Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Jacqueline Bisset | ... | Pandora | |
Edward Fox | ... | Archie | |
Michael York | ... | Edmund | |
Mariel Hemingway | ... | Virginia | |
Virginia McKenna | ... | Violet | |
Jenny Agutter | ... | Isobel | |
Paul Guilfoyle | ... | Conrad | |
Judy Parfitt | ... | Verena | |
Angela Pleasence | ... | Lottie | |
Anna Cropper | ... | Edie | |
Emily Hamilton | ... | Alexa | |
Jesse Birdsall | ... | Neil | |
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Thomas Szekeres | ... | Henry |
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Sarah Winman | ... | Lucilla |
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David Pullan | ... | Jeff |
Verena Steynton is holding a party for her daughter. All the aristocratic families of Strathcroy in the Scottish Highlands are attending, with all their guilty secrets ... Lord Archie Balmerino, a crippled war veteran and his long-suffering wife will be there. Edmund Aird, a wealthy entrepreneur, and his beautiful American wife have been invited. And Pandora, Archie's exotic and mysterious sister, who disappeared from the village 20 years, is returning, under a cloud of suspicion. Only Edmund and her brother know the secret of her flight from home. But the rumors are the flying and the local families feel that Pandora's return can only bring bad luck. When a lifeless body is found in the loch, the tension rises. Why has Pandora come back after so long? What are her motives? And her return already had deadly consequences?
You'll watch it for the stars, but it plays like a day-time soap. The acting is good most of the time (these people are real pros), but the key moments are played so artificially that your mind starts to wander. At three hours (the version on Showtime), this is just too long to view at one sitting. Nice chance to see Jackie Bisset playing the aging femme fatale. Involving, but tests your patience.