He was a very good Holmes...but he did have a tendency to imbue him with an excess of hyperactivity at times, and those weird Aspergers-like yelps he'd let out....
I see so many comments here about the incomparable Jeremy Brett. Like the rest of you, I was mesmerized by his gifts and by his personal charisma. We lost him far too soon. I miss him. But I must add I thought Susan Fleetwood's performance was absolutely superb. It had to be, in order to balance Jeremy's. Together they created an unforgettable portrait of two tormented souls trapped in an intolerable situation. Just utterly brilliant.
I loved this show when I first saw it on PBS years ago! I was lucky enough to meet Jeremy Brett and get his autograph on my Playbill after a performance of "Aren't We All" in New York in 1985. He was so gracious and friendly. He was also absolutely gorgeous with that auburn hair and great complexion!
Jeremy Brett was always lovely to his fans as opposed to my misfortune to serve Mr. Ellis who was quietly unpleasant when we didnt have what he wanted. I expect by then his really big role as Poldark had come to an end and unlike the exceptional Brett, he never found another leading role. That can make you bitter.
Of all this fantastic capabilities as an actor, he has a most beautiful singing and speaking voice.. His laughter came from down deep and spread out like rays.. Thank you for this !
Marty Heresniak: The question is why? He was known for his singing in the theater. There was no reason to dub him. Such a shame and I'm sure he found it humiliating.
So many comments, like yours, pay tribute and a kind of sad homage to Jeremy Brett. I quite agree. His performance in The Good Soldier is clipped and restrained as a officer and landed gentleman and wonderfully balances the shimmering charisma of the Holmes series that followed a few years later. His technique is a wonder to watch. The decline of his health was heartbreaking. What he might still have done.
Didn't plan on watching the whole movie, but was mesmerized by the story and acting, incredible piece of work, what quality, what performances, what a story. Highly recommend it !!
He played very well as a villain too & can be comical. In my opinion, his acting is great for all genre & I don’t think there are many actors who can make that claim. He can also sing & dance & played the violin. So accomplished. Surprised he didn’t make it in USA. Don’t think they can appreciate his style.
His acting & singing is so good & is so underrated. Had it not for his role as Sherlock Holmes, we don’t even know of his other acting roles. A most accomplished actor of all time. There are so many roles i would like him to be in.
He played the role of Freddy Eynsford-Hill in the film version of My Fair Lady (1964), but wasn't allowed to sing "On the Street Where You Live" which Freddy sings in, for me, one of the film's musical highlights. It was dubbed by Bill Shirley. Brett wasn't happy.
Wonderful. Deep, absence of all things superficial. Utterly satisfying tale of dark and complex underworld of human emotions. Jeremy is completely haunting, whole cast is brill. Plus bonus of Poirot's Miss Lemon and Cheers' Cliff Claybourne. 5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
So good to see Poirot's secretary Ms Lemon playing the part of Mazie, very good she is. Ah to see Jeremy and hear his voice and his distance he keeps himself in his role. Fantastic. Thank you for this post.
It's hard to believe that she was somewhat attractive when young! She was so unattractive as Poirot's secretary Ms. Lemon that I often felt sorry for her. I know it probably isn't quite the pressure of Hollywood, but it must be difficult as a film actress to be such a "plain Jane" when you are constantly surrounded by other women and actresses who are stunning; especially in an industry so focused on appearance, it must be kind of hard to be the least attractive female. In other kinds of work, appearance doesn't matter as much, thank God :), but in acting and modeling it seems to matter a great deal, unless you're a character actor.
@@proverbs31woman14 I've always admired her as Ms Lemon! Her hair so perfect, her complexion flawless, quiet spoken, never histrionic, always supremely in control. British acting is dependent on skill, not on looks, but she was very elegant as Ms Lemon!
Thank you , Shirley, it was driving me “nuts “ trying to recall where else I had seen the actress! Thank you for saving me the research whilst feeling “lazy”. Much appreciated …..
Ladies and gentlemen, I am delighted to say that by a little miracle I finally found out WHAT the name of the final piece of music graces this master piece. Fittingly (and unsurprisingly with hindsight) I am delighted to announce that The English composer Sir Edward Elgar is up to his usual magic- “Sospiri” Op. 70. Of course it had to be Elgar- he is of this era and so British. I have watched Dowell’s monologue about 50 times these past few days. It is PERFECT. By the way…. I just noticed that if you break up Dowell’s last name it reads: “Do well.” The wonders of this masterpiece keep popping into my head as time goes by!
Bravo to you with regard to the Elgar music reference which concludes this haunting tragedy. Dowell's closing monologue, to which the music is so obviously suited, reminds me of what a stoic performance Robin Ellis gives us here. No easy thing when his character has to react constantly to people and events we gradually realise he is completely clueless about. There's always the danger that his accent may sound 'too' flat as is often assigned to American characters in British storylines. Yet I think he handles it well and, at any event it works within the context of his decent open innocence. An American gentleman of the period.
@@CaruthersHodge I think everyone and everything in this production is top notch! This movie is so so good; you can watch it repeatedly over the years and it will always deliver something profound!
wow, just finished watching at 4.30am and am emotionally wrung out. the repressed edwardian manners are heartbreaking. i didn't expect such a sad story. thankyou for uploading these wonderful films.
Fabulous Photography on scene, using Light like the Flemish Painters. Visually impressive. A gem of dysfunction, capturing the Art of the human condition: What appears to be vs What is Five Stars if you like Period Pieces and pondering.
This is still one of my very favourite films that Jeremy starred in, apart from Sherlock Holmes, of course. Thank you so much for sharing it with us. xxx
It was very nice to see Pauline Moran portray Maisie in addition to her role as Miss Lemon in the Hercule Poirot Series. She looked quite lovely in this presentation.
