Poldark

tv series with historian /fantasy setting (320 items)
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This is quite frankly a gem in the crown on British period dramas. Only the very greats, and I'm talking Pride & Prejudice great, can seek to out do this wonderful series. Set in Cornwall, Poldark follows the life of ex-seaman Ross Poldark as he fights through the political corruption of the day to make a better life for the working man, all the time falling ever more in love with his less that ... read more

I was a mere toddler when Poldark was first broadcast in the mid 1970s, but I am greatly enjoying catching up with this well-regarded British TV drama.

Poldark was an magnificent production.Never could be done again such a defectless
setting, acting, photography and cast!!!!
I remember I was about 12 when I first watch it on TV...( here we knew it around 1986)and I felt in love with England forever more...I run to the Enciclopedy to look for Truro..I wanted to know where this site was ubicated...if it existed...
and remember ... read more

Description: Poldark has been adapted from the novels of Winston Graham written at the end of World War II and set in Cornwall, England, during the 18th century. The author claims that the lead character was based upon a fighter pilot he met with on a train. The TV series has all the traditional elements of a costume drama with the added value of a lead character who is a risk-taker always courting danger. This dimension gives the series special flair and also makes for some great episode-ending cliff-hangers. You'll find it difficult to stop watching after each episode! In the opening scene, Colonel Ross Poldark (Robin Ellis), a British Poldark has been adapted from the novels of Winston Graham written at the end of World War II and set in Cornwall, England, during the 18th century. The author claims that the lead character was based upon a fighter pilot he met with on a train. The TV series has all the traditional elements of a costume drama with the added value of a lead character who is a risk-taker always courting danger. This dimension gives the series special flair and also makes for some great episode-ending cliff-hangers. You'll find it difficult to stop watching after each episode!

In the opening scene, Colonel Ross Poldark (Robin Ellis), a British Army officer, is returning home to Cornwall after the American Revolution. His father's estate is in desperate need of repair, and he is stunned to find that Elizabeth (Jill Townsend), the love of his life, has abandoned him. She is engaged to his cousin Francis Poldark (Clive Francis), a weak-willed man who was close to Ross when they were boys.

In a deep funk about Elizabeth's betrayal, Ross sets out to re-open one of the family's copper mines. Although he comes from aristocratic stock, he has a special place in his heart for the hard-working poor people in the community. He is seen as a benevolent landowner by the miners and his tenants in contrast to George Warleggan (Ralph Bates), a local banker who is a selfish, greedy, and immensely ruthless entrepreneur. He and Ross become enmeshed in an ongoing feud that lasts through the whole series.

Ross's need to help the less fortunate out is demonstrated when he rescues Demelza (Angharad Rees), a young woman he meets begging in the village, and takes her into his home as a servant. When she becomes pregnant with his child, he shocks the aristocrats and others in Cornwall by marrying her. Pretty and enthusiastic, she is deeply in love with Ross and turns into a great helpmate to him.

If the protagonist of this series were alive today, he would be right at home with risk-takers and daredevils who play extreme sports and get high on putting themselves in the presence of danger and death. When Ross is experiencing financial difficulties, he foolishly gets himself involved in an illegal smuggling operation which puts his life and his reputation in jeopardy. Then there are the two trips he takes to Revolutonary France to rescue Dr. Dwight Enys (Richard Morant, Season 1; Michael Cadson, Season 2), a close friend who is in prison there. Demelza has a hard time understanding her husband's addiction to unnecessary risk-taking.

She also remains justifiably jealous with Ross's continuing infatuation with Elizabeth, whom he describes only as a friend. Their relationship becomes very complicated when Francis dies and she marries Ross's arch-enemy George Warleggen.

Of course, two can play the game of extra-marital excitements. Demelza is a notorious flirt who naturally draws men to her, and four of them have an impact on the solidity of her marriage to Ross. They include an ardent young poetry lover, a randy old letch, a military officer, and a lothario.

In this series, the course of love does not run smoothly for the following couples: Dr. Enys and Caroline Penvenen (Judy Geeson), a wealthy woman; Elizabeth's cousin Morwenna (Jane Wymark) who is forced into marriage arranged by Warleggen to a randy preacher (Christopher Biggens) when she is really in love with Demelza's younger brother Drake (Kevin McNally).

Amidst the storylines of love and loss. Poldark delivers a searing portrait of its times. We see how the poor are vulnerable to the difficult working conditions and the whims of the rich like Warleggen. Their situation is contrasted to the perks enjoyed by the wealthy at various parties. Several characters get involved in politics. One principled banker is almost undone by a rush on his bank. In the background, news from America and France are indications that the rigid class system is under attack.

Poldark is a mesmerizing saga with a handsome, charismatic lead character who dominates the drama as the many sides of his personality are revealed. He is a loving husband who experiences troubles and dry patches in his intimate relationship with Demelza; he is a good and loyal friend; he is a resourceful entrepreneur; he is a natural-born leader; he is a risk-taker; and he is a formidable opponent to his enemies. The leisurely pace of Poldark makes it possible to explore every nook and cranny of his adventures. By the time you've watched two seasons worth of his story, you miss his presence in your life. ... (more) (less)