Poldark

This series is a welcome dramatization of the Winston Graham novels dealing with the Poldarks of Cornwall. The acting is great and the local scenery enthralling. The programs are full of adventure, intrigue, romance and also provide an interesting insight into the lives of miners at the end of the 18th century.

I first saw this in the '70's when I was about to enter my teens, it made such an impact on me that every time it was re-screened I was glued and made sure I got it on DVD when it was released. Set in 18th Century Cornwall it tells the story of the trials and tribulations of people who you deeply care about, which is part of it's real success. I lived in that part of the world for 14 years and the beauty of the area is shown perfectly and the atmosphere of the times is spot on, it is not glamourised at all. All the performances are excellent without exception and it is a complete joy to watch again and again. A must see. I quite simply love it.

Romance, drama, Cornish history including the mining, the smugglers, shipwrecks, it has it all! I own the whole series, Poldark and Poldark 2. Just finished going through them both for the second time on video plus saw the originals on TV in the seventies. Hopefully they will appear on DVD soon.

The IMDb page seemingly lists all the characters/actors, even the bit players with little or no speaking parts. Something puzzles me here: One of the more important characters was a Dr. Behenna, played by Hugh Dickson. The character appears prominently in most, if not all, episodes and his part is essential to the plot. Strangely, this character is not even mentioned by IMDb - or by Amazon. Even more strange is that a look at the IMDb page for Hugh Dickson makes no mention of his part in Poldark or Poldark 2. Anybody have an explanation?

If you read the books first or see the series first, either is a very satisfying experience. Lovers of romantic period novels should give this series a try. If I remember correctly, the first series covers the first 3 books; the second, books 4, 5, and 6 (the titles escape me). Graham wrote more books after the first six but those have never been dramatized for movie or television. Look this up on Amazon for more user comments.

What a series! My husband and I were spellbound for the 18 or so hours (over a month) it took to watch Part 1 and 2. The plot twists are great but what is primarily so entrancing is the presentation of life at the end of the 18th Century. We particularly like Ross Poldark's propensity for going into prisons and removing prisoners who have been falsely jailed or whom he is fond of. He does this on a fairly regular basis. Cornwall seems to be very much like Seattle - only a few scenes are shot in sunshine - all in all, a sort of up-scale, historical soap-opera.