"The Cinder Path" was one of several novels by Catherine Cookson which were dramatised for television by Tyne-Tees Television between 1989 and 2001. These were the days when Britain's ITV network was divided into a number of regional franchises, each with its own distinct character. Tyne-Tees covered the North-East of England, the region from which Cookson came and in which most of her works are set.
Like most of Cookson's novels, "The Cinder Path" is a historical romance. In the Northumberland of 1913 Edward MacFell is a well-to-do but cruel and overbearing farmer. MacFell bullies his children Charlie and Betty- tyrannical fathers seem to be common in Cookson's stories- and his wife, to whom he is frequently unfaithful, but his worst treatment is reserved for his farm workers, whom he punishes for misdemeanours by forcing them to kneel on the sharp cinder path of the title while being beaten. One of the targets of his rage is a young man named Ginger Slater whom he whips for borrowing a book without permission.
Edward dies, apparently in a riding accident, early on in the story, and Charlie inherits the farm. (There is more to Edward's death than meets the eye, something which will later come back to haunt Charlie). He marries Victoria Chapman, the daughter of a neighbouring farmer, but the marriage is not a happy one, and they soon separate. Much of the story deals with Charlie's experiences after he is drafted into the Army during the First World War. He comes across Ginger Slater, now a sadistic and bullying sergeant, and eventually becomes an officer. He and Victoria remain estranged, but an attachment grows up between Charlie and Victoria's sister Nellie.
I have never read Cookson's novel, but to judge from this serial it would appear to have a complex plot with a rich cast of characters. (My above synopsis is very much a simplification of the story). The dramatisation focuses very much on Charlie, who is the central character but not necessarily the most interesting one. He comes across as a decent and straightforward young man, but in drama much of the interest lies with characters who are neither of these things. This serial left me wanting to know a lot more about some of these characters.
Ginger Slater, for example, starts off as a character with whom we can all sympathise- a poor boy, originally from the workhouse, who is treated shamefully by his cruel employer- yet ends up just as vicious as Edward. He presume that he has been warped by bitterness and resentment, yet we never really see this change in his character. Similarly, when Betty takes a shocking step near the end of the film, we are left unprepared. Her motive appears to be a sense of sibling rivalry with Charlie- she has long believed that she can run the farm better than he can- but for most of the film she has remained rather in the shadows and character and we do not see her character develop.
Sibling rivalry of a different sort appears to be at the heart of the relationship between the glamorous Victoria (played by a young, pre-stardom Catherine Zeta Jones) and her less attractive younger sister Nellie. Victoria is probably the least complex character in the story; she is portrayed as just plain bad, selfish and promiscuous. Nellie is more complicated. She can be just as promiscuous as her sister, but in her case this probably derives from low self-esteem, as does her alcoholism. Despite her vices, Nellie has a certain decency which Victoria lacks, and seems sincere in her feelings for Charlie. Again, however, she disappears from the action for much of the story, so her character is not as well developed as it might be. Perhaps an extra episode, or even two, might have been needed to do full justice to all Cookson's characters. 6/10.
