Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #41588 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-07-31
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Box set, PAL, Special Edition
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 4
• Running time: 740 minutes

Synopsis
Christina, a recent orphan, is sent to live with her stern uncle and his sons on their estate, Flambards. There Christina gets an education on the changing face of England as technology and class differences cause strife, leading to the calamity of the first World War. Based on K.M. Peyton's award winning trilogy of novels.

Customer Reviews

Period Drama with more than a touch of Black Beauty & Biggles!
Orphan and Heiress-in-waiting, Christina Parsons has lived with various aunts until she is sent, at age 17, to live with grumpy Uncle Russell and his two sons - Mark and William - in the crumbling family pile that is Flambards. Hopes that she will marry cousin Mark and use her inheritance to restore the family home are dashed as Christina finds him boorish and cruel, but in younger cousin William she finds a real friend. William likes all things mechanical and while Christina is happy to learn to ride, William spends his time dreaming of owning his own plane at a time when aviation is in its early stages.

The old system of Master and Servant is explored as Christina fights to stop stable lad Dick from being dismissed without a reference by her uncle for helping her rehome a horse, but when conditions in the home become intolerable she leaves, with William, to begin a new life together, working and living at an airfield. With new pals Sandy and Dorothy they are finaly free of the constrictions of life at Flambards and can be 'bright young things' - until the shadow of war closes in on their lives.

With fantastic costumes and detail to the period, Flambards on DVD is a delight from start to finish. Christina McKenna is an accomplished horsewoman as she proves when her character and namesake learns to ride, and bounder Mark (Steven Grives) begins to show a softer side when he escapes from his bully of a father. Sensitive William, (portrayed by Alan Parnaby), as a dreamer whose love of the new-fangled flying machines leads to challenge after challenge as he tries to earn a living.

13 episodes on 4 disks - sadly no subtitles - this is a worthy addition to the DVD collection of any fan of costume dramas. The haunting music, nicely paced story and splendid planes and motorcars of the early 1900's are a joy from start to finish and the temptation to view more than 1 episode at a time is hard to resist.

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Brilliant
I first read all the books in the series and was hooked from the beginning. I saw this series many many years ago and was delighted when i discovered it had been released on DVD. The story follows the fortunes of Christina and the house Flambards. Christina is an orphan who is sent to live with her Uncle and his two sons - her Uncle was crippled in a hunting accident many years ago and now lives his life through the hunting adventures of Mark and William (sons). The series begins with Christina's arrival at the house and William suffering a hunting accident that leaves him with a permenant limp- he is therefore unable to ride which greatly pleases William whos great passion is flying.Christina is an heiress and her Uncle plans for her to marry Mark and save the flambard fortunes. The series follows the fortunes of the family through pre and war time. I would highly recommend this series - only complaint is that Christina is really too old at the beginning - she hardly appears to age through out the series. I also wish that they had continued to film the last book in the series - Flambards divided

More than a mere exercise in Nostalga
I've learnt to stay well clear of retro TV. Fond memories of programmes can be easily blown away on a second viewing. And so it was with bated breath and more than a little hope and aprehension that I finally purchased Flambards, a show that I first saw in 1978 as an impressionable seven year old.

I needn't have worried at all. It's still stunning nearly thirty years on. After a slightly slow start the story builds and the excellent actors and beautiful period sets take you on a real journey. The music is stunning and totally haunting and the whole thing is wrapped up so beautifully you really do end up caring what happens to Christina, Mark and Will.

At times it feels like you're peering into a perfectly formed time capsule. It's a drama that's yet to be equalled by ITV.

If their execs sat down and watched this it'd give them a real insight into the art of how to make the perfect family drama series again.