Rating: 
Summary: Markedly overcomes a centrally miscast role
Review: Gine McKee's being miscast as Irene Heron Forsyte is the greatest puzzle of this otherwise superb television adaption revisiting of Galsworthy's masterpiece of a wealthy family making the transition from the Victorian to the modern era. Although she looks splendidly chic and soignée in her costumes as Soames's trophy wife (she seems at times consciously to evoke Sargent's "Madame X"), she looks utterly unconvincing in her early scenes as a young unmarried girl who would capture Soames's attentions despite her relative poverty. Moreover, though she tries her best, she's just not up to the demands of the role, which requires her to be enigmatic (which she can manage) but also incredibly sympathetic (which she cannot).Otherwise this revisitation of the BBC miniseries which launched "Masterpiece Theatre" in 1969 is superb from beginning to end. The writers, Stephen Mallatratt and jan McVerry, did magnificent work in expanding Galsworthy's text, adding beautifully done scenes (such as Young Jolyon's heartbreaking leavetaking of his unloved first wife, Frances) that are only background material in the original source material. The extremely gifted actor Damian Lewis serves as the linchpin figure of the cast as the "man of property" Soames Fosyte, baffled by his violent passion for Irene and her refusal to reciprocate his affections, but the entire magnificent cast is a kind of "who's who" of BBC productions from years past, adding to the sense of accumulated history in the material. Special mention should be made of Joanna David (from the late Seventies adaptation of REBECCA) as Irene's pushing yet vulnerable stepmother; Judy Campbell (NANNY) as the formidable senior member of the Forsytes, Aunt Ann; the delightful Wendy Craig (NANNY, BUTTERFLIES) as the gossipy Aunt Juley; Corin Redgrave (PERSUASION) as the complex and dignified Old Jolyon; and especially Amanda Root (PERSUASION) as the increasingly wearied Winifred. The amazing performances of this ensemble--and the terrific production values-- make you eventually forget the weakness of McKee's miscasting.
Rating:
Summary: the forsyte saga
Review: I will not to try to review the Forsyte Saga in depth it has already been done here several time in different ways. Instead my comments will be about some of the individual proformaces and my overall impression of the mini-series.I must say that I must agree with several other reviewers about the miscast of Gina McKEE as Irene.I have of this writing not seen the version done in the late sixties so that does not serve as a comparison, I did see the 1949 version and Greer Garson was far more appealing as Irene. I could not understand how all those men were just tripping over themselves and each other for her.I found her cold and bloodless and not at all interesting.I don't agree that she needs to be drop dead gorgeous but there must be something there to draw these men in .If she had had warmth or charm ,wit or even an inner radience all of which Garson had it would have been believiable the only way I can explain it is men are sometimes just plain dumb about certain women.On the other hand the most of the cast is outstanding.Damien Lewis own Soames.He gives a multi-layereed proformance he is not always likable but he is often sympathetic his methods may often be questionable his heart is aching to express love but he lacks the knowledge on how to give it freely the few attempts he makes with Irene she rebuffs in cold-blooded fashion while she brazely is seen in public with other men including Soames uncle and cousin. Amanda Root is as Soames' sister is likable and sympathetic as she deals with a weak-willed husband -this is also a well played if rather absurd character. Root's role of Winifred is also convincing as a caring mother to a daughter and son. Corin Redgrave gives a sensitive proformance as the strong and sensitive elder Jolyon he is openly devoted to his grandaughter June after her father's abandonment and mother's death. June is likable and sympathtic like Winefred especially when you consider that first her fiance then her father falls for Irene.Her fiance Bosinney is the least connvincing in his atteraction to Irene at least you can see were the other three are coming from Soames sees her as his ideal , the elder Jolyon is having a final fling and yonger Jolyon shares a nonconformist bent with Irene. Young Jolyon leaves his cold first wife(June's mom)for the nanny has two kids by her reconnects with his father and daughter . Second wife dies and he falls for Irene. A strong proformance byRupurt Graves we should hate him but we don't ,he dose't want to hurt anyone. overall a compelling mini-series even though Irene is a let down .It is above all the story of a family and shows how the different branches can be so different from one another and still interactI can relate,I'm sure many of you can too.The final scene is so touching I don't see how anyone could fail to be moved by it. I look forward to the follow up series.
