"Aristocrats" (1999) TV mini-series

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

David Caffrey

Writers:

Harriet O'Carroll (writer)
Stella Tillyard (biography)

Release Date:

10 October 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History

Plot Keywords:

Parliament | Loss Of Mother | Politics | Aristocracy | Illegitimate Child

Awards:

4 nominations

Cast

Serena Gordon	...	Caroline
Alun Armstrong	...	Henry Fox
Geraldine Somerville	...	Lady Emily
Ben Daniels	...	Lord Kildare
Julian Fellowes	...	Lord Richmond
Diane Fletcher	...	Lady Richmond
Anne-Marie Duff	...	Louisa
Tom Mullion	...	Thomas Conolly
Jodhi May	...	Sarah
Andrew Havill	...	Charles Bunbury
George Anton	...	William Ogilvie
John Light	...	Edward Fitzgerald
Clive Swift	...	King George II
Siân Phillips	...	Narrator / Older Lady Emily
Richard Dempsey	...	Lord Beaufield

Runtime:

50 min (6 episodes)

Country:

UK | Ireland | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Carton House, Maynooth, County Kildare, Ireland

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Trivia:

The beaded necklace Geraldine Somerville (Lady Emily) wears during the scene in which her character reads a letter from her son, who is at Eton, is the same necklace Kate Beckinsale (Emma Woodhouse) wears when she sings with Frank Churchill at Randalls in _Emma (1996)(TV)_.

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: Geraldine Somerville, who was the principal actress playing the second Lennox sister Emily, appears in the background as a mourner in the scene where Lady Caroline and Mr. Fox are talking at a funeral in the first episode of the series. At this point in the story, the character of Emily is a child so Geraldine was available as an extra and the casting directors didn't think anyone would notice.

Quotes:

Lady Emily: Is not the act of love... strange? Jimmy says that its frequent use is necessary to a woman's health and happiness.
Caroline: That's abominably indelicate.
Lady Emily: He says what he thinks.
Caroline: I'm sure one sees many mighty comfortable old virgins.
Lady Emily: Perhaps that is so. But one is awfully glad not to be among them...

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Making of 'Aristocrats' (1999) (TV)

Soundtrack:

The Croppy Boy

Absorbing tale of love & intrigue

It's some time ago I saw this mini-series, adapted by Tillyard herself and based on her marvellous biography about the Lennox sisters. The biography is one of the best I've ever read, so my expectations were pretty high. Fortunately I was not disappointed. Like in most English literary adaptations all the details, settings and costumes were perfect, and the story about the Lennox sisters have everything you could wish for: love, court intrigue, tragedies etc. It's so absorbing that you almost forget that it isn't fiction, but real people with real and dramatic lives! All the actors were great, especially Jodhi May as the unfortunate Sarah Lennox. If you didn't get enough of the series, then read the biography!