Charming cheese, stellar performances
Cranford is an 1840s rural English village where nothing ever really changes and everything obeys an archaic social code of social calling, gossip and mild xenophobia. Thrown into this heady mix of social convention and small-town principles are Mary Smith (Lisa Dillon), the young friend of the Jenkyns sisters (Judi Dench, Eileen Atkins) and Dr. Harrison (Simon Woods), protogeé of the more established and more conventional Dr. Morgan (John Bowe).

The cast list reads like a Who's Who and Who's Left of A-List British acting talent: in addition to the players already named above (all of them giving excellent performances), we have Francesca Annis, Imelda Staunton, Philip Glenister, Deborah Findlay, Julia McKenzie, Michael Gambon, Julia Sawalha - the list goes on and on. I'll just say that the calibre of acting in "Cranford" represents some of the best work of all its principle actors, and make special mention of Judi Dench (the woman can do no wrong, it seems: her beautiful, heart-rending portrayal of Matty Jenkyns is engaging and extremely rewarding), Julia Sawalha (her Spinster-on-the-shelf is one of the series' high points) and Imelda Staunton and Julia McKenzie (roles to match that of Dench: we don;t see enough of either actress, though).

Production design and direction are every bit the equal of the eponymous Firth/Ehle "Pride and Prejudice" or the Gillian Anderson "Bleak House", and Sue Birtwhistle's witty, cleverly adapted script keeps everything moving forward at a gently progressive pace. It's unashamedly feel-good, but don't let the superficial triteness of parts of the plot put you off: "Cranford" contains a wealth of top-drawer acting talent and buckets enough of the feel-good factor, along with hefty dashes of black comedy and romantic drama, and makes the cheese factor a necessary and enjoyable facet of this wonderful series.

I can't tell you much more about "Cranford" without revealing plot spoilers, so I will not: but please don't take the shortness of this review as a reflection of the series' quality: "Cranford", everything about it and everyone in it, is absolutely excellent. If it has a flaw, it's that there's not enough of it to go round. You'll definitely be left wanting more, and in this case, that's a very, very good thing indeed.

Wholly recommended.

Charming perfection
The BBC has truly outdone itself with the wonderful production of "Cranford". The triumverate of Judi Dench, Eileen Atkins, and Imelda Staunton makes the series a sheer force of cinematic strength. All three of these leading lights prove incandescent, but their luminous brilliance does not vie for favor--rather, each actress perfectly coplements the other.

Nor is the skill limited to this trio. The supporting cast is also well-matched, with legends Michael Gambon and Francesca Annis lending their assistance, as well as Simon Woods (whom I recognized from "Rome"), the lovely Lesley Manville ("The Cazalets", "North & South"--the 2nd being another Mrs. Gaskell adaptation), and the darling Claudie Blakely ("Gosford Park", as well as 2005's "Pride & Prejudice"), to name but a few.

Purists may squirm that this film is not a verbatim reproduction of Elizabeth Gaskell's novel of the same name, but incorporates much of that book's plotline while adding in those of two other books by her, namely, "Mr. Harrison's Confessions" and "My Lady Ludlow". I found the result to be thoroughly enjoyable.

Cranford's society is dominated by a cadre of thoroughly proper ladies, domineered by the righteous Miss Deborah Jenkyns (Atkins). Her sister, Miss Mathilda (popularly known as Matty) Jenkyns, is softer-hearted; while Deborah is generally unyielding and stern, her sense of compassion and duty does ingratiate her character to the audience eventually. Miss Pole (Staunton) is easily the grande-dame of the village's gossip circuit and her near-hysterical antics in making certain she is "THE FIRST" to pass along juicy tidbits makes for several laugh-out-loud incidents.

While often light-hearted and amusing, "Cranford" does address more sobering issues, such as the rigorous class structure's inherent refusal to allow a person to better himself. This is best played out by Lady Ludlow's (Annis) disgust at learning her head clerk, Mr. Carter, has taught young Harry Gregson (the son of a local squatter/poacher) to read and write. Literacy, according to Lady Ludlow, is a privilege solely reserved for the upper classes; if the lower orders were to attain it, they would not remember their place.

The imminent arrival of the railway in Cranford is another focal point of the storyline. The majority of the village's citizenry loathe the idea and are terrified of the great changes it will surely herald for them all.
Romances, demises, losses of fortune, family squabbles, the bleaching of lace collars, and the manner in which to consume an orange with the greatest degree of propriety [quite seriously--and the results are most amusing!]: "Cranford" affords all this and much more, and will assuredly leave the viewer with gleeful smile and a full heart.

wonderful!
We absolutely loved this series. It was very clever and entertaining. It was well cast and acted and my husband even loved it.

Cranford was a refreshing change.
Sometimes I just like to loose myself in a miniseries. Cranford had the usual pursuit of love and romance, but had the added bonus of strong female friendships. I planned to watch an installment each day, but I got hooked and watched all the installments in one day.

Cranford Captivates
We had planned to watch the Cranford episodes as they unfolded on PBS, but because we had a houseguest, I taped them. When we finished viewing the series, my husband had found them so interesting and engaging that he asked to view them a second time. Consequently, I ordered the DVD and we thoroughly enjoyed watching the "Making of Cranford".

I first learned of Elizabeth Gaskell while reading Phyllis McGinley's Sixpence in Her Shoe, when I was newly married. Years later while visiting a London bookstore, I found several of the Gaskell novels and added them to my library. I couldn't resist rereading Cranford the week after seeing the final episode.

I liked the blending of three of Gaskell's novels into this telling of the story. My Lady Ludlow and Mr. Harrison's Confessions give the village a larger context and paint a more complete picture of England at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. However, nothing of the charm of the perfect English village is lost in this delightful retelling of the story. Each actor seems to catch his character's virtues and foibles perfectly.