"NORTHANGER ABBEY" (1986) Screencaps Gallery

Below are screencaps from "NORTHANGER ABBEY", the 1986 A&E/BBC adaptation of Jane Austen's 1817 novel. Directed by Giles Foster, the movie starred Katharine Schlesinger, Peter Firth and Robert Hardy: 


"NORTHANGER ABBEY" (1986) Screencaps Gallery

Boston Creme Pie

Below is a brief look at and recipe for the famous New England dessert called the "Boston Creme Pie": 



BOSTON CREME PIE

Judging by the name of this famous dessert, one would assume that the Boston Creme Pie was created in Boston, Massachusetts. And one would be right. However, there is a slight confusion over the dessert's origins. According to John F. Mariani's 1999 book, "Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink", the Boston Creme Pie originated during the Early American period and was known as either the "Pudding-Cake Pie"; or when made with a raspberry jelly filling, "Mrs. Washington's Pie".

But the current dessert that features the chocolate topping is known as the Boston Creme Pie. And according to many cookbooks, Armenian-French chef M. Sanzian created the dessert at Boston's famous Parker House Hotel in 1855 or 1856. Like the Pudding-Cake Pie and Mrs. Washington's Pie, the Boston Creme Pie is actually a pudding and cake combination that comprises at least two or three layers of sponge cake filled with vanilla flavored custard or crème pâtissière. In the case of the Boston Creme Pie, the cake is topped with a chocolate glaze called Ganache. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts declared the Boston Creme Pie as its official dessert in 1996. 


The following is a recipe for the dish from thehungrymouse.com website:


Boston Creme Pie

Ingredients

Cake
1/2 cup butter (that’s 1 stick), softened on the counter for 20 minutes or so
1 cup sugar
3 egg yolks
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup milk
2 cups cake flour
2 tsp. baking powder
pinch of salt

Cream Filling
1/2 cup sugar
4 egg yolks
6 Tbls. flour
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Chocolate Frosting
4 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 Tbls. butter



Preparations

Cake
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Spray 2 8-inch round cake pans with oil, then line with circles of parchment paper. Set them aside. Combine the sugar and butter in the bowl of your mixer. Beat them together until well combined. Add in the egg yolks. Beat again until well combined and kind of fluffy. Scrape down the sides of your bowl with a spatula. Add the milk. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Stir them together with a whisk to combine well. Toss the dry mixture into the butter/sugar in the mixing bowl. Mix on medim-high for maybe 20 or 30 seconds to combine, just until the batter comes together.

The batter will be relatively thick and stiff. Give the batter a stir or two with a spatula to be sure that it’s mixed well and no dry ingredients remain in the very bottom of the bowl. Divide the batter evenly between your two prepared cake pans. Smooth it down with a spatula so it fills the whole pan and is relatively even. Bake cake the 2 cakes for 20-23 minutes at 375 degrees.

They are done when they are golden brown on top and feel firm (not jiggly) in the middle when pressed with a finger. When inserted in the center, a toothpick should come out clean. Cool the cakes in the pans for about 10 minutes. Then, gently run a knife around the whole edge to loosen it, and remove each cake from the pan. (Because you lined each pan with parchment paper, this should be easy). Set the cakes on a rack to cool completely. If your cakes wound up a little crusty on the edges, like this, don’t worry. You’re going to trim those crisp edges right off when you assemble your Boston Cream Pie.


Custard
Fill a medium-sized pot with a few inches of water. Set it on the stove over high heat to bring it up to a boil. Then put the sugar and egg yolks in a large heatproof bowl. Whisk together until well combined. Add the flour. Whisk to combine. Pour in the milk. And the vanilla. Whisk to combine. When your pot of water is boiling, drop the heat to low. Set the bowl on top of the pot of water. Whisk it constantly for 5-7 minutes until it starts thicken. Keep whisking until the custard gets very thick. It’s done when it coats the back of a spoon. Give it a taste. It should have a nice custard-y taste, without any hint of raw flour. When it is done, take it off the heat. Cool it on the counter to room temperature, then pop it in the fridge to chill it completely.