Think I shall enjoy this. How did I never see it way back in the day?! It's almost 27 years to the day since Jeremy Brett's sad passing (Sept 12/95). And, to see that Piorot's Miss Lemon is in this as well (Pauline Moran), utterly perfect. Got my popcorn at the ready!
This is a good film. Thank you for making it available. Its the essence of Victorian false morality and human weakness. A sedate paced movie but full of surprises. I'd watch it again for the marvellous acting by a well chosen cast.
Ford Madox Ford's 1915 novel has a fragmented, mixed progression narrative that ideally lends itself to screen adaptation. It's splendid that this 1981 film is here available in whole and a treasure to happily discover ! Susan Fleetwood is excellent in a character, second only to Robin Ellis, in the end left standing in the domestic debris of the story. And as another commenter has suggested, her performance balances that of Jeremy Brett who gives a restrained, enigmatic treatment of our good soldier. Brett's is an economic performance that will surprise those familiar with his dazzling, virtuoso work as Sherlock Holmes. Robin Ellis and character linger in the mind a long time as we contemplate his decent and unseeing innocence with regard to the human drama as it is finally revealed to both him and us. His accent fortunately it is not 'too' flat.
It's a very fine adaption however the ambivalence of Edward and the subtlety of the whole melange can only really be appreciated by reading the masterpiece itself...and it is a masterpiece.
Yes...I fear the reflective recollections don't translate so well into film...the overall lack of action comes across as people having obscenely little to do, but essential states underneath must be hard to portray on film?
Thank you. I enjoyed it very much. Sad story and all well portrayed. Robin Ellis is very good in Poldark and as one character here. Jeremy Brett does it all perfectly well in all his plays , movies and especially as Sherlocke Holmes.
I can't imagine a better adaptation of Ford's brilliant but technically difficult novel. The time shifts, the unreliable narrator - absolutely true to the book. Excellent actors and, let's be honest, period costumes and sets to wallow in - a first-rate production.
The impenetrable sadness, the inability to break out of his egotistical need to have others sacrifice themselves for him- Brett captured all of this in his portrayal of Lord Ashburnham in THE GOOD SOLDIER. What a marvel he was!
Yes , he was with many "sins", but , reading also the book was obvious that actually his wife was almost a sadistic manipulator. His try to evade his real egotistical manipulative and spiritual blackmailing wife.
@@honesty3440 That was the impression I gained from the film. Leonora was the spider in the web. That is indeed the lesson we learn from nature. e.g. The black widow spider.
@AMT Better read or listen the audio book. You'll understand better. You adopt the story at today' s standard. People behave according to their historical time.
@@honesty3440 the only telegram, before the "end", was the one his wife received at dinner... So, did she have it place in a new envelope addressed to her husband to "haunt" him?... apparently it worked... but why didn't Dowd stop him? I believe he knew what was about to happen... so many tragic twists...
"Why can`t people get what they want? It`s all there, but instead most people get ..." Quite complicated story. But that`s what life is, very easy and very complicated at the same time..Thank you very much for sharing.
I like Jeremy Brett's voice I think other than Richard Burton He has the best voice He can read out the numbers in a telephone book for 2 hrs and I will still watch it
Could you please write me the lyrics of the song he performed in 1:10:00 ? Cause English is not my native language so it's hard to understand every word clearly
@@alaahasan1999 Here is the full poem. He sings the first two verses. TO THE WILLOW-TREE. by Robert Herrick THOU art to all lost love the best, The only true plant found, Wherewith young men and maids distress'd And left of love, are crown'd. When once the lover's rose is dead, Or laid aside forlorn : Then willow-garlands 'bout the head Bedew'd with tears are worn. When with neglect, the lovers' bane, Poor maids rewarded be, For their love lost, their only gain Is but a wreath from thee. And underneath thy cooling shade, When weary of the light, The love-spent youth and love-sick maid Come to weep out the night.
Yes, his voice is one of the most soothing I've heard in film. I've watched his Sherlock programs many times, always loved his voice & the ways he used it in that & other performances, but till watching this tonight I hadn't realised how he sometimes made his voice pur softly. He purrs in a similar way to the French actor Jean Marrais (sp?), who played the Beast in Jean Cocteau's 'Beauty & the Beast' & Orpheus in Cocteau's film version of Orpheus & Euridice. He was also Cocteau's long-time companion & lover, lead actor in many Cocteau films of the '30s & '40s. 'Beauty & the Beast' ('36, I think) is one of the most beautiful films I've ever seen & never have i heard another actor purr so exquisitely as J.M. As the Beast his face looks like a gorgeous persian cat & when he purrs Beauty's name (calling her 'Ma Belle'), you realize how Beauty first came to love him. But Jeremy Brett used a similar purr a few times in this film, coming very close to the purr of the Beast. He'd undoubtedly studied the Cocteau film. Brett's range of voice is incredible! Like the rest of his acting range.
Wonderful! Beautiful Edwardian story starring Jeremy Brett, shot on film! The elegant period detail is stunning! Brett’s performance here is totally unlike his performance as Sherlock Holmes, which clearly shows how the role of Holmes completely engulfed him. He became Holmes in every possible way becoming the best Sherlock Holmes we will ever see.
Thank you so much for uploading this movie! I was looking for it everywhere for a really long time without success, so you just made my night (and probably my whole year)! Thank you from the bottom of my now joyful heart. :) Oh, and also thank you for all the other JB videos too! You're so wonderful for putting these up. Really, thank you.
I spotted Cliff from Cheers as Jimmy....and that was Captain Poldark, as well... Jeremy Brett superb, as per usual... Quite morbid this story, but very well written and filmed.... From a completely different time...
Maybe we should start caring about ensuring that everyone has what they need-- taking away the luxuries of parasites like these characters and redistributing their wealth.
@@shadetreader We are too adventurous as human beings, and not only do we go on an adventure for material needs but also for our emotional needs and this is what causes the demise of many. If only we can be contented with what we have and enjoy the people in our life. People are so greedy for more and most of the time live in fantasy for how things could be more fantastic for us, but we forget nobody can ever have happily ever after like in the story books, and our search for fantasy keeps us away from what we need and what is good for us.
