DVD Review: Poldark: The Complete Collection

The Acorn Media Group have done it again. Their release of yet another fascinating BBC production in the U.S. as a budget-priced box-set is a “must” for fans of great British television. In this case, it is Poldark: The Complete Collection - an eight-DVD set which features series one and two of the program. The term “series” is used in English television lingo the way we in the United States use the word “season.” Just by way of explanation, Poldark ran for two seasons - and this set contains all 29 episodes.

Poldark was originally shown in the U.S. on Masterpiece Theatre in 1977. The producers call it a “costume drama,” which is useful - but there is much more to the program than just the excellent re-creation of 18th Century England. The title character is Captain Ross Poldark (Robin Ellis), and the series deals with his life both in and out of the military.

One of the basic themes throughout the various episodes is that the events in Poldark’s personal life are often more difficult than those he faces as an English Captain. In the first series, we find the wounded Captain returning from the American Revolution - after escaping from a French prisoner-of-war camp. He is faced with the awful fact that not only has his father died while he was away, but that the woman he had intended to wed is engaged to another man. To add to his woes, there is also a ruthless businessman out to force the family off of their land. During the second series, the trials and tribulations continue - and Captain Poldark is faced with a number of crises that he again must face, in addition to his outstanding career as a military officer.

Article Author: Greg Barbrick

Greg Barbrick is a Seattle native who was first published in 1988, in his hometown music magazine, The Rocket. Since then his work has appeared in print and online for numerous sources. He Googles himself so often that his mother told him it would make him go blind.
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