Lark Rise to Candleford - Complete Series 1-4 [DVD]

"Lark Rise to Candleford" is another exemplary production that follows the heels of "Cranford" in what seems to be an ongoing revival of period series adapted from the English classics. It is, in every bit of its moments, PURE and JOYFUL IMMERSION into a bygone era of rural England, set in the Victorian 1880s. Based on Flora Thompson's "Lark Rise to Candleford" Trilogy, which was published in the late 1930s and early 1940s, this (loose) film adaptation is at times funny, always perceptive, and ultimately bittersweet. Unfortunately, its obvious sins are sometimes being maudlin (and thus, contrived) and corny, too, which can really make viewers squirm uncomfortably in their seats. This is evident in some (not all) of its dramatic and "funny" sequences. Plus, it is mostly sunny golden at the hamlet of Lark Rise and its neighboring market town Candleford. This is not your rainy and damp England.And yet, despite these drawbacks, "Lark R to C" is always redeemed by the highly likeable cast, strong performances by the same, a clever screenplay, and high-class meticulous attention to production details (the latter deserves more than honorable mention.) The story development also gets better with the passing of each episode. It brims with an earnest celebrative attitude towards rural life with songs and camaraderie, and there's no mistaking the love and care which the filmmakers have put into the production. It is perhaps this quality which makes the viewing so enjoyable (certainly more than enough to cover up its small sins.)The eponymous rural hamlet of Lark Rise and its busier eight-mile neighbor town Candleford are where the events take place. The tales are a strung-up assortment of sorts concerning country family life and traditions, rural attitudes about education, romantic rivalries, unrequited love, domestic violence and jealousy, lost fathers, and some Dickensian topics such as the harshness of the workhouse and child abuse. Seemingly at the center of these all is Olivia Hallinan's Laura Timmins, a young woman who hails from Lark Rise and who has subsequently come to Candleford to be under the charge of her more urbane cousin Dorcas Lane. It is Laura Timmins' journal that unravels the episodes. We hear a more adult version of her narrate events in a firsthand account. As such, the focus of the stories does not chiefly concern Laura's coming-of-age and her temporary disdain for her humble origins, but also looks into the lives of the other characters as well; in particular, her cousin Dorcas Lane.The effervescent Julia Sawalha, who has her own brand of sparkle, plays Dorcas Lane, the town postmistress who really has one weakness too many. In "Pride & Prejudice," Julia Sawalha plays Lydia Bennett, the sister who's prone to mischief; while in "Cranford," she's the long-suffering Jessie Brown. In "Lark R to C," she has both of these personalities in a well-balanced tow: forbearing and resigned to fate, but always with an infectious impishness lurking beneath. Notice the twinkle in her eyes, there's something impertinent about it that makes her portrayal very unique and a true enjoyment to watch. Her character, sarcastically referred to as "St. Dorcas" in one instance, is oftentimes the life of the town (she has around 60% of Dolly Levi in her.)Julia Sawalha is flanked by a great supporting cast. Notable among them are Brendan Coyle (whom we love in "North and South") and Claudie Blakely as Mr. and Mrs. Timmins, Ben Miles and the beautiful Olivia Grant as Squire and Lady Midwinter, Karl Johnson and Linda Bassett as the Turrills, Dawn French as the tipsy Caroline Arless, Liz Smith as the cranky housekeeper Zillah, newcomer John Dagleish as the lovelorn Alfie, and newcomer heartthrob Oliver Jackson-Cohen as Phillip the assistant gamekeeper. And who could resist the sumptuous location and production design?! The BBC outdoes itself again! The (manmade) locale and costumes are perfect and impeccable when it should be; very conducive to giving flesh and personality to Flora Thompson's sunny country novels.Some other minor complaints I have are:1. The UK packaging. There are four discs in all, but divided into two overlapping stacks on each side of the inner case. Note the words "overlapping stacks." This not only increases the chance of the discs getting scratches, but also becomes an impractical nuisance when taking them out again by chronology. I hope the upcoming US edition addresses this problem, for the sake of collectors.2. The Bonus Material, which only features "The Making of Lark Rise to Candleford." I wish they added a documentary about Flora Thompson and how she came to write these semi-autobiographical novels. It would also have been nice to add something about the workings of the postal service of olden days, the role of a Squire, the tradition of penny reading, or even provide the recipes for wine jelly and Banbury Cake. Yeah, yeah, I know I'm asking for too much. (^_^)To cap the review, I will repeat my introductory statement. "Lark R to C" is, in every bit of its moments, PURE and JOYFUL IMMERSION. People who delight in English country settings and tales from a slower era will no doubt rewatch this many times over. Perfect for chilling out on a lazy or rainy weekend afternoon with friends or loved ones. Also perfect for burning that midnight oil, just don't do it during weekdays. (-_^)"Arse is not a civil word." ~ Caroline Arless (Dawn French)"Love rarely crosses the great divide of social classes." ~ Dorcas Lane (Julia Sawalha)"I'm sure you won't always want to be bogged down in a backwater place like Candleford." ~ Mr. Rushton, the postal inspector, to Laura.*Ten episodes of anglophilic bliss, with English subtitles.

