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Lillie - The Complete Collection [1978]

Starring: Francesca Annis, Anton Rodgers, Denis Lill, Peter Egan, Jennie Linden
Director: Tony Wharmby John Gorrie Christopher Hodson
Format: Box set PAL
Released: 05 Jan 2004
RRP: £29.99
Average Rating:

Customer Reviews

Lillie Complete TV Series - Excellent! - By: S. Johnson, 22 Mar 2008
I found this whilst scanning for Victorian / Edwardian period drama & although I was only 11 years old when it was released, can't say I remember it. What can I say? This is a very enjoyable series; I watched one episode a week though it is very difficult not to watch another! I think it is well screened with only a few obvious cardboard cut out scenery shots but this certainly does not detract from the fine acting particularly from Francesca Annis, Anton Rodger, Denis Lill, Peter Egan & Jennie Linden with a few surprise actors & actress' along the way.
I bought this for a great price new & it is packaged very nicely.
I would thoroughly recommend this title if you are into this kind of thing.
Well directed, good quality filming & acted - a great historical dramatisation! - By: Peter Penberthy, 30 Aug 2007
Having lived for more than 33 years in Bournemouth (the location of 'Langtry Manor', the home which Edward, the Prince of Wales, bought for Lillie) I was fascinated to learn the 'real' history of the 'Jersey Lillie'. I rented the 13 TV episodes with Amazon's excellent DVD rental service in less than 3 weeks! Francesca Annis plays a superb 'Lillie', as do the rest of the cast in their respective character roles. I learned so much about Lillie's life from this series. It reallly is such a well researched & presented DVD & I cannot recommend it more highly! I have even enjoyed a most wonderful Edwardian Dinner Evening at Langtry Manor, courtesy of Tara & Miles Howard, commemorating the evenings which Lillie must have hosted, on many occasions, including guests such as Oscar Wilde, Lord Derby, not to mention Edward, the Prince of Wales. For alll those who brought this wonderful story to the screen - a big 'thank you'!
A True Story of a Victorian Society Beauty - By: E. A. Redfearn, 14 Jul 2004
First shown in 1978, this television classic makes a welcome addition for DVD collectors. Having read the true story of Lillie Langtry, this version tries very hard to be true to as it was during the Victorian/Edwardian era. Lillie Langtry, born in Jersey, marries a rather backward & selfish Irishman who neglects her throughout the early years of their marriage. Finding themselves in London Lillie finds her niche within Victorian upper middle class society as it was. She becomes a model, then an actress, but makes her name as mistress to Bertie Prince of Wales & later King Edward VII (admirably played by Denis Lill). Overalll, its a fine series to watch, spread over four discs. Picture is rather soft, perhaps shot in soft focus to enhance its period detail which is rather good taking into account the set designs & locations used. A fine supporting cast including Peter Egan (Oscar Wilde) Anton Rogers (Edward Langtry), & Jennie Linden (Lady Cornwalllis-West) admirably support the lovely Francesca Annis as Lillie. If you like good old fashioned television series depicting British Society History, then you should give this a try. Can be bought for a great price too.
A VICTORIAN SIREN... - By: Lawyeraau, 15 Dec 2002
This thirteen part Masterpiece Theatre series, which first aired in 1979, is certainly worth watching as it is quite entertaining & well done. Detailing the life & loves of the notorious Lillie Langtry, the Victorian era superstar, it gives the viewer a taste of an era gone by. Well acted by a stellar cast, the production suffers only from the unfortunate lighting used in the nineteen seventies, giving the sets & actors a somewhat washed out & flat appearance. That being said, it is still a series well worth watching.

Born on the British isle of Jersey to a womanizing clergyman & his wife, Lillie grew up as a tomboy with a rare beauty. At an early age, she married Edward Langtry, a purportedly wealthy yachtsman from a shipping family, who took her to live in Southampton. There, she found life not to her liking. She soon discovered that her husband had sold her a bill of goods, as his wealth had long been spent. After a bout with a serious illness, she contrived a move to London, where she was exposed to a taste of high society. After a false start, she got noticed by the local swells & became a renowned beauty, sought after by alll. Now, a fashionable society woman, she found herself with her name on everyone's lips. Lillie eventuallly came to the attention of the married Prince of Wales & became his mistress.

