List Price: $34.98You Pay Only: $25.99 You Save: $8.99 (26%)Prices subject to change.
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: DVD
Brand: Warner Brothers
EAN: 0883929012404
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
Label: BBC Warner
Manufacturer: BBC Warner
Number Of Items: 2
Publisher: BBC Warner
Region Code: 1
Release Date: May 20, 2008
Running Time: 291 minutes
Sales Rank: 222
Studio: BBC Warner
Theatrical Release Date: 2007
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Editorial Review:
Product Description:
The BBC drama series adapted from Mary Gaskells classic novels of small town gossip secrets and romance. 1842. Cranford a market town in the North West of England is a place governed by etiquette custom and above all an intricate network of ladies. It seems that life has always been conducted according to their social rules but Cranford is on the cusp of change? For spinsters Deborah Jenkyns the arbiter of correctness in Cranford and Matty her demurring sister the town is a hub of intrigue - a handsome new doctor Frank Harrison from London has arrived; a retired Captain and his daughters have moved in to a house opposite and the preparations for Lady Ludlows garden party are underway. Everyone - from charming rogue Dr Marshland to mean Mrs Jamieson and her lap dog talks and is talked about behind closed doors. The town also has its secrets which it slowly reveals: Mattys encounter with an old flame at the garden party; Lady Ludlows gardener Mr Carter teaching a gypsy lad to read and write; the wild expectations of the May Day celebrations and - news that shakes the town when it is revealed - a railway line from Manchester is coming to Cranford.Running Time: 295 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/BBC UPC: 883929012404 Manufacturer No: 1000037442
Amazon.com:
Adapted from Elizabeth Gaskells' novels, the five-episode miniseries Cranford focuses on female characters in the 19th-century British town to thematically contemplate encroaching modernity in rural England. With the camera roving house to house, each drama within the grander story is constructed of scenes featuring dialogue between several gossipy ladies obsessed with moral code, romantic ideas about courtship, and social occasions. Three main characters, the ever-appropriate Deborah Jenkyns (Eileen Atkins), her sweet sister, Matilda (Judi Dench), and their younger, more savvy relative, Miss Smith, continuously weigh in on situations, providing a dependable view when other ladies, like the nosey Miss Pole (Imelda Staunton) are too judgmental. In fine period dress, the women of Cranford remind the viewer of how little action was needed in their small-town lives to provide unceasing entertainment. The series' most intriguing aspect lies not in the ample female conversation but rather in its display of earlier technologies and ways of life. Part One, for example, quickly launches a main narrative thread that runs throughout the series, namely the arrival and assimilation of London doctor, Frank Harrison (Simon Woods), into village society. Dr. Harrison's medical practices, such as his refusal to amputate a man's arm because it's broken, are all the more radical because they are so fundamental by today's standards. In subsequent episodes, he recommends Miss Smith get spectacles to cure her headaches, and saves his love's life by cooling her fever after conservative doctor, Dr. Morgan (John Bowe), recommends the old school practice of burying her in blankets in front of a raging fire. In Part Two, Lady Ludlow (Francesca Annis) throws a garden party at her estate, treating all the women in their fancy hats to a new novelty: ice cream. This scene foreshadows Ludlow's future concern at a railroad plan involving her land that would connect Cranford to Manchester, symbolizing the ruin of this idyllic setting.
In fact, fluffy and clever as some scenes are, death and rebirth assert themselves in each showing, both physically and idealistically. Part Four shows an auctioning off of a deceased man's antiques, and focuses on issues of class and women's education, as Mr. Carter teaches a peasant boy to read while his assistant fumes at her trappings as a seamstress. Part Five ushers in a new period of medical emergencies, securing Dr. Harrison's shaky position in town. In total, Cranford offers a powerful, if sentimental, look at how death begets life, love, and passion. ‹Trinie Dalton
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating: - Charming perfection
The BBC has truly outdone itself with the wonderful production of "Cranford". The triumverate of Judi Dench, Eileen Atkins, and Imelda Staunton makes the series a sheer force of cinematic strength. All three of these leading lights prove incandescent, but their luminous brilliance does not vie for favor--rather, each actress perfectly coplements the other.
Nor is the skill limited to this trio. The supporting cast is also well-matched, with legends Michael Gambon and Francesca Annis lending their assistance, as well as Simon Woods (whom I recognized from "Rome"), the lovely Lesley Manville ("The Cazalets", "North & South"--the 2nd being another Mrs. Gaskell adaptation), and the darling Claudie Blakely ("Gosford Park", as well as 2005's "Pride & Prejudice"), to name but a few.
Purists may squirm that this film is not a verbatim reproduction of Elizabeth Gaskell's novel of the same name, but incorporates much of that book's plotline while adding in those of two other books by her, namely, "Mr. Harrison's Confessions" and "My Lady Ludlow". I found the result to be thoroughly enjoyable.
Cranford's society is dominated by a cadre of thoroughly proper ladies, domineered by the righteous Miss Deborah Jenkyns (Atkins). Her sister, Miss Mathilda (popularly known as Matty) Jenkyns, is softer-hearted; while Deborah is generally unyielding and stern, her sense of compassion and duty does ingratiate her character to the audience eventually. Miss Pole (Staunton) ... Read More
Rating: - wonderful!
We absolutely loved this series. It was very clever and entertaining. It was well cast and acted and my husband even loved it.
Rating:  - Cranford was a refreshing change.
Sometimes I just like to loose myself in a miniseries. Cranford had the usual pursuit of love and romance, but had the added bonus of strong female friendships. I planned to watch an installment each day, but I got hooked and watched all the installments in one day.
Rating: - Cranford Captivates
We had planned to watch the Cranford episodes as they unfolded on PBS, but because we had a houseguest, I taped them. When we finished viewing the series, my husband had found them so interesting and engaging that he asked to view them a second time. Consequently, I ordered the DVD and we thoroughly enjoyed watching the "Making of Cranford".
I first learned of Elizabeth Gaskell while reading Phyllis McGinley's Sixpence in Her Shoe, when I was newly married. Years later while visiting a London bookstore, I found several of the Gaskell novels and added them to my library. I couldn't resist rereading Cranford the week after seeing the final episode.
I liked the blending of three of Gaskell's novels into this telling of the story. My Lady Ludlow and Mr. Harrison's Confessions give the village a larger context and paint a more complete picture of England at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. However, nothing of the charm of the perfect English village is lost in this delightful retelling of the story. Each actor seems to catch his character's virtues and foibles perfectly.
Rating: - Getting to Know Cranston
Excellant viewing. I watched all the episodes in one evening. I had to see them all and was sad when it ended. I am gettting ready to watch them again before summer is over!It's a classic must see if you like Jane Austen too. I loved all the characters, they were well developed. You felt lilke you really knew them. It's a good clean, wholesome movie. Very rare.
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