The Politician's Wife

In this award-winning 1995 British miniseries, member of Parliament Duncan Matlock (Trevor Eve) presents a straight-laced public image that mirrors the values of his Conservative Party. But privately this MP has a bit of a sticky secret: a love affair with an ex-prostitute (Minnie Driver) that slowly percolates into the tabloids. Matlock's long-suffering wife Flora (Juliet Stevenson) is under pressure from her family and the party bosses to offer a public façade of loyalty and fidelity, but this front becomes increasingly difficult to maintain as the more lurid details of the affair become public. While the series breaks very little new ground in its now-familiar story of politics and adultery, the saving grace comes from the three lead actors, who subtly bring texture to their respective roles: Stevenson's anguish is brilliantly contrasted against Eve's actions, while Driver displays the star power that was just waiting to take off (her Oscar-nominated breakthrough in Good Will Hunting would come two years later). DVD extras include an essay by screenwriter Paula Milne (who also wrote The Politician's Husband, which recently aired on British television). Recommended. (P. Hall)