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Summary: Oh, to have lived at 28 Barbary Lane!
Review: If you can honestly say after viewing this mini-series that you don't wish you were in San Francisco in the 70's, your either dead or frigid!Ah! to have a landlady like Anna Madrigal, a pair of hunky guys next door (Michael Mouse and Brian!), a fag-hag party girl (Mona) and a fag-hag in training (Maryanne) all in one apartment complex! Add to that all the sex, disco and pot you can handle and you have the recipe for one of the best and most beloved TV series ever! "Tales of the City" is without a doubt a series you must OWN! Not rent, not borrow... OWN! No gay man in his right mind should be without it and every newbie should have it as "required viewing!" The magic of "Tales" is that it is equal parts drama, mystery, comedy, love story and a wonderful period piece. Rarely has a relationship between an older couple been portrayed with such tenderness and when Anna Madrigal states "There are many ways to make love without having sex and they last a lot longer", you can't help but connect with her yearning for something that transcends the ordinary. She is a larger than life woman and she wants memories and passion on a grand scale. I could not imagine anyone portaying Anna other than Olympia (though Shirley Maclaine/Bea Arthur might be interesting - since Shirley has that "other worldly quality" and Bea has that well.. "Masculine" quality!)... still, I would die a happy man if all of the six books were adapted to TV with Olympia in the lead! I fell in love with Laura Linney with this series. She's beautiful, naive, sprited, curious and eager to make her way in the free-love world of 70's San Francisco. Her growth throughout this series and the further evolution of her character in the two sequels (thus far!) are a study in excellent acting. Chloe Webb is also brilliant and I sorely miss her in the follow-ups. Michael Mouse's character is loveable and wonderfully annoying - I mean Marcus D'Amico is BEAUTUIFUL! and yet he's always kvetching how he'll never find his true love! (Give me HIS body and I'll find a way to suffer through!) Fortunately Michael Mouse's character is played equally as well in the follow-ups! DeDe Halycon, Beechum and our gorgeous Dr. Fielding are all brilliant as well! If you haven't seen this gem, your in for a REAL treat, if you have, snag that cutie who hasn't and cuddle up by the TV (drink and/or joint in hand) and settle in for your and/or his TV event (to be remembered) for a lifetime... YES, it's THAT GOOD! Chris
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Summary: True to the Book
Review: It's not often that a movie or any filmed version of a book is so true to the written page. 'Tales of the City' is. Almost frighteningly so. The filmmakers captured almost everyone as the way I read them - which is really odd when you think about it. But I guess Maupin did a good job of creating characters and scenes that could be translated to video. The cast is great. Truly gifted and cohesive - which became a problem w/'More Tales of the City' and 'Further Tales of the City'. I found you couldn't replace Chloe Webb as Mona. She *was* Mona. Just as Paul Gross *was* Brian and Marcus D'Amico *was* Mouse. The replacements for the aforementioned actors seemed very 2nd rate. At least Laura Linney and Olympia Duakis stayed on - but in my mind the sequels were a lost cause. The other actors here are great almost too many to mention, but I will for Barbara Herrick as DeDe and Parker Posey as Connie Bradshaw - both really stand out. I got 'More Tales...' as a gift a few years back. I will get 'Tales...' as a gift to myself. It's worth owning.
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Summary: Spell Binding Drama
Review: My wife and I stumbled on to this presentation the first time it appeared on PBS. Both of us spent the first 20 minutes wondering if we should change channels but found ourselve paralized to the screen.The more we watched the deeper the spell of mystery and adventure. The occasional graphic nature to sex and drugs only intensifies the spell. If only all dramas could be so well written and acted. We have purchased the videos and enjoy them more with each viewing. It is amazing how much new material, clues and adventure pops up with each showing. This is our best video collection. Let's hope the sequels continue.
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Summary: Simply the Best
Review: Once or twice in a lifetime a movie comes along that makes you feel like a part of it - a movie that, when you watch it again months later, makes you feel as if you've come home to old friends. The outstanding cast completes this wonderful tale of San Francisco in the 70's. Maupin writes one terrific tale after another and twists them all into a neat little bundle that you'll want to see again and again. Bravo to PBS for making this mini-series and bravo to Showtime for making the sequel. Maupin is pure genius - one of those special writers who knows which strings pull at your heart.
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Summary: Paul Gross
Review: Paul Gross [the mountie from Due South and Men With Brooms] is one of the stars of the mini-series....what more do you need???
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Summary: Expect the unexpected!
Review: Refreshingly honest, surprisingly funny and charming, delightfully different...the characters will pop from the screen and draw you into the web that is 28 Barbary Lane.
