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The Forsyte Saga (2002 miniseries)
Encyclopedia
In 2002 the first two books and the first interlude of John Galsworthy
's trilogy The Forsyte Saga
were adapted by Granada Television
for the ITV
network. Additional funding for this production was provided by American PBS station WGBH
, the 1967 BBC version having been a success on PBS in the early 1970s.
, found that approaching the new series "brings a tear to the eye and a smile to the lips": A tear because time had passed the culturally-significant original by, but smile because investment in a classic project is good.
The makers of the 2002 version felt that any new production would be compared with the 1967 version, which set the standards for period drama for the next twenty-five years. The idea came initially from David Liddiment, ITV's director of channels, who seized on the Forsyte novels not only as a great achievement in English literature, but also for their iconic status in British TV. Granada were thinking big from the outset of the project - this was clearly something that couldn't be dashed off as a two-parter. The initial plan was for two series, the first an adaptation of The Forsyte Saga and the second continuing on with A Modern Comedy.
Sita Williams attached herself to the project in late 1999 and by the start of 2000 was taking to writers and working on the adaptations. Casting began in 2001, first casting the leading roles of Soames, Irene and Bosinney (Williams had seen Damian Lewis in Band of Brothers).
) engagement to Montague Dartie, a penniless but charming man. Her cousin Young Jolyon (Rupert Graves
) is absent from the party. We find he is at home with his daughter, June, and her governess, Helene. Jolyon and Helene are involved in a minor flirtation, but their feelings for each other are realized when his wife, Frances falsely accuses him of an indiscretion. They acknowledge their feelings for each other only after this accusation, and he then decides to leave Frances. Young Jolyon finds himself cut off from the Forsyte fortune and family.
Nine years later, Young Jolyon has a son with Helene, and a daughter on the way. He tries to claim some of the capital of his inheritance from his grandfather Forsyte, rather than just existing on his allowance, so he and his wife can purchase a larger house. His uncle James, the only remaining trustee, heavily influenced by James' son Soames (Damian Lewis
) refuses him.
A prosperous partner in the family law firm, Soames becomes interested in the beautiful but poor, Irene Heron, (Gina McKee
) while holidaying in the seaside town of Bournemouth where she lives with her widowed stepmother. Though at first, with youthful enthusiasm, she considers his advances flattering, he ultimately does not appeal to her because of his awkward manner and desire to own things. For example, while at an art gallery, she sees the beauty of a painting, he sees it as a possession, something to be owned and hung in his hallway. When he proposes, she refuses him despite encouragement from her stepmother because of their impoverished state as a result of Irene's father's death, leaving them only ₤50 a year to live on. She and her stepmother are invited to visit his family, and she behaves contrary to social expectations when she dances with Winifred when she is supposed to be in mourning. Intrigued by her beauty and danger, Soames forgoes the rules and asks her to dance.
Some months later, Winifred gives birth to her first child, Imogen. Montague (Montie) gives her a string of pearls as a gift. She wonders how he could have afforded them considering that her father did not settle money or a house on Winifred when they married and Montie was not a wealthy man. At a dance in Bournemouth, Soames attempts to show his continued passion for Irene, but ends up vulgarly kissing her arm in public. She is mortified, and her stepmother is disappointed when Irene refuses him again.
Young Jolyon and Helene are now living in a modest house in St John's Wood with their two small children and read in the paper that his wife, Frances, has died. He proposes to Helene and she happily accepts.
Two years later, Irene is trapped in a loveless marriage. Soames is obsessed with his seemingly perfect wife. She secretly takes steps to avoid getting pregnant as the idea of having his child is despicable to her. She finds friendship in Young Jolyon's abandoned daughter, June (Gillian Kearney
), who has been raised by her grandfather, Old Jolyon (Corin Redgrave
). The 17-year-old June is engaged to a 26-year-old, penniless architect, Philip Bosinney (Ioan Gruffudd
). Old Jolyon, who has become like a father to June, will not allow her to marry until Bosinney earns ₤400 a year.
Unbeknown to June and Soames, Bosinney and Irene are instantly attracted to each other. Irene asks that she have her own bedroom under the guise of not being able to sleep well. Soames is not keen on the idea, but she moves out of the room anyway. Hearing of her unhappy life through the gossiping June, Bosinney is further drawn toward Irene. Simultaneously, he grows cold toward June.
Soames does not like June's influence over his wife and aims to take her away from the city. He hopes that she might then concentrate on being a better wife toward him and to produce the heir so desperately wanted by himself and, more importantly, his father. He hires Bosinney to build a house at Robin Hill near Richmond and employs Bosinney as the architect. The income will allow Bosinney to earn ₤350, not quite enough to allow a marriage but enough for Old Jolyon to allow an engagement between Bosinney and June. Robin Hill will serve as Irene's countryside prison. Meanwhile, Old Jolyon realising that June will soon be lost to him a companion wishes to renew his reationhip with Young Jolyon. He pays his son and Helene a visit.
Meanwhile, The Darties seem to be living a luxurious and happy life. (They now have another child, a son, Val.) Unbeknown to Winifred, Dartie frequently squanders her money on gambling and failed business ventures. She catches him eyeing the pearls he once gave her. And some time later, bailiffs come to their house and repossess items to fulfill Dartie's debt of 100 guineas. Her father, James Forsyte, is thoroughly embarrassed by the situation especially as their house is rented in his name.
Soames and Irene discuss the country house. She does not wish to live there, but he insists that she would be happy there, eventually, especially when they have children. When she walks away, upset with the idea of children, he waits for her in her bedroom. He persuades her to come back to his bedroom, though she does so reluctantly.
Old Jolyon, obviously missing company since June's engagement to Bosinney, seeks out his son at his club. They return to Old Jolyon's house and, while sharing a drink, he tries to make up for their estrangement by handing Young Jolyon a cheque for £10,000. Jolyon does not accept it but asks him to invest it for his children.
Bosinney and June are planning their wedding, although he appears to be less enthusiastic about it than she. He goes to Soames's house to discuss Robin Hill, but finds Irene in the drawing room before Soames has come downstairs. They share a kiss. Bosinney and Soames discuss the plans for the house, which is very modern. When Irene shows interest in the architectural style being, as she puts it, with a sense of 'beauty and proportion', her husband agrees to fund the project for £500 more than he first agreed to spend. Soames congratulates himself for having found such an innovative architect for the job.
Old Jolyon finds his son living in bohemian
poverty with his wife, and two children, Jolly (who is also named Jolyon) and Holly. Helene is suspicious of her father-in-law's sudden interest in their lives, and thanks God for her husband's source of income, his paintings. Young Jolyon tells her that he has discovered his father has secretly been buying his watercolors by way of supporting him through the years. Old Jolyon expresses his loneliness to his son.