Chocolate Frosting
Fill a medium-sized pot with a few inches of water. Set it on the stove over high heat to bring it up to a boil. If you are making the frosting right after the custard, just use the same pot of simmering water. Chop up the chocolate. Put it into a large heatproof bowl. Pour in the cream. When your pot of water is boiling, drop the heat to low. Set the bowl on top of the pot of water. Toss in the butter. The chocolate should start to melt almost immediately. Whisk to combine. Keep whisking until all the chocolate is melted and you have a uniform mixture. Set the chocolate frosting aside to cool. As it cools, it will thicken up. If you put it in the fridge, keep a close eye on it. It can go from nice and thick to solid fudge in no time flat.


Assemble the Dessert

Do not do this until all of your components are completely cool. If you try to put it together when any piece is warm, you will wind up with a slippery, drippy mess.

Start by trimming your cakes. Carefully set them one on top of the other. With a serrated bread knife, cut the edges off. Go slowly and press down on the top of the cake with one hand to keep it from ripping. Should you have an accident with one of the cakes, like this, do not fret. Just use that cake as the bottom layer. The custard filling will help glue the whole thing together once it gets cold in the fridge.

Set one cake on your serving platter, bottom side facing up. Do this so that your custard goes on a flat—not slightly domed—surface. Grab the custard filling from the fridge. It should be nice and thick. Spoon it out onto the cake. Reserve a few spoonfuls of custard for later, to help stick the almonds to the side of the cake. Spread the custard to the edges with a rubber spatula. Put the second cake right on top. Grab your chocolate frosting. Spoon it out onto the top of the cake. Spread it around until the top of the cake is covered. Pop two toothpicks into the cake to hold the layers together for now, until it’s completely chilled. With your finger, brush the leftover custard onto the edges of the cake, so it’s covered in a thin layer.

Note

According to this recipe, the Boston Cream Pie is best served on the day that it is put together. The dessert has three parts - the cake, the custard filling and the chocolate frosting. Following the preparation of all three parts, they need to be completely cooled before the dessert is assembled.

"DIE HARD" (1988) Review

"DIE HARD" (1988) Review

Twenty-eight-and-a-half years ago, 20th Century Fox released an action-adventure film that kicked off a movie franchise that has lasted with the addition of four other films and twenty-five years. I am speaking of the 1988 movie called "DIE HARD". And the ironic thing is that I had no intention of seeing the film when it first hit the movie theaters during that summer of 1988. 

Based on Roderick Thorp's 1979 novel called "Nothing Lasts Forever" (which sounds like a title for a Bond movie), "DIE HARD" was directed by John McTiernan. Many would be surprised to know that the 1979 movie was a sequel to an earlier Thorp novel published in 1966 called "The Detective", which was adapted into a 1968 movie that starred Frank Sinatra. Thorp had hoped a movie adaptation of the 1979 novel would also star Sinatra. But the singer-actor was not interested in a sequel to his movie. Later, the novel was being considered as a sequel to the Arnold Schwartzenegger 1985 movie, "COMMANDO". But Schartzenegger was not interested. Oh dear. Finally, the novel became a literary source for "DIE HARD". However, the Fox studio executives were not thrilled at the idea of Bruce Willis being cast as the movie's lead, due to his reputation as a comedic television actor. But cast he was . . . and the rest is Hollywood history.

"DIE HARD" told the story of off-duty NYPD detective John McClane, who arrived in Los Angeles to reconciled with his estranged wife, Holly Gennero McClane. Husband and wife had clashed several months earlier when she accepted a job promotion with the Nakatomi Corporation that sent her to Los Angeles. A hired limousine driver named Argyle drives McClane to the Nakatomi Plaza building in Century City for the company's Christmas party. While, the detective changes clothes, the party is disrupted by the arrival of terrorist Hans Gruber and his armed followers. The latter seize control of the tower and the partygoers as hostages. Only McClane, armed with a pistol, manages to evade capture. Gruber's intentions are revealed, when he interrogates Nakatomi executive Joseph Takagi for the code to the building's vault that holds $640 million in bearer bonds. When Takagi refuses to cooperate, Gruber executes him. McClane manages to kill one of Gruber's men, taking the latter's weapon and radio. He uses the radio to contact the Los Angeles Police Department during a gunfight with more of Gruber's men on the roof. The L.A.P.D. eventually sends patrolman Sergeant Al Powell to investigate. When McClane drops one of Gruber's dead associates on Powell's patrol car roof, the latter finally summons the police force to respond. The incident also draws the attention of an ambitious local news reporter named Richard Thornburg, who is determined to learn McClane's identity. Despite the arrival of Deputy Chief Dwayne Robinson, numerous men that include a S.W.A.T. team, and later the F.B.I., McClane and Holly eventually realizes that matters have grown worse for both of them.

