One of the ancillary benefits of the success of the Prime Suspect series and Helen Mirren's Oscar-winning performance in The Queen is the release of this excellent set of nine plays televised by the BBC between 1974 and 1982. Chronologically, the entries run the gamut from Jacobean tragedy (Thomas Middleton's The Changeling) and Restoration comedy (William Wycherley's The Country Wife), to early 20th-century drama (J.M. Barrie's whimsical romance The Little Minister and George Bernard Shaw's political satire The Apple Cart), to modern pieces such as Dennis Potter's Blue Remembered Hills, in which seven adult actors play children on an outing that turns tragic. The remaining four plays are: Caesar and Claretta, revolving around Mussolini and his mistress' last night before their execution; The Philanthropist, a witty divertissement about a bevy of London ultra-sophisticates; Edna O'Brien's Mrs. Reinhardt, in which Mirren plays a wife (separated from her husband) who meets a handsome but volatile young American during a French vacation; and Soft Targets, with Ian Holm as a paranoid Soviet journalist drawn to a British socialite. Presented in the order of their original broadcast, all nine productions are well-directed and beautifully performed, both by Mirren (who often appears in secondary roles) and her colleagues. Although the technical quality is variable, the overall presentation is quite good, considering the age of the works. DVD extras include a 1975 television interview with the 30-year-old Mirren (when she was just beginning to be noticed—especially, it seems, as a sex symbol), and a 2007 series of recollections in which Mirren discusses filming each of the plays. Highly recommended. (F. Swietek)
Helen Mirren at the BBC
BBC, 5 discs, 810 min., not rated, DVD: $79.98 June 23, 2008
Helen Mirren at the BBC
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