@@shadetreader Would you be thrilled to have the lazy and feckless live off your works, endeavours and efforts? How much would it please you to deny your family and children ? No reply necessary- consider the questions as being rhetorical.
Unlike some people in this thread that are focusing on material comfort and wealth, I will take your question in a different direction. “Why can’t people want what they have?” Well, what if you have: No love & no possibility for love? Ouch! Regardless if it’s true, just thinking that thought is frightening. If you are a Christian, you could rely on the love only from God and Jesus, but that is not very easy for most people, not easy at all. Most people want to live Participating in a loving relationship. After all, God knew that Adam needed a companion that’s why woman was created- to complete man in paradise, the garden of Eden. And in doing so, Man ended up being created by God to complete woman as well. All these characters in this story are looking for paradise, but due to the tightness of their society they are doomed. They live in a beautiful prison and are doomed. We still face struggles like this today. Life is hard. Hopefully, God has mercy for us in his plans. We better fear God and be grateful for his mercy, because we need all the help we can get if we get into a relationship.
The best episode in Jeremy Bret’s Sherlock, in my opinion, is “The Cardboard Box”. Also stars Joanna David. Beautiful production. Wonderful story. Available on UA-cam.
What a beautiful but hurtful movie. All of the actresses and actors were excellent. But the moral to the story - of lost lonely love, and deceit hurtful pain and sorrow
An excellent portrayal of the ageless frailty of the human heart,we all need love and we all need to love, the tricky bit is achieving those without hurting others, whilst being true to ourselves.
This was NOT about the ageless frailty of the human heart. It is about your typical self centered, self absorbed, feckless male preponderance with his own wants and needs.
I agree the women were just as culpable as the men. That blonde woman making her husband take care of her, pretending she couldn't travel, faking a heart condirion, disgusting. But the other husband, Edward, pulling a Woody Allen, was worse because that girl was an innocent convent raised virgin, and to put that guilt on her, mess with her head, was wrong. When a child is in your care, especially someone else's child, you don't just raise them until they are 18, and then start lusting after them. That guy Edward fell in love with every that moved. He should have just divorced his wife. Instead, he treated her like his mother. Her whole job was cleaning up his messes, saving his reputation, and the one thing she wanted, love, he gave to everyone else. I think aside from the girl, and the poor husband who was faithful to the blonde wife, the other three were all despicable.
It is foolish to let love rule your life. The human heart is not frail, it is fickle. If you do not base your life on higher values then you are doomed to be miserable if you have a soul, or to leave a trail of misery in your wake if you don't. And that rail of misery will eventually come back to bite you. Romance is a fiction that the west embraced a couple of centuries ago. It is a form of idolatry. Love is not romance. The confusion that it is is what is at the heart of this maudlin drama. In cultures where they still have arranged marriages their divorce rate is much lower than the marriages chosen by love. Like I said, romantic "love" is just idolatry, idolatry of the self. Happy people are those who belong to families , where those families belong to communities, and where those communities belong to nations..based on blood. Romantic love goes hand in hand with "individualism"..it is a weakness of the west. We all belong to a people, bonded by blood and ethnicity. It is a denial of this that is bringing the downfall of the west.
Wonderful period drama and beautiful settings too. Brilliantly played by all and a sheer joy to watch. Amazing and fabulous clothes and interesting storyline. To be rich and powerful before that disgusting war that changed everything forever. A whole generation lost for what victory?
Thanks Gypsycyn. Love the old scenes, dress, etc etc. Glad I watched, but at the same time, for me, it was depressing. I thought how messed up all these people are. Yet in real life loving, faithful relationships of length seem few.
Diane Vitale I agree Diane. Very depressing film, though beautifully made. And I think you're right, not many long lasting happy successful and faithful partnerships in real life either :(
An intense analysis of relationships & romantic love, beautifully filmed & acted but very bleak. Ford Maddox Ford speaks through the narrator-character in the conclusion, stating how empty & hopeless life is, how no matter how kind & caring one is life is nonetheless meaningless. A fairly popular sentiment of writers & philosophers of the late 19th into the 20th c., a view which was deepened by the Great War & its useless loss of life. But the views of Ford shown in the film seem to be an analysis of romantic love (among other things), the kind of love that had become central to western society only in the 19th & 20th c.-- that is, only in fairly recent times had romantic love (& its attendant sexual desire along with it) come to be widely accepted as the necessary basis for marriage. As Ford & the film point out, this kind of love rarely leads to happiness, except perhaps briefly, & it rarely lasts. The narrator has seemingly been a very caring thoughtful person who will suffer serious personal privation in order to take care of the woman he loves, has married the first time for love but discovers only years later that his wife had never loved him & had in fact merely used him all along...and others had known of his wife's affairs all along, had even known she had married him only in order to chase after the man she had loved all along, making him seem a fool to others. He had never really known her, but for ten years he had done all she asked, at great sacrifice to himself, to finally learn after her death that their relationship was a total lie. This is what's called blind love, i think. But did he really love her or was he in love with an ideal & with love itself? He seems to feel real love for his close friends, but that's not the same as romantic love. As you pointed out, it's rare to find a couple who've remained together for the long term based on love, whose love lasted. It's no longer a social disgrace to divorce, plus women are now no longer as financially dependent on husbands & more often have a choice. But the real problem here, I think, is that there's a big difference between romantic love & the kind of love felt for friends & relations. The love one feels for longtime close friends & for close relatives usually does last a lifetime. Romantic love rarely does. Usually romantic love (along with desire) happens suddenly, usually before the two persons know one another very well, & it's often based on romantic expectations to a great extent, also of course on physical desire. It would be a fluke if such love did last. With couples who've been together for many years who still love one another, usually the initial romantic (blind) love dwindled away fairly early on, but sometimes a couple manages to keep reigniting that romantic love periodically. Still rare. But why depend on romantic love? The kind of love felt for close relatives, close friends, is much more stable & lasting & isn't dependent on the fantasies of romantic love. Occasionally a relationship initially based on romantic love does last for many years but I think usually that's because once the two came to know one another very well, it turned out they had a lot in common or were very suited to one another somehow--more by sheer luck in the choice than not. It takes years to get to know someone & if understanding & love result, it usually continues for many years if not a lifetime. As I see it, that's the kind of love that is real, that is important, a love based on understanding & mutual love & respect, not on romantic fantasies and/or desire. It might not result in the kind of delirium or euphoria of romantic love but it as a rule leads to loyal love & understanding of a deeper nature. And it's possible to fall in love with someone who's a longtime friend, for those who seek romantic love as well. Sorry this is so long... self-indulgent musings on love on my 72nd birthday. A wonderful film to result in musings about the meaning of life & the forms of love. It seems Ford Maddox Ford had seen the futility of romantic love.
