| The Forsyte Saga, on television, was based on a seried of
nine novels by John Galsorthy (he by the way won the nobel
prize for literature)
I will give the synopsis after the formfeed so if you don't want to
know the plot, skip the rest
Galsworthy wrote novels throughout his life but strictly speaking,
the Saga consists of "The Man of Property" In Chancery" and
To Let" but the TV series also drew from some of the later books.
The Fosytes are a large upper middle class family of conventional
materialisti business men. When the saga opens, ten members of the
oldest generations are still alive. Most of the novels are concerned
with 2 members of the second generation, Soames Forsyte and young
Jolyon and their children.
The man of property is Soames Forsyte. A typical member of the Forsyte
family. His wife, Irene, Whom he regards as his, and just another
piece of property. Irene falls in love with Philip Bosinney, a young
architect. Soames devotes all his money and power to punishing them
and phillip is killed in an accident Irene and Soames divorce
and Irene marries Young Jolyon. Young Jolyon is the only
sensitive member of the Forsyte family. Soames marries a
french woman, Annette. Soames has a daughter, Fleur, and much of
the later episodes of the TV show focused on her. The Saga is
set between 1880 and 1930, and the overall premise is the
rift between Irene and Soames, dystroys the family for generations.
For, Fleur falls in love with Jon, the son of young Jolyon and Irene.
When the young couple learns the truth about their parents
(and all that Soames did to Irene) Jon draws back to remain
loyal to his mother.
Fleur marries and man called Michael Mont and much of the later series
is about them and their friends, and it is a story of
the events of the age. The series shows that Forsytes
were out of touch and unprepared for the changes that
time brought into their lives.
Galsworthy was attacking the smug conventionality and self rightgeous
hypocracy of the middle class (instantiated in Soames)
and championed the artist, the rebel and the underdog.
(this is in the first half of the series)
but later in the series, he seemed to become more sentimental and
traditional, and took a lighter and more sympathetic
view. (which has in the series, Soames not looking so one dimensionally
wicked)
In the US, this was played on Public
television, and they might be able to help locate the tapes
in Europe, it was done by BBC
Anyway, hope thi helps.
-lz
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| It was called "The Forsyte Saga" (no h).
This series is sort of the mother of "Masterpiece Theater".
It was so wildly popular in England (people canceled social
engagements to stay home to watch) that the idea of showing
continuing dramatic series was born (in the format we now know as
Masterpiece Theater).
Eric Porter played Soames, Susan Hampshire his spoiled daughter
Fleur, and Margaret Tyzak (last seen as young Indy's tutor) played
one of Soames' sisters. I watched it twice, when it was shown on
two different PBS stations (Boston, and NH), in the early 70's.
I think it was done in black and white, which may be why it's
never been shown (to my knowledge) since. Of course it coule
be that my tv was b&w, and that's how I remember it. ;-)
Incidentally, a 1949 MGM movie called "That Forsythe Woman"
starring Errol Flynn as Soames and Greer Garson as Irene
is a barely adequate version of the first of the novels
("A Man of Property").
Richard
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| re .-1
So maybe I'll find it in the British Book (and Video) Shop here
in Vienna. I would not like to buy it, only rent it.
It's not available in German language, I've already checked that.
Meanwhile I have bought the book(s). It is above 1000 pages, so I'm
busy for a while ;-)
Andrea
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