DVD: Cranford



Oh, what fortuitous timing in the release of the DVD of Cranford, the wonderfully watchable, witty BBC miniseries adapted from several novels by Elizabeth Gaskell.

If you pick up a newspaper these days -- okay, open a website -- you'll encounter discussion of change, uncertainty, and anxiety about where we're going as a society. So you might ask why I'd be recommending tales from a charming 19th century English village with a distinctly feminine energy.

But Cranford depicts that very town in the midst of numerous societal shifts: medical advances, the arrival of mass transit, immigration, even the stirrings of feminism and other social reforms that will change things forever. Does that sound familiar?

Which is not to say that visiting Cranford is going to be a dull, didactic exercise, not in the least, even if the village is ruled by strict decorum. It's the sort of place where every last parishioner makes a mental note of your late arrival at church, and lovers convey their passion via a musical duet or a gift of fresh cherries, as well as in the more traditional ways.

But don't worry. No one can be good all of the time. There are also parties, festivals, quarrels, gossip, secret assignations, and touches of scandal as a year unfolds in the life of Cranford. There's the long-running conflict between Lady Ludlow (Francesca Annis) and her reform-minded estate manager, Mr. Carter (Philip Glenister). There's excitement aplenty when handsome young Dr. Harrison (Simon Woods) arrives to join the practice of the village physician, Dr. Morgan (John Bowe).

And I should also mention the Case of the Missing Cow.

"My sister does not care for the expression 'suck.'" Miss Matty Jenkyns

All this takes place under the watchful eyes of the women of Cranford, ably led by the formidable Deborah Jenkyns (Eileen Atkins), and her sweet sister, Miss Matty (Judi Dench), along with village gossip Miss Pole (Imelda Staunton, having an absolute field day) . In fact the series offers a number of juicy roles for women, not that the men have anything to complain about, and if you are any sort of a fan of British film and television, you'll recognize lots of faces.

"Father, I would sooner fight for his life than pray for his soul." Sophy Hutton

Bear in mind that this series is set in the 19th century, when an accident or illness could lay you up for weeks or send you to the churchyard. I'd warn the squeamish and tenderhearted to brace themselves for graphic and sometimes heartbreaking images in sickrooms and impromptu operating theaters.

"Speculation is the enemy of calm." Miss Deborah Jenkyns

I've got you worried already, haven't I, that Cranford is going to leave you clutching a box of tissues. But when it's not busy frightening you with Victorian medicine, there's a lot of humor, some of it sly, some of it surprisingly earthy. I can even promise you a sight gag.

You'll also be absorbed by the multiple love stories. Above all else, Cranford celebrates the pervasive, fluid, and unconfined nature of love, and it's not just about the handsome couple courting in a bluebell wood, though we have that as well. No, Cranford delves into the villagers' hidden lives, the unspoken alliances and acts of loyalty, generosity, and tenderness. Forget labels, forget appearances as the citizens of Cranford give fate a helping hand, for you never know where a friend, a mentor, a lover, or a matchmaker may be found.

"I'm afraid of neither change nor progress. I cannot afford to be!" Captain Brown.

Appropriately enough for the current season, there is a wonderful political generosity in the series, in that both the advocates of change and the keepers of tradition are given their due. The traditionalist doctor is as devoted to his patients as the young and innovative newcomer. And while both the progressive Mr. Carter and conservative Lady Ludlow prove adept at sly subversion, there's a decided core of altruism beneath their actions. I defy you to watch their stories unfold without shedding tears.

The set includes five episodes on two discs. Stick around for the featurette, The Making of Cranford, on disc two, to find out what the series has in common with Pulp Fiction, how the cast feels about going Victorian, and whether we've heard the last of Matty Jenkyns, Dr. Harrison, and all the rest.

I love this series, from the wistful theme music -- is it melancholy, gently comforting, or both? -- to the English countryside to the period details to the characters, every last gossipy one of them.

I hope you fall in love with it too.