HillstreetBunz Review of The Onedin Line

The Onedin Line (1971–1980)

Pitch perfect script & acting make this ageing serial a true joy

[9/10 · 27 August 2010]

I watched the series in the 70s,...Sunday evenings around the TV with my Mum an Dad and my sister. I enjoyed it then. Now I am watching the whole thing all over again in the afternoons. Its not just a bit of nostalgia, its absolutely marvellous. Production values may seem low at first compared to today's blockbuster serials, but the sharply drawn characters are brought to riveting life by a first class cast (special mentions to Peter Gilmore, Jessica Benton and Anne Stallybrass as James, Elizabeth and Anne Onedin respectively). Proof (as if it were needed) that script and cast can overcome any weaknesses or paucity of cash elsewhere in a production. One noticeable aspect is how fully rounded the women characters are, how equal in every way to the male characters. That this is immediately apparent is a sad reflection on the way women's roles have retreated in the last decade or so. Maybe 70s feminism had something to do with it. But these women are not all about shoe shopping and chocolate! As an adult I really see the nuances of the story telling, and the richness of characterisation, historical context etc, Fantastic.