Return to Eden

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Return to Eden Review

This 6 DVD box set collects all 22 episodes of this enjoyable sequel to the legendary Aussie mini-series about Australia's wealthiest woman, played beautifully by the charismatic Rebecca Gilling. As the mini-series had scored gigantic ratings across Australia, Europe and the USA, a follow up was inevitable. The mini series had been filmed in 1983. This 22 part series sequel, filmed in 1985 and aired in 1986, picks up the story severn years later.

The beautiful Stephanie Harper is now married to Dr Dan Marshall (James Smilie), the man who had performed extensive plastic surgery on Stephanie after she was attacked by a crocodile (and miraculously survived!). For severn years they've lived in married bliss but all that changes when news hits that Jilly Stewart (now played by Peta Topanno) is being released from prison (she had served severn years inside for accessory to attempted murder on Stephanie - she had stood by and watched and did nothing when murderous Greg Marsden threw poor Stephanie straight into the jaws of a crocodile, so that they could both get their hands on her fortune, and had also later shot dead Greg Marsden when he was trying to throttle Stephanie in the Eden swimming pool!). Wait for it though - this is a soap after all! The scriptwriters clearly needed some logic as to why an earth Stephanie would allow her ex-best friend back into her life. So they came up with a plausable (though very laughable) idea that Stephanie and Jilly are infact half sisters, after some hidden documents in the old Eden mansion are discovered revealing that Max, Stephanies father, had had an affair with Jillys two-timing mother (well at least we know where Jilly gets it from!). Max Harper had also requested that Stephanie acknowledge Jilly as her sister. If only he knew....

Once released from prison, Jilly, no longer a needy alcoholic like in the mini series (who had been played by Wendy Hughes), on the surface appears to be a reformed character full of remorse and seemingly desperate for forgiveness from Stephanie. In reality she is hatching a not-so-cunning plan to exact revenge on Stephanie whom she blamed for everything that had gone wrong in her life, not least for spending severn years in prison for a murder she commited to save Stephanies life. Coming to the aid of the bitter and exceedingly twisted Jilly was smarmy, nauseating, ruthless business man Jake Sanders (Daniel Abineri). It seems he is wanting to genuinely help Jilly for his own reasons as he is desperate to take over Stephanies multi-million dollar empire, Harper Mining (left to Stephanie by her father Max). In yet another twist though, it is uncovered at the close of episode 1 that Jake is in actual fact the brother of Greg Marsden so is seeking revenge on the people he blames for his death - Stephanie and Jilly! Yes, OH MY GOD HOW RIDICULOUS you must all be thinking - and you'd be perfectly within your rights! But just as in the excellent mini-series, this remains a fun and thoroughly compelling and gloriously entertaining series throughout. AND very, very camp - you'll have a good chuckle whenever Jilly makes one of her ludicrously-dressed entrances in any scene shes in.

Peta Topanno as fiesty, neurotic Jilly Stewart, camps it up to the hilt, clearly having fun in the role (despite Peta Topanno notoroiously slagging off the show to the press during its original run). Like all good, classic soap bitches, a mellower, more vulnreable side re-surfaces as the series progresses, making the character slightly more endearing and beleavable.

James Smilie as the gentle Dr Dan Marshall plays his role with effiency just like in the mini series while hilariously bad is Daniel Abineri as slimy Jake Sanders, hamming it up right to the very end (Daniel Abineri also criticised the show to the media and claimed he never took the role at all seriously). He seems to be, just like James Reyne in the original, as though he was playing the role as the principal villain in a pantomime. Undoubtedly this was down to the various direction from John Power, Tim Burstall and Kevin Dobson who had allegedly told the cast to play animated - and with some of the banal dialogue , it probably would have been impossible for the cast NOT to have played it that way.

There are a host of other less interesting sub-plots (far too many to mention here as its all mind boggling stuff) though the main focus is welcomingly on Jilly, Jake and the central character in the series - Stephanie. Memroable highlights in this sequel include nasty Jilly orchestrating a bunch of crooks to slip a crocodile into Stephanies swimming pool at the Eden mansion (obviously in a spiteful bid to bring that traumatic memory back of when Stephanie was attacked by a crocodile) which causes Stephanie to suffer a mental breakdown where she subsequently loses her memory and starts thinking shes Tara Welles all over again (the supermodel she had posed as in the mini-series, when the world thought Stephanie had died in the crocodile attack).

There are many nods to the original which gives the series an air of continuity but hilariously, midway through "Return To Eden", Stephanie loses her company to Jake, mistakenly thinks Jilly is having an affair with her husban Dan, so fakes her death (AGAIN), all the while plotting to regain control of her company. She rushes to the aid of her ex-lover Shiek Ahmal, whom she had an illegitimate son with and gave up for adoption (he turns up late in the series). Stephanie then returns to Australia in the guise of Shiek Ahmal's sister Princess Talitha. Stephanie shrewdly re-gains control of her company and then in a legendary, classic scene during a fashion show, strides down the cat walk, throws off her head gear revealing to the world that she is very much alive - much to the horror and dismay of Jilly (by this time Jake had developed an obsession with Stephanie, wanting to marry her now!).