Rating: 
Summary: In defense of Gina McKee
Review: Unlike many of the reviewers here, I thought Gina McKee was excellent in the part of Irene. I noticed that many of those who were unhappy with her performance or her casting were fans either of the original 1969 miniseries or of the Galsworthy novels themselves. I think these people may have been prejudiced against McKee's performance and not given her a fair shot. Having never read the novels nor seen the original black-and-white version of the Forsyte Saga, I came to this production with clear eyes, and I found McKee's Irene to be sensual, enigmatic, richly nuanced, and certainly desirable enough to attract the attention of Soames Forsyte and Philip Bosinny. It's true, she might not be an outgoing, blonde beauty queen, as apparently described in the novels or as cast in the original production--but please note that nowhere in THIS production does it say she's SUPPOSED to be an outgoing, blonde beauty queen. She's simply a woman of a certain intriguing allure, dark-haired, introspective, a bit mysterious. In other words, rather than being an imitation of the original, this production of the Forsyte Saga follows its own rules and has its own internal logic, as any production should. If the director and producers had merely attempted to recreate the novels or the 1969 TV series, they would have ended up with an inferior product. Instead they showed originality and creativity and came up with a production that is unique and, to my eyes at least, totally absorbing and convincing. I think if viewers could approach this production with an open mind they would see that the story of Irene and Soames' marriage is compelling, tragic, and convincing, and that Gina McKee puts on a fascinating performance of a woman of integrity forced by circumstance to compromise her principles, a decision for which she cannot forgive herself or her husband. Anyway, I thought she was absolutely brilliant.
Rating: 
Summary: Absolutely horrid - someone has clearly missed the point
Review: This is supposed to be (according to the novels) the story of people and property--possession. The theme is carried throughout the novels from Winifred's acquisition of Dartie to
Fleur's desperate attempt to capture Jon. All this would have
gone on without note except for the intrustion of Beauty in the
face and figure of Irene Heron Forsyte Forsyte, famed for her beauty and her ability to inspire love. The fatal miscasting of this character (in the otherwise inoffensive Gina McKee) embodies the problem: you cannot have a story about possession of Beauty if the main character is not only plain but uninteresting. It is a wonder anyone would cross the street for her, let alone go to the ends of the earth to possess her. The esstential driving force of the story is that of Soames's need to possess this woman. To possess Beauty. It is an admittedly tall order for any woman to portray Love and Beauty in the flesh, but one thinks they could have gotten closer than this. Similarly, Annette (Soame's second wife) is barely pretty. It may sound shallow, but these women MUST be beautiful. That is the point. Soames's heartache is that he can appreciate Beauty but never understand or earn it. This version of the saga entirely missed that point. A shame, really, because it is a really good "read". I'd skip this version entirely. See the B&W one made by the BBC in the 1960's. THEY got it right.
Rating: 
Summary: A disapointing rerun of a classic masterpiece
Review: I read 9 volumes of Galsworthy's classic and watched the Eric Poter version on PBS twice. This modern version is a terrible disapointment. Obviously low budget and abbreviated it did not capture the essence of what it means to be a Forsyte. It fails at that point.
The existence of the Irene/Bosinney affair is a fundamental feature of the story. It is the fact that the affair occurred that is important. The drawn out sordid details of the details of it went on too long and are boring and irrelevant. With due respect to the beautiful and talented actress, the casting of Irene is a disaster. Young Jolyon is marginal. Winifred's role was misunderstood. The role of June was simply overdone. The producer, director and production crew are too much influenced by soap opera and refuse to bow to the classics. I concede that the classics may be judged as simply high class soaps. But high class makes an enormous difference.
Rating: 
Summary: Lavish production with some questionable casting
Review: This production of "The Forsyte Saga" is certainly pleasing to the eye. It is one of the more lavish productions to come out of Britain recently. It is a large enough production that the producers had to make it in two parts (does it conclude the "Saga" or does it continue into "The Modern Comedy?"). With all of the attention to Late Victorian/Edwardian detail, it is then a mystery to me how the producers leave us with such unsatisfying portrayals of some of the principal characters. Some portrayals, such as Ben Miles (as Montague Dartie) and John Carlisle (as James Forsyte) were square on the mark. Also notable are Gillian Kearney (as a rather low-key June Forsyte) and Amanada Root (as Winifred Dartie). In fact, virtually all of the performances are top-notch. Outstanding performances, unfortunately, do not compensate for bad casting. While Damian Lewis gives a memorable performance, his Soames Forsyte barely resembles the character I remember from the books. Also Irene Forsyte, portrayed by Gina McKee, has to be one of the coldest fishes in recent memory! Neither of these characters could possibly hope to inspire the slightest feelings of sympathy on the part of the viewer. Soames comes across at times as purely evil, but one still cannot care much for Irene's plight, as she seems extremely cold-blooded in her own right. This gives the viewer pause. I found that in "The Modern Comedy" Soames becomes more nuanced and sympathetic as he grows older. I always thought that Galsworthy rather liked Soames and felt a bit sorry for the man. It is hard, as one anticipates the second installment of this series, to imagine such a character in the hands of Damian Lewis, at least as he was directed in this series. The series was enjoyable enough, but not particularly satisfying to those who are familiar with "The Forsyte Chronicles." The books are still the best way to go.
