Network are one of the few DVD labels out there that deserve heaps of praise for almost every title they put out. A seemingly bottomless booty of archive television in particular, which wouldn't see the light of day again if it wasn't for the earnest efforts of the guys and gals at the company.
This week sees the release of the 1964 miniseries from the Granada network - A Choice of Coward - four adaptations of Noel Coward's famed plays, produced for television, complete with introductions from the master himself (presumably from his home in Jamaica).
Personally I've never had the pleasure of seeing a Coward play on the stage, and my experiences of the man's talent depend on a few film roles (including the brilliant Italian Job), and numerous records. Undoubtedly a man of great wit and lyrical dexterity, to watch these 70 minute interpretations gives a much better idea as to why his talents are so vaunted. As Coward himself observes in one of the intros, he has forever been associated with the decadent, fast, frivolous and hedonistic lifestyle that was a PART of society in the jazz era. With the subject matter and characterisations on display, its easy to appreciate just why. Drug abuse, parties, and sexual immorality are at the fore.
The four films gathered together are Present Laughter, Blithe Spirit, The Vortex and Design For Living.
The review copy deprived me of the first disc - which promises performances from Peter Wyngarde, James Bolam, , Helen Cherry and Hattie Jacques amongst others, and is sure to be reason enough for many to purchase. The second disc however, has two starkly different and intriguing plays which highlight the rich pickings on offer.
The Vortex is a deceptively dark piece about the chaotic lifestyles of the upper middle classes in the early 20th century. Florence Lancaster plays an woman defying middle age, living the life of a woman twenty years younger. Caught up in a doomed affair with a much younger man (what today would be thought of as a 'MILF' or 'Cougar'), her fragile hold of reality is ripped apart with the return of her son and the announcement of his engagement.
What starts as a rather grotesque and over-bearing character study develops into something much more interesting, and dark. Nightmarish.
Design for Living is in stark contrast. Out of the chaos is a wonderfully witty, buoyant, vivacious narrative. A peculiar (and very modern) relationship between Gilda (Jill Bennett), Otto (John Wood), and Leo (Daniel Masset). Flitting between Paris, London and New York, a hedonistic alternative to traditional 'family values' is thrust upon the viewer. Its hard not to get caught up in their joie de vivre. Comedy buffs might also thrill to spot Carol Cleveland in a supporting part a few years before finding exposure in the Monty Python series.
The picture and sound are clear and sharp, defying the age of the master tapes. Perhaps surprisingly considering many of Network's television discs, the restoration isn't absolute. There is video drop out and minor sound fluctuations - but these are in keeping with the near-live broadcasts and the immediacy of the theatrical presentation, and are perfect in their flawed nature.
It must be said, that the series succeeds brilliantly in giving a flavour of the live staged nature of the source material. The tele-plays allows a real flavour of a theatrical show, with some adept staging and fluid camerawork giving a dynamism which might have been missing in the hands of a lesser director.
A Choice of Coward
Released: 18 January 2010, Network DVD
RRP: £19.99
Running time: 345 mins
Ratio: 1.33:1
Number of discs: 2
Cert: PG
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