@@Lulu2010APR I hope you like it, in my humble opinion is time well spent. Another sad literary masterpiece I highly recommend, is The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne by Brian Moore.
@@moustik31 Thank you, very much either for The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford, or The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne, by Brian Moore. Either way you're very welcome.
Wonderful movie the way only Europeans can make it. Everything is many layers deep. A brilliant examination of the confusion, conflict and agony that arises from emotional suppression, the battle between heart and mask tearing people apart.
I'm studying this at uni at the moment and this adaptation is absolutely brilliant. It captures the narrative structure so well! I wish more adaptations were as good as this one.
Incredible shot at 23:11 of the two pairs viewed through the ornate gate as they approach it! That's just one of the ways you know this movie had a great Director...making advantageous use of each setting and location.
Jeremy Brett had a most delightful voice - had a calming effect and he was the best ever Sherlock Holmes
Right! He was born to play Holmes. More true to the real Holmes as conceived by Doyle than the
avuncular portrayal as interpreted by Basil Rathbone.
Agreed, Cumberbunch isn’t even close!
He was a very good Holmes...but he did have a tendency to imbue him with an excess of hyperactivity at times, and those weird Aspergers-like yelps he'd let out....
And a young Robin Ellis - the original Poldark!
Indeed!
What a tangled web we weave. I do miss Jeremy Brett's acting & voice!
I see so many comments here about the incomparable Jeremy Brett. Like the rest of you, I was mesmerized by his gifts and by his personal charisma. We lost him far too soon. I miss him. But I must add I thought Susan Fleetwood's performance was absolutely superb. It had to be, in order to balance Jeremy's. Together they created an unforgettable portrait of two tormented souls trapped in an intolerable situation. Just utterly brilliant.
I loved this show when I first saw it on PBS years ago! I was lucky enough to meet Jeremy Brett and get his autograph on my Playbill after a performance of "Aren't We All" in New York in 1985. He was so gracious and friendly. He was also absolutely gorgeous with that auburn hair and great complexion!
Jeremy Brett was always lovely to his fans as opposed to my misfortune to serve Mr. Ellis who was quietly unpleasant when we didnt have what he wanted. I expect by then his really big role as Poldark had come to an end and unlike the exceptional Brett, he never found another leading role. That can make you bitter.
How lucky you are to have met him!
@@deniseandrews113 Tout a fait.Très belle souvenir 🤗🤗🤗🤗
You actually have to remind yourself that Jeremy Brett is acting and not just being himself. What a wonderful man he was.
Of all this fantastic capabilities as an actor, he has a most beautiful singing and speaking voice.. His laughter came from down deep and spread out like rays.. Thank you for this !
Although his singing voice was dubbed in My Fair Lady.
Marty Heresniak: The question is why? He was known for his singing in the theater. There was no reason to dub him. Such a shame and I'm sure he found it humiliating.
@@500midnightmary He said he was horrified to find that out. Bad move by the Director.
Another masterpiece from the delightful Jeremy Brett, such a wonderful actor, sadly missed, always remember him in Sherlock Holmes.
my favorite Sherlcok
Jeremy Brett made his Sherlock look so easy but he worked it! He was the best. Love seeing him here young and debonair.
So many comments, like yours, pay tribute and a kind of sad homage to Jeremy Brett. I quite agree. His performance in The Good Soldier is clipped and restrained as a officer and landed gentleman and wonderfully balances the shimmering charisma of the Holmes series that followed a few years later. His technique is a wonder to watch. The decline of his health was heartbreaking. What he might still have done.
Didn't plan on watching the whole movie, but was mesmerized by the story and acting, incredible piece of work, what quality, what performances, what a story. Highly recommend it !!
Its a good book 📙 as well . Its called The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford, Published in 1915.
It is quite a train wreck of overwrought and overprivileged characters.
Wonderful understated acting from Jeremy Brett, selfishness and sadness conveyed by an expression of the eyes . RIP x
Brett was always meant for serious acting. He had a way of controlling the eyes of everyone in a room.
Yes, I thought he was captivating in Macbeth.
He played very well as a villain too & can be comical. In my opinion, his acting is great for all genre & I don’t think there are many actors who can make that claim. He can also sing & dance & played the violin. So accomplished. Surprised he didn’t make it in USA. Don’t think they can appreciate his style.
@@yopekok5448 he was in hard to hard. ı was so surprised.
Compounded layers of superficial happiness and deliberate subterfuge, brilliantly acted.
His acting & singing is so good & is so underrated. Had it not for his role as Sherlock Holmes, we don’t even know of his other acting roles. A most accomplished actor of all time. There are so many roles i would like him to be in.
He played the role of Freddy Eynsford-Hill in the film version of My Fair Lady (1964), but wasn't allowed to sing "On the Street Where You Live" which Freddy sings in, for me, one of the film's musical highlights. It was dubbed by Bill Shirley. Brett wasn't happy.