Yes its all silly and plain ridiculous but as noted before, its gloriously campey entertainment ignited by some engaging and some unintentionally amusing performances. Great escapsim value!

The only complaint about this DVD box set is that it oddly doesnt include the alternative ending to the series, which had been specially filmed for its European and USA transmission (as it had been decided during the time the series was airing that there were to be no more episodes made). This leaves a few of the storylines up-in-the-air. On saying that, when "Return To Eden" did end it did seem to reach a natural conclusion as just about everything that could have been done with the series had been done, and its credibilty had been stretched to the limit!

"Return To Eden" is a truly legendary soap that, though hasnt stood the test of time terribly well as so blatantly a product of its time, boasts noticeably good production values as evidently no expense was spared on the lavish sets, glorious locations of sunny, beautiful Australia, the wardrobe (though so kitsch and laughably dated) and the flash cars (well, flash for the 1980's that is), so the essence of "Return To eden" holds up very well as it remains cracking entertainment in a very tongue-in-cheek sort of way. It was fun while it lasted!

Ian Phillips
August 2009

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Wild Man Blues (Dvd) (Ws)

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Product Description

Catch a fascinating and often hilarious glimpse of the private man behind the public image, as filmmaker, comedian - and musician - Woody Allen embarks on a whirlwind tour of Europe with his New Orleans Jazz Band.

Wild Man Blues (Dvd) (Ws) Review

Having long enjoyed Allen's films, I was fascinated to get an inside look at what the human being Woody Allen is like. I found it especially moving to see this small-sized guy looking so tiny amid the hordes of fans crowding around him, and I admire his bravery more at having allowed himself, an intensely private person, to become "public" for the sake of the New Orleans jazz he loves. The interaction with Previn is especially surprising, since the media portrays her as a silent figure. My favorite detail was that his Oscar award statues sit like so many knick-knacks on his parents' upper shelf. If only the directors who live in Hollywood were as down to earth as Allen. Made me realize the difference between the Hollywood crowd and directors who chose to live outside the cocoon. Allen jokes about himself as a "scumbag" at one point, feeling like a real outsider amid opulence. This is a touching, interesting film, and the music is very charming. I also loved the fact that when he makes a witty side comment, his companions are clearly so used to it that they barely notice any more that he is constantly making sly wisecracks.

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Uncensored Bosko #2

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Price: $100.00   

Product Description

Image Entertainment is proud to present a cartoon treasure, Warner Brothers' very first--an most musical--cartoon star, Bosko! Created by Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising, Bosko made his debut in 1929 and retired from Warner Brothers in the summer of '33. These peppy musical shorts were also the first cartoons distributed by the legendary Leon Schlesinger. Animation fans can rejoice, Bosko lives on in the second of two DVD compilations mastered from the finest materials available. Long Live, Bosko! Includes: Bosko's Holiday, Bosko Shipwrecked, Bosko's Soda Fountain, Bosko at the Zoo, The Booze Hangs High, Big-Hearted Bosko, Bosko and Bruno, Bosko's Party, Bosko's Dog Race, Bosko at the Beach, Bosko's Store, Bosko and the Lumberjack, Bosko and Honey.

Uncensored Bosko #2 Review

There are problems with this DVD... the edges of the cartoons are clipped a bit. Contrary to the previous reviewer, I don't think much work was put into remastering the cartoons; at least they are no better than I have seen on TV. Nevertheless, this is the only available edition of these cartoons, which are essential items in the history of cartoons. Many of the cartoons also have a "samey" feeling, but that's true of any large collection of cartoons featuring the same character.
Bosko was the first Loony Tunes character, and the animators introduced some real advancements to the art of cartooning (compare to Felix the Cat from the same era). Besides its historical significance, the humor of Bosko is still as fresh today as ever, certainly funnier than most of what is done these days.
Like most early cartoons, Bosko was created for a movie theater audience, and so had to be created with a view to pleasing adults. So there is one cartoon ("The Booze Hangs High") in which two piglets find a bottle, open it and get drunk!
The real test of this DVD for me was whether or not my son (3 years old) would want to watch it. Well, he has several cartoon DVDs, several recent movies, etc, but he watches Bosko as much as any of them.

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A Baby's World: A Whole New World [VHS]

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Price: $123.00   

A Baby's World: A Whole New World [VHS] Review

Helps explain stages of brain development in newborn. There is a lot of new information for parents or grandparents here. The narration is excellent, the kids are wonderful. We have shared our copy with many families. Enjoy.

