Shades of Love

Although this four-part miniseries is set in Britain and features some fine English actors, Shades of Love was co-produced by German television—where romance novelist Rosamunde Pilcher (on whose books it's based) apparently has a substantial following—and features many German cast members, with some of the dialogue dubbed (not terribly well). The narrative centers on the wealthy Aird family, headed up by Edmund (Charles Dance), a businessman who presides with his mother (Eileen Atkins) over the magnificent Balnaird House in the Scottish Highlands. In the double-episode first series from 2010, the family's equilibrium is disturbed by multiple interlocking events, including Edmund's heart attack, the machinations of his philandering son-in-law to take over his corporation, and the arrival of an American who suspects that he is actually the biological father of the youngest Aird daughter. In the 2011 two-episode follow-up, the fight over the control of the company continues, but another domestic secret turns out to even more disturbing: as a young man Edmund unknowingly fathered another daughter, who now turns up to claim a stake in the business, a development that the erstwhile son-in-law could turn to his advantage. And these are only a few of the saga's melodramatic events, which also include multiple deaths and romantic intrigues. Shades of Love can't be compared to the best British dramas—it's a shallow soap-operatic story with leaden dialogue and mostly mediocre acting—but the scenery is admittedly lovely. Extras include photo galleries. Optional. (F. Swietek)