johnm-38132

It's Halloween 2017, and I saw this movie on TV. Didn't know anything about it except that it had Sting in it and it was made in 1985. Basically was another adaptation of the Mary Shelley Frankenstein novel. The opening music sounded sentimental as if a romance was about to unfold....as opposed to a horror movie. And it was anything but a horror movie. It was a heart warming story, much more complex than the 1931 Universal movie. Both the male monster and female monster were very sympathetic characters. I love period, Old World, costume productions, which this was. The movie had a rich, high budget look. Sting acted respectfully. The midget character was a bit Disneyesque - a little too sentimental, but he was charming nonetheless. I had no clue how this was going to end but was satisfied by the ending. I suppose it did poorly because it wasn't a "horror" movie with scary monsters in it. But I still liked it a lot.

This show is so perfect you can't find any ways to improve it. The scenery/photography/costumes/sets are ALL a feast for the eyes. Every view is lovely. The pace is just right - a fast moving roller coaster. At one point, there are 3 deaths, a wedding and a birth taking place. It's a period, costume drama set in the late 1700s, but the characters all seem modern and easy to relate to...despite an obvious attempt to add dialogue of the "period". This production is superior to most American movies made in Hollywood's glory days...and certainly better than most American movies. Just a feast for the eyes. Great lighting, scenes, costumes, music, acting, camera technique, sound...everything is spot on.

Awhile back I wrote some more negative reviews of this show...mostly centered around the improbability that a clergyman would be solving murders. Took awhile, but once I got over that stumbling block, I started to really enjoy this show. The show is 50% solving crimes and 50% an intimate portrait of the show's primary characters. All the characters are likable despite some major flaws. The Season 3 finale was exceptional. Lots of love, tears and forgiveness. Love the period setting and costumes. Love the cast and acting. Good story lines and love the gay theme via Leonard and Daniel. James Norton, who plays Sidney, is superb and quite easy on the eyeballs. Hope the show lasts longer. PBS, here in the USA, is really struggling to get something as good as Downton Abbey was.