Doctor Thorne: Season 1

Saw this on cable and had to get the DVD. Julian Fellowes adapts one of Anthony Trollope's wonderful tales of life in the fictional Barsetshire, this story first published in 1858, centers on the problems of the Gresham family, now strapped for cash and antagonized by the recalcitrant Sir Roger Scatcherd, ex-convict turned very wealthy railway man. Holding all of this together is the country doctor and virtuous good soul, Dr. Thorne, who attends all of them. Dr. Thorne also has a beautiful niece, Mary, who has lived with Dr. Thorne since her infancy. The Gresham's oldest son, Frank, has come of age and their wish is to get Frank to marry money in order to salvage their lifestyle. Frank is in love with Mary Thorne. There is something a shadow cast across Mary Thorne which would complicate or compromise her being a suitable choice for Frank and inconveniently, she is from the humble house of her uncle, a poor country doctor. All of this is made clear in the opening five minutes or so, I give nothing away. The ensuing four episodes take us on quite a ride. It is a surprisingly modern tale in that no one is as obviously good - or bad - as they may seem on the surface. For anyone who was a fan of Downton Abbey, this is right up your street. There are a number of familiar faces from Downton Abbey in the cast as well as others well-known from other British period dramas. Tom Hollander, as the pillar of strength, Dr. Thorne, is wonderfully cast. Stephanie Martini as his niece, Mary Thorne, could hardly be more charming or more beautiful. Ian McShane as the prickly Sir Roger Scatcherd is a rare treat. Perhaps my favorite thing of all is that each of the four episodes is introduced by Julian Fellowes, comfortably seated in a wing chair by the fire as he introduces the series and Anthony Trollope to us, his audience. He offers a similar de-briefing at the end of each episode and it truly makes for the icing on a very lovely cake. I could not have enjoyed this series any more! I give it the highest praise!

My title says it all. This is one of the best Victorian stories ever written or filmed. The book was written by Anthony Trollope. The screen version was written by Julian Fellowes, of Downton Abbey fame. So you know it is good! The costumes are just breathtakingly beautiful. The countryside was in glorious Summer bloom. Tom Hollander is perfect as the understated doctor. All the actors are top notch. I love it when I discover new actors that are so perfectly cast. Just watch it! You will love it. Watch it a second time and it will become one of your all time favorites in period drama.

Finding this miniseries last year was a great thrill for our Anglophilic family; a good adaptation with excellent casting, exquisite scenery, and plenty of dramatic irony. A tale of the good, the not-so-bad, and the sadly dissipated, these characters and their lives weave a tale that entertains the whole family (discretion for kids, of course). The DVD arrived quickly— even during the time that Amazon was having delays because of the loss of their storehouse. Good quality, good price, and a great addition to our period-drama library.

If you enjoy movies based on the works of Jane Austen (Emma, Pride and Prejudice, etc.) and Elizabeth Gaskell (North and South, Wives and Daughters, etc.) you will also enjoy this three-hour-long miniseries. If you are looking for something more like Downton Abbey, this may not be the series for you. "Doctor Thorne" is based on the book by the same name written by Anthony Trollope in the late 1800's. It is the third book in the Barchester Chronicles series. The previous two books, The Warden and Barchester Towers, were made into an excellent miniseries by the BBC some years ago as "The Barchester Chronicles." Several other works by Trollope, including "He Knew He Was Right," "The Way We Live Now," and the Palliser series (which became a long-running BBC TV show "The Pallisers") have also been adapted for the screen. I thought that the acting, writing, and settings for this movie were very well done. I would have loved to see Fellowes keep more of the subplots in the story and do a longer adaptation.

If you like this genre, this is definitely worth your time.

At first I felt overwhelmed with all the different names and relationships....Maybe I was overly tired, because I turned off the movie after about 20 minutes or so. The next day I took up where I had previously left off; it got better. This was a 4-part miniseries, so there is an interruption at 3 critical scenes..."to be cont'd". It is worth watching, however.

I love Tom Hollander in anything, but especially period pieces. He gives an excellent performance as the title character in this drama based on the Trollope novel. But then, I'll also watch and enjoy any Trollope adaptation. This does take a couple of watchings to really understand the politics in play, but on the whole it is very enjoyable. Alison Brie also shines in this production bringing warmth and spirit to a character who could easily be beaten down by circumstance. This feels old fashioned yet strangely modern at the same time. For fans of period dramas, this one is worth checking out.

It's a relief to use a DVD vendor that accurately and unambiguously describes the product, prices it reasonably, and ships fast. Will use again.

This is a great Victorian-era costume drama. I love period pieces along the lines of Jane Austen and Elizabeth Gaskell so I took a chance based on the positive reviews and I couldn't have been happier. The story was good, the cast and characters were great (the heroes were hero-worthy and the heroines were strong), the costumes and scenery was fantastic, and most importantly, everything worked out to my satisfaction at the end, so it left a great big smile on my face. I'm not a great fan of stories that end with misery and heartbreak and overwhelming sadness, so I was pleased with this one and was sorry to see it come to an end at all. It was reminiscent in a lot of ways to Elizabeth Gaskell's Cranford but less heart-wrenching and certainly less deep. I absolutely dare you not to adore Tom Hollander as the quiet but fierce and loyal Doctor Thorne by the end of this series! Great choice for fans of any of the following period pieces: Victoria, Cranford, North and South, Downton Abbey, any Jane Austen under the sun, Wives and Daughters, etc. If I have any nitpicks, it's that Julian Fellowes has a tendency to over-dramatize things and the writing and acting for some roles (particularly those like that of Louis Scatcherd) was a little over the top and a bit soap opera-ish. I also found the "who's who" in the Gresham, de Courcy and Scatcherd families a little hard to follow at the beginning. In addition, there were a lot of side stories and side characters that I would have loved to have seen fleshed out more. However, none of that ruined my enjoyment of the series in any way. Worth the purchase... I think I may even have stood up and clapped my hands in delight during a few scenes. I will watch it again.

A sickly sweet, over pretty version with a dwarf playing Dr Thorne!

An enjoyable story that made me discover other Elizabeth Gaskell stories like North and South, Wives and Daughters and the Cranford series. Gaskell's work is undervalued and deserves to be included among her peers like the Bronte sisters and Dickens for drama and inventiveness.

It was not clear from the web site that the discs were in Region 1 format.

La vie tranquille d'un docteur et de sa nièce. Revers de fortune, trahison et déception amoureuse.