Two of Nancy Mitford's novels—The Pursuit of Love and the titular Love in a Cold Climate—are the sources for this sumptuous two-part 2001 BBC Masterpiece Theatre miniseries, a tale of three young aristocratic women in 1930s England whose romantic dreams take them along decidedly different roads. One defies her bulldog father's prejudices to marry a snooty banker's son, but then abandons him to follow a communist rabble-rouser to civil war-torn Spain and later takes up with a sophisticated French nobleman. A second suffers disinheritance when she marries a wastrel widower. Only the third, who also serves as our levelheaded narrator, weds sensibly. A wickedly funny satire of upper-class social mores between the world wars with a streak of poignancy beneath the surface elegance, Love in a Cold Climate benefits from a sharp script, gorgeous locations—including an estate where Mitford herself once lived—and a cast that mixes veterans such as the late Alan Bates and Anthony Andrews with winning up-and-coming stars. The compression of the original narrative sometimes leads to a bit of confusion about relationships and motivations among the characters, but overall this is a delightful adaptation of bitingly witty books, beautifully realized on virtually every level. DVD extras include a text biography of Mitford, production notes, and cast filmographies. Highly recommended. (F. Swietek)
Love in a Cold Climate
Acorn, 155 min., not rated, DVD: $29.99 Volume 21, Issue 1
Love in a Cold Climate
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: