Cheap Lost Empires (6 Volume Gift Boxed Set) (Video) (Colin Firth) Price

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Customer Reviews of Lost Empires (6 Volume Gift Boxed Set)

Do not miss this!
Although originally a UK TV series it is no longer available in the UK which frankly is a disgrace. Here we see Colin Firth in one of his first major TV roles as naive Richard Herncastle. He plays the nephew of a music hall illusionist, Nasty Nick Ollanton played admirably by John Castle. The story follows Richard as he joins the theatre scene and starts to learn all about the real world and life, a far cry from his poor country upbringing. His run ins with his uncle, his loves and losses, the variety of characters make this series wonderfully colourful. The period (1913 onwards) has been captured really well which is not always the case with TV adaptations. This one being based on the book by JB Priestley. You will find yourself wanting to watch the whole set in one go-its that good! If you like Colin Firth, John Castle, or period dramas then this is an absolute must have.

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Their world's a Stage
I set the video for this before going out, on the 'off chance' it might be something worthwhile. I ended up watching every episode (recording them all at the time -late 1980s) and was spellbound throughout, hanging on for each new installment.

And why? Because this is one of those occasional British productions that, to me, gets it just right. They don't get it right very often, but when they do, nobody else comes close.

All the light, gloom and heart of the theatre, young love, growing up in a hurry, friends, enemies and characters of every shade between, shone through this glittering production.

To those who have already seen it; when was Colin Firth more captivating, John Castle as dark, vain and mysterious, Pamela Stephenson more compelling/repelling and the "oily" Alfred Marks more debauched. Who wouldn't have fallen for the vivacious Beatty Edney and who of you could have resisted the beautiful Carmen de sotoy. And Sir Laurence, the master playing a failed comedian.

The tale is it's characters, their routines on and off the stage, their successes, compromises, intrigues and their failures, and eventually for some of the cast it leads to murder.

There have been few television 'epics' as good, rich or satisfying - perhaps Brideshead Revisited, Pride and Prejudice, The Glittering Prizes, The Norman Conquests, The Naked Civil Servant, I Claudius, and The Camomile Lawn come to mind - but few others.

The settings are unbelievably convincing, the characters true to their time, the musical and dramatic numbers dripping with authenticity, and (glory be) sentimentality has been avoided at all costs. Perhaps because of this the characters have meant so much and what happens to them does matter.

I just can't understand why, in New Zealand in any case, the series has never been replayed.