Season 6 - Poldark Series 1 (1976-1977)
My introduction to Poldark was the 2015 adaptation starring Aidan Turner and Eleanor Tomlinson. I of course knew of the original. I even have some of the Winston Graham paperback tie-in editions from the seventies that I picked up at a library sale with that very yellow logo with it's double handled "P" and swooping "K." But, for me, the first season of the 2015 adaptation was one of the most perfect seasons of any show ever. So perfect in fact that as time went on the show was never able to recapture the magic of that first season, and the less said about the nonsensical plot of the fifth and final season the better. I mean, Ross was a spy embedded and in bed with the French!?! Deep breath in, pretend they didn't try to shoehorn the entire season's plot into one episode, and breath out. Which all leads to the fact I was hesitant to watch the seventies adaptation. I'd only seen Robin Ellis in a handful of roles and they didn't endear me to him. In every one he annoyed me beyond belief with his quick temper and hauteur, which, I have to admit, are qualities necessary to playing Ross Poldark. And yet he's a far less hot-headed Ross. I was expecting the sanctimoniousness of Aidan Turner's Ross and instead, Robin Ellis's Ross is blunt. His word is his bond. This, among countless other reasons, is why I now love the original seventies adaptation more than I ever loved the reboot. They may try to lure me back in by continuing with the story in a few years, but they won't be Robin Ellis and Angharad Rees! And yet this version of Poldark is far from perfect. The second season, which comprises the plot of the third and forth seasons of the reboot, was more staid. It was a faithful adaptation that didn't swing for the fences. Yes, we finally had the longed for addition of Aunt Agatha and her hatred of George Warleggan, leading her to proclaim that she hopes "shit take him!" And oh, Morwenna needs to do even more monologues about how she feels like a gutted deer. But these highlights weren't enough to make up for the toning down of the show and it's copious recasts. They literally recast Dwight Enys! He's one of the core four! I could almost forgive Nicholas Warleggan and Harris Pascoe, but never Dwight! Which leads me to the conclusion that I will only ever get a perfect first season of any Poldark adaptation. This one was just a little longer ending with Francis's death and Elizabeth's remarriage to George. And that right there might be the key to the tonal shift in the show. Francis Poldark as played by Clive Francis is a revelation. He is the core to the campiness of season one which literally ends with a party taken straight from the pages of Edgar Allan Poe with an homage to "The Masque of the Red Death." Francis is unhinged. His drunken Christmas dinner screaming about his sister being a whore and then brandishing a knife while hacking at the beautifully prepared bird before collapsing to the floor is up there with Truman Capote's Thanksgiving rant on Feud: Capote vs. The Swans. I need more of this in my life. Why couldn't Francis have had just an iota of this energy in the remake? We know what a fabulous actor Kyle Soller is, he could have brought this delightful depravity, instead he was just dissatisfied and petulant. The manic energy, the mood swings, the joy in Clive Francis's face when Ross asks Francis to join him in his venture at Wheal Grace. This was perfection. Too bad it didn't last longer. But the greatest things never do, unlike Aunt Agatha's curses. They last forever. No matter George's wishes that she may rot in hell.
Do you ever randomly get an intense need for Wilkie Collins in your life? I assume it's just not me, but then again, it might just be me. Thankfully for me, and hopefully for you as well, there's a plethora of adaptations to fill the void when you just don't have the time to read or reread one of his books. The thing that I love about Wilkie Collins adaptations is that they have this very solid core structure and then the actors have fun imbuing the characters with traits that might not even seem logical but are at the very least original. Just look to Charles Dance and Ian Richardson's different takes on Mr. Fairlie in their respective adaptations of The Woman in White. Both are so delicate yet over the top. They are both brilliant in their own special way. Though in recent years Sarah Hadland as Miss Clack in the 2016 version of The Moonstone might win as my favorite. This version of The Moonstone from 1972 has a charm all it's own. It sticks pretty faithfully to the book and has the distinct honor of having two of the heartthrobs from the day, Robin Ellis and Martin Jarvis, vying for the hand of fair lady. Robin Ellis brings his trademark taciturnity while Martin Jarvis gets to die for annoying me so greatly in 
Back in 2011 I went to the book launch for Margaret George's Elizabeth I at my local Barnes and Noble. When we were able to ask questions at the end of her talk I wanted to know which actor, in her mind, was the definitive Elizabeth I. There have been so many over the years, from Judi Dench winning an Oscar for eight minutes of screen time in Shakespeare in Love to Cate Blanchett's Oscar nomination for her stunning portrayal of the monarch in Elizabeth. Without hesitating Margaret George said Glenda Jackson. It's something I had often heard. I mean, she was literally playing her in two productions simultaneously, Elizabeth R and Mary, Queen of Scots. Now that I have finally watched Elizabeth R I do agree with Margaret George, Glenda Jackson is the definitive Queen Elizabeth, it's just too bad this miniseries isn't actually about her. At this point I'm sure you're scratching your head. You're thinking, but the miniseries is literally called Elizabeth R so how could it not be about her? By being about the men around her. And, oh, does this enrage me. A woman who set out not to be defined by a man and a miniseries comes along in the nineteen seventies and is all about the men in her life. There's literally only one episodes that's female-centric and it's about Mary, Queen of Scots. Seriously!?! This is how you treat the most famous queen in history? But first, let's start from the beginning. This series follows on the heels of the production of The Six Wives of Henry VIII. So unless you've watched that fever dream of a miniseries that literally has a dream ballet, well, you're going to spend the first episode completely confused. But seeing as I totally recommend never watching The Six Wives of Henry VIII because it will make you hate the Tudors forever just go with the confusion. Because it will last the entire series even after you've found your footing as we focus on one male after another. I mean, I love me some Robert Hardy, but this show isn't called Robert Dudley now is it? And as for Elizabeth's suitor François, the Duke of Alençon, getting more screen time than her just bemoaning his life in his shitty quarters? Come on man! The least you could do is dance for the queen instead of bitching and moaning. If you must take center stage, take it! But then along comes Robert Devereux, Robert Dudley's stepson played by Robin Ellis, and he hijacks the plot so much he takes it to Ireland. Did I sign up to watch Robert Devereux wander about Ireland? OH NO I DID NOT! At least I got to see him executed. Though sadly not in as much detail as Mary, Queen of Scots. Who at the BBC really thought this was a good idea? I know this ties together with The Six Wives of Henry VIII which inverted the narrative by being seen from the POV of the wives, so did someone think, hey it worked once let's try it again but with his daughter! Here's the thing though, it didn't work. In either series. Plus actually calling this miniseries Elizabeth R is deceitful. Why not just call it Lizzy's Lads and be done with it? Because I sure am.
If you are watching this for Jeremy Brett, be forewarned that there is a lot less Jeremy Brett than the DVD cover would have you believe. This is a starring vehicle for Susan Fleetwood and Robin "OG Poldark" Ellis doing his best Morgan Freeman narration in the era before Morgan Freeman started being known as the go-to narrator and was known as that guy from The Electric Company and various soap operas. The Good Soldier is a tale of infidelity set against the backdrop of a German spa town revolving around two couples, the Dowells and the Ashburnhams. This adaptation leans heavily on the 1974 adaptation of 