Rumours begin about Irene and Bosinney and Old Jolyon asks his son to speak with June's fiancé, in an attempt to convince Bosinney to be faithful to June. He refuses because he feels it would be hypocritical, considering his past. Meanwhile, Soames's mother has a talk with Irene. She suggests that perhaps things would be better once they have children. Irene confesses to her, "I do not love him. I cannot love him. I don't want to love him." In the midst of his growing love for Irene, Bosinney snubs June in the street, driving her into a fit of depression.
The entire Forsyte family is alerted of Irene and Bosinney's affair with the exception of Soames and June. However, during a ball, they are caught talking outside by Montie Dartie and later flaunt their love for each other by dancing passionately in front of the entire family. June runs off in tears, her grandfather running after her. Irene asks Soames to let her go, but he refuses. He threatens to beat her, but then immediately apologizes. When they get home she runs into her room and locks the door to an enraged Soames. Determined to ruin Bosinney for stealing his wife's love, he sues Bosinney for breach of contract for increasing their agreed price for Robin Hill by another ₤350. While visiting the aunts Montie gossips and spreads the news of Irene's indiscretion.
Irene and Bosinney consummate their relationship, and have confidence that they can be together after the trial. However, as the court case nears, he is unable to secure future clients. Without work, he will be bankrupt at the end of the trial. She offers him her father's watch to fund his legal costs telling him that the watch might be for sale, but her father's memory is not.
Old Jolyon goes to his brother James to withdraw his will and place it with another solicitor. He then goes to his son's house and expresses his desire to "be a family again." He expects them to feel relief and gratitude at the offer, but he is told that one could be happy despite poverty. Helene and Jolyon discuss if they should take his offer.
Irene asks for a divorce, but Soames refuses. She is late once again coming home from Bosinney's, and in a moment of carelessness, she leaves her bedroom door unlocked. Soames comes in unannounced and rapes her. The maid hears her screaming, but can do nothing. Irene meets with Bosinney the next day and he discovers the truth. In a rage, Bosinney goes to confront Soames, but as he runs through the foggy streets, he is run over by a cab and killed.
When Bosinney does not go to his own court hearing (which he loses anyway) and he does not meet Irene at a hotel (to run away together), June and Irene go to his apartment. They have words against each other where Irene compares June to Soames, and June calls Irene a leech. Finally, Irene slaps June to stop her tirade. Old Jolyon asks June what she would think of living with her father and his family. She suggests living at Robin Hill.
When Soames comes home from court, the maid tells him Irene has left with two suitcases. Old Jolyon goes to Soames and asks to buy Robin Hill from him. However, they are interrupted when a policeman asks Soames to identify Bosinney's body. Old Jolyon has to break the terrible news to June. Last to learn is Irene, who has gone to Bosinney's club in search of him. Jolyon, also a member there, breaks the news to her. Irene is obviously devastated, and Young Jolyon offers to have her stay with his family rather than return to Soames but Irene refuses, not wishing to upset June any further. He reluctantly takes her back to Soames. He is haunted by the expression on her face and regrets delivering her to Soames. Soames tries to convince her that Bosinney's death was a sign that they should be together. She goes up to her room in shock.
June and her father reunite, but he feels like it is not his place to console her when she cries to her grandfather about Bosinney's funeral arrangements. The father and daughter embark on a newfound friendship, discussing Bosinney and her half-siblings. During the funeral, June berates Soames for his part in her fiancé's death. Despite her falling out with Irene, she still defends her in the context of her marriage to him. She also reveals that she knew that Irene prevented the conception of any of his children. He retorts that their friendship was a sham, and she replies: "Yes she stole the love of my life, my future. I should hate her, but the alternative was you. I cannot hate her. I can only wonder why she didn't do it sooner."
Soames's mother comes to visit her despondent son, who has taken to his bed. In the presence of his sister Winifred, he cannot speak, only cry over Irene. His mother is affectionate toward him, but she wonders if she raised a child incapable of loving another being. She mentions that when he was a boy she gave him a kitten which he smothered with his love. "I should have taught you not to love like that...You feel things too much, you always have." Soames finally gets up the next morning and appears to be fully recovered. He tells Bilson not to bother cleaning Mrs. Forsyte's room. He begins to move on with his life.
Old Jolyon makes an offer on Robin Hill. He defends Irene to Soames's parents. "If you talk about Irene, you do so with respect. Your son loved her once, with very good cause." The brothers settle that Jolyon will pay full price for the house. June gets along well with her father's family as they unpack their belongings at Robin Hill. She discovers a bundle of paintings of her fathers and among them is a painting of her father she did as a child. The family toasts to "New Beginnings."
Five years have passed and Helene has died. Old Jolyon is once again taking care of a granddaughter, this time young Holly, while the rest of the family is traveling abroad. One evening, Old Jolyon notices Irene at the opera
, and a few days later on the grounds of Robin Hill. They renew their acquaintance and he invites her to give young Holly piano lessons. Irene reveals that on the night she left Soames she was on the brink of disaster when a "lady of the night" took her in and cared for her. She has since made a living teaching piano while giving what food and comfort she could to other such women. With June and Young Jolyon abroad, Irene and Old Jolyon see each other often. He and Irene grow close, and in his own way he falls in love with her. However, his health soon fails and he dies shortly after.
to his will that leaves Irene ₤15,000. The whole Forsyte clan attend the funeral at Robin Hill and there is gossip and speculation as to why he would bequeath money to Irene and some astonishment that he would be buried outside the family crypt. Jolyon and June discuss what has come to pass and she states that all the people she ever loved "all gravitate to her in the end."
Being the executor, Jolyon visits Irene to discuss the money his father left her. He becomes her trustee, and during that time, he finds himself admiring her. She comforts him as he cries about his father's death.
Twelve years passes and everyone gathers for Soames's surprise 50th birthday party, with the exception of Jolyon's family. Winifred's children Val and Imogen are grown. Though still married to Irene, Soames has met a beautiful young French woman, Annette Lamotte. She is the waitress in a restaurant that Soames owns. Her mother is the manager. He invites them to visit his new country estate, Mapledurham. He shows off his art gallery, a collection of beautiful paintings which he seeks to own, but not understand.
