hou-3
I got hold of this mini series after reading the outstanding novel by Julian Barnes on which it is based. The book is very deep and I didn't expect the series to follow it faithfully. Even so, the series is disappointing. It starts well, cutting quickly to Doyle's involvement in the miscarriage of justice and the way it freed him from the debilitating grief and guilt occasioned by his first wife's death. There was good period atmosphere, and some excellent location filming. But the second and third episodes went adrift. The complexity of the case seemed to defeat the scriptwriter who sought refuge in melodrama and to that end introduced some unhelpful and implausible additional plot lines. These included a murder, which made the case much more serious than the animal mutilations and anonymous letters which comprised the original crimes. The best I can say about it is that it occupies an evening in a reasonably entertaining way. But the novel is infinitely superior.
mrsmousefan-63-817200
Those lovely nine stars are of course for the program "Arthur & George"(2015). Of which I completely enjoyed. However, my review is on the Sour Grapes reviews of this well written, well acted, well presented, although very short lived piece of television entertainment. To those of you that did Not like, enjoy or were otherwise entertained by this program, I have this to say, and Please feel very free with all the negatives that you do enjoy spewing about a program that I Feel Very Strongly that No One tied you down to watch. ENOUGH!!! If you do NOT want to watch then You Do have The Power to change channels!!! No One wants to read your completely Negative remarks about how awful it all was!!! Thanking you All in advance.
Diane Ruth
Marvelous fun based upon Julian Barnes' amazing novel with the wonderful Martin Clunes in superb form as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Ed Whitmore's screenplay captures the magic and pathos of the book while dramatizing it with imagination and flair. As the great author endeavors to solve the mystery surrounding the unjust conviction of a solicitor, there is suspense, humor, and drama throughout the proceedings. Filmed beautifully and with careful attention to period detail, it is nothing less than fascinating to see Doyle brought to life and given such humanity by Clunes. Fans of Holmes will indeed find this a rewarding series and will revel in the exciting and riveting story of the creator of their hero and one of the true icons of English literature. Don't miss, especially if you know little of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's real life.
ianlouisiana
Yes,for heaven's sake,he was.We don't need reminding of it every few minutes.By the halfway point of the first episode even the most tolerant Sherlockian will have had their patience and goodwill tried by the incessant references to the good doctor's literary canon. In what might have been called "The Empty Horse",Holmes - sorry - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - investigates some equine disembowelling in the Midlands for which an Anglo - Indian solicitor has been imprisoned apparently on very little evidence. Depressed and suffering from writer's block that is stopping him from completing "Wisteria Lodge" after his wife's recent death,Doyle takes up the case and sets out to prove the wrongly - convicted man's innocence. Presumably somebody thought it might make good television,and to be fair the story could be padded out to fill a sixty minute slot for a Sunday night's soporific viewing.But three one - hour episodes? I don't think I'm going to last the course without my eyelids drooping. Mr M.Clunes looks like Mr Chips and sounds disconcertingly like Mr B. Paterson in a rare venture into dialect. Listening to him is an experience rather like watching Dr Johnson's dog walking on its hind legs. "Arthur and George" is a small delicate bloom that has been forced to flourish and dazzle at the Chelsea Show in a manner completely alien to its very nature. With his fascination for fairies and spiritualism Sir Arthur presents a soft target for desperate TV companies looking for a subject with a pre - sold provenance. If they ever discover he had a predilection for growing cucumbers I can only hope they don't pick Mr A.Titchmarsh to play him.