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Summary: Love, Romance & Mystery at 28 Barbary Lane
Review: Thanks to writer Armistead Maupin, 28 Barbary Lane has become one of the most famous addresses in San Francisco; but it is fictitious. The address is the location of an apartment building created by Maupin when he began writing a fictitious weekly serial called "Tales of the City" for a local San Francisco Newspaper called the "San Francisco Chronicle" in 1976. After 13 years of weekly installments, Maupin converted them into a collection of six books. The first book, named "Tales of the City", was turned into a 6-hour TV miniseries by the BBC in 1993. When it aired on PBS in the U.S. in 1994, it caused quite a controversy not only for its honest depiction of gay characters, but also for showing men kissing one another and frequent drug use. The story's main character is the eccentric owner/landlady of the apartment building, Mrs. Anna Madrigal, played by the very talented Olympia Dukakis. Mrs. Madrigal is a free spirit choosing to live life to its fullest, including the growing of marijuana that she shares freely with her residents. Her residents are also a very interesting set of people including Mona Ramsey (Chloe Webb), Michael 'Mouse' Tolliver (Marcus D'Amico), Mary Ann Singleton (Laura Linney), Brian Hawkins (Paul Gross) and Norman Williams (Stanley DeSantis). Taking place in the mid-1970's, the story begins with Mary Ann deciding to remain and move to San Francisco while visiting from the Midwest. She finds an advertisement for an available apartment at 28 Barbary Lane. She goes there, meets Mrs. Madrigal and immediately moves in. Mary Ann then finds a job as a secretary for the very wealthy Edgar Warfield Halcyon (Donald Moffat), who also employs his son-in-law, Beauchamp Talbot Day (Thomas Gibson). Beauchamp's marriage to Edgar's daughter, Deirdre Denise 'DeDe' Ligon Halcyon Day (Barbara Garrick), is rather dysfunctional with both engaging in extramarital activities. Mona also works for Edgar Halycon, but gets into trouble with her outspoken views. Mona and Michael, who is gay, become very good friends and spend a lot time with each other. Over the course of the story, ties between many of the residents of 28 Barbary Lane and their common acquaintances (but not necessarily known) are shown. One of the common acquaintances is Dr. Jon Philip Fielding (Bill Campbell), who is De De's gynecologist, but also knows both Beauchamp and Michael. Other well-known actors played minor roles in the miniseries including Ian McKellan (known more as Gandalf in the "Lord of the Rings" film trilogy), McLean Stevenson (known more as the bumbling C.O. Lt. Colonel Henry Blake in the 1972 TV series "M*A*S*H"), Rod Steiger (known for many roles including Komarovsky in the 1965 film "Dr. Zhivago"), Swoosie Kurtz (played in the 1988 film "Dangerous Liaisons") and Janeane Garofalo (played in the 1997 film "Romy and Michele's High School Reunion"). Armistead Maupin also makes a brief cameo appearance as a writer in a window. Overall, "Tales of the City" was very well done by the BBC and I rate it with 5 out of 5 stars. Sequels to the series were made later, but not all of the original actors reprised their roles to the disappointment of many fans. The two actors most commonly missed in the later sequels are Chloe Webb and Marcus D'Amico, whose roles as Mona Ramsey and Michael Tolliver were replaced by Nina Siemaszko and Paul Hopkins respectively. Admittedly, the chemistry that existed between Mona and Michael with the original actors in "Tales of the City" did not come across as effectively with their replacements in the sequels. Of the two miniseries sequels, the first ("More Tales of the City") is better than the second ("Further Tales of the City"). Each is based on the second and third of Maupin's books.
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Summary: Something for everybody
Review: The "Tales of the City" series has become dear to my heart - probably my favorite movie of all time. The characters are one's that you'll love, from Mona's search for her purpose in life, to Mouse's quest for love, to Mary Ann's innocent take on things. Especially wonderful is Olympia Dukakis as Anna Madrigal. Her devotion to the Tales movies is commendable and her performance is outstanding. All in all, this is a great story about life in San Francisco in the 70s, from gay to straight, hippies to suits, poor to weathly. The plot keeps you craving for more. Also, I have yet to meet anyone who has seen this and not liked it. And to top it, the books are even better. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: WONDERFUL MOVIE YOU HAVE TO SEE IT!
Review: THE FIRST TIME I VIEWED TALES OF THE CITY. I REALLY ENJOYED IT. I THOUGHT CAST IN THE PROGEAM WAS GERAT. I ALSO THAT IT WAS LITTLE BIT WARD AT FIRST, BUT MORE YOU GOT INTO IT YOU LIKED IT. I THOUGHT IT A CRIME THAT PBS STATIONS PULLED THE SECOND VERSION OF TALES OF THE CITY AND WOULD NOT SHOW IT. SO IF YOU HAVENT SEEN IT YOU HAVE TO GET A COPY BEFORE THERE ALL GONE.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic and entertaining
Review: The other reviews give you the basic information about what the story is. I must say this was a fun and entertaining set of tapes that I'm glad I purchased. This is good light entertainment for an evening at home. Not too racey and otherwise mild by the standard today. It was great and very funny. This is an excellant investment and an outstanding addition to the video collection.
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