Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #43901 in DVD
• Released on: 2002-04-16
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 187 minutes

Amazon.com
For those who have relished the first two installments of Barbara Taylor Bradford's beloved Emma Harte trilogy, To Be the Best offers a satisfying close to the story. Viewers should begin with A Woman of Substance, in which Emma, determined to ruin the upper-class family who wronged her, achieves her dream of becoming one of the richest women in the world. Next is Hold the Dream, in which Emma's granddaughter Paula inherits her retail empire and struggles to find balance between her high-powered business dealings and her longing for romance. Finally, in the close of the trilogy, To Be the Best, Paula (Lindsay Wagner) comes into her own as a woman, mother, wife, and businesswoman.

While not as captivating as the first parts of the trilogy, To Be the Best has its strengths, including a standout performance from Academy Award® winner Anthony Hopkins, who plays Paula's chief of security. Thanks to Hopkins's performance, what might otherwise have seemed like a long-lost episode of Dynasty is also part espionage thriller. As Paula gets inveigled into a series of compromising business situations in Hong Kong, it is her dapper and debonair chief of security who repeatedly saves the day. --Tara Chace

From the Back Cover
Barbara Taylor Bradford's much-loved trilogy that began with A Woman of Substance is made complete with To Be the Best, a tale of love and betrayal set in exotic Hong Kong, London and New York. Paula O'Neill - Emma Harte's favorite granddaughter and successor - struggles to save the retail empire built by her grandmother, while also striving to sustain her marriage and family life. Lindsay Wagner (Once in a Lifetime) stars as Paula O'Neill, the determined granddaughter of the heroine of A Woman of Substance. Also stars Academy Award-winner Anthony Hopkins (The Silence of the Lambs), Stephanie Beacham (Dynasty, Secret) and Christopher Cazenove (Dead Man's Island). DVD SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDE: and exclusive interview with author Barbara Taylor Bradford, cast filmographies, scene index and more.

Customer Reviews

A poor follow-on to a Woman of Substance
Being a great fan of the Woman of Substance, I was sorely disappointed in this 3rd entry in a trilogy about the Emma Harte legacy written by Barbara Taylor Bradford.

This is soap opera trash at its worst. The plot devices are weak and quite distasteful: drugs, a prostitute turned shy wife, an over-the-top vindictive cousin/villain. The fight seens are choreographed so badly that I had to laugh. Lindsay Wagner is neither British nor convincing as the Harte CEO, Paula O'Neill, granddaughter of Emma Harte. David Robb as the disappointed husband Shane O'Neill comes across whiney and helpless - a far cry from the supportive, driven and romantic character played by Stephen Collins in Hold the Dream. I cannot figure out why Stephanie Beacham would consent to play such an awful 1-dimensional character as Arabella - the french whore who marries the vindictive cousin at the request of his "loyal" Chinese side-kick. There are a few good moments of activing from Anthony Hopkins as chief of Harte's security. But the plot just doesn't make sense - the robbery at the beginning of the movie is never solved or explained; and why would Paula risk losing the stores by selling her stock knowing that her cousin is out to ruin her?

A Woman of Substance was a magnificent book and its mini-series is very well done. This third entry in the Harte trilogy is rubbish. Don't waste your time.

The worst I have ever seen!
When I watched this movie I kept asking myself, what the hell is this? I found it poorly acted, ridiculous and stupid.
What a shame after the other two, those were so good, please do not waste money buying this piece of rubbish!!
It leaves you with a very sour taste in your mouth!

Bad DVD
I didn't pay attention to the other reviews of this DVD and decided to try it. Bad Idea!!!! It is so unlike the book as to be laughable. Jack Figg wasn't even in the first series of Emma Harte novels. Philip Amory never had anything to do with the stores, and Sandy was the head of Harte Enterprises and wouldn't have been gambling in Hong Kong. Shane never resented Paula's work in the book. The DVD never mentions Paula's first twins. Where did they go since their father had died? What happened to Linnett, Paula's younger daughter? Lindsay Wagner as a red haired Brit is a disgrace. Her British accent comes and goes. I can see why Barbara Taylor Bradford introduces this DVD. It needed all the help it could get.

Please pay attention to this review and DON'T waste your money on this DVD.