A Dance To The Music Of Time

Amazon.com There'll always be an England--and Anglophiles shall be forever grateful. A Dance to the Music of Time is a sumptuous, leisurely portrait of a time in Britain's history (from the 1920s to the '60s) that epitomizes the pinnacle of romance. At the center of this Dance is Nicholas Jenkins, the narrator of the tales of intrigue, infidelity, queer friendships, and ruthless ambition that intersect throughout the series. Jenkins is played by the appealing James Purefoy, who, with starring turns in the likes of the film Vanity Fair and the HBO series Rome, clearly has not met a period drama he could not master. Flawed but clear-eyed, Jenkins observes the machinations of the upper crust from a bit of a remove, as if watching a play unfold. And unfold it does. The plot is far too intricate to encapsulate, and in the end, plot isn't the appeal of British drawing-room dramas, anyway. Instead, it's the evocation of a time bound by intricate, unspoken rules--which participants seem to spend as much time and furtive energy trying to break as they do abiding by them. Notable characters include the greasy Widmerpool (played by the BAFTA-winning Simon Russell Beale), who, despite being utterly unremarkable, manages to build quite a career in the British government and military. John Gielgud is riveting as the novelist St. John Clarke, whose books are wildly popular but sniffed at by serious critics, and Miranda Richardson is the devilish Pamela Flitton. The miniseries bears more than a passing resemblance to the much-beloved Brideshead Revisited, and in fact the cast of characters is so complex that the boxed set includes a "cheat sheet" guide to the most prominent 15 of them. But keeping tabs is less important than simply being swept into the lush period of time and allowing its gorgeous details wash over the viewer. For Anglophiles, the experience of watching A Dance to the Music of Time is truly transcendent. --A.T. Hurley Product Description A brilliant adaptation of a literary masterpiece, often compared to the landmark miniseries Brideshead Revisited in scope and impact, A Dance to the Music of Time chronicles a half century of British upper-class life through the eyes of protagonist Nicholas Jenkins (James Purefoy, Rome). From the 1920s through the 1960s, friendship, adultery, ambition, and failure play out against the backdrop of London's social, political, and artistic life. Review Largely faithful adaptation of Powell's books, and boasts one of the most prestigious casts ever assembled. -- Inside Entertainment, December 2007 A brilliant cast. -- The Huffington Post, August 2007 Dance provides many pleasures, small, medium and large. -- Wilmington on DVD, September 2007 If you love epic history and the spectacle of bad behavior, this production will keep you entertained. -- Seattle Times, September 2007 Lavish and addictive. -- Los Angeles Times, August 2007