This 12-part 1984 BBC miniseries is based on the “nature journal” of artist Edith Blackwell Holden (1871–1920) for the year 1906, which later became the titular 1977 bestseller. But the script by Elaine Feinstein and Dirk Campbell goes beyond the book to cover the author's life from girlhood to death. Each episode—named after the months of the year—dramatizes Edith's (Pippa Guard) walks as recounted in the journal, with Edith proceeding through the countryside as she reads from the entries, interwoven with shots of Holden's watercolors and excerpts from poems. But each segment also depicts additional scenes from her life (mostly familial encounters), culminating in her marriage and the inquest that followed her drowning while on one of her strolls. Guard is fine as Holden, capturing both the writer's prim, controlled exterior and the subdued intensity beneath. Much of the series was filmed on location in Warwickshire, Dartmoor, and Scotland, but while the outdoor footage is lovely, the series doesn't appear to have undergone serious restoration (the colors are washed-out and the images often streaked and blurry). But even with these imperfections, this remains an evocative production certain to please fans of Holden's book. Recommended. (F. Swietek)
The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady
BFS, 4 discs, 312 min., not rated, DVD: $39.98 Volume 27, Issue 6
The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady
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