The Forsyte Saga

Good thing I work in a library. The internet was a complete waste of time in figuring out what constitutes "The Forsyte Saga" by John Galsworthy. Without this information, how would I know whether they've filmed the entire Saga or not? The answer is complex -- the original Forsyte Saga is done, i.e., the latest two mini-series to come from Granada Television. (I know little about the original 1960s BBC mini-series.) However, Galsworthy continued to write about his fictional Forsytes in two more sets of books. I don't know if there are plans to film these, and I waver between wanting much more of this excellent series, and wanting them to leave well enough alone. The Forsytes are a moneyed British clan coming apart at the seams due to a horrible scandal early in family history. Many hearts are broken before the end of the series; most of the time, I felt I was watching an extremely well-done soap opera. A soap opera with a society critique at the heart of it, a la Jane Austen. But wait, there's more! The final episode of the second series is eye-opening in terms of the growth of the characters. And while you might have seen it coming, it's superbly staged and scripted. I was quite impressed. If you're still in the Jane Austen mindset, rent these discs. Keep an eye out for sharp performances by Rupert Graves, Ioan Gruffudd, Amanda Root, Emma Malin, and above all Damian Lewis as Soames, played as a despicable character with uncomfortably recognizable emotions.

year: 2002 and 2004
length: 2 mini-series, 9 episodes total
rating: 3.5
IMDB links:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0260615/combined (I)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0377125/combined (II)