In the meanwhile, Dartie and his cousin-in-law George spend their time gambling and cavorting with prostitutes. He has given Winifred's pearl necklace to one of them. He embarrasses his son, Val at the casino by stumbling about and falling down drunk. Dartie comes home after his son runs off, and his wife says that her pearls are missing. At her accusation, he reacts frantically and puts a gun to his head shouting, "I'm lower than the servants in this house and I'm tired of it." However, when he pulls the trigger he finds that it was not loaded. He admits that he gave her necklace away. "I gave them to a Spanish beauty, neck like a swan." After spending the night on the sofa, and in the haze of the following morning Montie decides to leave his family and go to Buenos Aires. Soames tries to convince Winifred to begin divorce proceedings, and he expresses his desire to "start again" as well. Winifred states that she would not like a divorce, which would humiliate her and her children. Soames visits his ill father who tells him to have a son.
Jolyon is preparing for an exhibition of his watercolors at Robin Hill. Soames comes to visit, along with Val, asking if Jolyon knew if Irene had "any men" as grounds for divorce. He agrees to see her if and when she returns to London. Jolyon goes to her flat and asks her if she could provide what Soames needs for a divorce, but she admits there has been no one since Bosinney, he should have taken his chance then and now she cannot help him.
In the meantime, Val and Holly are forming an attachment and falling in love. They are unaware of the Forsyte history.
Jolyon visits Soames and tells her there is nothing she can do to facilitate a divorce.
While he forces Winifred's hand in her own divorce, once Soames believes that he must be with Irene, he does not follow his own advice to divorce and move on.
to escape Soames's harassment. During their talk, Jolly had overheard his father shout, "Damn Soames Forsyte!" Discovering his sister's romance with Val Dartie, Jolly forbids that they see each other again, prejudiced by what he overhead his father say. He tries to blackmail her into giving Val up by threatening to tell their father of the relationship.
Winifred is humiliated in court, but quickly realizes that Soames had no intention of divorcing Irene. Soames hires a private detective to find and follow Irene, saying that he representing a client called Heron (Irene is using her maiden name). Jolyon meets Irene in France to visit and bring her money he has collected as rent for her flat in Chelsea. There they spend time together and begin to fall in love.
Val and Holly are secretly engaged but are discovered by Jolly. Jolly forces Val to prove his love for Holly by going with him to enlist in the Boer War.
In the meantime, Dartie comes home to Winifred, having run out of money.
Holly and June become nurses, and ship out to South Africa, where Jolly is ill with typhoid fever. Jolly dies, an event that hits Young Jolyon very hard. Soames discovers Irene and Young Jolyon together at Robin Hill just after they have learned of Jolly's death, and accuses them of adultery. They are not yet lovers, but they know that without admitting guilt, Irene will never be free of Soames. Irene and Soames divorce while she and Jolyon go away together as a couple.
Val comes home from the war along with Holly. He has been discharged after a stray bullet hit his ankle. He announces to his family that he and Holly are married and that they are moving to South Africa. Soames and Annette go to her mother's restaurant, and he sees Irene is pregnant with Jolyon's child.
Soon afterward, Soames and Annette are married and having a family party at Mapledurham at which Annette announces that she is pregnant. Soames relishes the prospect of producing an heir at last, as does his father who tells her, "A boy, you hear me? A boy." Meanwhile, George reads the paper aloud, which announces that Jolyon and Irene Forsyte have had a son, Jon. At Robin Hill, June and Irene are reconciled.
Annette has a difficult delivery, and the doctor tells Soames to choose between saving his wife or his baby; either way, she will never bear another child. Soames believes that Annette would be devastated by the loss of the child if she were to survive, and tells the doctor to do what they can to save the child at all costs. Annette survives and they have a baby girl. He is disappointed and leaves his wife's side and go to his father, who is dying. He lies to his father and says he has had a baby boy. Soames returns home in the morning. He falls in love with his daughter immediately. Holding her in his arms, he names her Fleur.
Timing
The timing of the events in the series and novel differ considerably. The novel begins in 1886 and the series begins in 1874. The writers of the series understood how difficult it would be to present the series in the order that events take place in the novel. Producer Sita Williams stated that "The novels actually start with the engagement of June to Bosinney, in the middle of the story. You learn about Soames's wooing of Irene and about Young Jolyon's affair with the governess, Helene, through the gossip and memories of the other characters. It's great for a novel, but not for TV. This isn't like adapting Dickens, who wrote perfect, straightforward, linear narratives. Galsworthy is more complicated than that. So we had to look at the back story and tease out the important things and put them on screen."
Irene
In the novels, the character of Irene is rather mysterious. She has no voice within the narrative and is described only by her effect on the characters around her. In the series the character of Irene is far more complex and the viewer is able to form a more personal relationship with the character and more readily sympathise with her. In the novel Irene is described more than once as having fair hair and dark eyes, this physical appearance being key to her particular brand of her attractiveness to nearly all the men in the novels. Actress Gina McKee, who portrayed Irene in the series, did not. This mattered little to Director Christopher Menaul "The hardest part of casting was the search for Irene. She's an elusive character - even Galsworthy admitted that he'd drawn her in shadows, that she presented a different facade to every character in the book".
Forsyte siblings
The early novels put more emphasis on the older generations of Forsytes. All ten of the older Forsyte siblings feature in the novels which include several chapters devoted to Timothy (Afternoon at Timothy's, Timothy Prophesies) who shares his house on the Bayswater Road with his sisters Ann, Hester and Mrs Small (Aunt Juley). Roger (George Forsyte's father) features in the novel, as do the other Forsyte siblings Nicholas and Susan, none of whom appear in the television series. Much of the dialogue of the older, generation and their Victorian sensibilities are an ironic counter balance to the new, younger generation of Forsytes and the sometimes scandalous and dramatic events in their lives. Many other characters such as George Forsyte's siblings Francie and Eustace, and Nicholas's children Young Nicholas and Euphemia are also not featured in the television series. Imogen Dartie features briefly in the early television episodes and not seen again in the later series. Her presence is much greater in the novels.
Writer Jan McVerry explained that there were tough decisions to be made and that many of the secondary characters had to be omitted from the series. "We were concentrating on the strongest stories." she said "We went through the novels and decided which episodes were going into the script and which weren't You have to do that with any adaptation: you can't represent every incidental character or you'd go on for thousands of hours and bore everyone to death. This is drama and you have to pare it down a bit".
Other differences include:
The interlude Indian Summer of a Forsyte, which takes place in the summer of 1892, describes the rekindling of Old Jolyon and Irene's relationship (parts of which are featured in Episode Four of the 2002 television series). In the novel Helene is abroad with Young Jolyon and June at that time and dies in 1894, in the series she has already died.
Bosinney's death is the background of the novel but is vividly displayed on screen in the series More contact with his Aunt Baines including a trip to Wales to visit her during his engagement to June, is featured in the novels.
