The Road to Coronation Street

The Road to Coronation Street serves up a stylish tribute to the British series that—following the recent demise of some American competitors—has become the world's longest-running soap opera. As this dramatized TV movie tells it, Coronation Street—revolving around the interlocking lives of residents on a small stretch of a typical Manchester road—went through a difficult gestation. The brainchild of Tony Warren (David Dawson), a young actor-turned-writer who exploited his own experiences as material, the idea was initially dismissed by most Granada Television executives as overly complex and provincial (especially because of the northern dialect), but it was championed by Harry Elton (Christian McKay), the Canadian programming director. The series was finally given a test run in late 1960 and quickly became incredibly popular. The Road to Coronation Street is excellent old-fashioned entertainment, nicely capturing the “let's put on a show” mentality of the series' birth, backed with meticulous contemporary dress and lustrous visuals. Particular fun is had with the re-creation of the casting difficulties (the pivotal role of Ena Sharples, the brusque neighborhood busybody, went unfilled until the last moment). A bonus disc features a remastered transfer of the first episode, allowing the viewer to see how closely the present-day actors were chosen to resemble their 1960 counterparts (the film's final credits also include archival photos of major players). Highly recommended. (F. Swietek)