Most moviegoers and critics view "DIE HARD" as the best in the franchise. Is it the best? Hmmm . . . I really cannot say. As much as I love the movie, I certainly do not consider it perfect. The movie possesses flaws that I had not noticed during previous viewings and one particular flaw that I have noticed since I first saw it years ago. One aspect about "DIE HARD" that I found particularly annoying was the movie's pacing. Director John McTiernan did a pretty good job with the movie's pacing. Unfortunately, two-thirds into the movie, McTiernan began to lose steam and the pacing began to drag. Trimming the story would not have helped. I had no problem with the narrative during this film's period. But I did have a problem with the director's pacing. One of Roger Ebert's complaints about "DIE HARD" was its unflattering portrayal of the Los Angeles Police Department. And if I must be brutally honest, I share his complaint. I am not a great admirer of the L.A.P.D. or any police force. But the police's incompetency portrayed in the movie struck me as damn near unrealistic. I feel that McTiernan and screenwriters Steven E. de Souza and Jeb Stuart went a bit to the extreme to make John McClane look good. And if I must be brutally frank, the movie does feature some rather cheesy dialogue - especially from the villains. However, my biggest complaint regarding "DIE HARD" - the one flaw I have been aware of since I first saw the film - occurred in the final action scene. Back in the 1980s, it was popular in action or thriller movies to temporarily "resurrect" a villain/villainess before killing him or her for good. This happened with Glenn Close's character in the 1987 movie, "FATAL ATTRACTION". This also happened with Alexander Godunov's character in "DIE HARD". And you know what? I hate this kind of showy action. I found it stupid and cringe-worthy when I first saw the movie. And I still find it a major blot on this otherwise first-rate movie.

Flaws or no flaws, "DIE HARD" is without a doubt, a first-rate action thriller that helped defined the genre during the 1980s. While reading the plot for Roderick Thorp's 1978 novel, I was surprised to discover how much it resembled the 1988 film. There were some changes made in the latter. The main hero acquired a new name and shed at least two decades in age. Instead of a daughter, McClane's wife ended up as one of the hostages. The franchise's producers used the daughter character in the fourth film, "LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD". The German terrorist - renamed Hans Gruber - was more interested in pulling a heist than making a political statement. The Al Powell character is at least fifteen years older. And unlike Thorp's novel, "DIE HARD" ended on a more optimistic note for the two main characters.

Producers Lawrence Gordon and Joel Silver were lucky to gather such a talented cast and director for this movie. Thanks to the actors and director John McTiernan, "DIE HARD" featured some excellent dramatic moments. My favorite dramatic scenes include the tense quarrel between John and Holly before Gruber's arrival at the Christmas party, Gruber's interrogation of Joseph Takagi for the codes to the executive vault, Holly's tense interactions with Gruber, Takagi employee Harry Ellis' attempt to convince McClane to surrender to Gruber, McClane's accidental encounter with Gruber, and the many radio conversations between McClane and Powell. I found the latter especially impressive, considering that Bruce Willis and Reginald VelJohnson spent most of the movie apart.

But "DIE HARD" is, above all, an action film. And thanks to some members of the cast, a group of talented stuntmen and crew, the action sequences featured in the movie proved to be very memorable. If I had to choose those scenes that really impressed me, they would have to be the ones that featured Al Powell's awareness of the presence of terrorists at the Nakatomi Tower thanks to some gunfire and a dead body that landed on his patrol car, the S.W.A.T. team's failed assault on the building, and McClane's retaliation against the terrorists' massacre of the S.W.A.T. team (using explosives strapped to a chair). I was also impressed by the brief, yet final confrontation between the McClanes and Gruber. But for me, the most spectacular sequence turned out to be the rooftop explosion that claimed the lives of more Gruber men and two F.B.I. agents hovering above in an helicopter. Well-known cinematographer Jan de Bont and the special effects team really outdid themselves in that particular sequence.