Similarly the rape of Irene by Soames in the fourth episode of the series is only mentioned in the novel as the opening lines of the chapter entitled Voyage into the Inferno the fourth chapter of The Man of Property: “The morning after a certain night on which Soames last asserted his rights and acted like a man, he breakfasted alone”. This event, quite overlooked by the novel in some respects, features as a major catalyst which ultimately determines the future of many of the characters in the television adaptation.
In the novel Jolly and Val meet while both at Oxford and it is Young Jolyon and Holly's visit there that begins Holly and Val's relationship. In the series Holly and Val's meeting takes place at Robin Hill just as Jolly has left for the university, and it is combined with Soames's first approach to Jolyon, as Irene's trustee, to find out if there is evidence for him to undertake divorce proceedings.
Irene does not visit Robin Hill to tell Young Jolyon to tell him of Soames approaching her to resume their marriage in the novel, nor does Soames attempt to approach her in the street while Irene is assisting her "ladies of the night" as depicted in the series - rather Young Jolyon visits Irene several times and meets Soames in the street when he has been at Irene's flat in Chelsea and his discovery is made there.
The character of Montague Dartie continues on into the second To Let series but does not appear in the novels. It is stated in the series of novels that Monty's death occurs in 1913, seven years before the To Let events occur.
In the novel Irene and June resume their friendship prior to Young Jolyon and Irene becoming romantically involved. Their reunion is delayed in the series until after the birth of their son Jon, at the end of the last episode.
In To Let, Michael Mont meets Soames in June Forsyte's Cork Street Gallery, not at an auction, and this occurs moments before Fleur and Jonhave their first encounter. The series shows a meeting of Jon and Fleur at the home of June's Aunts on Hester's birthday when they are both around nine years old but this is not described in the novel.
The series shows Fleur going incognito to Robin Hill and making the acquaintance of Young Jolyon thereby providing an excuse for Young Jolyon to behave angrily toward her later and to provide evidence to his son that she is not to be trusted. This does not occur in the novels.
The painting of the girl in the hat by Degas is not a feature of the novel. It is a painting by Goya that is mentioned several times but a painting does not feature in Irene and Soames's later meeting in the novel.
In the novel To Let, Jon Forsyte is provided the information regarding his mother‘s past relationship to and ultimate violation by Soames in a letter written by his father. Those revelations are provided by his father face to face, together with Irene, in the series. This conversation does not, in the novel, immediately precede Young Jolyon’s death (though it comes soon after) and it is Jon, not Irene who learns of his illness first.
In the novels Jon and Fleur do not have a sexual encounter during their initial romance. In a later Galsworthy novel, Swan Song, Fleur wishes she had trapped Jon into marriage by sleeping with him and being "compromised," and later Jon and Fleur do have a one night stand, while both married to other people, many years after events of To Let take place.
In the novels the character of Aunt Hester dies in 1907 but in the series she's still alive in 1920.
The scene between Soames and Fleur on her wedding day that includes his confession about his grand passion for Irene and his lingering regret at what happened between them does not occur in the novels.
The character of Prosper Profond is less important to the events that occur in the novels. In contrast, in the series he is quite prominent, being instrumental to the lives of some characters and often behaves in a rather clownish manner which is in contrast to the rather shadowy figure he is depicted as in the novels.
At the end of the novel Jon Forsyte goes to work in British Columbia, rather than in New York as the series suggests. In the novel his mother Irene joins him but this is not made clear in the series.
Finally, the hand shake that takes place between Irene and Soames in the last scene of the television series does not occur in the novel. In the novel it is Soames who refuses Irene's hand but this scene takes place in the gallery, not at Robin Hill and some time later than the series depicts.
magazine gave the production a tepid review, calling it "lush, well acted--and stale." People
magazine proclaimed it the "Show of the Week" and called Lewis's performance "a constant marvel."
John Galsworthy
John Galsworthy OM was an English novelist and playwright. Notable works include The Forsyte Saga and its sequels, A Modern Comedy and End of the Chapter...
's trilogy The Forsyte Saga
The Forsyte Saga
The Forsyte Saga is a series of three novels and two interludes published between 1906 and 1921 by John Galsworthy. They chronicle the vicissitudes of the leading members of an upper-middle-class British family, similar to Galsworthy's own...
were adapted by Granada Television
Granada Television
Granada Television is the ITV contractor for North West England. Based in Manchester since its inception, it is the only surviving original ITA franchisee from 1954 and is ITV's most successful....
for the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
network. Additional funding for this production was provided by American PBS station WGBH
WGBH-TV
WGBH-TV, channel 2, is a non-commercial educational public television station located in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. WGBH-TV is a member station of the Public Broadcasting Service , and produces more than two-thirds of PBS's national prime time television programming...
, the 1967 BBC version having been a success on PBS in the early 1970s.
Development
Malcolm Bradbury, one of the writers on the 1967 seriesThe Forsyte Saga (1967 series)
The Forsyte Saga is a 1967 BBC television adaptation of John Galsworthy's series of The Forsyte Saga novels, and its sequel trilogy A Modern Comedy...
, found that approaching the new series "brings a tear to the eye and a smile to the lips": A tear because time had passed the culturally-significant original by, but smile because investment in a classic project is good.
The makers of the 2002 version felt that any new production would be compared with the 1967 version, which set the standards for period drama for the next twenty-five years. The idea came initially from David Liddiment, ITV's director of channels, who seized on the Forsyte novels not only as a great achievement in English literature, but also for their iconic status in British TV. Granada were thinking big from the outset of the project - this was clearly something that couldn't be dashed off as a two-parter. The initial plan was for two series, the first an adaptation of The Forsyte Saga and the second continuing on with A Modern Comedy.
Sita Williams attached herself to the project in late 1999 and by the start of 2000 was taking to writers and working on the adaptations. Casting began in 2001, first casting the leading roles of Soames, Irene and Bosinney (Williams had seen Damian Lewis in Band of Brothers).
