|
|
Rating:  - Nostalgic and well acted.
The strength of this English mini-series is the gorgeous setting in Cornwall, where a group of cousins vacation in their Aunt's cliffside home and where grows the lawn of the title.
The onset of WWII shatters this idyllic scene. But we find out through the story that all was not as peaceful as we thought when the secrets of incest and child abuse come to light.
I loved the first three episodes of this delightfully nostalgic series. The randy sexcapades of London under fire were fun and revealing. The portrayal of the tendency of families to protect child abusers came out in the later episodes and was not so appealing. However, one wants to know how it ends!
The first three episodes get five stars, the last two are unfortunately not as good.
Rating:  - Excellent Period Drama
Chamomile Lawn follows the lives of half a dozen cousins and their friends during WWII. The Chamomile Lawn itself is a beautiful old Victorian located on the cliffs in Cornwall. The cousins lives intertwine, intermingle and at times incestuous relationships form. I particularly liked Sophie, Calypso and the twins.
At first I found the series a bit difficult to get into. Some of the characters are cold and a bit selfish. Also the child abuse and the incest is somewhat distasteful. But eventually I found myself really enjoying the scenery, the characters and the involved plot.
4 stars.
Rating:  - Highly engaging
This miniseries delivers a stellar cast -- Felicity Kendall and Paul Eddington of "Good Neighbors" fame as Uncle Richard and Aunt Helena, a strangely mismatched married couple, as well as Jennifer Ehle, whose beautiful portrayal of the feisty Miss Elizabeth Bennet in Simon Langton's 1995 rendition of Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" will be remembered by fellow British drama enthusiasts. Calypso, Ehle's character in "Camomile Lawn", was her screen (albeit small screen) debut.
Rosemary Harris, another veteran British actress, plays Calypso in her later years -- in real life, Ehle and Harris are mother and daughter. Cousin Oliver, another of the numerous Cuthbertson family relations, is played by Toby Stephens, real-life son of yet more British luminaries, the late Sir Robert Stephens and the unparalleled Dame Maggie Smith.
But to return to the family based on Mary Wesley's novel -- uncle and aunt preside over a halcyon summer estivation at their cliffside home in Cornwall in 1939. In addition to Calypso (Ehle) and Oliver (Stephens), there are brother and sister Walter (Ben Walden) and Polly (Tara Fitzgerald, whom some may recall as playing the free-spirited Topaz Mortmain in the film version of "I Capture the Castle"). The orphaned Sophie, portrayed magnificently by Rebecca Hall, features prominently in the storyline. Oliver, Calypso, Walter, Polly, and Sophie are all cousins, neices and nephews of the uptight, one-legged Richard Cuthbertson.
The lives of all the family members and their circle of friends is devastated by the onset of World War II, and each character breeds his or her own stripe of drama and delight. Calypso marries for money. Polly becomes a lascivious libertine. Sophie is dismissed to boarding school. Oliver joins the Army and Walter joins the Navy.
While some of the plot twists may offend some viewers, I found the overall strength of the stories and the wonderfully rendered characters overcame that (even if I had to suspend queasiness while Oliver constantly sought sexual congress with his cousin Calypso). Any fan of British drama should watch this, as I am sure it will not be found wanting.
|
|