Las cuatro estaciones

A very enjoyable soapy family drama. Domestic Abuse, Cheating boyfriend v. lovable boy next door, suicide, long lost grannies coming home, shocking twists, evil grandpa, and financial shenanigans, a stunning last will and testament, plus much much more! Senta Berger shines as the wise and attractive grandmother who gets a second chance at love with a charming and funny Tom Conti. I couldn't take my eyes off her nose though. The director could have chosen more flattering angles. Michael York is very effective as the powerful older son of the family patriarch who oozes menace out of every pore. What made this 4 part yarn hold together though, in my opinion, of the sweet young daughter played by Emma Watson look-alike Paula Kalenburg. She had to endure many jolts to the system both good and bad but carried on with aplomb. Confrontations and promises of confrontations abound keeping tension and suspense in play. There are two major shocks in the last two parts that put the icing on the cake.

I was looking forward to some British drama, but this is certainly not on the level of British Productions. The camera angles and choppy editing make it all look rather cheap. The best part is the stunning setting on the coast of Cornwall, however the interiors just don't have the look of a nice English cottage or a grand hall.

I've read Rosamunde Pilcher's books and loved the Shell Seekers the best. This one didn't seem to adapt very well on the screen. Great actors but maybe bad direction and a few times I picked up on things that made me think it was for the American audiences. One item is that it is not allowed in the UK is to have an outdoor wedding with a clergy officiating. The scenery was magnificent though.

I'm getting older, I have to pay more attention to what I spend my time doing, watching. I saw Franco Nero was in it, and it peaked my interest. He's just so doggone handsome. That's what I get for being so superficial.

So, 20 minutes of Franco Nero at the beginning of the 1st episode, and intermittent shots of the breath-taking Cornish coast dispersed among the next 6 hours of the series is absolutely all this lugubrious, stilted, awkward show has to offer... Well, wait, now Tom Conti give an endearingly laid back performance. Juliet Mills is charming as a curmudgeonly and sassy grande dame. And that's it. The three female leads, all German actresses, are maddeningly boring, the ingenue trying very hard to be charming and delightful one minute (smiling with her tongue showing ever so slightly), and neurotic and existential the next. And yes, as another reviewer wrote, she looks 14 years old. And she never met a plunging neckline she didn't like.

Finally, that insipid stereotypical 1h990s British musical score, sounds like the same composer who wrote the score for the original House of Cards (which is fabulous, btw).

Why on earth hire three German actresses to play the leads in this story about the British landed gentry?

Well, what's done is done. Luckily, the only people who are at risk of seeing this are those that subscribe to Acorn, so most of the population of the US does not risk of wasting 6 hours of their dwindling years on this half-baked series.

I just cannot say more. I have a broken leg which is the only reason I ploughed on through watching this series found on Acorn. Where do I lay most of the criticism? Probably on the script, which tedious in the extreme also seems many times to leave the actors floundering for facial expressions to fill the gap... Then the weird main young woman character. Loved other's comments here and can't better! This is an example of an easy light novel that could have been made into a pleasant TV series to enjoy with a good script and good characterisation and acting but has let itself down in every way. 1/10. Try harder next time.