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In the decades since its premiere, The French Lieutenant’s Woman is now most commonly discussed for its placement in the extensive awards resume of its star Meryl Streep, since it was her follow-up to her Best Supporting Actress win for 1979’s Kramer vs. Kramer and would serve as netting her first nomination in a leading category (it’s also interesting to note Streep won the Golden Globe but ultimately, perhaps ironically, lost to Katharine Hepburn, the iconic performer who previously held the most nominations record). But at the time of its release, the final product was the result of a decade long ordeal, seeing many auteurs, actors, and screenwriters attempting to adapt the notoriously ‘unfilmable’ 1969 novel by John Fowles, an experiment in form termed “post-modern historical fiction.” Directed by Karel Reisz, the Czech-born British auteur a British New Wave progenitor of the realist strain of filmmaking, it remains one of his most prolific works.

Garrow’s Law co. BBC

Kieran Kinsella

Acorn Media’s February 26 line-up begins with a value box set of the BBC’s most popular courtroom drama – Garrow’s Law. Acorn have previously released some of the 18th century barrister’s stories in the U.S. but this 6 disc set is Garrow’s Law: The Complete Collection. Aside from the twelve episodes that aired during the show’s three year run, you also get an hour of extras that includes a feature on the real life William Garrow and some behind-the-scenes footage.

The real William Garrow was something of a social reformer who did his best to defend the poor and the uneducated at a time when “justice” was often swift and harsh. Andrew Buchan (The Sinking of the Laconia) takes on the title role. He looks a little like Ross Poldark and the whole show is based in the same...