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Description
Lust, greed, and gossip in a glamorous British hotel of the 1920s
As the most opulent hotel in Manchester, England, during the decadent Roaring ’20s, The Grand is more than a building. It’s a nexus for schemes, scandals, romance, and intrigue. For owner John Bannerman, The Grand symbolizes a tradition of luxury and elegance begun by his father. For Marcus Bannerman, it becomes a risky investment and a way to entice his brother’s wife into bed. And for the maids and porters employed there, it represents a possible escape from their hardscrabble past--and an endless source of backstairs gossip.
Written by Russell T Davies (Casanova, Touching Evil) and featuring three-time Emmy®-winner Susan Hampshire, this is addictive period drama in the tradition of Upstairs, Downstairs and The Duchess of Duke Street. Divided by class and circumstance or tied together by love and loyalty, the myriad characters who populate The Grand prove unforgettable.
Amazon.com
Image Upstairs Downstairs on a more massive scale. Or, if you can, a serious version of Fawlty Towers set in the 1920s in Manchester's luxurious Grand Hotel. Closed for renovations following World War I, the hotel and its staff face financial ruin, foreclosure, suicide, and infidelity before even reopening its doors to guests in the first episode of the series. When it finally welcomes visitors, guests abound, but so does trouble. This highly acclaimed eight-part story has everything a miniseries requires: suspense, social climbers, financial double-dealing, humor, murder, and semiretired prostitutes.
Written by Queer as Folk author Russell T. Davies, The Grand features an ever-surprising plot propelled by strong characters, their loyalties, rivalries, and revelations. The large and adept cast portrays the hotel guests, staff, and owners. This diverse ensemble re-creates an era when class distinctions between the upper and working classes were all-important. The Grand's doorman acts as a cultural interpreter between the posh owners and the working-class staff. The sets and costumes are done with a remarkable attention to detail that will please both Anglophiles and PBS fans. --Tara Chace
The Grand - Complete Collection Reviews
The Grand - Complete Collection Reviews
| 60 of 63 people found the following review helpful  ANOTHER GRAND BRITISH EPIC STORY IN FILM., By This review is from: The Grand - Complete Collection (DVD) This is 15 hours (18 episodes) of delightful English storytelling that takes place just after WWI. You will be glad you have the complete series with no need to wait a week between each episode. Each segment builds upon the next drawing you into the story as though you are part of the family of The Grand hotel.It ranks along side series giants like The Pallisers, The Barchester Chronicles, and Monarch of the Glen. Part of the reason might be that Susan Hampshire (3-Emmy winner) stars in all of those. She is outstanding in The Grand, playing Miss Harkness, a resident of the Grand, a prostitute, and proud of it. It takes a bit of acceptance, at first, seeing her as a lady of the evening,, instead of someone like Lady Glencora Palliser. Hampshire scores a perfect 10 for this performance. Mrs. Harvey, played by Christine Mackie, is the Grand's head housekeeper. She acts and sounds quite like Gemma Jones in The Duchess of Duke Street. In my opinion, Mackie... Read more 23 of 25 people found the following review helpful Wonderful program!, By K. M. (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews This review is from: The Grand - Complete Collection (DVD) This series has everything one could want: love, hate, war vets, lust, deceit, betrayal, money, and power. You will love some of the characters and hate others, but will definitely be drawn to the compelling storylines. The sets and period dress serve to transport one directly to the twenties, and give one a taste of what life was like for not only the privileged but the not-so-privileged as well. The only complaint I would have is that there are not MORE episodes! 52 of 62 people found the following review helpful  Overwrought soap opera, By Barbara B. (Oregon, USA) - See all my reviews This review is from: The Grand - Complete Collection (DVD) I think my negative reaction to this series was a result of my unrealistic expectations. I had just finished watching Upstairs Downstairs and thought The Grand was along those lines, or at least more like The Duchess of Duke Street.Instead, this was a seamy (and at times steamy) and trashed up soap opera. I failed to like or even feel sympathetic for the majority of the characters and, in real life, I would NOT have cared to stay an hour at a time with any of them. Why, then, would I sacrifice an hour of my time watching them? Within the first two episodes, we're "treated" to someone blowing his brains out (focus on all that blood on the wall, please), a masochistic pervert being serviced by a former whore, and a swarmy villain who might as well have had a handlebar moustache to twirl. Another reviewer noted, "This series has everything one could want: love, hate, war vets, lust, deceit, betrayal, money, and power." The problem for me was that it... Read more |
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