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LARK RISE TO CANDLEFORD - THE COMPLETE SERIES 1 TO 4 [NON-USA Format / Import / Region 2 / PAL]

You looking to find the "LARK RISE TO CANDLEFORD - THE COMPLETE SERIES 1 TO 4 [NON-USA Format / Import / Region 2 / PAL]" Good news! You can purchase LARK RISE TO CANDLEFORD - THE COMPLETE SERIES 1 TO 4 [NON-USA Format / Import / Region 2 / PAL] with secure price and compare to view update price on this product. And deals on this product is available only for limited time.

Price: $89.05   

Product Description

[NON-U.S. FORMAT (PAL) Region 2 U.K. Import - This will not play on standard U.S./Canada DVD players or those from most other countries outside of Europe. You would need a "multi-region" or "region-free" PAL compatible DVD player or computer.] SERIES 1: Seen through the eyes of young Laura, the inhabitants endure many upheavals as change inexorably comes; their stories by turns poignant, spirited and uplifting. And Laura herself must face great change. Taking a job in the Post Office in Candleford, run by the mercurial Dorcas, Laura turns her back on her childhood hamlet to make her way in the world. With her loyalties divided, she must choose her own path to womanhood. SERIES 2: The birth of a new baby brings financial hardship to the Timmins household, obliging eldest daughter Laura to leave her home in the quiet hamlet of Lark Rise and embark on a new life in the busy, neighbouring market town of Candleford. Her adventurous cousin, postmistress Dorcas, takes Laura under her wing, and they soon become firm friends, experiencing together the romances, rivalries and comedies of close-knit rural life. SERIES 3: Journalist Daniel arrives with news of an inheritance. There's a substantial sum if Emma can prove her right to the money and a rags to riches story for Daniel's newspaper. As Robert and Emma contemplate their change in fortunes, Laura, fascinated to meet a real writer, shows Daniel around Lark Rise. Elsewhere, the Pratt sisters are keeping secrets from one another; Margaret confides in Dorcas that she and Thomas are trying for a baby, and Minnie (living by Dorcas' advice of always telling the truth) ends up offending almost everyone. SERIES 4: Newcomer Gabriel Cochrane arrives in Candleford with a vendetta against the evil banker Steerforth, who he feels tricked him into losing his business. Elsewhere, Dorcas makes an ill-judged intervention, Minnie becomes worried that Alfie might fall out of love with her and Emma is left in a precarious financial position.

LARK RISE TO CANDLEFORD - THE COMPLETE SERIES 1 TO 4 [NON-USA Format / Import / Region 2 / PAL] Review

Charmingly entertaining, this series is a wholesome delight to the vintage senses, from darling start to sudden finish. (The only true downside being that this series was just stopped short at essentially a half of season four - for some strange and unanswerable reason, having absolutely nothing to do with and seemingly ignoring the fact that the show has enjoyed very high ratings and passionate fans in the UK - to the US and beyond.)

I discovered this engaging series about a year ago and was entirely thrilled to have stumbled upon it. I couldn't watch every episode of the first three seasons fast enough and then promptly watched every show once more at a more leisurely and enjoyable pace. I couldn't wait for season four to arrive this year and have recently seen every episode once (and I'm about to watch them all again for the second satisfying time). I'm glad that many storyline threads were wrapped up quite nicely at the end, but still wish this series had continued through the few more seasons that it was meant to be in the first place. (Could fans bring this back in any way any time soon - either side of the pond - maybe a co-production?!)

Adorned with lovely late Victorian dresses and details, complete with wonderful actors and their perfect performances, abounding with cute and quirky characters running the gamut from silly to snarky to sweet: this series of episodes (in basically three and a half seasons) offers plenty of thought-provoking and interesting themes while it evokes smiles, laughter and even some tears (at least to the sensitive of heart).

The women I know who have seen it have loved it like I do, and even some men I know have watched and enjoyed it too. This series is certainly family fare. There is plenty to think about... Poverty contrasting against monetary ease. A poor hamlet sometimes in contest with a thriving town. Class structure. Old traditions versus new ideas. Neighborly and not always so very neighborly folks. Human nature and divine beliefs. Conservative thoughts opposing liberal views of that late nineteenth century day. Religion and politics, business and love. It's a cornucopia of fulfilling fun.

Miss Lane and young Laura each fall in love their several times throughout, as they both think on marriage: to be or not to be. Many families and individuals take their turns facing their financial troubles and personal challenges. Characters of many types come and go within the storylines. There are wise women, careless ones, loveable but flawed individuals, caring parents, good and bad fathers, and the list goes on. Many of the actors were gone too much or too soon for my tastes. One thing for sure: what I've seen has left me wanting more; but I will thank my blessings and enjoy what was done of this wonderful series.
Kerri Bennett Williamson, Author

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