Cast
| Character | Actor | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Soames Forsyte | Damian Lewis Damian Lewis Lewis was born in St John's Wood, London, the son of Charlotte Mary and J. Watcyn Lewis, a City broker. His paternal grandparents were Welsh. His maternal grandfather was Lord Mayor of London Ian Frank Bowater and his maternal grandmother's ancestors include Bertrand Dawson, 1st Viscount Dawson of... |
a solicitor |
| Irene Forsyte (née Heron) | Gina McKee Gina McKee Georgina "Gina" McKee is an English actor known for her television roles in Our Friends in the North , The Lost Prince and The Forsyte Saga ; and her portrayal of Bella in the film Notting Hill .... |
Soames's first wife, and Jolyon's third wife |
| Young Jolyon Forsyte | Rupert Graves Rupert Graves Rupert Graves is an English film, television and theatre actor. He is best known for his role as DI Lestrade in the critically acclaimed television series Sherlock.-Early life:... |
a painter, married to: Frances, Helene, Irene |
| Philip Bosinney | Ioan Gruffudd Ioan Gruffudd Ioan Gruffudd is a Welsh actor.Trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, he started off in Welsh language film productions, then came to international attention as Fifth Officer Harold Lowe in the film Titanic , and as Lt. John Beales in Black Hawk Down... |
an architect |
| June Forsyte | Gillian Kearney Gillian Kearney Gillian Louise Kearney is an English actress best known for playing Jessica Harrison in the long-running BBC television medical drama series Casualty, and her early role as Debbie McGrath in Channel 4's Liverpool-based soap opera Brookside and the spin-off mini-series Damon and Debbie.-Early... |
Jolyon's daughter, engaged to Bosinney |
| Jolyon Forsyte ('Jolly') | Christian Coulson Christian Coulson Christian Coulson is an English actor best known for playing Tom Marvolo Riddle in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.-Early life:... |
Jolyon's son |
| Old Jolyon Forsyte | Corin Redgrave Corin Redgrave Corin William Redgrave was an English actor and political activist.-Early life:Redgrave was born in Marylebone, London, the only son and middle child of actors Michael Redgrave and Rachel Kempson... |
James's brother, Jolyon's father |
| James Forsyte | John Carlisle John Carlisle (actor) John Carlisle is a British television and stage actor.John Carlisle had regular roles in Emergency - Ward 10, Scotland Yard on ABC, 1957–1958, and the London Weekend Television series New Scotland Yard as Detective Sergeant Ward.He also appeared in the BBC series The Omega Factor as the morally... |
Soames and Winifred's father, Jolyon's brother |
| Emily Forsyte | Barbara Flynn Barbara Flynn Barbara Flynn is an English actress. She first became known for her appearance in the ITV drama A Family at War, that followed the fortunes of a lower middle class family living in Liverpool from 1938 and through World War II.During the 1980s Flynn's acting skills led to her being cast in several... |
James's wife, Soames and Winifred's mother |
| Helene | Amanda Ooms Amanda Ooms Amanda Ooms is a Swedish actress and writer. She has acted in both film and TV in Sweden and internationally. She was born in Kalmar, Sweden.-Partial filmography:*1986 – Bröderna Mozart*1988 – Hotel St... |
Governess, Jolyon's second wife |
| Aunt Ann Forsyte | Judy Campbell Judy Campbell Judy Campbell was an English light comedy actress and occasional playwright, Noël Coward's muse. Her daughter is the actor and singer Jane Birkin, her son the screenwriter and director Andrew Birkin, and among her grandchildren are the actresses Charlotte Gainsbourg and Lou Doillon, the poet Anno... |
The eldest sister of the Forsyte clan |
| Aunt Hester Forsyte | Ann Bell Ann Bell Ann Bell is a British actress, best known for playing war internee Marion Jefferson in the BBC World War II drama series Tenko during the early 1980s. She was born in Wallasey, Cheshire, daughter of John Forrest Bell and Marjorie Bell, and educated at Birkenhead High School... |
an old maid |
| Aunt Juley Small (née Forsyte) | Wendy Craig Wendy Craig Wendy Craig is a BAFTA Award winning English actress who is best known for her appearances in the sitcoms Butterflies, ...And Mother Makes Three and ...And Mother Makes Five... |
a dowager |
| Uncle Swithin Forsyte | Robert Lang Robert Lang (actor) Robert Lang was an English actor of stage and television. Laurence Olivier invited him to join the new National Theatre Company, at the Old Vic, Robert Lang was already earning high praise as an actor. From 1971 until his death he was married to Ann Bell, best known for her portrayal of Marion... |
a fat uncle |
| Winifred Dartie (née Forsyte) | Amanda Root Amanda Root Amanda Root is an English stage and screen actor and a former voice actor for children's programmes.Root known for her starring role in the 1995 BBC film adaptation of Jane Austen's Persuasion and the British TV comedy All About Me, as Miranda, alongside Richard Lumsden in 2004 and when she was a... |
Soames's sister |
| Montague Dartie | Ben Miles Ben Miles Ben Miles is an English actor, best known for his starring role as Patrick Maitland in the British TV comedy Coupling, from 2000 to 2004.-Life and career:... |
Winifred's husband |
| Imogen Dartie | Alice Patten Alice Patten Alice Patten is an English actress, and the daughter of Chris Patten, a prominent British Conservative politician and the last governor of Hong Kong. She has played a key role in the Hindi film Rang De Basanti... |
daughter of Montague and Winifred |
| Valerius Dartie | Julian Ovenden Julian Ovenden Julian Ovenden is an English stage, television and film actor and singer. He is one of three children of Canon John Ovenden, chaplain to Queen Elizabeth II.... |
son of Montague and Winifred |
| Holly Dartie (née Forsyte) | Amanda Ryan Amanda Ryan Amanda Ryan is a British actress who trained at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. She is best known for her role on TV series Shameless as Sgt... |
daughter of Young Jolyon, married to Val |
| Annette Forsyte (née Lamotte) | Beatriz Batarda Beatriz Batarda Beatriz da Silveira Moreno Batarda is a Portuguese actress named as one of European films 'Shooting Stars' by European Film Promotion in 1998. She studied Design at IADE Institute in Lisbon and trained in acting at Guidhall School of Music and Drama in London.She was born in London and grew up in... |
a former Soho shopgirl, Soames's second wife |
One
The Forsytes gather to celebrate Winifred Forsyte's (Amanda RootAmanda Root
Amanda Root is an English stage and screen actor and a former voice actor for children's programmes.Root known for her starring role in the 1995 BBC film adaptation of Jane Austen's Persuasion and the British TV comedy All About Me, as Miranda, alongside Richard Lumsden in 2004 and when she was a...
) engagement to Montague Dartie, a penniless but charming man. Her cousin Young Jolyon (Rupert Graves
Rupert Graves
Rupert Graves is an English film, television and theatre actor. He is best known for his role as DI Lestrade in the critically acclaimed television series Sherlock.-Early life:...
) is absent from the party. We find he is at home with his daughter, June, and her governess, Helene. Jolyon and Helene are involved in a minor flirtation, but their feelings for each other are realized when his wife, Frances falsely accuses him of an indiscretion. They acknowledge their feelings for each other only after this accusation, and he then decides to leave Frances. Young Jolyon finds himself cut off from the Forsyte fortune and family.