As I had earlier pointed out, "DIE HARD" featured some outstanding performances. Bruce Willis was already a television star thanks to the 1980s series, "MOONLIGHTING". But his superb, yet tough performance as the besieged N.Y.P.D. detective John McClane not only made him an action star, but also a bonafide movie star. I believe that Holly Gennero McClane proved to be one of Bonnie Bedelia's best roles, thanks to her excellent performance as McClane's passionate and no-nonsense wife. "DIE HARD" also made a star of Alan Rickman, thanks to his deliciously sardonic performance as the ruthless Hans Gruber. In fact, his Gruber happens to be one of my favorite cinematic villains of all time. Reginald VelJohnson's career also benefited from his first-rate performance as the compassionate L.A.P.D. officer, Sergeant Al Powell.

There were other performances in "DIE HARD" that caught my attention. Ballet dancer Alexander Godunov gave a very competent performance as Gruber's right-hand man, Hans, who wants revenge for McClane's killing of his younger brother. Hart Bochner was very entertaining as Holly's gauche co-worker, Harry Ellis. However, I must admit that I found the character somewhat one-dimensional. William Atherton was very memorable as the ambitious and slimy news reporter, Richard Thornburg. Clarence Gilyard revealed a talent for comic acting, in his excellent portrayal of Gruber's sardonic and cold-blooded computer specialist, Theo. Andreas Wisniewski was excellent as Hans' younger brother, the no-nonsense Karl. Robert Davi and Grand L. Bush (who reunited in the 1989 James Bond movie, "LICENSE TO KILL") made a great screen team as the arrogant F.B.I. Special Agents Johnson and Johnson. De'voreaux White, someone I have not seen in years, provided his own brand of sharp humor and the movie's best line as McClane's limousine driver, Argyle. And finally, the late Paul Gleason proved to be very entertaining as the not-so-bright Deputy Police Chief Dwayne Robinson.

I find myself back at that moment in which I pondered over the reputation of "DIE HARD". Do I still believe it is one of the best action movies ever made? Perhaps. Perhaps not. I have seen my share of action movies that strike me as equally good - including other films in the DIE HARD franchise. And the movie does have its share of flaws. But "DIE HARD" is also a personal favorite of mine, thanks to John McTiernan's excellent direction, a first-rate adaptation of Roderick Thorp's novel, superb action-sequences and outstanding performances from a stellar cast led by Bruce Willis. Over twenty-five years have passed since the movie's initial release. And honestly . . . it has not lost one bit of its magic.





Fox Plaza Tower in Century City, CA aka the Nakatomi Tower

"JACK REACHER" (2012) Photo Gallery

Below are images from "JACK REACHER", a recent adaptation of Lee Child's 2005 novel called "One Shot". Written and directed by Christopher MacQuarrie, the movie stars Tom Cruise in the title role:



"JACK REACHER" (2012) Photo Gallery

"BABYLON 5" RETROSPECT: (1.11) "Survivors"

"BABYLON 5" RETROSPECT: (1.11) "Survivors"

For the first time during its five-season run, the award-winning science-fiction series, "BABYLON 5", focused on the major supporting character of Security Chief Michael Garibaldi. The name of the episode was Season One's (1.11) "Survivors". And I never realized until now, how much it foreshadowed future events in the series' major story arc, until recently. 

