Beecham House [DVD]

If you like your heroes rugged, politically correct and loyal, if you like your heroines determined, forthright and fearless (as well as romantically beautiful), if your villains have to be treacherous, ruthless and wholly unloveable, then you will find "Beecham House" to be the perfect replacement for Poldark. And there are bonuses. The settings in India are visually gorgeous, competently filmed and not allowed to steal the show; the Indian costumes and customs are well woven into the narrative; there is even an occasional nod in the direction of history (though references to Warren Hastings may be wasted on most viewers). The story sizzles along driven by an unusual issue -- at least in British films -- the safety of the heir to a maharajah. There is a negative side, of course: the language. I don't think that movements were "monitored" in the late eighteenth century, or that a trip by an unmarried man and woman would be called "inapproriate." With so many consultants giving advice on clothing, table manners and architecture, perhaps a language consultant would have combed out the script "appropriately." But my only serious gripe: the series was too short, a mere 270 minutes. Just as I'd got to cheer for the goodies and boo the baddies, it was all over. But at least the shock ending promises a Series 2.

When we are taught to write in school the teacher always guides us back to first principles, and the most important of these is that the writing or story must have three things — a beginning, middle and end.The beginning of course introduces the reader to the subject. The main idea of the first paragraph (led by the topic sentence) is introduction, introducing the reader to the subject.The middle is where most of the writing occurs (usually in several paragraphs). All the important ideas and incidents (in stories) are gathered here and written about. This is where the story is told.The end is conclusion, summing up, tying loose ends together. In stories it’s also the time for reflection and resolution. Without resolution all the preceding is ruined because the writing ends in incoherence, not coherence. The writing must make sense for the story to be effective.The same applies to filmmaking because films are written stories in different form. They begin on the page and are only later transferred to celluloid through filming. So it’s imperative for the story to be based on first principles. If it isn’t it will fail every time.Sad to say this magnificent production — lavish, splendid and beautiful — is a failure. The ending, if one can call it that, is atrocious, the worst I’ve ever seen. The film just spools out or the cameras got jammed. That is the effect. No resolution. No summing up. No coherence.The ending was probably meant to be a teaser, a bid for a second season by the production team to keep the story running through six or more new episodes. But if so the technique is shoddy, abrupt, almost insulting. When an audience has invested time and emotional energy in a production, you cannot treat it like this.This lesson was learned when Frank Darabont, who directed the Shawshank Redemption, first screened the film to private audiences for feedback. The audiences loved the film (because it’s a very good one). Or they nearly did. What they disliked, or even hated, was the so-called ending, which wasn’t fulfilling. Darabont initially ended the film with Red on the bus in Texas and headed for the Mexican border. Will he cross it? Can he get through? Will he find his way to the Pacific Coast? Will he really see Andy again? Viewers had to know. They had an emotional right to know. Thankfully Derabont saw the light and included the cathartic reunion scene at the end. The two ex-prisoners meet on a lonely beach in Mexico and the meeting is perfect, not done mawkishly, tritely. Derabont uses normal lenses from a distance that do not show their faces in close-up. So, we get to imagine how they look when they finally do embrace (again, seen from a great distance away from the beach). This scene made all the difference in the film. In fact, it helped make it iconic, now thought by many to be the greatest film of the 1990s. I’m not so sure they are right, but I am sure about the ending. It provides resolution. It sums up. It has coherence.Beecham House is beautiful. It is The Far Pavilions with far greater production values, including acting, costumes and locales. It’s a work of art to be admired, scene after lavish scene of it exquisite, splendid. I cannot fault any of this. But it’s a failure all the same, as everything that leads up to its ending is nullified emotionally by it. We are simply abandoned, stranded by the story. Thus, disappointment writ large. I kept on thinking the DVD must have been faulty. Additional episodes had to have been missing. No, they aren’t. I got stiffed and you will be too. How the executives at ITV approved the script I’ll never know. As story writing goes it isn’t bad. Of course the whole thing’s a saga so the characters may loom rather larger than life. There’s no doubt, for instance, that John Beecham (main protagonist) is partly modelled on Indy Jones, consciously or not. He has a kind of superhero look (strong, rugged, virile, handsome). But he’s also modern (even though the year is 1797) in that he’s sensitive and caring. I don’t have a problem with the saga style. It isn’t quite life and we know that. It allows us the illusion of something better, or at least different.India is beautiful. If you’ve been there you know. Of course it’s also squalid, dirty, poor, ugly in places. But the colours everywhere are glorious. The sun shines, brightly illuminating everything it touches. The women are gorgeous and dress in ways that ensure that their chests and midriffs are always exposed. They are sensuous and alluring, very feminine and meant to be in a patriarchal society.As for the story, it challenges and critiques Empire in the form of Britain’s Trojan Horse in India, the East India Company. The Company is a thing of trade and exploitation, but also one of imperialism, colonial dominance. The Indians rightly hate it (while also fearing it and the British army that defends it). The French hate it too along with the British whom they despise. The French of course are not innocent. They want a piece of the Indian pie as well. But as underdogs they play the part of the abused and neglected well.John Beecham is not a happy man. He hated the Company for its abuses and left it, setting out to discover the ‘real India’ for himself as a free man. He loved the things he found. Now he’s English in name and looks but no longer in spirit. He’s an oddity, something better now, an amalgam between cultures, a man who retains his English identity but also embraces the values and things in India that move and inspire him. One of these was a princess. By accident or fate they met and he married her. They had a son (who is also now a baby prince), and most of the drama centres round his well being and safety.But shouldn’t these things make John happy? Yes, they should and they once did. But he’s a widower now and seems lost again. He loved his wife. She was taken tragically from him. So now he must find a new way forward.There are too many characters and incidents to narrate now. The cast is half European, half Indian — a great mix. The costumes are magnificent. So are the locales and settings, especially the palaces. Beecham House itself, where John resides, is beautiful and splendid. The house is meant to be in Delhi but actually stands in Jaipur in Rajasthan, a beautiful city I’ve had the privilege to see with my own eyes.Perhaps if ITV does indeed commission another season all my terrible complaints here can go by the wayside. I would like that, as it doesn’t please me to disrespect such a fine production. But unless a Season Two is commissioned, written and filmed, my critique stands. Worst ending I have ever seen in all my viewing years. And a final word of warning to anyone interested: the second-worst ending I have seen is in a series called Jericho. Season Two was never made. Avoid this series like the plague unless you don’t mind being terribly disappointed when it ends (abruptly, stupidly, incoherently).Beccham House receives 4 stars from me despite its ending. Why? Because it’s beautiful and I have a weakness for beautiful things (as you do too).