Nine years later, Young Jolyon has a son with Helene, and a daughter on the way. He tries to claim some of the capital of his inheritance from his grandfather Forsyte, rather than just existing on his allowance, so he and his wife can purchase a larger house. His uncle James, the only remaining trustee, heavily influenced by James' son Soames (Damian Lewis
Damian Lewis
Lewis was born in St John's Wood, London, the son of Charlotte Mary and J. Watcyn Lewis, a City broker. His paternal grandparents were Welsh. His maternal grandfather was Lord Mayor of London Ian Frank Bowater and his maternal grandmother's ancestors include Bertrand Dawson, 1st Viscount Dawson of...
) refuses him.
A prosperous partner in the family law firm, Soames becomes interested in the beautiful but poor, Irene Heron, (Gina McKee
Gina McKee
Georgina "Gina" McKee is an English actor known for her television roles in Our Friends in the North , The Lost Prince and The Forsyte Saga ; and her portrayal of Bella in the film Notting Hill ....
) while holidaying in the seaside town of Bournemouth where she lives with her widowed stepmother. Though at first, with youthful enthusiasm, she considers his advances flattering, he ultimately does not appeal to her because of his awkward manner and desire to own things. For example, while at an art gallery, she sees the beauty of a painting, he sees it as a possession, something to be owned and hung in his hallway. When he proposes, she refuses him despite encouragement from her stepmother because of their impoverished state as a result of Irene's father's death, leaving them only ₤50 a year to live on. She and her stepmother are invited to visit his family, and she behaves contrary to social expectations when she dances with Winifred when she is supposed to be in mourning. Intrigued by her beauty and danger, Soames forgoes the rules and asks her to dance.
Some months later, Winifred gives birth to her first child, Imogen. Montague (Montie) gives her a string of pearls as a gift. She wonders how he could have afforded them considering that her father did not settle money or a house on Winifred when they married and Montie was not a wealthy man. At a dance in Bournemouth, Soames attempts to show his continued passion for Irene, but ends up vulgarly kissing her arm in public. She is mortified, and her stepmother is disappointed when Irene refuses him again.
Two
Under pressure from her stepmother Irene accepts Soames's proposal under the condition that if she should not be happy, he should let her go. They share an awkward, rigid kiss in the street.Young Jolyon and Helene are now living in a modest house in St John's Wood with their two small children and read in the paper that his wife, Frances, has died. He proposes to Helene and she happily accepts.
Two years later, Irene is trapped in a loveless marriage. Soames is obsessed with his seemingly perfect wife. She secretly takes steps to avoid getting pregnant as the idea of having his child is despicable to her. She finds friendship in Young Jolyon's abandoned daughter, June (Gillian Kearney
Gillian Kearney
Gillian Louise Kearney is an English actress best known for playing Jessica Harrison in the long-running BBC television medical drama series Casualty, and her early role as Debbie McGrath in Channel 4's Liverpool-based soap opera Brookside and the spin-off mini-series Damon and Debbie.-Early...
), who has been raised by her grandfather, Old Jolyon (Corin Redgrave
Corin Redgrave
Corin William Redgrave was an English actor and political activist.-Early life:Redgrave was born in Marylebone, London, the only son and middle child of actors Michael Redgrave and Rachel Kempson...
). The 17-year-old June is engaged to a 26-year-old, penniless architect, Philip Bosinney (Ioan Gruffudd
Ioan Gruffudd
Ioan Gruffudd is a Welsh actor.Trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, he started off in Welsh language film productions, then came to international attention as Fifth Officer Harold Lowe in the film Titanic , and as Lt. John Beales in Black Hawk Down...
). Old Jolyon, who has become like a father to June, will not allow her to marry until Bosinney earns ₤400 a year.
Unbeknown to June and Soames, Bosinney and Irene are instantly attracted to each other. Irene asks that she have her own bedroom under the guise of not being able to sleep well. Soames is not keen on the idea, but she moves out of the room anyway. Hearing of her unhappy life through the gossiping June, Bosinney is further drawn toward Irene. Simultaneously, he grows cold toward June.
Soames does not like June's influence over his wife and aims to take her away from the city. He hopes that she might then concentrate on being a better wife toward him and to produce the heir so desperately wanted by himself and, more importantly, his father. He hires Bosinney to build a house at Robin Hill near Richmond and employs Bosinney as the architect. The income will allow Bosinney to earn ₤350, not quite enough to allow a marriage but enough for Old Jolyon to allow an engagement between Bosinney and June. Robin Hill will serve as Irene's countryside prison. Meanwhile, Old Jolyon realising that June will soon be lost to him a companion wishes to renew his reationhip with Young Jolyon. He pays his son and Helene a visit.
Meanwhile, The Darties seem to be living a luxurious and happy life. (They now have another child, a son, Val.) Unbeknown to Winifred, Dartie frequently squanders her money on gambling and failed business ventures. She catches him eyeing the pearls he once gave her. And some time later, bailiffs come to their house and repossess items to fulfill Dartie's debt of 100 guineas. Her father, James Forsyte, is thoroughly embarrassed by the situation especially as their house is rented in his name.
Soames and Irene discuss the country house. She does not wish to live there, but he insists that she would be happy there, eventually, especially when they have children. When she walks away, upset with the idea of children, he waits for her in her bedroom. He persuades her to come back to his bedroom, though she does so reluctantly.
Old Jolyon, obviously missing company since June's engagement to Bosinney, seeks out his son at his club. They return to Old Jolyon's house and, while sharing a drink, he tries to make up for their estrangement by handing Young Jolyon a cheque for £10,000. Jolyon does not accept it but asks him to invest it for his children.
Bosinney and June are planning their wedding, although he appears to be less enthusiastic about it than she. He goes to Soames's house to discuss Robin Hill, but finds Irene in the drawing room before Soames has come downstairs. They share a kiss. Bosinney and Soames discuss the plans for the house, which is very modern. When Irene shows interest in the architectural style being, as she puts it, with a sense of 'beauty and proportion', her husband agrees to fund the project for £500 more than he first agreed to spend. Soames congratulates himself for having found such an innovative architect for the job.
Old Jolyon finds his son living in bohemian
Bohemian
A Bohemian is a resident of the former Kingdom of Bohemia, either in a narrow sense as the region of Bohemia proper or in a wider meaning as the whole country, now known as the Czech Republic. The word "Bohemian" was used to denote the Czech people as well as the Czech language before the word...
poverty with his wife, and two children, Jolly (who is also named Jolyon) and Holly. Helene is suspicious of her father-in-law's sudden interest in their lives, and thanks God for her husband's source of income, his paintings. Young Jolyon tells her that he has discovered his father has secretly been buying his watercolors by way of supporting him through the years. Old Jolyon expresses his loneliness to his son.
