The Grand
(Series/Season One & Two Boxed Sets)
Picture:
C+ Sound: B- Extras: D Episodes: B-
The 1920s
is about to kick in and the one place those with money and good jobs are to be
found is at The Grand (1997, 1998) a
upscale potboiler soap opera that wants to be Upstairs, Downstairs and does have some of the cast and
budget. Though it is not as good, it is
an amusing, if often drawn-out show that is not exactly as exciting (or
outrageous) as Dynasty was, but has
some good writing and a likable cast.
There are
touches of melodrama here and there, but the story marches on in one way or
another through its intertwining storylines.
This is not too complex, but it was often viable just the same. There is the returning soldier, the female
workers with nowhere else to go if they lose their jobs, the rich who may or
may not be on the verge of losing their wealth, the guy who commits suicide
(where would we be without him?), and the hotel with financial problems of its
own. It is all the usual constructs you
would expect, but it is done with such effort and expense, that it is watchable
if you like this kind of set up.
This is
not the quieter, more thought-provoking British TV of the past, but is better
than what we usually get at this time.
The first part went over well enough that a second, longer follow-up was
produced and it is on par with the first series/season, though this is a case
where you need to start with the first set as it is still a soap opera. Though not for everyone, there are more than
enough people out there who have not seen The
Grand, but would like to visit.
The full
frame image is somewhat stylized for professional PAL videotape and that costs
the image some fidelity, but this is not obnoxiously so, and the sets of the
luxury hotel are constantly shown off to best effect. The Dolby Digital is available in 2.0 Stereo
and a much more engaging 5.1 AC-3 mix, even if it is still limited due to its
TV origins. The extras are scare,
limited to stills and biographies of the cast.
The Grand reminds me how British TV has
taken a slow turn for the worse, not because it is not good, but because this
feels more commercial than it might have, if it were made ten or more years
ago. It is sad British and U.S. TV need
some kind of artistic revivals, but there was a time when a show like The Grand was easier to deal with when
so much high-quality product was all over TV, as it is on the high quality
level, if not totally making the cut for the very best. Both boxes are available from Goldhil at www.goldhil.com for this and many other
hard-to-get British mini-series.
- Nicholas Sheffo
