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A Year in Provence, A - Complete Set (DVD, 2001, 2-Disc Set)
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Approximately£27.56
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What a dissappointment. A 4 part 'mini-series' purported to be a faithful adaptation of Peter Mayle's best seller, it captures none of the magic so prevalent throughout the novel. It sinks to the absurb when, supposedly after a year living in France, the Mayle character continues to speak english to his new countrymen while they respond in french-all this so the non-french speakers in the audience can discern what the french are saying; put it all in french and give us subtitles, PLEASE! With so many wonderful short stories and subplots contained within 'Provence' the novel, one is left to speculate why the screenwriters needed push aside Mayle the author and concoct their own. While Mayle the novel basks in the glow of french country culture of food, wine and fresh air, the video treatment substitutes a look at Mayle's wife (a mere shadow in the book), a near affair with a parisian hag, and a drawn out sequence concerning a stolen postbox. At least one has the french countryside to look at, beautifully shot, right? Well no, at least not with my copy. The cinematography is indeed grand. However, the colors were washed out and no amount of color saturation on my set was able to bring them in. Hopefully this was just an artifact of my copy. The highlights are provided the supporting actors Marcel Champel (the scruffy neighbor Rivier, aka Masot) and Jean-Pierre Delage (the plumber Colombani aka Menicucci)- absolutely brilliant.Read full review
A complete delight from beginning to end! I have to admit that I have not read the book, so I cannot compare the original with this dramatization of it. No matter. I firmly believe that a movie or TV show can, and perhaps should, be judged on its own merits, and thus judged this is a real winner. What is truly amazing about this production, then, is the acting of John Thaw in the role of Peter Mayle, the author of the book. To me, and probably to many (most?) others, Thaw is and always will be Inspector Morse, the leading character of the universally acclaimed Mystery! series. In that role he plays to perfection a sardonic, caustic, almost driven loner, one whose face seems to be carved out of granite (only rarely does his smile ever reach as high as his eyes). As Peter Mayle, however, he plays an open, friendly, very human being, one with a face most definitely made up of flesh and bone just like the rest of us, and this he also manages to do with perfection. The difference he makes between Morse and Mayle is the signature of a truly fine actor. (Gary Cooper was a great actor, too, but it was because no one could play the role of Gary Cooper better than he, and it was a role we all loved. Can you imagine him, however, in the role of Morse as well as that of Will Kane?) Lindsay Duncan, hitherto unknown to me, is also perfect as Mayle's wife, and the rest of the characters, most of them French, do great jobs in their roles. Some may cavil at the fact that throughout the French actors speak only French, and that no English sub-titles are provided the viewer. Such quibbling, however, seems to me to miss the whole point, which is to get the viewer to feel and empathize with what it's like to be plonked down in a place where you can only understand a smattering of what is said to you and can only reply in a 'pigeon' version of the language being spoken. I know the feeling very well, and can still remember when, on a bicycle tour of Europe, I went into a hotel and (thought that I) asked for a room for the night, and then was very politely escorted to the WC. I'll freely admit, however, that this show may not be to everyone's liking, but if you enjoy the old B & W comedies of Alec Guiness, then I really believe you will enjoy this one, too. jayjayayeRead full review
I bought this DVD set for my wife but we had both seen it on PBS and we both enjoyed it very much. John Thaw is terrific as Peter Mayle, a retired British executive who travels with his wife, Annie (Lindsay Duncan), to the quaint French countryside in southern France for some peace and quiet from the rat race, in order to write his novel in this autobiographical story. Annie has also just retired from her job too, but she worked in the government Tax office, and her retirement was much less celebrated than her husband's had been from his company! Peter Mayle doesn't know any French and his wife, Annie knows some. They try to get work done on their farmhouse done by the local contractors and plumbers and pool cleaners, etc, through faltering communication and the antics are hysterical! Also, back home in England - everyone now thinks that they have a new vacation destination - and they descend on the Mayle's during every season - and the house is always in some state of de-construction! This 2 DVD set goes through their first four seasons in Provence. I only remember a smattering of high school French, but my wife lived in France for a while and can appreciate the French the floats up in the background of the stories. I think this is a terrific and very enjoyable tale. I recommend this to anyone who has ever seen the humor in moving to a new place and feeling awkward there, or can relate to having trouble communicating (think of the game "Pass the Secret"!) I think it will give you a chuckle!Read full review
We watched “A Year in Provence” on the A&E Channel when it was first broadcast way back when , and because we enjoyed it so much we bought the series on four VHS tapes (one for each season), now updating to a more modern format. Although Peter May can’t speak much French it’s very entertaining as it’s easy to understand. I believe it was shot on location so the background scenery is great of the country side.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
This series was recorded on film. Apparently, no effort has been made to restore the film or the digital version. The tale was engaging but the book was better.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
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