Absolutely wonderful epic. It has all the bad guy. good guy, undercover affairs, intrigue and action that a epic reqiures. I gave it 6 stars as I liked all the twists and turns this story took. Being set in the late 1795's era, there is a way of speaking and acting that is not applicable to nowadays. Hopefully someone will pick up this mini series now that ITV has dropped it. We all want to know if Chandrika will find someone and settle down. Prince Ackbar would be good as then they will have two houses combined. Daniel will no doubt find someone for Violet, but I still doubt his judgement at this stage, but maybe stepping in as his brothers partner in the business, may bring him to his senses. Baadal should move a little quicker than he is moving at present for Chanchal. He has already said as much, and Begum Samru sleeping with the french general, how is this going to end, but it will probably end fine as she was the head of a mercenary army in real life at that time. Also Sam Parker, he needs to get his just desserts. We all want to see that. And August, that poor little kid needs to be found. I reckon Margaret will make a good mother for him.In a review elsewhere, not on Amazon, someone mentioned Muligatawny soup which is spoken off in the story and this is correct in the story context as it is not a Northern Indian dish, but a English soup derived from a Indian sauce recipe at time, as Mrs Beecham senior loves her english dishes which are bland and not as exciting as the Indian food put before her. I know this is going against what a lot of people think about the series, but a second series to finish the story would be great.

Quite entertaining, but could not sympathise with any of the characters bar one. That is the brother. He reminds me of Michael York. Apart from that it is mass hystrionics at their best. I agree with most of the reviewers, the mother was terribly miscast and Dakota etc. always seemed to indulge into "am I doing this correctly" look. Story okay, but all in all unconvincing acting.

My weakness. The sheer beauty of the people. The costuming exciting. Seeing faces I seem to know, if so they are doing a splendid job. Please do not cut the adoring public with this one.

This series was like a breath of fresh air, a wonderful period drama set in India. It has a first class cast, fantastic settings and so much opulence. I do agree that there was not enough of it I missed the fifth episode so purchased the DVD and found that each episode was only 45 minutes long with 15 minutes of adverts. Perhaps series two could have eight episodes to make up for the adverts, please. The best of it is there will be a series two.

Great drama, hopefully not too long a wait for second series.