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Watching this on video it is hard to believe it dates from 1978 - it looks as modern as today in its production values. Perhaps all there is to give it away is the habit of using videotape only for scenes shot within the studio, resorting to film when out of doors or on location (the very poor quality of the film, its grain, washed out colors etc, were typical of the stock of the time and can be jolting when sandwiched between scenes of the impeccably crystal clear video stock). Francesca Annis plays Lillie with grace, charm and a certain calculated iron will - we rarely like her or what she does, but she is never deliberately cruel or offensive. She is out for number one but manages to make all the men in her menagerie feel she is devoted to their wishes. With almost a dozen lovers under her belt in her long career, she cashes in on her beauty when discovered in the London society of the 1870s and parlays it into the life of the courtesan, eventually gaining prestige by going on the stage and touring America many times over. Annis amazingly plays Lillie from adolescent tomboy through awkward young wife, self-assured celebrity and finally doddering old age - with not a single wrong note. The make-up in the last few episodes of both Annis and Denis Lill (Bertie)are extraordinary. Along the way we have Jennie Linden's marvelous supporting work as Bertie's ex and Lillie's lifelong friend, Patsy Cornwallis-West and Peter Egan's perfect dramatization of the effete and erudite Oscar Wilde. The sets are gorgeous and the costumes sumptuous - each one impeccably designed. This is a most interesting and educational look at an era and the survival of one very clever woman within its midst. One of the BBC's best mini-series.
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