This classic mini-series looks as good today as it did when it first premiered in 1967. I rate it a 10 out of 10 because of (1)cogent, witty scripts that follow Galsworthy's original storyline and (2) the fine acting and perfect casting choices that were made. The Forsytes are depicted as a rich, bourgeois English family from the late 1800's to 1926. They have a hereditary tenacity that, in the end, both makes and breaks them. Epitome of the family ideal is Soames, "the man of property," who treats his beautiful wife Irene as a possession. Irene, however, hates him and pines to be free of the cage that is her marriage. Ultimately this mismatched pair divorce, but not before their rupture has split the Forsytes right down the middle in a multi-generational family feud. And then, 20 years later, Soames' daughter Fleur and Irene's son Jon meet and fall in love---with tragic consequences. Fleur, a true Forsyte, is stubborn and tenacious in her obsession with Jon, even after he and she have married other people. And ironically, in the end Soames will be redeemed by his unselfish devotion to the daughter that is, at heart, so much like himself...
What more can I say about this series? It's a masterpiece. Eric Porter, as Soames, brings this complex character to life and despite Soames's essentially un-lovable nature, makes him both pitiable and endearing. Irene, portrayed by Nyree Dawn Porter, is beautiful but remote as in the books. Nyree does a good job with Irene, certainly not an easy role to play, and viewers may well be conflicted as to which side to take in the ongoing Soames vs.Irene Conflict. (Myself, I rooted for poor Soames all the way!) Susan Hampshire, then a very young actress, is a sensation as Fleur, the spoiled little Daddy's girl. And Nicholas Pennell is also wonderful as Michael Mont, her long-suffering husband.
I would recommend this version of The Forsyte Saga to anyone who hasn't seen it. It's far, far superior to the recent Masterpiece Theater remake, which falls woefully short. The modern remake is plagued with miscast actors, bad scripts and a general disrespect for the books on which it's supposed to be based. The remake tries to change, i.e. rewrite much of what John Galsworthy, a Nobel Prize-winning author, scripted! Bad idea. Whereas the 1967 mini-series hits a home run by faithfully following Galsworthy's original, brilliantly plotted storyline. This earlier version is a real winner and is still remembered fondly after 44 years!
What more can I say about this series? It's a masterpiece. Eric Porter, as Soames, brings this complex character to life and despite Soames's essentially un-lovable nature, makes him both pitiable and endearing. Irene, portrayed by Nyree Dawn Porter, is beautiful but remote as in the books. Nyree does a good job with Irene, certainly not an easy role to play, and viewers may well be conflicted as to which side to take in the ongoing Soames vs.Irene Conflict. (Myself, I rooted for poor Soames all the way!) Susan Hampshire, then a very young actress, is a sensation as Fleur, the spoiled little Daddy's girl. And Nicholas Pennell is also wonderful as Michael Mont, her long-suffering husband.
I would recommend this version of The Forsyte Saga to anyone who hasn't seen it. It's far, far superior to the recent Masterpiece Theater remake, which falls woefully short. The modern remake is plagued with miscast actors, bad scripts and a general disrespect for the books on which it's supposed to be based. The remake tries to change, i.e. rewrite much of what John Galsworthy, a Nobel Prize-winning author, scripted! Bad idea. Whereas the 1967 mini-series hits a home run by faithfully following Galsworthy's original, brilliantly plotted storyline. This earlier version is a real winner and is still remembered fondly after 44 years!