Parade's End

Ford Madox Ford's titular tetralogy (1924-28) is one of the acknowledged pinnacles of 20th-century British literature, twice given the miniseries treatment. Like its opulent 2012 successor broadcast on HBO, this 1964 BBC black-and-white production adapts only the first three volumes of Ford's work, omitting Last Post. Essentially, this is the story of Christopher Tietjens (Ronald Hines), a high-principled British aristocrat whose adherence to the traditional upper-class code of conduct is sorely tested by World War I, especially his grim experiences in the trenches, which is precisely where he finds himself after refusing to manipulate battlefield statistics in his role as a government official. But his upright attitude is also challenged in his personal life, since he's saddled with an amoral, flirtatious wife, Sylvia (Jeanne Moody). Unfortunately, his principles make it impossible for him to divorce her, although he does fall in love with a vivacious suffragette named Valentine (Judi Dench). Tietjens' tale serves as a microcosm for a society undergoing tremendous upheaval, often for the worse but also in ways that bring progress—although it closes here with intimations of the rise of fascism and even greater destruction. Most viewers will probably wait for the DVD and Blu-ray release of the newer adaptation, but this one boasts its own strengths, including a characteristically fine performance by Dench. Recommended. (F. Swietek)