I have watched this whole series twice now and will watch it again. Based on the books written by Flora Thompson, this is a joyful beauty that only could be produced by the English. A little gem that will have you weeping with joy as well as sadness, that involves you with each and every character with equal interest. It is based on two towns - Lark Rise and Candleford, which are located 8 miles from each other. Lark Rise is a working man's town, dirt poor and scraping by to feed their children from day to day. It centres around Laura Timmins, a 16 year-old Lark Rise girl who is the narrator and who captures life in both towns in her journal. She is sent by her mother to Candleford, which is a prosperous town to work in the Post Office, owned by Dorcas Lane, who is a delightful single woman looked up to by both towns and is the centre of every event. You will fall in love with Queenie and Twister Turrell (the scene with them singing "Darling I am Growing Old" to each other will stay in your memory), The Arliss family starring Dawn French as Mother Arliss, Alf Arliss, the Timmins family, Pearl and Ruby Pratt who are the Candleford seamstresses. It is set in the late 1800's and clearly delineates the difficulty of life back then. I don't want to give anything away (although I'd love to!!) so I'll stop now. But buy it, each and every episode will have you sitting on your lounge, forgetting to feed the dog and yourself. Love it, love it, love it.

Gentle and thoroughly silly, this well-filmed, artful - if not a little too sanitised - depiction of rural life in the 'hamlet' of Larkrise, twinned with its more ilustrious village counterpart of Candleford, is thoroughly entertaining. Translating modern sentiments into a period soap works well enough to facilitate the transportation for an hour a time on a cloud of gentle sentimentality, pricked only ocassionally by the flimsiness of some of the concoctions. And to elicitit the ghost of longing for a softer, slower, more communal time when men were men and women were too, albeit with gentle manners and wearing unbelievably tight corsets, judging from the size of the acresses' waists. Apart, of course, from Dawn French who strides like a colossus - and not merely in girth - through mercifully only the first few of the series. A little to monumental in every way for the quietness of the storylines. Having said that, the weird, fixed, crescent-shaped slide of the Postmistress's lips become an object of mirth over the series. What's her name? Saffy? And young Laaara's - or is that Laura's - near weekly tearful state being delivered only as a result of the lass having to stare, unblinking, in order to summon sufficient lacrimonious response and reddened conjunctival reaction to depict her sorrow. And Mester Temmens's hamster cheeks wobbling in manly discomposure of yet another injustice against the poor of the land versus the have's. All in all, a jolly nice hour spent in preparation to end a weekend, ready for the sally-forth into the turmoil of the 21st century. Go on, buy it - you won't be disappointed!

Based on the book this series is a lovely, gentle, amusing, engaging story of a community on the edge of change. Nice characters— no swearing or gratuitous sex, no sleaziness— just good enjoyable stories of people you come to like quickly!