and In a Land of Plenty is something really special. The nine episodes of this dramatic family saga follow the fates of the Freeman family from the 1950s to the 90s. Wealthy engineering firm owner Charles Freeman (Robert Pugh) rules his wife and five children with a rod of iron. Everyone wilts under his autocratic thumb, especially Charles's wife, Mary (Helen Mcrory), whose literary talent is stifled by Charles's scoffing philistinism. Eldest son Simon is his father's pet, the one earmarked to inherit the business. Mary takes refuge in her close relationship with her second son, James, in whom she senses a twin soul. "You're not like the others, you're like me", she frequently reminds the haunted-eyed lad, whose dad dismisses him as a "mummy's boy". Robert, the none-too-bright youngest son, is rather sidelined, while the boys' two sisters, Zoe and Alice, form a loyal friendship with Laura, the cook's daughter, despite the snobbish Charles's disapproval.

Then one major heart-breaking event occurs which starts the tense structure of the Freemans' lives collapsing like a stack of cards. Everyone is wounded by it, but some family members manage to hide their pain well--so well that it eventually surfaces in ways that no one could have foreseen. Both tears and blood are shed before the story reaches its heart-wringing conclusion, when the performance of little Hazel Monaghan as six-year-old Mina is unmissable. Period details are perfect, from pop music, to social change, and technological developments. Re-live the thrill of watching the Cup Final on a tiny black and white telly! And don't be too mystified by the weird opening sequences--they all make sense at the end. --Lorna Read

Synopsis
Drama of relationships, marriage, love and tragedy in a Midlands town from 1952 onwards. Charles, an industrialist marries a young woman called Mary and they move into a big house which overlooks the family's engineering plant....

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In A Land Of Plenty [VHS] [2001]
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In A Land Of Plenty [VHS] [2001] 4.8 out of 5 stars (8)
In a Land of Plenty
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In a Land of Plenty 3.8 out of 5 stars (23)
£5.99
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Customer Reviews

8 Reviews
5 star:
 (6)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.8 out of 5 stars (8 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Absorbing, dreamy but not for the faint of heart, 31 Mar 2005
By Star_Sea "Xing" (Salisbury, England) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   
This is a really superb series - it's actually adapted from a novel by Tim Pears. (If you think the television version is involved and intense, just try reading the book.)

It's a good adaptation, but you have to stick with the story and the characters. Nothing is hurried: everything is there for a reason, to have some effect. The story is carefully revealed through a variety of ways: photographs, films, flashbacks, stories. I use 'revealed' deliberately, because there are some secrets that come to light, as in all good family sagas. The overall frame of the series is that this story is being told for a little girl, Mina, who has been deeply traumatized. James, the narrator, understands this trauma, because he had to deal with it, too. The viewer is then taken back to his childhood to understand the roots of the tragedy which has left Mina mute.

It's a long and complicated family saga, beginning with a pair of mismatched individuals, Mary and Charles, who grow farther and farther apart in front of their children's eyes. Eventually, Mary cannot take it anymore. James, his mother's favourite, blames his father for what happens, but the tragedy affects each of the children in different ways, some of which are not seen until years later in very realistic fashion. The story then follows the family through the late 20th century: the strikes and hedonism of the 1970s; the recession of the 1980s; the early trance scene of the 1990s. The characters are memorable. They fall in love, hurt each other, miss signals (James, for example, never realises that his cousin Zoe fancies him). When tragedy comes, it hits you hard. (Zoe is James's cousin, not his sister. It's not very clear in the adaptation, but since I've read the book, I can tell you, she's his cousin.)

Technically, the filming is inventive, especially during the early episodes, and the music is haunting and beautiful. Images linger with you after you've watched each episode, especially during the last one. The series is not especially violent or sexually explicit but it's not coy about these matters either, it does earn its 15 rating, so be warned.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Flabbergastingly Brilliant!, 6 Jan 2003
By Ms. D. Drysdale "fairydebbie" (Scotland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
The superb modern photography through to the sensous music had me glued to my screen right from its strange but intriging beginning to its very tearful and shocking ending. This Journey through the 60s,70s and 80s made me wish i had also experienced this i especially enjoyed the punk rockers! All those out there that love dramas that take you away should not miss this! a must i say for art lovers who have the eye for beauty!
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Utterly heartbreaking but the most beautiful, poignant film., 18 Jun 2001
By A Customer
Absolutely Fantastic! Buy it, rent it, steal it if you please. It is so poignant and beautiful that you will not regret it. You'll be sobbing along with all the surprising twists and turns of its sensational plot, and you'll really get to feel the highs and the lows of the Freeman family. BBc's BEST ever!!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Land of Plenty
This mammoth drama comes in a boxset of three videos. It's a complicated drama somewhat but to get the most out of it you really need to watch it at least twice all the way... Read more
Published on 19 Nov 2003 by N. Jones

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Viewing!!
Having watchad most of the series on television I was devasted when I missed the last episode! Excellent viewing, artistic and compelling.
Published on 17 Jul 2003

5.0 out of 5 stars The first time i enjoyed a TV adaptation more than the book.
Unlike other adaptations of books like "The Hitchickers Guide to thge Galaxy" and Dalziel and Pascoe which i thought dulled down and lost something of the plot; "In a Land of... Read more
Published on 3 Aug 2002 by harleybess

5.0 out of 5 stars A stunning work of art
The BBC (ok, Talkback Productions and all the various producers and directors involved) have taken Tim Pears' book of life, relationships, and "what it is to have grown up in... Read more
Published on 5 Jul 2002 by Mr. F. Jackson

4.0 out of 5 stars As good as the book?
OK so it's a little weird at first but you soon settle into the time jumps and the photography (which is quite beautiful if a little unconventional!). Read more
Published on 8 Mar 2001

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