@@Baskerville22 It was an insult to him, especially when he can actually sing so well.
fabulous. great acting, great screen play, everything. Of course, who doesn't appreciate Jeremy Brett?!
Jeremy Brett lighting up the screen as usual.
How sad for them all. I like this film. When I see Jeremy Brett I still feel the pain of his passing I will never forget him
I agree- he was taken from far too early. great actor and a wonderful man.
Lovely seeing Susan Fleetwood, gone to soon as well
Jeremy brett...what a class..an actor par excellence
Wonderful. Deep, absence of all things superficial. Utterly satisfying tale of dark and complex underworld of human emotions. Jeremy is completely haunting, whole cast is brill. Plus bonus of Poirot's Miss Lemon and Cheers' Cliff Claybourne. 5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
I can"t begin to express how much enjoyment I get when I watch these amazing films...CLASSICS...
So good to see Poirot's secretary Ms Lemon playing the part of Mazie, very good she is. Ah to see Jeremy and hear his voice and his distance he keeps himself in his role. Fantastic. Thank you for this post.
Oh, thank you! I knew I knew her but simply COULDN'T place her!
Pauline Moran 😋
It's hard to believe that she was somewhat attractive when young! She was so unattractive as Poirot's secretary Ms. Lemon that I often felt sorry for her. I know it probably isn't quite the pressure of Hollywood, but it must be difficult as a film actress to be such a "plain Jane" when you are constantly surrounded by other women and actresses who are stunning; especially in an industry so focused on appearance, it must be kind of hard to be the least attractive female. In other kinds of work, appearance doesn't matter as much, thank God :), but in acting and modeling it seems to matter a great deal, unless you're a character actor.
@@proverbs31woman14 I've always admired her as Ms Lemon! Her hair so perfect, her complexion flawless, quiet spoken, never histrionic, always supremely in control. British acting is dependent on skill, not on looks, but she was very elegant as Ms Lemon!
Thank you , Shirley, it was driving me “nuts “ trying to recall where else I had seen the actress! Thank you for saving me the research whilst feeling “lazy”. Much appreciated …..
Ladies and gentlemen, I am delighted to say that by a little miracle I finally found out WHAT the name of the final piece of music graces this master piece. Fittingly (and unsurprisingly with hindsight) I am delighted to announce that The English composer Sir Edward Elgar is up to his usual magic- “Sospiri” Op. 70. Of course it had to be Elgar- he is of this era and so British. I have watched Dowell’s monologue about 50 times these past few days. It is PERFECT. By the way…. I just noticed that if you break up Dowell’s last name it reads: “Do well.” The wonders of this masterpiece keep popping into my head as time goes by!
And, of course, Sir Edward Elgar is Roman Catholic.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sospiri
that works too!@user-ee9rl2jc1j
Bravo to you with regard to the Elgar music reference which concludes this haunting tragedy. Dowell's closing monologue, to which the music is so obviously suited, reminds me of what a stoic performance Robin Ellis gives us here. No easy thing when his character has to react constantly to people and events we gradually realise he is completely clueless about. There's always the danger that his accent may sound 'too' flat as is often assigned to American characters in British storylines. Yet I think he handles it well and, at any event it works within the context of his decent open innocence. An American gentleman of the period.
@@CaruthersHodge I think everyone and everything in this production is top notch! This movie is so so good; you can watch it repeatedly over the years and it will always deliver something profound!
Jeremy Brett.....the best Sherlock Holmes ever.....I wish he were alive.
wow, just finished watching at 4.30am and am emotionally wrung out. the repressed edwardian manners are heartbreaking. i didn't expect such a sad story.
thankyou for uploading these wonderful films.
Fabulous Photography on scene, using Light like the Flemish Painters. Visually impressive. A gem of dysfunction, capturing the Art of the human condition: What appears to be vs What is
Five Stars if you like Period Pieces and pondering.
Brett was a genuinely great talent. I could never watch another actor as Holmes. Thanks for posting this version of Tye Good Soldier.
This is still one of my very favourite films that Jeremy starred in, apart from Sherlock Holmes, of course. Thank you so much for sharing it with us. xxx
Thank you for posting this. I remember it making a impression on my young self when it was first shown.
It was very nice to see Pauline Moran portray Maisie in addition to her role as Miss Lemon in the Hercule Poirot Series. She looked quite lovely in this presentation.
Think I shall enjoy this. How did I never see it way back in the day?! It's almost 27 years to the day since Jeremy Brett's sad passing (Sept 12/95). And, to see that Piorot's Miss Lemon is in this as well (Pauline Moran), utterly perfect. Got my popcorn at the ready!
This is a good film. Thank you for making it available. Its the essence of Victorian false morality and human weakness. A sedate paced movie but full of surprises. I'd watch it again for the marvellous acting by a well chosen cast.
I decided to watch this movie just because I liked Jeremy Brett in Sherlock Holmes. It was truly a sad movie, but great acting by all characters.
Jeremy is so subtle and brilliant in this.
What an absolutely gorgeous production - in every way possible. Thank you.
Ford Madox Ford's 1915 novel has a fragmented, mixed progression narrative that ideally lends itself to screen adaptation. It's splendid that this 1981 film is here available in whole and a treasure to happily discover ! Susan Fleetwood is excellent in a character, second only to Robin Ellis, in the end left standing in the domestic debris of the story. And as another commenter has suggested, her performance balances that of Jeremy Brett who gives a restrained, enigmatic treatment of our good soldier. Brett's is an economic performance that will surprise those familiar with his dazzling, virtuoso work as Sherlock Holmes. Robin Ellis and character linger in the mind a long time as we contemplate his decent and unseeing innocence with regard to the human drama as it is finally revealed to both him and us. His accent fortunately it is not 'too' flat.
Jeremy Brett is impeccable in his acting and dressing !!!
