Maggie Smith At The BBC (DVD Set)

 

Picture: C+     Sound: C+     Extras: C+     Telefilms: B

 

 

Though she is not getting the attention she deserves in her twilight years, Maggie Smith is one of the great actresses and has had a deservedly long, enduring career with a diverse series of roles, some of which were most challenging.  Though she was able to do this in feature films, she worked on the stage and in other media as the new Maggie Smith At The BBC DVD Set shows with four telefilm performances from their archive long overdue for release.  They include:

 

The Merchant Of Venice (1972) as Portia opposite Charles Gray as Antonio in this solid adaptation of the Shakespeare masterwork, though both actors were on a roll in feature films, they took the time out to make this and it brings The Bard alive very well.

 

The Millionairess (1972) has Smith and Gray working together again and joined by a pre-Doctor Who Tom Baker in this terrific adaptation of the George Bernard Shaw play of wealth, manners, the caste system and human nature.  James Villers, Peter Barksworth, Donald Pickering and Pricilla Morgan also star.

 

Talking Heads: Bed Among The Lentils (1988) is an elongated monologues piece written by Alan Bennett with Smith essentially carrying on a one-woman show.  She is an unhappy, married alcoholic who may just come to terms with her life or stay miserable.

 

Suddenly Last Summer (1993) has her as Violet Venable opposite a brain surgeon played by Rob Lowe, with Natasha Richardson, Richard E. Grant and Moira Redmond in Tennessee Williams’ classic, groundbreaking play.  The tale is as potent as ever, especially as we seem to slide back on the subject of mental illness, power and hate.

 

 

Smith is fine across the board, proving to be a real treasure, but her energy and skill go hand in hand to create three-dimensional performances few could pull off.  If you like great acting and especially have not seen enough of here work, this set is a great place to start.

 

 

The 1.33 X 1 image is on the soft side, but look pretty good for their age, all originating on analog PAL video.  The Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono may be dated-sounding, but the simple recordings play back just fine with only minor flaws in both cases.  Extras include Smith in the BBC radio play version of The County Wife, two vintage interviews from (1967 & 1973) the BBC archive sand a new tribute featurette.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo