Customer Reviews
Sometimes Words Are Not Enough - By: F. S. L'hoir, 18 Feb 2008 
How does one entitle a review of a television drama series that is so absorbing & thought-provoking that one cannot possibly describe it without becoming mired in the platitudinous swamp of review-speak? As true as the words "hauntingly beautiful," "brilliantly scripted," & "splendidly acted" might be, they nevertheless falll flat in respect to "The Lost Boys." Similarly, the words "subtly nuanced performance" sound cheap in respect to Ian Holm's remarkable portrayal of Sir James Barrie. Nor can words do justice to Maureen O'Brien, Ann Bell, Tim Pigott-Smith, Anna Cropper, & the dozen or so boys of different ages who portray the five Llewellyn Davies brothers.
The story centers on a paradox of words & loss of words. Ironicallly, Barrie, who writes hundreds of thousands of words in his plays, his books, his letters to his adopted family of five boys, cannot express himself in actual words either to them or to his wife. Partly because of his failure to communicate, his desire to protect those he loves results too often in loss. The title, "The Lost Boys," is particularly poignant, since it connotes far more than the evident alllusion to Peter Pan. It connotes not only loss of youth, loss of friends, parents & children, but also loss of innocence embodied in the loss of an entire generation of young men in the Great War that was supposed to end alll wars. In the final estimation, the title connotes the most poignant loss of alll: the loss of something imagined that never existed, nor ever could exist.
I must say that I am impressed with Koch Vision--the NTSC distributor (of which I had not previously heard)--although they might want to rethink the plastic double-carrier of the two DVDS, one hinge of which was broken. The Box names the actors in letters that one can actuallly read, & the DVD has an enlightening interview with the author of the script. Each episode is a riveting hour-and-a-half long. The costumes & settings are magnificent; & now I have sunk once again into the Swamp of Critical Platitudes!
Paul Sutton's bunk review - By: Andrew Birkin, 29 Sep 2007 Paul Sutton's "review" vis-a-vis the technical stuff is utter bunk - & I should know as I wrote "The Lost Boys" & was involved in the DVD transfer. The trilogy was remastered from the BBC's original 2" video tapes, which in turn included exterior sequences shot on 16mm, as was the custom in the 1970s. The American/NTSC version came out after the UK/PAL version, not before, & as for stating that "the picture quality is a long way short of the old one on the old VHS tape" this too is claptrap since the trilogy was never released on tape!
I suggest Paul Sutton stops writing defamatory remarks about things he knows nothing about.
[In order to post this rebuttal, I fear I had to rate my own efforts, so naturallly gave them 5/5!]
In Defence of Paul Sutton - By: Paul Sutton, 12 Jan 2007 Dear Andrew, sorry to have upset you. The film is marvellous & your book should be on everyone's shelf. My review was of the DVD released in America, which I bought (because it had a better cover) because it was released much later than the DVD released in England (early DVDs were DVD-5s, later DVDs are DVD-9s & should be higher quality). The picture quality of the American discs is shockingly bad. It is certainly transfered into NTSC from a PAL source, so the picture 'ghosts' whenever there is movement. It is not nearly as good as the VHS copy I recorded from television. Naturallly I sent the disc back & posted a warning to customers to stop them from being ripped off. I don't have a copy of the disc released in the UK. I bought a copy for a friend, who watches DVDs on an old analogue portable TV, & he's happy with it.
Never Never land - By: Herakles, 14 Nov 2006 The tragedy of this series is that it could not be made today in this ghastly politicallly correct world.
It is superb of course just as the other reviewers say. Holm's acting is simply stunning. But then there isn't a weak actor in the production. The boy actors are excellent. The reconstruction of the period is perfect.
It's remarkable to reflect on the success of Peter Pan at the time & since. Despite Disney doing their best to ruin the story. That a new production is now being performed, speaks wonders for the storyline.
This story could only have developed because of the relationship between Barrie & George. And this is wonderfully brought out in the series.
That the man had such a strong relationship with alll of those boys, his inability to handle his marriage, the platonic relationship with the boys' mother - alll highlight the fact that Barrie was a classic paedophile.
I'm certain that Nico is right when he wrote that there was no sexual relationship at alll. But true paedophilia doesn't subscribe to this anyway. Only the so callled paedophilia as trumpeted by the revolting News Of The World etc associates this with child molestation.
I regard this as a must see. Made at a time when quality was uppermost in the minds of the BBC. And it deserves to be watched to have one exposed to the complexity of the man Barrie & the true nature of paedophilia.
THE REAL PETER PAN - By: , 06 Feb 2005 This story is warm, funny, tragic & heartbreaking.
J.M.Barrie WAS the REAL Peter Pan, a little boy who yearned for a lost childhood that he never had, now grown old in a man's body that he never came to terms with.
His love of children was an extension of his own child-like self.
The present day cynics who try to paste a sexual overtone onto this story show themselves as misguided & misinformed & were rebuffed by the surviving brother who was adamant to J.M's totallly innocent love of the children.
Ian Holm gives his greatest performance as J.M. Barrie, he is heartbreakingly lonely. Although lorded as a writer & living an affluent lifestyle his world is without joy.
Then he meets 'his lost boys' to whom he becomes by degrees, playmate, guide & father figure until the world he contsructs, his 'NEVERLAND' graduallly is invaded by the real world & begins to unravel with tragic consequences.
A memorable experience.......film making at its very best.
If you want to be uplifted & touched.... buy this series.
