Tweekums When this series first aired in 1992 it was considered rather racy due to the characters' unconventional attitude to sex and the handful of nude scenes now it seems far less shocking. The story is told in flashback as the characters head to a funeral in west Cornwall. On the way they reminisce about their time together around the time of the Second World War. We are introduced to them as they enjoy one last summer together in Cornwall before the war. Once the war starts Polly and Calypso head to London and young Sophy is sent to a boarding school. Their love lives are unconventional to say the least Calypso is determined to marry a rich man but when she does she is more than happy to take other lovers, Polly can't decide which twin she wants to be with so has both and Helena has an affair with Jewish refugee Max while her husband Richard is left with Max's wife.This might sound like the plot from a particularly melodramatic soap opera but thankfully it doesn't feel like that due to the excellent acting from Felicity Kendal, Tara Fitzgerald, Jennifer Ehle and Rebecca Hall as Helena, Polly, Calypso and Sophy and Paul Eddington as Richard. As it is set during the war there is a constant feeling that characters could die and at least one is killed, although we obviously know that certain characters will survive as we have seen them in the present. I liked how the story was presented in flashback as the surviving characters told their story to the next generation on the way to the funeral; this somehow gave it a greater degree of believability perhaps because their reaction to hearing the story mirrored the viewers.

eastbergholt2002 The Camomile Lawn is one of my favorite British TV adaptations. It's based on a book by Mary Wesley, and was first shown in 1992. The director is Sir Peter Hall who founded both the National Theatre and the RSC. There are five episodes and it's compulsive viewing. It's a family drama set during the early years of World War II. In the last episode the characters meet at a funeral thirty years later, giving it similarities to the Big Chill. The main characters are seven cousins / friends who spend part of their summers in Cornwall at the home of Aunt Helena (Felicity Kendall) and Uncle Richard (Paul Eddington). The story begins in August 1939, before the Germans invade Poland. The friends, are mostly 18 or 19 and join the war effort when war is declared. The action then moves to London during the Blitz. The young cast all have an abundance of energy and charisma, especially Jennifer Ehle (Young Calypso), Tara Fitzgerald (Young Polly)and Rebecca Hall (Young Sophy). Philip Larkin famously said that sexual intercourse began in 1963, but he needed to get out more. With death all around them, the lead characters live for today and take a hedonistic approach to sex and booze. As the older Polly says (Virginia McKenna) "it was a happy time." Mary Wesley creates strong female characters who all seem wise, pragmatic and fun. The men mostly seem flawed and weak in some way. They are either dim-witted, obsessed with sex or confused about what they want. Eddington (Uncle Richard) is regarded by his family as something of a joke. Toby Stephens (Young Oliver) plays a left wing idealist who serves in the Spanish Civil War, lusts after Jennifer Ehle and complains about spending his army career running away from the Germans. Oliver Cotton (Max) plays a violinist who escapes from the clutches of the Nazis in Vienna and chases after the entire female cast. In Episode Five we meet older versions of the characters, including: Oliver (Richard Johnson), Sophy (Claire Bloom) and Calypso (Rosemary Harris)who talk about their past. Overall, it's fun, fast paced, beautifully written and brilliantly directed.

andyb-4 Jennifer Ehle is certainly attractive and shows a lot more in this epic than in her later Jane Austen roles. But for an example of dark and sultry pouting look no further than Tara Fitzgerald. This production also features everyones 1970's favourite pin-up Felicty Kendal, but she's playing an old woman here folks!

moloko-4 Let's get the obvious out of the way first , Jennifer Ehle is GORGEOUS , so excuse me if i seem biased! Set during the war , a family with a strange besotment with the smell of their yard (?) are thrown in to a sea of love , hate and torrid affairs! The acting is absoloutely priceless throughout with everyone doing a marvellous job! Only problem is , where can i get it on VHS or DVD? A fantastic drama , a treat for all!