The Onedin Line

Grand music, real drama, tall ships and Jessica Benton, how can you go wrong?

One way is to cram all the episodes together so that each DVD forms some kind of four hour movie version of 'The Onedin Line'. This means that the writing talent that went into giving us some dramatic flow in an hour show is completely crapped on. At odd points during your viewing, provided you've got four hours spare to do that, you'll suddenly get a bit of the Adagio from 'Spartacus' dropped on you like a piece of musical jetsam. And with only your memory to guide you as to where each episode ends, you end up with a very up and down experience and not what TV drama is all about.

I for one would've been keen to see the names of the actors in each episode, too, as I'm sure they would be keen for me to know who they were. Alas, even that is lost to us in some harebrained attempt to turn this magnificent production into something even David Lean could find a trifle lengthy and vicissitudes.

We can only hope the BBC doesn't try this again with the second series.

This series was immensely popular in Britain during the 1970's. Its combination of boardroom antics and exciting seafaring action had Sunday evening audiences hooked. Containing some excellent location work and a memorable musical score, this was costume drama at its best.

I watched the series in the 70s,...Sunday evenings around the TV with my Mum an Dad and my sister. I enjoyed it then. Now I am watching the whole thing all over again in the afternoons. Its not just a bit of nostalgia, its absolutely marvellous. Production values may seem low at first compared to today's blockbuster serials, but the sharply drawn characters are brought to riveting life by a first class cast (special mentions to Peter Gilmore, Jessica Benton and Anne Stallybrass as James, Elizabeth and Anne Onedin respectively). Proof (as if it were needed) that script and cast can overcome any weaknesses or paucity of cash elsewhere in a production. One noticeable aspect is how fully rounded the women characters are, how equal in every way to the male characters. That this is immediately apparent is a sad reflection on the way women's roles have retreated in the last decade or so. Maybe 70s feminism had something to do with it. But these women are not all about shoe shopping and chocolate! As an adult I really see the nuances of the story telling, and the richness of characterisation, historical context etc, Fantastic.

I've always been of the opinion that the 1960s and 70s was the golden era of English cinema and television.

"The Onedin Line" was an all class act. There was nothing slip-shod about this fine production. Being a keen history buff, it was always high on my list of viewing options. Indeed, the show enjoyed considerable popularity here in Australia because it regularly featured Australian references in its story lines.

The choice of Peter Gilmore in the title role of James Onedin could only be described as ínspired.

Some aspects of this series are probably a bit dated now but I recently watched a few episodes for the first time in many years and got a lot of pleasure out of seeing it again.

A must see for lovers of history.

I just discovered The Onedin Line,I ordered both DVD sets.I was totally hooked through each episode.The casting was perfect,and the acting was great.When I got to last episode I wanted to see more.I was delighted to see it ran for eight season.I was then very let down to find out the rest of the show is not available in the United States.I can only hope the rest of the series will be available in the future.I would definitely purchase the complete series if it were released.I would have rated this series a 10 if the picture quality was improved.The picture quality isn't too bad considering it was made in the early 70's.Anyone who loves British TV,history,and sea/ship dramas will not want to miss this.