WOMEN OF SUBSTANCE: 2DVD SET

Details

• Release Year: 1984
• Genre: Drama
• Plot: A Woman of Substance; Determined to ruin the upper-class Fairley family who wronged her, Emma Harte (Jenny Seagrove) aims to become one of the richest women in the world. Although anachronistic for a woman born around 1890, it is exhilarating to watch her think and act like a contemporary woman with the benefits of late-20th-century feminism. In just over five hours, this Emmy-nominated version of Barbara Taylor Bradford's bestselling novel A Woman of Substance traces Emma's life from overworked Yorkshire maid to the triumphant 79-year-old matriarch (Deborah Kerr) of a vast business empire. Married twice, but only truly loving a man she could never marry, Emma devotes herself to building her business empire. Surrounded by a loyal few, including Irishman Blackie O'Neill (Liam Neeson), Emma lives her life as a strong, uncompromising protagonist similar to Gone with the Wind's Scarlett O'Hara in a social environment reminiscent of Upstairs, Downstairs. Her life is a sort of feminist retrospective on the social issues of 1890s-to-1930s England--poverty, illegitimate children, illness, anti-Semitism, World War I, whether to marry for security or passion, the role of women in the workplace, and such--making A Woman of Substance a historical and inspiring film to watch.
• Cast: Nicola Pagett, Jenny Seagrove, Barry Bostwick, Deborah Kerr, Diane Baker, George Baker, Peter Chelsom, John Duttine, Peter Egan, Mick Ford, Christopher Gable, Christopher Guard, Dominic Guard, Del Henney, Amanda Hillwood, Gayle Hunnicutt, Robert James, Megs Jenkins, Harry Landis, John Mills, Barry Morse, Liam Neeson, Meg Wynn Owen, Saskia Reeves, Miranda Richardson, Joris Stuyck, Don Sharp
• Director: Don Sharp
• Runtime: 5:00
• Company: Acorn Media
• Media Format: series