Disraeli: Portrait of a Romantic

I have seen a few British mini series from the 1970's and most of them have been disappointing. In that regard Disraeli lives up to that expectation.This is a complete load of twaddle with no entertainment value whatsoever.Ian Mcshane portrays the main character as some sort of nancy boy with heterosexual leanings.A most unattractive thing to behold. I gave up watching after about the 50 minute mark and can only advise do yourself a favour and give this show a miss.

No secrets here: Benjamin Disraeli was perhaps the most impressive Prime Minister ever and a great friend and ally of Queen Victoria. I just finished viewing the vintage 4-part British television series Disraeli: Portrait of a Romantic on YouTube starring Ian McShane. I found part 1 something of a slog - the political rock star's youth as he emerges - a popular novelist - from his father's country house and into polite society, overdressed in multi-colored velvets, jewels, crisscrossing chains, wild curly dark hair dazzling the womenfolk and uttering political gems in sotto voce. By Part 2, he is well on his way up the greased flagpole, as he describes it in a later episode, championing various causes in Parliament and being named - although not interested in finance - the Chancellor of the Exchequer, where, under a ceremonial black and gold blanket, he wordlessly approaches, on his knees, the mighty and suspicious Queen Victoria. By Episode 3, he states his views before her and her husband Prince Albert who immediately change their negative views of him by realizing he thinks like they do. Onward and upward he goes, marrying an older widow whose husband was one of Dizzy's faithful supporters - she too is a hit with the royals. A political ally mentions, drolly, that if Ben wants to rise in his public life he should stop "dressing like an Italian dance master." Next scene, the two, all in black complete with top hats, quietly take their seats in the House of Commons. Sadly, our hero continues to the end to dress in most subdued and serious clothing as his once bushy hair slowly but steadily disappears. Meanwhile, Mrs. Dizzy cuts her husband's hair at home every 2 weeks while he feverishly prepares speeches at his desk. She dutifully clips and saves every newspaper article that mentions his name, clearly adoring him. On he goes, until, slowly, she dies and leaves him all alone. He makes his romantic moves on more society women, to no avail. He is ejected from the home he and his wife shared for 20 years, as it was only hers until her death and it reverted back to her deceased spouse's family - so Dizzy had to move into a hotel, of all things. We don't see him at the famed 10 Downing Street which I know from other sources he had renovated - I think this part of his story would have made a wonderful episode in itself. There is a lot of the great man's life we don't see - and I, being American, had a difficult time following the political conflicts Disraeli navigated but watching him converse with the German Iron Chancellor Otto Von Bismarck and slyly purchasing the Suez Canal were, for me, highlights of the series. I do like Ian McShane, having watched every one of his Lovejoy episodes - he is a wonderful, energetic, well-spoken actor who can convincingly portray the most charming of rogues.

Ian McShane had a couple of pretty good acts to follow in portraying Benjamin Disraeli who was arguably the United Kingdom's greatest Prime Minister. George Arliss played Disraeli on stage and screen in a story that centered around Great Britain's acquisition of the Suez Canal and it was one of his most celebrated parts. In The Prime Minister, John Gielgud plays Disraeli in 1941 with the backdrop of World War II and the climax there is Disraeli facing down the threatening Otto Von Bismarck and the newly united Germany. That was a considerable rewriting of history, but it served the propaganda purposes of the time well.

But this mini-series gives us a look at Disraeli's whole life and the many facets of that life. Disraeli was not a Jew, he was baptized in the Church of England, but his Jewish ancestry was always used as a slur against him and he never repudiated it or acted ashamed. He was a Georgian dandy, would be rake, would be novelist who dabbled in politics and eventually got a seat in Parliament.

The original impression of Disraeli was as a dandy and fop who hadn't a serious bone in his body. He did a considerable amount of bed hopping in his youth before meeting a woman a dozen years older than himself who became the love of his life. Mary Peach as Mary Anne Wyndham Lewis Disraeli matches McShane's performance in every step of the way.

Disraeli was one of the most creative statesmen of his century. The Tory Party owes its very existence to his vision today. He got way out in front of his party in his first ministry on the franchise reform question and his support of enlarging the franchise won voters to the Conservatives for generations though it did not bear immediate results. The series does go into his acquisition of the Suez Canal and gives the real story of the Congress of Europe in 1878 when both Disraeli and Bismarck took the measure of each other. The lesson there was that Europe did not go to war as it did in 1914. Had these guys been in charge at that time, World War I would never have happened.

Disraeli was Ian McShane's career role and if this series is ever rebroadcast on Masterpiece Theater or some other venue, do not miss it.

I was only about 12 when PBS here in the US originally aired this, and I recall pretending to be sick and staying home one day from school so that I could catch the final episode one weekday afternoon. I probably learned more about history that day than I did in a year wasted in our public schools, and it was entertaining, too.

Sadly, the BBC doesn't seem to produce shows like this anymore, and if they do PBS isn't buying them. Pity.

In the role of a lifetime, Ian McShane gives a shaded, multi-dimensional performance as Queen Victoria's favorite prime minister, covering his early career tight through his latter day triumphs. For the many fans who have come to admire this durable actor in more recent years, this early triumph is a must.

Mary Peach is extremely moving as his wife, older than he and as supportive as could be humanly possible. David Butler's screenplay and Claude Whatham's direction are up to the task of presenting not merely the momentous points but also the most endearing and sensitive moments. And Rosemary Leach is subtle and unassuming in a key role portraying Queen Victoria.