"Survivors" begins with the news network, ISN, announcing President Luis Santiago's intention to pay a visit to Babylon 5 during his tour of Earth Alliance outposts. The president also intends to present a new wing of starfuries (fighter planes) to the station. While Garibaldi and Babylon 5's second-in-command, Lieutenant-Commander Susan Ivanova, discuss Santiago's upcoming visit, the station is rocked by an explosion inside its Cobra landing bay. An injured crewman named Nolan is tended in Medlab by medical officer, Dr. Stephen Franklin; while Garibaldi, Ivanova and Commander Jeffrey Sinclair (the station's commanding officer) discuss the possibility of sabotage. Santiago's security detail, led by one Major Lianna Kemmer, arrives on Babylon 5. Kemmer, who knew Garibaldi when she was a child, treats him coldly and demands that her detail investigate the Cobra Bay explosion. She and her aide Cutter, interrogate the badly wounded Nolan against Dr. Franklin's wishes and manages to extract one name from him - Garibaldi's - before his death. Kemmer demands that Sinclair put Garibaldi on suspension. And when Cutter finds the Cobra Bays blueprints and a bag of Centauri ducats inside Garibaldi's quarters, Kemmer tries to arrest the security chief. But the latter makes his escape and tries to learn who had framed him.

Judging from the episode's initial plot, one might be led to wonder what the title had to do with it. I mean . . . "Survivors" . . . in a tale about a political assassination plot? Once the episode moved into the details of Garibaldi's history with Lianna Kemmer, I understood . . . completely. Babylon 5's security chief had been a twenty-something Earthforce security guard at the ice-mining station on Europa, when he first met a shuttle pilot named Frank Kemmer and his family. Garibaldi had also developed a drinking problem to deal with the strains of working at the station. Garibaldi managed to make a few enemies on Europa, who decided to retaliate by rigging his friend's shuttle pod to explode. Frank Kemmer was killed, Garibaldi was blamed and retreated further into the bottle. He eventually became estranged from Frank's wife and daughter, Lianna, when he left Europa without any further word to them. Lianna grew resentful and angry over Garibaldi's disappearance from the Kemmers' lives. This continuing resentment spilled over into her willingness to quickly assume his guilt on the word of a dying terrorist. The presence of Lianna brought back painful memories of Europa for Garibaldi. His situation grew even worse after being named as a collaborator in the bombing and stripped of his position on the station. Once viewers became of Garibaldi's history with Lianna, it became easy for me to see that the episode's title referred to both characters.

I read a few reviews of "Survivors" online and noticed that most critics seemed to regard this episode as either a filler or an opportunity to flesh out the Michael Garibaldi character. On a certain level, they might be correct. The events of "Survivors" were never referred to again in the few episodes that followed, aside from a brief mention of the Cobra Bay bombing and President Santiago's visit. And yet . . . I noticed something else. This episode also featured some major foreshadowing that not only played out by the end of this first season, but also as late as Season Five. One of the episode's foreshadows featured Garibaldi's alcoholism, which will rear its ugly head in future episodes. Many fans have never been able to deal with it. They were barely able to tolerate his alcoholism, as long as he was able to overcome it by the end of this episode. But when he succumbed to it again, they complained. Loudly. Apparently, they could not deal with him succumbing to it . . . again. And I never understood their attitude. Surely, they understood the struggles for any addict not to succumb again. But it seemed as if they could not deal with a guy like Garibaldi possessing such a major problem in the first place.

I must admit that it was interesting to watch someone like Garibaldi, an authority figure who knew more about the in and outs of Babylon 5 than anyone else, find himself stripped of his authority, neutralized from his friends and hunted down by an authority higher than the station's commander, Sinclair. What made it even more interesting is that Garibaldi's situation led him back to the bottle and at his lowest, before he could climb out of the gutter. It was also interesting to watch both Sinclair and Ivanova try their best to help Garibaldi. The commander came to Garibaldi's rescue in a brief, yet rousing fight; while the latter was being beaten down by bounty hunters. And I found Ivanova's subtle, yet brief threat to Lianna, when the latter tried to enforce her authority in the station's Command and Control Center rather amusing. But in reality, there was very little they could do. It was Garibaldi who had to climb out of the bottle, do his own investigation and convince Lianna that he was an innocent man.

"Survivors" featured solid performances from the likes of Michael O'Hare, Claudia Christian, Richard Biggs, Tom Donaldson, David L. Crowley, Andreas Katsulas and Peter Jurasik. But the real stars of this episode were Jerry Doyle as Garibaldi and Elaine Thomas as Lianna Kemmer. At first, I was not that sure about Thomas. She seemed stiff and a little uncomfortable in her early scenes. But once her character's determination to hunt down Garibaldi became prominent, Thomas really grew into the role. And she did a marvelous job in her final scene. Jerry Doyle gave an outstanding performance as the increasingly besieged Garibaldi. Not only was he very effective in portraying his character's growing desperation to escape the situation he found himself in, Doyle was surprising effective in portraying Garibaldi's alcoholism. And I have noticed that portraying a drunken character does not seemed to be an easy thing to do.

