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THOMAS AND SARAH
Review by Chastity Campbell
Starring: John Alderton, Pauline Davis
Director: John Davies
Video: 1.33:1 Standard Fullscreen
Audio: Dolby Digital Surround
Studio: A&E
Features: See Review
Release Date: April 27, 2004
Film **
Thomas Watkins and Sarah Moffit got tired of the ups and
downs of their every day life as a chauffer and parlor maid, so they decided to
strike out on their own. The
pitfalls and perils of life outside the security of their normal routine try the
very heart of both, but in the end they vow to triumph!
Thomas and Sarah were characters originally introduced on
the BBC’s Upstairs, Downstairs. The
show set in Edwardian England gave viewers a very entertaining look at the daily
lives of servants employed by Britain’s upper crust.
After spending two years onscreen in the company of the
downstairs crowd, Thomas and Sarah were given a show of their own.
I will admit that I am typically not one for period pieces,
and I have never enjoyed British television shows. However, I did enjoy this box set, and would gladly watch
anything else done in this style and format.
Okay, so the deal is, Thomas is a scheming, conniving,
plotting, pinhead! Sarah loves him,
but don’t let her innocent happy face fool you, she’s just as sneaking and
conniving as he is. They end
up pregnant, or rather Sarah does, and Thomas high tails it out of town.
If I go into too much detail I’ll ruin the first episode
of the show so I’ll just say all is not as it appears when Thomas shows up and
Sarah passes out, literally!
This was a very entertaining show to watch.
I really enjoyed watching both Thomas and Sarah scheme to get rich quick.
Each episode builds upon the last showing how far they will go to scam
someone, and then turn right around and give it up for the greater good.
At times I was confused as to the motivations driving each
character but as each episode passed, it became clear that they were both just
looking for a little love and happiness, and if they get rich along the way,
neither one will complain!
I have to admit that I enjoyed watching Pauline Davis more
so than Mr. Alderton. I have had
more experience with Pauline as she was in another movie I recently reviewed,
starring opposite Patrick Swayze in City Of Joy.
She was wonderful in that film, very witty, and easy to like as a person
and character.
This box set was fun and entertaining, with some intense
emotions and high rolling laughs. If
you’ve got the time to devote to these DVDs then by all means, bring Thomas
and Sarah home and let them entertain you!
Video ***
The 1.33:1 standard Fullscreen was very appropriate for
this box set. Since the individual
episodes in this box set were taped instead of filmed it had a completely
different feel than the DVDs I am used to viewing.
The colors were vivid in the extreme and the quality was really nice.
There was very little dirty visible throughout these four discs.
I was really impressed by the good video quality I found when I popped
each of these discs in.
These episodes had an almost stage quality and feel to them. It was almost as if I was watching a play instead of a DVD. I liked that because it brings a breath of fresh air to the viewing experience.
Audio **
The Dolby Digital Surround in this box set left a little to
be desired. I had to really crank
the audio to get a level where everything was audible. For the most part the levels remained constant with little
fluctuation.
I would have to say that it wasn’t bad audio, but it
wasn’t the best I’ve ever heard.
Features *
This four disc box set contained the featurette
“Household Hierarchy and Job Duties,” along with interactive menus and scene
selection.
Summary: