Plot: What’s it about?
The time is the 1800s and India is in the midst of a battle for freedom, to separate from England and attain the status of independence. As the war rages and lives change in mere seconds, a most forbidden love starts to bloom, between two most unlikely people. The beautiful Indian Princess Anjuli (Any Irving) is soon to be married to a cruel leader and though she doesn’t wish to be, she is promised to him and as such, the marriage will happen. But soon her life will change when she meets a young British officer, Ashton Pelham-Martyn (Ben Cross). The two soon become swept up in a whirlwind romance and as time passes, they become even closer and wish to be married, though Anjuli’s status is already defined. In a land torn by battles both inside and out, can even this passionate romance survive, or will the lovers be torn apart or worse yet, will both of them be destroyed in the process?
I think fans of this series have been pretty shafted up this point, as previous home video editions trimmed lengthy portions of the running time, which just plain sucks. This two disc release from Acorn Media restores The Far Pavilions to its full length, all six episodes in uncut form, as they should be seen. I have to say that while this series is more than decent, I wasn’t all that taken by it and in the end, I think a lot of potential was wasted here. I love the cast choices, as Ben Cross, Amy Irving Christopher Lee, Omar Sharif, and John Gielgud all turn in solid performances, especially Cross and Irving in the leads. But for the most part, the actors aren’t allowed to take their work to the next level, as the material lacks the emotional punch it needs. I think it is well written in most respects, but since some real flaws are present, it lessens the experience more than a little. Even so, the production values are quite good and the performances elevate the material, so fans of these kind of features should give this release a look. And of course, fans will not want to hesitate in the least, since Acorn Media has issued all six uncut episodes, cool indeed.
Video: How does it look?
The Far Pavilions is presented in a full frame transfer, which preserves the series’ intended aspect ratio. This is not a bad transfer by any means, but it falls short of the usual standards we’ve come to expect, to be sure. Imagine a brand new VHS tape and that’s what you’ve got here, not too good, but not too bad either. I think if this was a feature film, I’d be very let down, but given the nature of this series, I am not as disappointed. The colors look solid and contrast is even handed, though neither element is as refined as I would like. I saw no evidence of compression errors, though some print wear is seen from time to time. This isn’t the pristine, restored image fans might want, but it offers an improvement over prior releases, which is welcome.
Audio: How does it sound?
I wasn’t expecting much in terms of audio here, but I was surprised at how rich and well placed it all is, quite good work indeed. This material isn’t explosive by any means, but some great subtle and immersive audio can be found here, especially in a few instances. The music also sounds terrific here, while dialogue is clean and never hard to understand. I think this mix sounds much better than it would on television, which is about all you can ask for, in this case. This disc also includes English subtitles, in case you’ll need those.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes some production notes, as well as some various information on author M.M. Kaye.