It's a very fine adaption however the ambivalence of Edward and the subtlety of the whole melange can only really be appreciated by reading the masterpiece itself...and it is a masterpiece.
Indeed. Thank you for this salient comment. Miss Jenny
Yes...I fear the reflective recollections don't translate so well into film...the overall lack of action comes across as people having obscenely little to do, but essential states underneath must be hard to portray on film?
Thank you. I enjoyed it very much. Sad story and all well portrayed. Robin Ellis is very good in Poldark and as one character here. Jeremy Brett does it all perfectly well in all his plays , movies and especially as Sherlocke Holmes.
I can't imagine a better adaptation of Ford's brilliant but technically difficult novel. The time shifts, the unreliable narrator - absolutely true to the book. Excellent actors and, let's be honest, period costumes and sets to wallow in - a first-rate production.
really impressed by the costume design
Surprisingly good, the intrigue is well paced and the tale unravels expertly. 👏🏻
ITS BEYOND ME....As well. True Masterpiece
The impenetrable sadness, the inability to break out of his egotistical need to have others sacrifice themselves for him-
Brett captured all of this in his portrayal of Lord Ashburnham in THE GOOD SOLDIER.
What a marvel he was!
Yes , he was with many "sins", but , reading also the book was obvious that actually his wife was almost a sadistic manipulator. His try to evade his real egotistical manipulative and spiritual blackmailing wife.
@@honesty3440 That was the impression I gained from the film. Leonora was the spider in the web. That is indeed the lesson we learn from nature. e.g. The black widow spider.
@AMT Better read or listen the audio book. You'll understand better. You adopt the story at today' s standard. People behave according to their historical time.
@AMT Read ( listen ) the book!
@@honesty3440 the only telegram, before the "end", was the one his wife received at dinner... So, did she have it place in a new envelope addressed to her husband to "haunt" him?... apparently it worked... but why didn't Dowd stop him? I believe he knew what was about to happen... so many tragic twists...
Jeremy Brett the man of the century
Magnificent film, excellent upload. Thank you.
"Why can`t people get what they want? It`s all there, but instead most people get ..." Quite complicated story. But that`s what life is, very easy and very complicated at the same time..Thank you very much for sharing.
Thank you sooo much for uploading this Gypsycyn, you're our Jeremy Brett Angel! 33
Watching Jeremy Brett was a pleasure although in such a role. I love his Sherlock Holmes series ' absolutely fantastic!
I like Jeremy Brett's voice
I think other than Richard Burton
He has the best voice
He can read out the numbers in a telephone book for 2 hrs
and I will still watch it
You have never heard my husband's voice. It is the best voice I have ever heard.
Could you please write me the lyrics of the song he performed in 1:10:00 ? Cause English is not my native language so it's hard to understand every word clearly
@@alaahasan1999 Here is the full poem. He sings the first two verses.
TO THE WILLOW-TREE.
by Robert Herrick
THOU art to all lost love the best,
The only true plant found,
Wherewith young men and maids distress'd
And left of love, are crown'd.
When once the lover's rose is dead,
Or laid aside forlorn :
Then willow-garlands 'bout the head
Bedew'd with tears are worn.
When with neglect, the lovers' bane,
Poor maids rewarded be,
For their love lost, their only gain
Is but a wreath from thee.
And underneath thy cooling shade,
When weary of the light,
The love-spent youth and love-sick maid
Come to weep out the night.
@@MrCjsb marvellous ! Thanks for sharing
Yes, his voice is one of the most soothing I've heard in film. I've watched his Sherlock programs many times, always loved his voice & the ways he used it in that & other performances, but till watching this tonight I hadn't realised how he sometimes made his voice pur softly. He purrs in a similar way to the French actor Jean Marrais (sp?), who played the Beast in Jean Cocteau's 'Beauty & the Beast' & Orpheus in Cocteau's film version of Orpheus & Euridice. He was also Cocteau's long-time companion & lover, lead actor in many Cocteau films of the '30s & '40s. 'Beauty & the Beast' ('36, I think) is one of the most beautiful films I've ever seen & never have i heard another actor purr so exquisitely as J.M. As the Beast his face looks like a gorgeous persian cat & when he purrs Beauty's name (calling her 'Ma Belle'), you realize how Beauty first came to love him.
But Jeremy Brett used a similar purr a few times in this film, coming very close to the purr of the Beast. He'd undoubtedly studied the Cocteau film. Brett's range of voice is incredible! Like the rest of his acting range.
the final monologue is right on point.
Fragility of a persona. Decorum appears so exhausting, suffocating, restrictive and physically inarticulate. Like a spiritual corset.
But of corse
Thank you for sharing this!
Wonderful! Beautiful Edwardian story starring Jeremy Brett, shot on film! The elegant period detail is stunning!
Brett’s performance here is totally unlike his performance as Sherlock Holmes, which clearly shows how the role of Holmes completely engulfed him. He became Holmes in every possible way becoming the best Sherlock Holmes we will ever see.
Thank you so much for uploading this movie! I was looking for it everywhere for a really long time without success, so you just made my night (and probably my whole year)! Thank you from the bottom of my now joyful heart. :) Oh, and also thank you for all the other JB videos too! You're so wonderful for putting these up. Really, thank you.
Maybe not the saddest story , but one of the best. ❤️A masterpiece film including everything. Thank you !
I spotted Cliff from Cheers as Jimmy....and that was Captain Poldark, as well... Jeremy Brett superb, as per usual...
Quite morbid this story, but very well written and filmed....
From a completely different time...
After hearing the line, "Why can't people have what they want?", I would say, "Why can't people want what they have?"
Maybe we should start caring about ensuring that everyone has what they need-- taking away the luxuries of parasites like these characters and redistributing their wealth.