Rating:
Summary: Irene WOEFULLY miscast!!
Review: This is a beautifully designed production! However the casting of Gina McKee is dreadfully wrong.It would have been like casting the young Katharine Hepburn as Irene. Just wrong. Mckee is a very intelligent thoughtful actress but projects all the wrong qualities for Irene. Even so, Galsworthy's material is so brilliant and this production so strong, that The Forsyte Saga is STILL worth owning or renting. I'm currently watching the late 60's version-truly superb--and , actually looking forward to the second installment of the newer version, despite Ms. McKee
Rating:
Summary: Drab, lifeless, worthless.
Review: If you like zombies in Victorian clothes, sonically dead, unnatural post-dubbed dialogue--or rather, mumbling--and can restrain your laughter while men go ga-ga over the "beauty" of a buck-toothed, pinch-nosed fright, you'll love this pathetic attempt to cash in on the Galsworthy novels. I can't say enough to discourage anyone from wasting any time, let alone money, on this hideous production. If someone offers you $... to sit through it--don't do it.
Rating:
Summary: The "Classics Comics" version
Review: This is a visually attractive adaptation of the first half of Galsworthy's "Forsyte Saga", but it has nowhere near the depth and impact of the original (1969) TV series. Most of the actors in this series do a fine job, the one glaring exception is the blank spot on the screen where Irene is supposed to be. Also, too much has been made of Damian Lewis's "Soames"--he mumbles his lines through clenched teeth and portrays his character as evil-incarnate. Soames is much more complex (and better-spoken) than that! Most of the secondary characters, although well-acted, are not well-developed. The wonderful idiosyncrasies of the extended Forsyte clan, particularly the aunts and uncles, are ignored in this version. The interior sets look beautiful, but, although I'm no expert, they don't appear "Victorian" to me. The cinematography is generally good except for the irritating and sophomoric use of focus shifts to film conversations. Finally, it should be noted that this DVD is only the first half of the series. Presumably, they are filming the second half and it will eventually be out on DVD for approximately the same price. The recently released 1969 version, which includes the entire series, thus will hardly cost any more and is incomparably better.
Rating:
Summary: Held Its Own Against 1967 Version
Review: I was a huge fan of the original BBC black & white "Forsythe Saga" done back in the late 1960s. Fiction that turns on a hero-villain motif is very dependent, when it comes to the screen, on who plays the villain in chief. Get that wrong and the whole work goes down the drain. Eric Porter did a great job playing Soames Forsythe, the villain, in the original, but Damian Lewis, incredibly, is even better. Actually, he brings you very close to feeling sympathy for Soames by the end, which is no mean feat considering that Soames injures so many other people. Lewis uses his physicality to great effect in the role as well, especially his pale, cold, unblinking eyes. All the other actors, by contrast, play largely likable characters. The plot concerns an extended well-to-do Victorian family, the Forsythes, who intersect repeatedly with one another in every way conceivable, including romantically, sexually, and financially. In fact, it borders on the incestuous the way these characters can't seem to find significant others outside of their own bloodline! Soames does marry an outsider, Irene. He is obsessed by her yet he revolts her. She was forced into this marriage of convenience by being left destitute at her father's death. Their stormy union brings about almost all the angst of the story line as Soames and Irene tumble into the lives of virtually every other Forsythe, radically upsetting the status quo of family alignments time and again. Rupert Graves makes a very nice romantic leading man as Soames' artist cousin, young Jolyon, as does Ioan Gruffud as the architect who leads Irene away from Soames. My favorite episode in the book and both series remains the same. It is "Indian Summer of a Forsythe," where the marvelous old Jolyon is given an idyllic time with Irene prior to his own encroaching death. That episode always has a shattering impact of conveying a life well lived and brought to the end the way such a life should be. Corin Redgrave plays old Jolyon wonderfully.
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