Cheap Monarch of the Glen - Series One (DVD) (Richard Stroud, Richard Signy, Simon Massey (II), Edward Bennett, Robert Knights, Julian Holmes, Brian Kelly (XIII), Paul Harrison, A.J. Quinn, David Caffrey (II)) Price
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There is no emergency, as it turns out, just a gambit by Archie's mother, Molly (the radiant Susan Hampshire), to effect a reconciliation between her son and his cantankerous, relentlessly bitter father, Hector (Richard Briers). The reason: Archie, much to his surprise, must legally assume Hector's longtime role as Laird of Glenbogle, the MacDonalds' 400-year-old, financially strapped 40,000-acre estate. Despite their lengthy estrangement, Hector needs Archie to save the family's honor and assets.
The eight episodes in this first season of Monarch of the Glen find the urbane Archie fiercely resisting his obligation at first, then warming to it as Glenbogle's plight becomes more personal--not just an issue of hereditary leadership but of new attachments to the series' endearing, mildly eccentric characters. Among them is Lexie (Dawn Steele), the estate's sexy, street-smart cook; shy Duncan (Hamish Clark), an underachieving, kilt-wearing handyman; leftist land-reformer Katrina (Lorraine Pilkington), warily circling Duncan as a romantic interest; and avuncular, lovably laconic groundskeeper Golly (Alexander Morton).
Monarch takes a couple of delightful episodes to introduce these good people and establish story particulars and conflicts. But depth and emotional resonance arrive by the third episode (the MacDonalds have their share of repressed, unspoken old agonies) and remain through the last episode's cliffhanger ending. If that's not enough, the spectacular Highlands scenery is pure eye candy: castles, glimmering lakes, misty hills. One never wants to leave, or to see Monarch end. --Tom Keogh
| CATEGORY: | DVD |
| DIRECTOR: | Richard Stroud, Richard Signy, Simon Massey (II), Edward Bennett, Robert Knights, Julian Holmes, Brian Kelly (XIII), Paul Harrison, A.J. Quinn, David Caffrey (II) |
| THEATRICAL RELEASE DATE: | 01 January, 2001 |
| MANUFACTURER: | BBC |
| MPAA RATING: | NR (Not Rated) |
| FEATURES: | Color, Closed-captioned |
| TYPE: | Television |
| MEDIA: | DVD |
| # OF MEDIA: | 2 |
| UPC: | 794051181121 |
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Customer Reviews of Monarch of the Glen - Series One
Charming, Sentimental, Inspiring! Television shows that can truly warm the heart are hard to find nowadays yet, thanks to the BBC, we now have a stunning example of one that most assuredly can. Monarch of the Glen, whilst probably best described as a drama, is in reality a cleverly constructed blend of drama, romance and, of course, humour. And by humour I do not mean of the American sit-com style (no offence), but rather a charming comedy with formidable wit and an acute sense of irony. This style of comedy is Britain's gift to the world, and it especially suits the British, Irish and Australian sense of humour. Nevertheless, the show is very well written, and its comic undertones should be easily spotted by most viewers.
The show itself is centred around Archie MacDonald, Laird of Glenbogle (and, in the 2nd series, Chief of Clan MacDonald), who abandons his London lifestyle to return to his ancestral home in the West Highlands of Scotland. Indeed, it is this conflict that forms the basis of this 1st season and, although Archie ultimately chooses to stay with his family and kinsmen in the glen, he at times appears to yearn for his former life on the Thames. This homesick-whist-at-home contradiction serves to make Archie a complex yet accessible character, at times unsure of where he truly belongs. Add romantic intrigue, and some genuinely lovable supporting characters, and you have in essence the simple brilliance of this show. Of the support characters, for me the standouts must surely be the ever bushy-tailed Lexie, the delightfully dotty Molly (Susan Hampshire at her most winsome), and that dependable old highlander, Golly MacKenzie.
As a series, Monarch of the Glen possesses a charm rarely found on modern television and, whilst the mood is for the most part light and funny, many scenes are surprisingly moving. The emphasis on clanship and the bonds of family and homeland are unashamedly sentimental, and the ruggedly beautiful highland landscape is simply breath-taking. Conversation between the characters is superbly constructed and, beneath the pleasantries and somewhat misleading appearance of landed gentry, lays the reality of simple, kind-hearted folk, bound together by loyalty and love for one another.
A witty, charming, and heart-warming show, Monarch of the Glen stands as a rare gem in comparison to the formulaic and rigidly structured nature of modern television. It is also presented here on a brilliant DVD, with the widescreen transfer displaying the luscious landscapes of the Scottish Highlands in majestic style. The Dolby Stereo soundtrack is also well mastered and proves more than adequate, as well as being a vast improvement over the audio transfer on the UK Disc.
Only the American edition lets you see the full old glory
Beautiful series. Magical scenery, deeply evocative musical score, characters you can actually care about, and often-sentimental scripts which, even so, are well on the safe side of mawkish or cloying. This is classic "mood" television; even when you become sick of the storylines, the scenery and the music will bring you back to your favourite episodes time and time again. From episode one onwards, it's clear that this is a programme made with heart, as well as style.
Whilst it is true that, currently, Series 1-4 are available in the UK on DVD and Series 1 is also available in Australia, this US Region 1 DVD release is the only edition worldwide to give viewers an anamorphic widescreen image. The UK and Australian discs crop/zoom the original 16:9 image to a 4:3 screen, thereby cheating viewers of the full beauty of the cinematography of this series. Even the possible issue of PAL-to-NTSC conversion artefacts with a R1 disc of a BBC series seems a risk well worth taking, and in the event the picture here is beautiful, sharp, clear and very watchable.
Nice one, BBC America. Let's see the rest of the show soon on your DVD schedule, because you're the only ones in the world doing it 100% right where it counts. I've paused my "Monarch" collecting to wait for you. :)
Can't we go any higher than five?!
There are too few words in the English language to describe this show. The scenery is gorgeous, the cast is top-notch, the plot is engaging, the music is inspiring...and best of all, the show has been recorded to DVD in its entirety, not cut down as it's been to air on BBC America to allow for commercials. If you've ever seen the show on BBCA before, would you believe they hack out about 14 minutes worth of the show ON AVERAGE for commercials? There are many precious scenes -- some essential to your understanding of the storyline, some just plain funny or touching -- that you WILL see if you spend the money on this DVD collection. Disc two has all the extras on it: cast bios, British trailers for the show and a short "Making of Monarch" documentary filmed for British TV. If you even remotely enjoy the show, this set is worth the money.
My only complaint is the ENORMOUSLY long waiting period fans have had to endure before the release of the show on DVD...Series One was filmed back in 1999. Over in the UK, they have recently enjoyed the release of series FOUR on DVD this past year.
Waiting (not so) patiently for the release of Series Two in May.....