Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Forty years since the first television adaptation of Winston Graham’s Poldark series, directed by Ed Bazalgette presents a more compelling historical drama. Despite its popularity the 1975 television series is a slow moving costume drama. Nevertheless, both adaptations appeal to modern audiences not only as historical fiction, but as thought provoking social commentary on the stark polarities between the powerful wealthy and the grinding poverty and powerless of the poor. Just as Winston Graham tells a well-crafted story, Bazalgette presents an intense and spellbinding saga that even the time-poor can’t resist watching. Ross Poldark embodies many of the characteristics of Emily Bronte’s Heathcliff or a Byronic hero, only he’s a more complex and well adapted character. He is very much an Enlightenment man, no doubt influenced by his experiences in the war with the American colonies. He is angry at the shocking imbalance of wealth and power in his society, has compassion for the poor and desire to see their betterment, and disdain for the self-interested and exploitative. Poldark’s understanding of morality and justice is egalitarian and natural, not rooted in class blindness and prejudice. He is instrumental in establishing a cooperative to try and wrest financial and economic power from vested and corrupt monopoly interests. Furthermore, he is not afraid to bend or break the law or engage in acts of civil disobedience. Poldark is not a happy, romantic costume drama. It is a dark, brooding tale and becomes increasingly darker as the series progresses. The rich and powerful exert a malevolent influence over the lives of the working class, and Ross and Demelza are also threatened by ruin through betrayal, jealousy and spiteful rivalry. The saga is full of personal and community tragedy. While Ross and Demelza’s love story is a moving counterpoint to the wider social drama it never becomes the focus for too long and is cleverly interwoven with the broader concerns with class. From a purely entertainment perspective, this is a visually stunning series. Sometimes the landscape appears beautiful and pastoral; other times hostile and Gothic.