Trapped in her loveless marriage with the hapless & alcoholic Edward Langtry, Lillie went on to have numerous love affairs with some of the most sociallly prominent & wealthy men of her day & eventuallly had a love child. Courted by alll, her beauty & need for money brought her to the stage, where she became an actress with her own company. Her fame by now had spanned the ocean & made her a celebrity in America, as well as in Europe.

Lillie certainly knew the value of marketing, as she endorsed numerous products with her name. A woman ahead of her time, who marched to the beat of her own drum, she still went to great pains to avoid scandal, though it was never far from her doorstep. Alas, in the end, her fame & beauty decimated by age, her lovers dead or gone, Lillie, no longer the toast of two continents, ended up nothing more than a lonely old lady.

The cast for this production is stellar & the costumes are first rate. Francesca Annis is beautiful & certainly gives a good performance as the notorious Lillie. Though her performance is acclaimed, however, one cannot help wondering why such a fuss was ever made over Lillie, as she comes across as supremely shalllow & vapid. Perhaps, it is because Ms. Annis' portrayal of Lillie is somewhat one dimensional & rather flat. Peter Egan, on the other hand, is superb as Oscar Wilde and, as far as I am concerned, steals the show. Filled with much social intrigue & witty repartee, the series will keep the viewer riveted to the screen.

Those who like period pieces & historical dramas will most certainly enjoy this one.

A VICTORIAN SIREN... - By: Lawyeraau, 15 Dec 2002
This thirteen part Masterpiece Theatre series, which first aired in 1979, is certainly worth watching as it is quite entertaining & well done. Detailing the life & loves of the notorious Lillie Langtry, the Victorian era superstar, it gives the viewer a taste of an era gone by. Well acted by a stellar cast, the production suffers only from the unfortunate lighting used in the nineteen seventies, giving the sets & actors a somewhat washed out & flat appearance. That being said, it is still a series well worth watching.

Born on the British isle of Jersey to a womanizing clergyman & his wife, Lillie grew up as a tomboy with a rare beauty. At an early age, she married Edward Langtry, a purportedly wealthy yachtsman from a shipping family, who took her to live in Southampton. There, she found life not to her liking. She soon discovered that her husband had sold her a bill of goods, as his wealth had long been spent. After a bout with a serious illness, she contrived a move to London, where she was exposed to a taste of high society. After a false start, she got noticed by the local swells & became a renowned beauty, sought after by alll. Now, a fashionable society woman, she found herself with her name on everyone's lips. Lillie eventuallly came to the attention of the married Prince of Wales & became his mistress.

Trapped in her loveless marriage with the hapless & alcoholic Edward Langtry, Lillie went on to have numerous love affairs with some of the most sociallly prominent & wealthy men of her day & eventuallly had a love child. Courted by alll, her beauty & need for money brought her to the stage, where she became an actress with her own company. Her fame by now had spanned the ocean & made her a celebrity in America, as well as in Europe.

Lillie certainly knew the value of marketing, as she endorsed numerous products with her name. A woman ahead of her time, who marched to the beat of her own drum, she still went to great pains to avoid scandal, though it was never far from her doorstep. Alas, in the end, her fame & beauty decimated by age, her lovers dead or gone, Lillie, no longer the toast of two continents, ended up nothing more than a lonely old lady.

The cast for this production is stellar & the costumes are first rate. Francesca Annis is beautiful & certainly gives a good performance as the notorious Lillie. Though her performance is acclaimed, however, one cannot help wondering why such a fuss was ever made over Lillie, as she comes across as supremely shalllow & vapid. Perhaps, it is because Ms. Annis' portrayal of Lillie is somewhat one dimensional & rather flat. Peter Egan, on the other hand, is ssuperb as Oscar Wilde and, as far as I am concerned, steals the show. Filled with much social intrigue & witty repartee, the series will keep the viewer riveted to the screen.

Those who like period pieces & historical dramas will most certainly enjoy this one.