Three
June grows afraid that her wedding will never take place as Bosinney seems always to be working on Robin Hill. She becomes angry at Irene's platitude that the hard times will pass, calls her old friend trite, and leaves in a huff. At Robin Hill, the building continues, but there are misunderstandings in budgeting, as he has gone over the agreed price by ₤700+. However, Soames relents because he wants the work done. Meanwhile, Irene and Bosinney's flirtations become more and more dangerous and they have a number of close calls. Irene takes a buggy ride with Soames's Uncle Swithin and suggests that they drive to Robin Hill, obviously in the hope of meeting with Bosinney. Later, pretending to be asleep on the patio, Swithin sees the two lovers heading into the woods where Bosinney confesses his love for Irene and the two share a passionate embrace.Rumours begin about Irene and Bosinney and Old Jolyon asks his son to speak with June's fiancé, in an attempt to convince Bosinney to be faithful to June. He refuses because he feels it would be hypocritical, considering his past. Meanwhile, Soames's mother has a talk with Irene. She suggests that perhaps things would be better once they have children. Irene confesses to her, "I do not love him. I cannot love him. I don't want to love him." In the midst of his growing love for Irene, Bosinney snubs June in the street, driving her into a fit of depression.
The entire Forsyte family is alerted of Irene and Bosinney's affair with the exception of Soames and June. However, during a ball, they are caught talking outside by Montie Dartie and later flaunt their love for each other by dancing passionately in front of the entire family. June runs off in tears, her grandfather running after her. Irene asks Soames to let her go, but he refuses. He threatens to beat her, but then immediately apologizes. When they get home she runs into her room and locks the door to an enraged Soames. Determined to ruin Bosinney for stealing his wife's love, he sues Bosinney for breach of contract for increasing their agreed price for Robin Hill by another ₤350. While visiting the aunts Montie gossips and spreads the news of Irene's indiscretion.
Irene and Bosinney consummate their relationship, and have confidence that they can be together after the trial. However, as the court case nears, he is unable to secure future clients. Without work, he will be bankrupt at the end of the trial. She offers him her father's watch to fund his legal costs telling him that the watch might be for sale, but her father's memory is not.
Four
When Irene stays at Bosinney's for longer than she intended Soames grows suspicious. June returns from a holiday in Switzerland and discovers the law suit. Despite his infidelity, she still supports him against Soames. Walking in the park, Irene and Bosinney run into Young Jolyon Forsyte painting a watercolor. She lies about why they are together, though Jolyon knows the truth.Old Jolyon goes to his brother James to withdraw his will and place it with another solicitor. He then goes to his son's house and expresses his desire to "be a family again." He expects them to feel relief and gratitude at the offer, but he is told that one could be happy despite poverty. Helene and Jolyon discuss if they should take his offer.
Irene asks for a divorce, but Soames refuses. She is late once again coming home from Bosinney's, and in a moment of carelessness, she leaves her bedroom door unlocked. Soames comes in unannounced and rapes her. The maid hears her screaming, but can do nothing. Irene meets with Bosinney the next day and he discovers the truth. In a rage, Bosinney goes to confront Soames, but as he runs through the foggy streets, he is run over by a cab and killed.
When Bosinney does not go to his own court hearing (which he loses anyway) and he does not meet Irene at a hotel (to run away together), June and Irene go to his apartment. They have words against each other where Irene compares June to Soames, and June calls Irene a leech. Finally, Irene slaps June to stop her tirade. Old Jolyon asks June what she would think of living with her father and his family. She suggests living at Robin Hill.
When Soames comes home from court, the maid tells him Irene has left with two suitcases. Old Jolyon goes to Soames and asks to buy Robin Hill from him. However, they are interrupted when a policeman asks Soames to identify Bosinney's body. Old Jolyon has to break the terrible news to June. Last to learn is Irene, who has gone to Bosinney's club in search of him. Jolyon, also a member there, breaks the news to her. Irene is obviously devastated, and Young Jolyon offers to have her stay with his family rather than return to Soames but Irene refuses, not wishing to upset June any further. He reluctantly takes her back to Soames. He is haunted by the expression on her face and regrets delivering her to Soames. Soames tries to convince her that Bosinney's death was a sign that they should be together. She goes up to her room in shock.
Five
The next day, Irene leaves again, this time for good, but with only the clothes on her back. She leaves her wedding ring behind. Young Jolyon meets the male members of his family again at the club, but he and his father are repulsed by Dartie's talk of Irene's situation. In the meantime, Soames is deluded into thinking that she will return, asking his Housekeeper, Bilson to continue changing the flowers in her room.June and her father reunite, but he feels like it is not his place to console her when she cries to her grandfather about Bosinney's funeral arrangements. The father and daughter embark on a newfound friendship, discussing Bosinney and her half-siblings. During the funeral, June berates Soames for his part in her fiancé's death. Despite her falling out with Irene, she still defends her in the context of her marriage to him. She also reveals that she knew that Irene prevented the conception of any of his children. He retorts that their friendship was a sham, and she replies: "Yes she stole the love of my life, my future. I should hate her, but the alternative was you. I cannot hate her. I can only wonder why she didn't do it sooner."
Soames's mother comes to visit her despondent son, who has taken to his bed. In the presence of his sister Winifred, he cannot speak, only cry over Irene. His mother is affectionate toward him, but she wonders if she raised a child incapable of loving another being. She mentions that when he was a boy she gave him a kitten which he smothered with his love. "I should have taught you not to love like that...You feel things too much, you always have." Soames finally gets up the next morning and appears to be fully recovered. He tells Bilson not to bother cleaning Mrs. Forsyte's room. He begins to move on with his life.
Old Jolyon makes an offer on Robin Hill. He defends Irene to Soames's parents. "If you talk about Irene, you do so with respect. Your son loved her once, with very good cause." The brothers settle that Jolyon will pay full price for the house. June gets along well with her father's family as they unpack their belongings at Robin Hill. She discovers a bundle of paintings of her fathers and among them is a painting of her father she did as a child. The family toasts to "New Beginnings."
Five years have passed and Helene has died. Old Jolyon is once again taking care of a granddaughter, this time young Holly, while the rest of the family is traveling abroad. One evening, Old Jolyon notices Irene at the opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
, and a few days later on the grounds of Robin Hill. They renew their acquaintance and he invites her to give young Holly piano lessons. Irene reveals that on the night she left Soames she was on the brink of disaster when a "lady of the night" took her in and cared for her. She has since made a living teaching piano while giving what food and comfort she could to other such women. With June and Young Jolyon abroad, Irene and Old Jolyon see each other often. He and Irene grow close, and in his own way he falls in love with her. However, his health soon fails and he dies shortly after.
