Product Description

The BBC drama series adapted from Mary Gaskells classic novels of small town gossip secrets and romance. 1842. Cranford a market town in the North West of England is a place governed by etiquette custom and above all an intricate network of ladies. It seems that life has always been conducted according to their social rules but Cranford is on the cusp of change? For spinsters Deborah Jenkyns the arbiter of correctness in Cranford and Matty her demurring sister the town is a hub of intrigue - a handsome new doctor Frank Harrison from London has arrived; a retired Captain and his daughters have moved in to a house opposite and the preparations for Lady Ludlows garden party are underway. Everyone - from charming rogue Dr Marshland to mean Mrs Jamieson and her lap dog talks and is talked about behind closed doors. The town also has its secrets which it slowly reveals: Mattys encounter with an old flame at the garden party; Lady Ludlows gardener Mr Carter teaching a gypsy lad to read and write; the wild expectations of the May Day celebrations and - news that shakes the town when it is revealed - a railway line from Manchester is coming to Cranford.Running Time: 295 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/BBC UPC: 883929012404 Manufacturer No: 1000037442

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #155 in DVD
• Brand: Warner Brothers
• Released on: 2008-05-20
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.66:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 291 minutes

Amazon.com
Adapted from Elizabeth Gaskells' novels, the five-episode miniseries Cranford focuses on female characters in the 19th-century British town to thematically contemplate encroaching modernity in rural England. With the camera roving house to house, each drama within the grander story is constructed of scenes featuring dialogue between several gossipy ladies obsessed with moral code, romantic ideas about courtship, and social occasions. Three main characters, the ever-appropriate Deborah Jenkyns (Eileen Atkins), her sweet sister, Matilda (Judi Dench), and their younger, more savvy relative, Miss Smith, continuously weigh in on situations, providing a dependable view when other ladies, like the nosey Miss Pole (Imelda Staunton) are too judgmental. In fine period dress, the women of Cranford remind the viewer of how little action was needed in their small-town lives to provide unceasing entertainment. The series' most intriguing aspect lies not in the ample female conversation but rather in its display of earlier technologies and ways of life. Part One, for example, quickly launches a main narrative thread that runs throughout the series, namely the arrival and assimilation of London doctor, Frank Harrison (Simon Woods), into village society. Dr. Harrison's medical practices, such as his refusal to amputate a man's arm because it's broken, are all the more radical because they are so fundamental by today's standards. In subsequent episodes, he recommends Miss Smith get spectacles to cure her headaches, and saves his love's life by cooling her fever after conservative doctor, Dr. Morgan (John Bowe), recommends the old school practice of burying her in blankets in front of a raging fire. In Part Two, Lady Ludlow (Francesca Annis) throws a garden party at her estate, treating all the women in their fancy hats to a new novelty: ice cream. This scene foreshadows Ludlow's future concern at a railroad plan involving her land that would connect Cranford to Manchester, symbolizing the ruin of this idyllic setting.

In fact, fluffy and clever as some scenes are, death and rebirth assert themselves in each showing, both physically and idealistically. Part Four shows an auctioning off of a deceased man's antiques, and focuses on issues of class and women's education, as Mr. Carter teaches a peasant boy to read while his assistant fumes at her trappings as a seamstress. Part Five ushers in a new period of medical emergencies, securing Dr. Harrison's shaky position in town. In total, Cranford offers a powerful, if sentimental, look at how death begets life, love, and passion. ‹Trinie Dalton

Customer Reviews

Charming cheese, stellar performances
Cranford is an 1840s rural English village where nothing ever really changes and everything obeys an archaic social code of social calling, gossip and mild xenophobia. Thrown into this heady mix of social convention and small-town principles are Mary Smith (Lisa Dillon), the young friend of the Jenkyns sisters (Judi Dench, Eileen Atkins) and Dr. Harrison (Simon Woods), protogeé of the more established and more conventional Dr. Morgan (John Bowe).