I would never count "Survivors" as one of my favorite "BABYLON 5" episodes. I would not count it as one of my favorite Michael Garibaldi episodes. But I must admit that I have always managed to enjoy myself, while watching it. Unlike many other "BABYLON 5" fans, I have never been put off or outraged over the show's portrayal of Garibaldi's alcoholism. It gave Jerry Doyle an opportunity to really strut his stuff. And show runner J. Michael Straczynski managed to reap narrative gold out of this character trait - not only in this episode but also in future ones.

"THE FLAME TREES OF THIKA" (1981) Review

"THE FLAME TREES OF THIKA" (1981) Review

Some might find this hard to believe, but I used to be an avid viewer of PBS's "MASTERPIECE THEATER" years ago. Even when I was a child. That is right. Even as a child, I was hooked on period dramas set in Great Britain's past. One of the productions that I never forgot happened to be one that is rarely, if ever, discussed by period drama fans today - namely the 1981 miniseries, "THE FLAME TREES OF THIKA". 

"THE FLAME TREES OF THIKA" is really a biopic - an adaptation of author Elspeth Huxley's 1959 memoirs of her childhood in Kenya during the last year of the Edwardian Age . . . that last year before the outbreak of World War I. The story begins in 1913 when young Elspeth Grant and her mother Tilly arrive in British East Africa (now known as Kenya) to meet her father, Robin. The latter, who is a British Army veteran, has plans to establish a coffee plantation. The Grants encounter many problems in setting up their new home. With the help of a Boer big game hunter named Piet Roos, they hire a Kikuyu local named Njombo to serve as translator for any new workers. Two of those workers are another local of Masai/Kikuyu descent named Sammy, who serves as the Grants' headman; and a Swahili cook named Juma. As life begins to improve for the Grants, they acquire new neighbors, who include a recently arrived couple named Hereward and Lettice Palmer, a Scottish-born former nurse named Mrs. Nimmo, a young and inexperienced farmer named Alec Wilson and a very dashing big game hunter named Ian Crawford. However, just as the Grants were learning to adjust to life in British East Africa, World War I begins and they are forced to adjust to a new future all over again.

Overall, "THE FLAME TREES OF THIKA" struck me as a pretty decent production. It is a beautiful series to look at, thanks to Ian Wilson's cinematography. He did a marvelous job in recapturing the space and scope of Kenya. Yes, the miniseries was filmed on location. My only qualm is that Wilson may have used slightly inferior film stock. The production's color seemed to have somewhat faded over the past twenty to thirty years. Roy Stannard's art direction greatly contributed to the miniseries' look. I can also say the same about Maggie Quigley's costume designs. They looked attractive when the scene or moment called for borderline glamour. But Quigley remained mindful of her characters' social standing, age and personalities. I feel that Stannard and Quigley, along with production managers Clifton Brandon and Johnny Goodman did a very good job in recapturing the look and feel of colonial pre-World War I East Africa. Let me clarify . . . colonial East Africa for middle-class Britons. 

I might as well be frank. Many years had passed between the first and last times I saw "THE FLAME TREES OF THIKA". It took this recent viewing for me to realize that the production's narrative was not as consistent as I had originally assumed it was. Let me put it another way . . . I found the narrative for "THE FLAME TREES OF THIKA" a bit episodic. I tried to think of a continuous story arc featured in the miniseries, but I could only think of one - namely the love affair between Lettice Palmer, the wife of the Grants' boorish neighbor; and big game hunter Ian Crawford. And this story arc only lasted between Episodes Three and Seven. Otherwise, the viewers experienced vignettes of the Grants' one year in East Africa. And each vignette only seemed to last one episode. I must admit that I found this slightly disappointing. 

