Lark Rise to Candleford

Star Review

Billed as the natural successor to Cranford, this ten part adaptation of Flora Thompson’s autobiographical memoirs, about growing up in a Cotswold village during the late 19th Century, covers much the same territory but with a far lighter touch. It sees Laura Timmins leave her hamlet of Lark Rise to start a new life under the wing of the postmistress in the market town of Candleford, a post which gives her plenty of opportunity to observe the goings-on of the villagers.

Instead of a conventional drama serial, it was thought the book would respond well to a different treatment, and writer Bill Gallagher has expanded storylines the book and turned them into full episodes.

Some traditionalists have cavilled at this approach, but overwhelmingly the series has been acclaimed as fine warm-hearted Sunday entertainment, providing a drama that thrives on the friendship and follies of human nature, but which is also a celebration of an idyll of the English countryside.

MovieMail on 5th March 2008

View all 53 of MovieMail’s reviews

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Film Description

This ten-part adaptation of Flora Thompson's classic novel tells the story of two Oxfordshire communities at the end of the 19th century. The birth of a new baby brings financial hardship to the Timmins household, obliging eldest daughter Laura (Olivia Hallinan) 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 Lane (Julia Sawalha), takes Laura under her wing, and they soon become firm friends, experiencing together the romances, rivalries and comedies of close-knit rural life.

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DVD Extras

• 4 discs
• The Making of Lark Rise To Candleford.

Film Details

Cast

Olivia Hallinan, Julia Sawalha

Technical Details