Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: DVD
EAN: 0054961856398
Format: Box set
Label: ACORN MEDIA
Languages: Array
Manufacturer: ACORN MEDIA
MPN: 8563
Number Of Items: 4
Publisher: ACORN MEDIA
Region Code: 1
Release Date: 2006-03-28
Running Time: 551
Studio: ACORN MEDIA
Theatrical Release Date: 1998-02-08

With evocative settings in Cookson’s northeast England, eras from the mid-1800s to World War I come alive in these four powerful dramas that portray the harshness of the English class system and the redemptive power of love. Stars include Sean Bean, Julian Wadham, Juliet Aubrey, Jack Davenport, Honeysuckle Weeks, and Ian Bannen.

The Wingless Bird—On the brink of World War I, three very different families are linked by a shopkeeper’s daughter who is determined to make a better life for herself. Seen on Masterpiece Theatre. Approx. 148 min.

The Moth—In 1913, a talented carpenter leaves the Jarrow shipyards to work in a small village where an encounter with an ethereal girl-child changes his life. Approx. 151 min.

The Rag Nymph—In an impulsive act of charity that changes her life, a rag and bone lady in the slums of Victorian Newcastle takes in the 10-year-old daughter of a prostitute. Approx. 148 min.

The Fifteen Streets—A rugged Tyneside dockworker and the daughter of a wealthy local shipbuilder fall in love and try to bridge the social gulf that divides them. Nominated for an International Emmy® Award. Approx. 104 min.
Brutal family brawls, World War I post-traumatic stress, religious skepticism, and child prostitution--not what you expect from a collection of romances! But though Catherine Cookson's novels emphasize the redemptive power of love, they never lose sight of the harsher side of life. Certain themes recur again and again, particularly the cruelty of class snobbery (before she became one of the wealthiest women in England, Cookson worked as a servant). But her treatment of class is nuanced and complex; in The Wingless Bird, for example, an upper-crust couple oppose their son marrying a shopgirl--but the shopgirl's middle-class parents are just as hostile to their other daughter marrying a lower-class bloke. In The Rag Nymph--perhaps the most enjoyable of the four, with its detailed Victorian setting and ripping plot--an orphan girl hopes a gentleman will marry her, but her dream is clearly portrayed as folly, while the class-bridging romance of The Fifteen Streets--set at the turn of the century--has a chance to triumph, as does the 1913 romance between a carpenter and an heiress in The Moth.

Cookson's romances lack the wit and subtlety of Jane Austen or the theatricality and invention of Charles Dickens, but her vigorous storytelling combined with her unblinking eye towards class and violence in ordinary life--both physical and emotional--make her stories vivid and engaging. The excellent casts don't hurt either; these miniseries are dotted with actors who went on to great acclaim in movies and television, including Sean Bean (The Lord of the Rings, the Sharpe series), Jane Horrocks (Absolutely Fabulous, Little Voice), Jack Davenport (Coupling, Pirates of the Caribbean), Juliet Aubrey (The Mayor of Casterbridge), Honeysuckle Weeks (Foyle's War), and more. Hopeful yet honest, romantic but skeptical, these four adaptations splendidly demonstrate Cookson's blend of tart and sweet. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Rating:
Summary: SOME OF THE BEST OF COOKSON'S STORIES
Comment: Catherine Cookson was a master storyteller. Her books continue to sell well. Her movies were hard to find. Now...GREAT NEWS, the British television adaptations of some of Cookson's best stories are here on DVD.

There is usually some violence involved in these Victorian stories as Cookson wrote about the common and poor people of the Victorian era, not the aristocrats. Their life style was much harsher, dirty, and troublesome. Cookson was able to show romance, love, and family value in many of her characters as well. You will get quite a mix of characters, and many will be as unforgettable as the story itself.

The settings for all these story portrayals will give you the urge to travel to the Newcastle area of England to see the sights for yourself.

Warning: Keep this set on the adult shelf. Almost all of the stories, because of the people and region portrayed in the tale, offer segments unacceptable to younger children due to language, sexuality, violence, nudity, or content. But the other 97% is "BANG-ON."

5-stars for each movie in this set.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Adult Shows for adults
Comment: After watching the semi-porn, violence infested, vulgarly spoken American trash, it was wonderful to watch adult stories presented tastefully.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Terrific Set for Period Films
Comment: I've only just discovered Catherine Cookson's films recently. Being in the US, I never realized just how popular they are and luckily for me, they've adapted many of them to film. Of the 4 films in this 1st box set, I've only seen The Moth and The Wingless Bird. But those 2 have been such great productions, I can't wait to finish the rest. The production quality and actors are surprisingly first rate. Though not as grand as typical BBC productions, these films still capture that authentic feel for these periods. What I like most is that these stories and characters offer more than the typical romances. They always manage to also capture real issues of the day. I'm definitely going to look up the 2nd box as well.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Great Buy
Comment: I bought this set for my mother and she loved it, so much so that I bought the next set. If you enjoy period drama then you can't really go wrong with this collection

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Historical Romance
Comment: These movies are wonderful and done in the most realistic fashion as only the BBC can do. They stick very close to Ms. Cookson's books and I will look at them over and over. This set is very nice and in some of them the ending is happy and some not so happy....but that is the way life really is. Also it was even harder in the UK in the past centuries for the poor. They knew their "place" and did not expect much. Just buy these if you like romance and history and you will not be disappointed.

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