British dramatist Dennis Potter, who died in 1994, is probably best remembered for two brilliant miniseries—Pennies from Heaven and The Singing Detective (both later turned into feature films)—but as the list of his credits appended to a bonus archival interview here indicates, the man was an extremely prolific writer. Compiling three 90-minute plays broadcast over a two-month period in late 1980, the set kicks off with Blade on the Feather, a cleverly ambiguous piece about a reclusive writer (Donald Pleasence) visited by a mysterious young man (Tom Conti) who knows too much about the author's embarrassing left wing past. Cream in My Coffee is an affecting time-shifting drama about an elderly couple (Peggy Ashcroft and Lionel Jeffries) who return to the seaside resort where they once had a premarital assignation. Rain on the Roof, which isn't quite on the same level as the other two entries, is a Pinteresque tale about a wife who responds to her husband's infidelity by flirting with her unbalanced reading student. Although the last teleplay raises issues related to class conflict and religious belief that are never fully explored, it's still far more challenging than most television fare. DVD extras are limited to the excellent aforementioned hour-long interview—filmed only months before Potter's death from pancreatic cancer—in which the author discusses his childhood, career, political and religious opinions, and his attitude toward death. Highly recommended. (F. Swietek)
Dennis Potter: 3 to Remember
Koch, 3 discs, 255 min., not rated, DVD: $39.98 Volume 24, Issue 2
Dennis Potter: 3 to Remember
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