| The Black Velvet Gown | 
 enlarge | Actors: Jean Anderson, Aran Bell, Christopher Benjamin, Caspar Berry, Donald Bisset
Studio: Tango Entertainment
Category: DVD
List Price: $19.98
Buy New: $8.02
You Save: $11.96 (60%)
New (29) Used (7) from $8.02
Avg. Customer Rating:  6 reviews
Sales Rank: 59558
Format: Color, Full Screen, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 115
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: TE1039
ISBN: 1598371274
UPC: 844628010399
EAN: 9781598371277
ASIN: B000BFJM4Y
Theatrical Release Date: 1991
Release Date: November 22, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand New and Factory Sealed Item Fast Shipping
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
In the spirit of Thomas Hardy and revisiting the countryside of D.H. Lawrence, The Black Velvet Gown is a classic tale of overcoming impoverished means. Set and filmed on location in Northumberland in northeastern England, the countryside and stark gray sky provide the dramatic backdrop for this story, which takes place in the 19th century. A widowed mother and her three children become servants in a reclusive man's household. The family brings the lonely academic joy and laughter and in exchange he bestows upon them his knowledge of books. It was unheard of for servants to be educated and literate, however, and after the master dies it's up to the mother and her daughter to overcome the narrow-minded prejudices held by society and create a liberated life on their own terms. Based on the bestselling novel by Catherine Cookson, The Black Velvet Gown is an entertaining watch. --Samantha Allen Storey
Product Description
This dramatic romance is set in northern England in the 1830's centers around Riah Millican a strong-minded miner's widow who takes a job as housekeeper to a reclusive Percival Miller. Miller however still exerts a hold over Riah. Will Biddy Riah's bright but willful daughter ever find the happiness and freedom that have eluded her mother as she catches the eye of a wealthy young man? Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA UPC: 844628010399 Manufacturer No: TE1039
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| Customer Reviews: Read 1 more reviews...
 strange story October 21, 2008
A very strange story but with a happy ending. Not one of the best ones that I have ordered.
 Dark Period Drama October 10, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
An impoverished young widow enters into service as a maid to a creepy old pederast in his mansion in England. After the pederast makes improper advances to her son, he blackmails her into staying in the house, and preventing her from marrying her commoner boyfriend. The second half involves the daughter of the young widow, who must enter into service after their employer dies.
This was a very strange story, very dark and deep. I admit I didn't care that much for the first half since the master was a creepy guy, and I felt bad for the poor widow. The romance wasn't very strong. I did like the second half involving Biddy and her troubles as a servant.
I'd give this 3 stars. It wasn't my favorite, and the subject matter was a tad dark for my taste.
 a review on Catherine Cookson July 5, 2005
17 out of 21 found this review helpful
I adore all of Catherine Cooksons books, and this one is no exception..
The mood and feelings of total lack and abject poverty are captured so well, especially for a single mother with children trying to do her best for her children and serve the master...
In order to completely understand Catherine Cookson, you have to know about her amazing life story, it was incredibly cruel and she lived in such poverty. Her mother was employed in these large country homes, cleaning these houses and being very underpaid and overworked [also the ''work houses'' in England were dreaded by the working classes..Charlie Chaplans fans will remember only too well] so her description was from not only what her mother told her but from first hand accounts and seeing the plight of so many who were employed under the worst conditions that she came to know about these things first hand...
It was shocking, very sad and must have been totally depressing for the many who had to endure under horrendous conditions not only to feed themselves and their children, but having to put up with loathsome owners who abused them in so many ways...
I am from Northumberland in England, [the cold frozen north] I grew up there and already knew a lot of the stories
which my mother told...stories first hand and stories passed down...[there was such incredibly poverty..Miss Cookson and her mother were a part of that]
There is also a great deal of written information about Miss Cookson, and the area which is called ''Cookson Country''...
I have always thought of the intolerable conditions and situations that she and her mother had to endure..
It is so amazing that in later life [my family knew her] she was so incredibly kind and generous, and I feel a credit to her generation...
I have been thrilled with the adaptations of her books...and highly recommend them...
Amazingly, she knew how to write and her stories I think are an incredible witness to the horrendous conditions for those 'domestics' during that period..
Enjoyable, but.. March 5, 2004
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
I would have to say that to-date, this is my least favorite of the films made based on Catherine Cookson's books. I think this film would have been greatly improved if it were an hour or so longer. The film feels rushed. We are not given the opportunity to get to know the characters very well. I much prefered The Dwelling Place and The Black Candle.
A MIND IS A TERRIBLE THING TO WASTE... July 20, 2003
19 out of 19 found this review helpful
This international award winning adaptation of Catherine Cookson's best selling book of the same name should delight Ms. Cookson's devoted fans and anyone else who enjoys period pieces in which class conflicts are the central theme.Set in England in the 1840s, a desperate widow with three children, two boys and a girl, takes the post of housekeeper to a crusty member of the gentry who lives in solitary shabby splendor in a home that has seen better days. Living in genteel poverty, he is intrigued by the fact that his housekeeper and her children are literate. Moved by this family who has infused some interest into his formerly desiccated life, he decides to dedicate some personal effort to educating the children. Unfortunately, he has a dark side that causes a rift in the family he seems to have adopted as his own. Alienated from the oldest son who has little interest in learning, he continues to teach the other two children. The daughter, in particular, thirsts for knowledge and she takes to his tutoring as a duck takes to water. Consequently, she develops a deep affection for him, which he reciprocates. When he dies, he leaves her with an appreciation for education and books. After his death, however, her mother, angered by the terms of her late employer's will, forces her daughter to go into service as a laundress in a wealthy household in order to earn an income. There, the daughter's intelligence, literacy, and education causes endless trouble, both upstairs and downstairs, and class conflicts begin to raise their ugly head. When certain events transpire in the household that cause her to escape her drudgery, her life takes an unexpected turn, and the world soon becomes her oyster. This is a handsome production with wonderful performances by the entire cast. It is sure to delight those who enjoy period pieces, as well as those who enjoy the novels of the late Catherine Cookson.
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