@@shadetreader We are too adventurous as human beings, and not only do we go on an adventure for material needs but also for our emotional needs and this is what causes the demise of many. If only we can be contented with what we have and enjoy the people in our life. People are so greedy for more and most of the time live in fantasy for how things could be more fantastic for us, but we forget nobody can ever have happily ever after like in the story books, and our search for fantasy keeps us away from what we need and what is good for us.
@@shadetreader Would you be thrilled to have the lazy and feckless live off your works, endeavours and efforts? How much would it please you to deny your family and children ? No reply necessary- consider the questions as being rhetorical.
Know thy self is the absolute key to peace of mind and serenity.
Unlike some people in this thread that are focusing on material comfort and wealth, I will take your question in a different direction. “Why can’t people want what they have?” Well, what if you have: No love & no possibility for love? Ouch! Regardless if it’s true, just thinking that thought is frightening. If you are a Christian, you could rely on the love only from God and Jesus, but that is not very easy for most people, not easy at all. Most people want to live Participating in a loving relationship. After all, God knew that Adam needed a companion that’s why woman was created- to complete man in paradise, the garden of Eden. And in doing so, Man ended up being created by God to complete woman as well. All these characters in this story are looking for paradise, but due to the tightness of their society they are doomed. They live in a beautiful prison and are doomed. We still face struggles like this today. Life is hard. Hopefully, God has mercy for us in his plans. We better fear God and be grateful for his mercy, because we need all the help we can get if we get into a relationship.
What an actor-what a lovely man😻
I found Leonora ravishingly beautiful, and was gobsmacked to discover that the actress was Mick Fleetwood’s older sister.
Susan Fleetwood was absolutely magnificent, both in her beauty and her talent.
Yes , very attractive and playing this part really well . Still a depressing story with beautiful scenery .
I always loved her, but had no idea about her relation to Mick, let alone being older.
She is someones sister,that is all
@@stevenlight5006 That’s all she is, someone’s sister? What a reductive, killjoy answer. Who crapped in your shoes?
VERY well done. Teaching point of the story; Dance only with the partner you drew ... and make the most of your partnership. Thank you Gypsycyn.
CG Pyper that's not the point of the story
Or just get a cat..... :)
I have no one to dance anymore. Everything has ended.😢
@@Chahliea dancing cat? 😊
The best episode in Jeremy Bret’s Sherlock, in my opinion, is “The Cardboard Box”. Also stars Joanna David. Beautiful production. Wonderful story. Available on UA-cam.
Powerful, but sad.
A marvellous adaptation of a very great novel. In my opinion.
Thanks for this. I just finished reading the book and find this very close.
The scene at 2 min 15 seconds in the 'discrete shelter' tells you so much about the characters - their reactions to the rain and their expressions.
What a beautiful but hurtful movie.
All of the actresses and actors were excellent.
But the moral to the story - of lost lonely love, and deceit hurtful pain and sorrow
Pastor Jeremy's incredible work in the Sherlock Holmes series I don't think he can ever out do that... He set the standard high
Neither will I forget him. 💖
I couldn't stop watching.Then I cried
So Awesome, a lot of effort in making this happen, Great Work 💋👏👏👏
Brett is just terrific in this--TY
Ah Jeremy.. you left us too soon 😢
The Ford Maddox Ford novel is wonderful and full of dark humor.
Madox
An excellent portrayal of the ageless frailty of the human heart,we all need love and we all need to love, the tricky bit is achieving those without hurting others, whilst being true to ourselves.
rodger stephenson Well, I'll drink to that (which says a lot). Cheers mate.
This was NOT about the ageless frailty of the human heart. It is about your typical self centered, self absorbed, feckless male preponderance with his own wants and needs.
S.L. S Of course in your mind women never have any part of this.
You must be watching a different movie
I agree the women were just as culpable as the men. That blonde woman making her husband take care of her, pretending she couldn't travel, faking a heart condirion, disgusting. But the other husband, Edward, pulling a Woody Allen, was worse because that girl was an innocent convent raised virgin, and to put that guilt on her, mess with her head, was wrong. When a child is in your care, especially someone else's child, you don't just raise them until they are 18, and then start lusting after them. That guy Edward fell in love with every that moved. He should have just divorced his wife. Instead, he treated her like his mother. Her whole job was cleaning up his messes, saving his reputation, and the one thing she wanted, love, he gave to everyone else. I think aside from the girl, and the poor husband who was faithful to the blonde wife, the other three were all despicable.
It is foolish to let love rule your life. The human heart is not frail, it is fickle. If you do not base your life on higher values then you are doomed to be miserable if you have a soul, or to leave a trail of misery in your wake if you don't. And that rail of misery will eventually come back to bite you. Romance is a fiction that the west embraced a couple of centuries ago. It is a form of idolatry. Love is not romance. The confusion that it is is what is at the heart of this maudlin drama.
In cultures where they still have arranged marriages their divorce rate is much lower than the marriages chosen by love. Like I said, romantic "love" is just idolatry, idolatry of the self. Happy people are those who belong to families , where those families belong to communities, and where those communities belong to nations..based on blood. Romantic love goes hand in hand with "individualism"..it is a weakness of the west. We all belong to a people, bonded by blood and ethnicity. It is a denial of this that is bringing the downfall of the west.
Wonderful period drama and beautiful settings too. Brilliantly played by all and a sheer joy to watch. Amazing and fabulous clothes and interesting storyline. To be rich and powerful before that disgusting war that changed everything forever. A whole generation lost for what victory?
i like Jeremy brett a lot!he's a very talented actor!!!
Jeremy is the best sherlock ever. His mere presence lights up the movie.
WOW! Happiness is fleeting, and often we mistake whatever life hands us for happiness, because we don't know the difference.
Although I admire the superb acting in this movie, i cant help but feel sad for the characters
A very strange movie, but I was drawn into watching it by Jeremy Brett.
In saying that, where are my manners?, Thank you Gypsycyn for the upload and your time doing it.