There were some vignettes that enjoyed. I certainly enjoyed Episode One, which featured the Grants' arrival in East Africa and their efforts to recruit help from the locals to establish their farm. I also enjoyed those episodes that featured the Grants and the Palmers' efforts to kill a leopard; a major safari in which Tilly Grant, the Palmers and Ian Crawford participated in Episode Six; and the impact of World War I upon their lives in the miniseries' final episode. However, I had some problems with other episodes. I found Episode Two, which featured young Elspeth's rather strange New Year's experiences nearly boring. Nearly. I must admit that some of the characters featured in that particular episode struck me as rather interesting. The episode that featured a personal quarrel between the Grants' translator Njombo and their headman Sammy ended up pissing me off. It pissed me off because its resolution, namely an "Act of God" in the form Tilly, struck me as a typical example of European condescension . . . even in the early 1980s.

The performances for "THE FLAME TREES OF THIKA" struck me as pretty first-rate. I rather enjoyed Hayley Mills and David Robb's performances as young Elspeth's parents, Tilly and Robin Grant. Although both actors came off as likable, they also did an excellent job in portraying Tilly and Robin's less than admirable qualities . . . including an insidious form of bigotry. What I am trying to say is . . . neither Tilly or Robin came off as overt bigots. But there were moments when their prejudices managed to creep out of the woodwork, thanks to Mills and Robb's subtle performances. Sharon Maughan and Nicholas Jones were also excellent as the Grants' neighbors, Lettice and Hereward Palmer. It was easier for me to like the delicate and ladylike Lettice, even though there were times when she came of as self-absorbed. Jones' Hereward struck me as somewhat friendly at first. But as the series progressed, the actor did a great job in exposing Hereward's more unpleasant nature, which culminated in the safari featured in Episode Six. Ben Cross gave a charming and slightly virile performance as big game hunter Ian Crawford. But if I must be honest, the character was not exactly one of his more complex and interesting roles. But the one performance that shined above the others came from the then twelve year-old Holly Aird, who portrayed Elspeth Grant, the miniseries' main character. Not only did Aird give a delightful performance, she also held her own with her much older cast mates. Quite an achievement for someone who was either eleven or twelve at the time.

There were other performances in "THE FLAME TREES OF THIKA" that I found impressive. Carol MacReady was entertaining as the somewhat narrow-minded Mrs. Nimmo. Mick Chege gave a charming performance as the always cheerful and popular . David Bradley's portrayal of young neighbor Alec struck me as equally charming. Paul Onsongo gave a solid performance as the Grants' major domo/cook Juma. However, Onsongo's last scene proved to be very complex and interesting when Juma discovered that he could not accompany the Grants back to Britain. One of the series' most interesting performances came from William Morgan Sheppard, who portrayed Boer big game hunter, Piet Roos. The interesting aspect of Sheppard's performance is that although he conveyed Roos' more unpleasant and racist side in Episode One, he did an excellent in winning the audience's sympathy as his character dealt with the more unpleasant Hereward Palmer during the leopard hunt in Episode Five. Another interesting performance came from Steve Mwenesi as the Grants' headsman, Sammy. Mwenesi did an excellent job in portraying the very complex Sammy. The latter seemed so cool and subtle. Yet, Mwenesi also made audiences aware of Sammy's emotions by utilizing facial expressions and his eyes.

Overall, "THE FLAME TREES OF THIKA" was an entertaining production that gave audiences a peek into the lives of colonial Britons during the last year of peace before the outbreak of World War I. Realizing that the story deal with members of the British middle-class and the Kikuyu and Swahili locals, the production team ensured that the miniseries was rich in atmospheric details without over-glamorizing the setting and costumes. And although the miniseries' narrative came off as somewhat episodic, I also managed to enjoy the performances of a first-rate cast led by Hayley Mills, David Robb and an enchanting Holly Aird.

"A ROOM WITH A VIEW" (1985-86) Photo Gallery

Below is a gallery featuring photos from the 1985-86 Oscar-nominated film, "A ROOM WITH A VIEW". Based upon E.M. Forster's 1908 novel, produced by Ismail Merchant and directed by James Ivory; this movie starred Helena Bonham-Carter, Julian Sands, Maggie Smith, Daniel Day-Lewis and Denholm Elliot: 


"A ROOM WITH A VIEW" (1985-86) Photo Gallery