The cast list reads like a Who's Who and Who's Left of A-List British acting talent: in addition to the players already named above (all of them giving excellent performances), we have Francesca Annis, Imelda Staunton, Philip Glenister, Deborah Findlay, Julia McKenzie, Michael Gambon, Julia Sawalha - the list goes on and on. I'll just say that the calibre of acting in "Cranford" represents some of the best work of all its principle actors, and make special mention of Judi Dench (the woman can do no wrong, it seems: her beautiful, heart-rending portrayal of Matty Jenkyns is engaging and extremely rewarding), Julia Sawalha (her Spinster-on-the-shelf is one of the series' high points) and Imelda Staunton and Julia McKenzie (roles to match that of Dench: we don;t see enough of either actress, though).

Production design and direction are every bit the equal of the eponymous Firth/Ehle "Pride and Prejudice" or the Gillian Anderson "Bleak House", and Sue Birtwhistle's witty, cleverly adapted script keeps everything moving forward at a gently progressive pace. It's unashamedly feel-good, but don't let the superficial triteness of parts of the plot put you off: "Cranford" contains a wealth of top-drawer acting talent and buckets enough of the feel-good factor, along with hefty dashes of black comedy and romantic drama, and makes the cheese factor a necessary and enjoyable facet of this wonderful series.

I can't tell you much more about "Cranford" without revealing plot spoilers, so I will not: but please don't take the shortness of this review as a reflection of the series' quality: "Cranford", everything about it and everyone in it, is absolutely excellent. If it has a flaw, it's that there's not enough of it to go round. You'll definitely be left wanting more, and in this case, that's a very, very good thing indeed.

Wholly recommended.

Charming perfection
The BBC has truly outdone itself with the wonderful production of "Cranford". The triumverate of Judi Dench, Eileen Atkins, and Imelda Staunton makes the series a sheer force of cinematic strength. All three of these leading lights prove incandescent, but their luminous brilliance does not vie for favor--rather, each actress perfectly coplements the other.

Nor is the skill limited to this trio. The supporting cast is also well-matched, with legends Michael Gambon and Francesca Annis lending their assistance, as well as Simon Woods (whom I recognized from "Rome"), the lovely Lesley Manville ("The Cazalets", "North & South"--the 2nd being another Mrs. Gaskell adaptation), and the darling Claudie Blakely ("Gosford Park", as well as 2005's "Pride & Prejudice"), to name but a few.

Purists may squirm that this film is not a verbatim reproduction of Elizabeth Gaskell's novel of the same name, but incorporates much of that book's plotline while adding in those of two other books by her, namely, "Mr. Harrison's Confessions" and "My Lady Ludlow". I found the result to be thoroughly enjoyable.

Cranford's society is dominated by a cadre of thoroughly proper ladies, domineered by the righteous Miss Deborah Jenkyns (Atkins). Her sister, Miss Mathilda (popularly known as Matty) Jenkyns, is softer-hearted; while Deborah is generally unyielding and stern, her sense of compassion and duty does ingratiate her character to the audience eventually. Miss Pole (Staunton) is easily the grande-dame of the village's gossip circuit and her near-hysterical antics in making certain she is "THE FIRST" to pass along juicy tidbits makes for several laugh-out-loud incidents.

While often light-hearted and amusing, "Cranford" does address more sobering issues, such as the rigorous class structure's inherent refusal to allow a person to better himself. This is best played out by Lady Ludlow's (Annis) disgust at learning her head clerk, Mr. Carter, has taught young Harry Gregson (the son of a local squatter/poacher) to read and write. Literacy, according to Lady Ludlow, is a privilege solely reserved for the upper classes; if the lower orders were to attain it, they would not remember their place.

The imminent arrival of the railway in Cranford is another focal point of the storyline. The majority of the village's citizenry loathe the idea and are terrified of the great changes it will surely herald for them all.
Romances, demises, losses of fortune, family squabbles, the bleaching of lace collars, and the manner in which to consume an orange with the greatest degree of propriety [quite seriously--and the results are most amusing!]: "Cranford" affords all this and much more, and will assuredly leave the viewer with gleeful smile and a full heart.

wonderful!
We absolutely loved this series. It was very clever and entertaining. It was well cast and acted and my husband even loved it.