Change Your Image
janettecook
Reviews
Lovejoy (1986)
The adventures of an ingeniously devious antique dealer and his friends.
The TV series, "Lovejoy", set in the anachronistic East Anglian countryside, mostly on the Essex/Suffolk border, is based on the books of Johnathan Gash. However, the main character as portrayed by Ian McShane is a great deal more attractive and sympathetic than Gash's original. The early series features the ongoing "will-they-won't-they" tease in the relationship between Lovejoy and the long-suffering Lady Jane Felsham, whilst his confederates, Tinker and Eric, add further quirky humour to the already amusing themes.
As the seasons progressed the highly professional production extended even to the final credits through the witty choice of stills to accompany the various technical acknowledgements.
The one small inconsistency never explained is why the name of Lovejoy's daughter changes from Kate to Victoria between one series and the next!
McLintock! (1963)
My favourite comedy western of all time.
The slapstick scenes in McLintock - notably the mud fight and the attempts by Wayne to help De Carlo mount the stairs at the ranch after over-imbibing - are every bit as much fun as many such scenes in all-out comedies. However, in spite of its humour, the movie manages to introduce some very important and serious ethical issues at a surprisingly early date. These include McLintock's support for the rights of the Native American people and also his attitude towards the land when he tells his daughter that he intends leaving most of the ranch to the nation as a park to prevent its exploitation by industry. One suspects these were issues dear to Wayne's heart. The stetson on the steer's horn of the weather vane remains an unmistakable image.