Edward & Mrs. Simpson (1978/A&E)
Picture: C+
Sound: C+ Extras: B- Episodes: B-
The famous 1978 British TV Mini-Series version of the
scandalous affair between Edward & Mrs. Simpson is finally on DVD
from A&E. The Thames production
offered Edward Fox as the British King who has a mistress and eventually
decides to step down from his throne just to be with the woman (Cynthia Harris)
he loves. Too bad she is not as
faithful as he thought.
Simon Raven’s teleplay is split into the following seven
hour-long episodes:
1) The
Little Prince
2) Venus At
The Prow
3) The New
King
4) The
Divorce
5) The
Decision
6) Proposals
7) [withheld
as it is a spoiler]
The story is also about how, in order to have Mrs. Simpson
legitimized, Edward keeps struggling with making the right decisions about his
life, future and the only life he has ever know. Should he “put his kingdom up for sale” as it were to be with the
woman he loves? . Little does he realize how he is being used,
but it is one of many things that happen in his life that becomes too late to
change or do anything about. This is
exceptionally cast, including famous actors like Peggy Ashcroft, Patrick
Troughton and Nigel Hawthorne in key roles, but the production feels a bit dated
from the time of its first broadcast over a quarter-century ago. The romance tends to push world events in
the background, maybe too much, while there has always been an odd, choppy feel
to this material. Even from watching it
in its initial broadcasts, it feels like this could have gone on a few more
chapters. It is still a British TV
original and has been remade since, so its place in TV history is assured. If you have not seen it, it is a must-see at
least once and being introduced to it with such a quality set can only be a
plus.
The 1.33 X 1 full screen image was shot in the analog PAL
format, and the quality once again is great for its time. After looking at a few of these Thames
productions on DVD, it is obvious that Fremantle Media and A&E are
coordinating as high a quality of product as possible, while the Thames catalog
has been properly taken care of. That
is great news for fans of great television and all these classics. The original monophonic sound has once again
been boosted to a simple stereo that A&E has been doing right for years and
clarifies the sound so nicely. Thus,
the Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo has solid playback as a result and is at the usual
384 kilobits-per-second A&E has their sound at, which is higher than the
rest of the industry. The theme and
music by Ron Grainer is not bad, but not my favorite work of his, however
appropriate to the story. The theme
never stayed with me, then or now. The
only extra is an ace of a program on Wallis Simpson from A&E’s landmark Biography
series, but you should only watch this after seeing the shows. That is why it is on the second of two DVDs
in the set when the series ends. Edward
& Mrs. Simpson is a classic true story that will continue to fascinate,
even as the current royal family offers new shocking incidents and actions as
this review posts.
- Nicholas Sheffo