Thank you so much for uploading..
What exquisitely miserable lives! Gotta love Brit drama...Bravo!
I want to live in a Granada production from the 80s
Never a truer word spoken!
They were top shelf loved JB IN THE Sherlock series he was Holmes to the letter.
Thanks Gypsycyn. Love the old scenes, dress, etc etc. Glad I watched, but at the same time, for me, it was depressing. I thought how messed up all these people are. Yet in real life loving, faithful relationships of length seem few.
Diane Vitale I agree Diane. Very depressing film, though beautifully made. And I think you're right, not many long lasting happy successful and faithful partnerships in real life either :(
An intense analysis of relationships & romantic love, beautifully filmed & acted but very bleak. Ford Maddox Ford speaks through the narrator-character in the conclusion, stating how empty & hopeless life is, how no matter how kind & caring one is life is nonetheless meaningless. A fairly popular sentiment of writers & philosophers of the late 19th into the 20th c., a view which was deepened by the Great War & its useless loss of life. But the views of Ford shown in the film seem to be an analysis of romantic love (among other things), the kind of love that had become central to western society only in the 19th & 20th c.-- that is, only in fairly recent times had romantic love (& its attendant sexual desire along with it) come to be widely accepted as the necessary basis for marriage. As Ford & the film point out, this kind of love rarely leads to happiness, except perhaps briefly, & it rarely lasts. The narrator has seemingly been a very caring thoughtful person who will suffer serious personal privation in order to take care of the woman he loves, has married the first time for love but discovers only years later that his wife had never loved him & had in fact merely used him all along...and others had known of his wife's affairs all along, had even known she had married him only in order to chase after the man she had loved all along, making him seem a fool to others. He had never really known her, but for ten years he had done all she asked, at great sacrifice to himself, to finally learn after her death that their relationship was a total lie. This is what's called blind love, i think. But did he really love her or was he in love with an ideal & with love itself? He seems to feel real love for his close friends, but that's not the same as romantic love.
As you pointed out, it's rare to find a couple who've remained together for the long term based on love, whose love lasted. It's no longer a social disgrace to divorce, plus women are now no longer as financially dependent on husbands & more often have a choice. But the real problem here, I think, is that there's a big difference between romantic love & the kind of love felt for friends & relations. The love one feels for longtime close friends & for close relatives usually does last a lifetime. Romantic love rarely does. Usually romantic love (along with desire) happens suddenly, usually before the two persons know one another very well, & it's often based on romantic expectations to a great extent, also of course on physical desire. It would be a fluke if such love did last. With couples who've been together for many years who still love one another, usually the initial romantic (blind) love dwindled away fairly early on, but sometimes a couple manages to keep reigniting that romantic love periodically. Still rare.
But why depend on romantic love? The kind of love felt for close relatives, close friends, is much more stable & lasting & isn't dependent on the fantasies of romantic love. Occasionally a relationship initially based on romantic love does last for many years but I think usually that's because once the two came to know one another very well, it turned out they had a lot in common or were very suited to one another somehow--more by sheer luck in the choice than not. It takes years to get to know someone & if understanding & love result, it usually continues for many years if not a lifetime. As I see it, that's the kind of love that is real, that is important, a love based on understanding & mutual love & respect, not on romantic fantasies and/or desire. It might not result in the kind of delirium or euphoria of romantic love but it as a rule leads to loyal love & understanding of a deeper nature. And it's possible to fall in love with someone who's a longtime friend, for those who seek romantic love as well.
Sorry this is so long... self-indulgent musings on love on my 72nd birthday. A wonderful film to result in musings about the meaning of life & the forms of love. It seems Ford Maddox Ford had seen the futility of romantic love.
@@janegarner9169 ..maam it was enlightening
Thanks ever so awfully for posting this.
I've never seen it, and it has my definitive Miss Bennet in it, as well as my definitive Mr Homes..
..... ever so awfully..... Omg, 😂😂
The book this movie is made from is a Sad Literary Masterpiece named The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford. Please buy and read this book !
I just finished reading it...one of the 100 books to read before you die!
@@Lulu2010APR I hope you like it, in my humble opinion is time well spent. Another sad literary masterpiece I highly recommend, is The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne by Brian Moore.
I support this. It's really good and deserves to be more widely known.
@@moustik31 Thank you, very much either for The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford, or The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne, by Brian Moore. Either way you're very welcome.
Wonderful movie the way only Europeans can make it. Everything is many layers deep. A brilliant examination of the confusion, conflict and agony that arises from emotional suppression, the battle between heart and mask tearing people apart.
Well stated
This is a masterpiece.
Hermosa película, admirable Jeremy Brett, gracias ♥️🇦🇷
Oh my word, how tragic. How one narcissist can ruin so many lives.
Omgosh, this is definitely a very sad & depressing movie. The clothes & scenery is breathtaking at least.
What an excellent film. Thanks so much for uploading. BTW, trivia - Susan Fleetwood was the sister of Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac.
I'm studying this at uni at the moment and this adaptation is absolutely brilliant. It captures the narrative structure so well!
I wish more adaptations were as good as this one.
I thought it was pitch perfect.
An interesting concept… the narrator reveals himself and his shortcomings by the contrast between himself and the truly superior Edward Ashburnham
Hi
I’ve never seen so many conversations strung together like a pearl necklace!
Lord Edward displays all the characteristics of bipolar disorder.
Excellent film/acting!
thank you so much for the download
I started watching this, thinking it was another Sherlock Holmes episode and then got drawn in by the story 😆
brett so very fab!!!
Depressing Masterpiece, This film and the excellent book by Ford Madox Ford. Please read the book.
1 December 2024 - “It’s all a darkness.” Indeed. Watching from Kentucky, USA.
Incredible shot at 23:11 of the two pairs viewed through the ornate gate as they approach it! That's just one of the ways you know this movie had a great Director...making advantageous use of each setting and location.