"A Woman of Substance" (1984) TV mini-series

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Don Sharp

Writers:

Tom Blomquist (outline adaptation)
Barbara Taylor Bradford (novel)

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

25 November 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A Woman of Substance charts the life of Emma Harte, from kitchen maid at the beginning of the 20th Century...

Plot Keywords:

Flashback Sequence | TV Mini-Series | Based On Novel

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Primetime Emmys.

Cast

Nicola Pagett

...

Adele Fairley (3 episodes, 1985)

Runtime:

Germany:490 min (5 episodes) | USA:300 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Certification:

Australia:M | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Broughton Hall, Broughton, Skipton, North Yorkshire, England, UK

Company:

Portman Artemis Prooduction

Trivia:

Still - as at July 2007 - the highest ever rated programme on Channel 4 in the UK - peaking at 13.84 million viewers on the third night - 4th January 1985.

Quotes:

Gerald Fairley: [late in the film, after Emma has purchased everything the Fairley's once owned] How can you cold-bloodedly set out to ruin someone!?
Young Emma Harte: That was my plan, but you did it yourself, really. I just helped you along the way.

Movie Connections:

Followed by Hold the Dream (1986) (TV)

Great Stuff !

This has just become available on DVD for a very modest price in the UK and I would highly recommend it to all those who love "Family Sagas". There is a sequel "Hold the Dream" but it is useless to watch this if you haven't first watched "A Woman of Substance". The whole show, almost ten hours viewing in all will keep you glued to your armchair, and as there are some sad moments along the way, it's better to have your supply of kleenex beside you before starting to view !

The main actors in the series are magnificent, I have always adored Deborah Kerr, notably in "An Affair to Remember", and "The Innocents" and here she plays out the very believable rôle of the Old Lady. Her diction and facial expressions are magnificent, and here performance here just adds more confirmation to the fact that she is a great actress.

Jenny Seagrove, strangely beautiful, acts out the young Emma Harte with great conviction and Liam Neeson, very handsome, puts in a magnificent performance as Blackie. Despite the story being very long, the fact that there are so many twists and turns, and the fact that is is filmed mostly in the beautiful Yorkshire countryside, one doesn't get bored for an instant.........

Naturally, a story of this length is bound to have some inconsistencies for example, Jenny Seagrove's accent seems to vary from Yorkshire to Posh Southern England and back on several occasions ! We see heavy rain falling from a bright blue sky ! Because the film spans so many years, some people grow up too quickly and towards the end, it gets a little confusing. But there is no point in dwelling inordinately upon these defects. The general impression is one of great satisfaction.

I can only hope this film will be available in all countries with corresponding language tracks and subtitles so that all will be able to appreciate it. It is said to be a "woman's film" as it shows a woman's struggle from "rags to riches" but I, as a man, certainly enjoyed it !!!