I am in complete agreement with the other reviewers - it is a wow of a series!! Extremely well paced story about two sisters who are left in poverty by their miserly but secretive father and are forced to make their own way in the world by their dress making and fashion flair skills. The costumes are glorious and extremely authentic looking, Joan Wadge deservedly won both a BAFTA and an Emmy for her work, and are completely in keeping with the 1920s period. Stella Gonet plays sharp, sparkling, witty Beatrice, a superb manager and organiser who also has charge of her much younger sister Evie, beautiful, dreamy and a brilliant designer who is also kinder and willing to give people the benefit of the doubt. I do agree with Blanche, I am surprised Louise Lombard didn't have a bigger career - I can vaguely remember her as a sometime character in "C.S.I" bought in when a couple of the players were in contract disputes.
Both Gonet and Lombard (who did have a Louise Brooks look about her) found roles of a lifetime with "The House of Eliott". Of course there are the villains, their cousin Arthur, a solicitor who between him and his mother are robbing the girls of what little inheritance has been left them - his plan of course is to force Evie to seek his protection as his wife but for once she shows backbone. There is also shadowy Sebastian who may or may not be their half brother (his story changes every episode) but who seems to be luring Evie into his web.
Arthur is also enmeshed in a nightclub partnership that is a front for more insidious activities including dope and prostitution. Having just read a book about the London club scene in the 1920s, I think the producers really did their homework as there was a notorious London nightclub run by an older woman and an Oriental that used to lure young girls in who wanted to dance the night away with the intention of introducing them to cocaine!! "The House of Eliott" features Daphne Haycock, a brittle "spaced out" flapper whose idle chatter inadvertently leads to a complete "cards on the table" moment from Arthur.
Where would the roaring 20s be without movies and Aden Gillet is introduced early on as Jack, Bea's on again, off again suitor, a struggling photographer who is desperate to get a foothold on the ladder of the infant motion picture industry. Francesca Folan plays Jack's independent sister Penelope who, by the end of the first series, finds herself out in the cold by the very charities and good works she helped create. Deserving of special mention is the wonderful Barbara Jefford as Lady Lydia. Her terrific acting skills help turn her character around from initially a double dyed villain to finally a figure of much sympathy as she becomes ostracized by a society she once dominated.
Highly Recommended.
Both Gonet and Lombard (who did have a Louise Brooks look about her) found roles of a lifetime with "The House of Eliott". Of course there are the villains, their cousin Arthur, a solicitor who between him and his mother are robbing the girls of what little inheritance has been left them - his plan of course is to force Evie to seek his protection as his wife but for once she shows backbone. There is also shadowy Sebastian who may or may not be their half brother (his story changes every episode) but who seems to be luring Evie into his web.
Arthur is also enmeshed in a nightclub partnership that is a front for more insidious activities including dope and prostitution. Having just read a book about the London club scene in the 1920s, I think the producers really did their homework as there was a notorious London nightclub run by an older woman and an Oriental that used to lure young girls in who wanted to dance the night away with the intention of introducing them to cocaine!! "The House of Eliott" features Daphne Haycock, a brittle "spaced out" flapper whose idle chatter inadvertently leads to a complete "cards on the table" moment from Arthur.
Where would the roaring 20s be without movies and Aden Gillet is introduced early on as Jack, Bea's on again, off again suitor, a struggling photographer who is desperate to get a foothold on the ladder of the infant motion picture industry. Francesca Folan plays Jack's independent sister Penelope who, by the end of the first series, finds herself out in the cold by the very charities and good works she helped create. Deserving of special mention is the wonderful Barbara Jefford as Lady Lydia. Her terrific acting skills help turn her character around from initially a double dyed villain to finally a figure of much sympathy as she becomes ostracized by a society she once dominated.
Highly Recommended.