The Pallisers - Set 3 (1977)

The entire story would be high-class soap opera if it were not for the truly human characters Trollope has given us and for the political truths that motivate the framing plots around the Palliser family's own story. I have already commented on many of them in past reviews, but the major one here is as timely as could possibly be. Planty (Philip Latham) is a strong Liberal but all through his career as Prime Minister has not passed one significant bill, being intent only on keeping a shaky coalition between his party and the Conservatives. He is deeply shocked and offended when his son (Anthony Andrews) goes into Parliament as a Conservative. More to the point, the father is put up against a wall of his own making when his son wants to marry not only the girl of his own choice but an American one at that. Suddenly he realizes that all his liberal ideas do not work-- for him! The governing class, he thinks, must work by its own rules. Well, just read the papers to see how that way of thinking works out.

It would also be difficult to miss the similarity between current events and the subplot of how the cad Lopez forces the Prime Minister to do "the right thing," is driven to suicide by high society, and then after his death gains their sympathy, helping to bring down the government.

The artistic direction continues to be just about perfect, as Susan Hampshire points out in one of the three interviews given as a special feature on these DVDs. Even the manners--the simultaneous tipping of men's hats as the ladies appear--seem just right. And there is great humor in the scene in which Planty tries to explain to the Americans how the family of a nobleman are not themselves noble but "commoners"--still, by no means "common."

Now perhaps someone will get that other grand Susan Hampshire series, "The Forsyte Saga," onto a recording. But until then, grab this offering from Acorn Media. July 21, 2001

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