Aristocrats [3 Discs]

Director: David Caffrey

Overview

Originally shown on the BBC in 1999, the British miniseries The Aristocrats subsequently aired in America on the PBS anthology Masterpiece Theater. Adapted by Harriet O'Carroll from the novel by Stella Tilyard, the series, set during the 1700s, focuses on the tumultuous lives of four highborn ladies, all granddaughters of King Charles II. Heading the enormous cast are Anne-Marie Duff as Lady Louisa Lennox, Serena Gordon as Lady Caroline Lennox, Geraldine Somerville as Lady Emily Lennox, and Jodhi May as Lady Sarah Lennox.

Product Details

Release Date:	08/08/2006
UPC:	0054961843190
Original Release:	1999
Source:	Acorn Media
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo]
Language:	English
Time:	4:53:00

Special Features

Closed Caption;30 min. featurette "The Making of Aristocrats"; Stella Tillyard bio; Cast filmographies

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Alun Armstrong	Henry Fox
Serena Gordon	Caroline
Jodhi May	Sarah
Geraldine Somerville	Lady Emily
Ben Daniels	Lord Kildare
Julian Fellowes	Lord Richmond
Diane Fletcher	Lady Richmond,Louisa

Technical Credits

Rebecca Eaton	Executive Producer
Rod Stoneman	Executive Producer
Michael Wearing	Executive Producer
Christopher Hall	Producer
David Snodin	Producer

Scene Index

Disc #1 -- Aristocrats, Vol. 1
1. A Different World [5:45]
2. Pretty Persuasion [6:08]
3. "Live to the Full" [3:22]
4. Proposal Refused [6:12]
5. A Small Rebellion [5:09]
6. Lady Emily's Debut [6:45]
7. A Little Conversation [3:54]
8. Mr. Fox's Return [11:13]
1. Settlement Reached [7:08]
2. Married Lives [5:57]
3. Lady Caroline's Rival [8:28]
4. Two Wars End [3:33]
5. A Most Unhappy Night [4:14]
6. Torn Asunder Again [6:08]
7. Love Blossoms [4:18]
8. The Children Mature [9:06]
Disc #2 -- Aristocrats, Vol. 2
1. Sarah's London Launch [7:59]
2. A Prince Among Men [7:51]
3. Sarah Shows Promise [4:43]
4. A Kingly Pursuit? [7:50]
5. A Surprising Engagement [4:44]
6. Growing Dissatisfaction [8:01]
7. A Theatrical Turn [7:36]
1. A New Teacher [6:51]
2. Talk of the Town [4:17]
3. Sarah's Regrets [4:15]
4. Lord William's Desire [5:21]
5. Sarah's Revelation [4:34]
6. A Family Divided [10:44]
7. Stress Bears Down [2:59]
8. Louisa: Saving Angel [8:34]
Disc #3 -- Aristocrats, Vol. 3
1. Queen of Ireland [5:15]
2. Sarah's Reformation [7:09]
3. Temptations Arise [8:41]
4. Joys and Pains [7:51]
5. All Ireland Mourns [4:11]
6. Reconciliation and Loss [8:42]
7. Hopes for a Future [7:08]
1. Acceptance in London [8:53]
2. Garden in Turmoil [4:31]
3. Edward's Role [7:05]
4. Encroaching Terror [3:32]
5. Safe Passage [7:42]
6. Edward's Capture [3:40]
7. Languishing in Pain [5:12]
8. Peace at Last? [7:54]

Menu

Disc #1 -- Aristocrats, Vol. 1
Episode Selection
Part 1
Part 2
Scene Index
Part 1
Part 2
Special Features
The Making of Aristocrats
Profile of Author Stella Tillyard
Cast Filmographies
Serena Gordon
Geraldine Somerville
Anne-Marie Duff
Jodhi May
Julian Fellowes
Diane Fletcher
Alun Armstrong
Ben Daniels
John Light
Siân Phillips
Disc #2 -- Aristocrats, Vol. 2
Episode Selection
Part 3
Part 4
Scene Index
Part 3
Part 4
Disc #3 -- Aristocrats, Vol. 3
Episode Selection
Part 5
Part 6
Scene Index
Part 5
Part 6

Editorial Reviews

A sumptuously mounted BBC adaptation of Stella Tillyard's fascinating book, The Aristocrats vividly recreates 18th-century Britain and makes it a colorful backdrop for the history of a proud, pampered family descended from royalty. It zeroes in on the Lennox sisters, Caroline (Serena Gordon), Emily (Geraldine Somerville as a girl, Sian Phillips as a woman), Louisa (Anne-Marie McDuff), and Sarah (Jodhi May), who never forgot their lineage but never let it inhibit them. Headstrong Caroline, the oldest, takes center stage in the first part of this three-installment miniseries. Daring to fall in love outside her class -- with a politician 20 years her senior -- she is banished from the family estate and forbidden contact with her sisters. But don't confuse The Aristocrats with soap opera: It's actually nothing less than a four-hour pageant, resplendent with sibling rivalries, marital infidelities, class conflicts, and outright revolution. Best of all, you don't have to be a committed Anglophile to love it. The period settings are impeccably detailed, the dramatic values strong, and the cast uniformly superb.