Six
Jolyon and June return home and discover that Irene had visited before their arrival. Young Jolyon is the executor of his father's will. To the shock of the Forsytes, Old Jolyon had made a codicilCodicil (will)
A codicil is a document that amends, rather than replaces, a previously executed will. Amendments made by a codicil may add or revoke small provisions , or may completely change the majority, or all, of the gifts under the will...
to his will that leaves Irene ₤15,000. The whole Forsyte clan attend the funeral at Robin Hill and there is gossip and speculation as to why he would bequeath money to Irene and some astonishment that he would be buried outside the family crypt. Jolyon and June discuss what has come to pass and she states that all the people she ever loved "all gravitate to her in the end."
Being the executor, Jolyon visits Irene to discuss the money his father left her. He becomes her trustee, and during that time, he finds himself admiring her. She comforts him as he cries about his father's death.
Twelve years passes and everyone gathers for Soames's surprise 50th birthday party, with the exception of Jolyon's family. Winifred's children Val and Imogen are grown. Though still married to Irene, Soames has met a beautiful young French woman, Annette Lamotte. She is the waitress in a restaurant that Soames owns. Her mother is the manager. He invites them to visit his new country estate, Mapledurham. He shows off his art gallery, a collection of beautiful paintings which he seeks to own, but not understand.
In the meanwhile, Dartie and his cousin-in-law George spend their time gambling and cavorting with prostitutes. He has given Winifred's pearl necklace to one of them. He embarrasses his son, Val at the casino by stumbling about and falling down drunk. Dartie comes home after his son runs off, and his wife says that her pearls are missing. At her accusation, he reacts frantically and puts a gun to his head shouting, "I'm lower than the servants in this house and I'm tired of it." However, when he pulls the trigger he finds that it was not loaded. He admits that he gave her necklace away. "I gave them to a Spanish beauty, neck like a swan." After spending the night on the sofa, and in the haze of the following morning Montie decides to leave his family and go to Buenos Aires. Soames tries to convince Winifred to begin divorce proceedings, and he expresses his desire to "start again" as well. Winifred states that she would not like a divorce, which would humiliate her and her children. Soames visits his ill father who tells him to have a son.
Jolyon is preparing for an exhibition of his watercolors at Robin Hill. Soames comes to visit, along with Val, asking if Jolyon knew if Irene had "any men" as grounds for divorce. He agrees to see her if and when she returns to London. Jolyon goes to her flat and asks her if she could provide what Soames needs for a divorce, but she admits there has been no one since Bosinney, he should have taken his chance then and now she cannot help him.
In the meantime, Val and Holly are forming an attachment and falling in love. They are unaware of the Forsyte history.
Jolyon visits Soames and tells her there is nothing she can do to facilitate a divorce.
- Soames: If Irene won't free the ties of our marriage, she must abide by its duties. I retain my rights.
- Jolyon: Your rights? To do what?
- Soames: I've not forgotten the nickname your father gave me. "The Man of Property!" I'm not called names for nothing.
- Jolyon: She is a human being.
- Soames: She is my wife. Irene...Forsyte. I'll thank you to leave her alone from now on.
- Jolyon: She chooses Heron.
- Soames: Do you hear me? Leave Mrs. Forsyte alone.
- Jolyon: Think very carefully Soames before you try to bully her. She's not alone this time.
While he forces Winifred's hand in her own divorce, once Soames believes that he must be with Irene, he does not follow his own advice to divorce and move on.
Seven
Despite his feelings for Annette, Soames's feelings for Irene are easily rekindled. His obsession with her returns when he sees her again, even after twelve years. He pays her an unexpected visit and wants to resume his marriage to her since she won't grant a divorce. He follows her and asks her to bear him a son. A group of "women of the night" save her from him, and she escapes. She consults with Young Jolyon, and they conclude that he will not rest until she grants him a divorce, or gives him an heir. Irene visits Robin Hill and reveals to Jolyon that Soames had once forced himself on her. She quickly leaves for ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
to escape Soames's harassment. During their talk, Jolly had overheard his father shout, "Damn Soames Forsyte!" Discovering his sister's romance with Val Dartie, Jolly forbids that they see each other again, prejudiced by what he overhead his father say. He tries to blackmail her into giving Val up by threatening to tell their father of the relationship.
Winifred is humiliated in court, but quickly realizes that Soames had no intention of divorcing Irene. Soames hires a private detective to find and follow Irene, saying that he representing a client called Heron (Irene is using her maiden name). Jolyon meets Irene in France to visit and bring her money he has collected as rent for her flat in Chelsea. There they spend time together and begin to fall in love.
Val and Holly are secretly engaged but are discovered by Jolly. Jolly forces Val to prove his love for Holly by going with him to enlist in the Boer War.
In the meantime, Dartie comes home to Winifred, having run out of money.
Holly and June become nurses, and ship out to South Africa, where Jolly is ill with typhoid fever. Jolly dies, an event that hits Young Jolyon very hard. Soames discovers Irene and Young Jolyon together at Robin Hill just after they have learned of Jolly's death, and accuses them of adultery. They are not yet lovers, but they know that without admitting guilt, Irene will never be free of Soames. Irene and Soames divorce while she and Jolyon go away together as a couple.
Val comes home from the war along with Holly. He has been discharged after a stray bullet hit his ankle. He announces to his family that he and Holly are married and that they are moving to South Africa. Soames and Annette go to her mother's restaurant, and he sees Irene is pregnant with Jolyon's child.
Soon afterward, Soames and Annette are married and having a family party at Mapledurham at which Annette announces that she is pregnant. Soames relishes the prospect of producing an heir at last, as does his father who tells her, "A boy, you hear me? A boy." Meanwhile, George reads the paper aloud, which announces that Jolyon and Irene Forsyte have had a son, Jon. At Robin Hill, June and Irene are reconciled.
Annette has a difficult delivery, and the doctor tells Soames to choose between saving his wife or his baby; either way, she will never bear another child. Soames believes that Annette would be devastated by the loss of the child if she were to survive, and tells the doctor to do what they can to save the child at all costs. Annette survives and they have a baby girl. He is disappointed and leaves his wife's side and go to his father, who is dying. He lies to his father and says he has had a baby boy. Soames returns home in the morning. He falls in love with his daughter immediately. Holding her in his arms, he names her Fleur.
Differences from the novels
The main differences between the serialisation of The Forsyte Saga and To Let and the Galsworthy novels are as follows:Timing
The timing of the events in the series and novel differ considerably. The novel begins in 1886 and the series begins in 1874. The writers of the series understood how difficult it would be to present the series in the order that events take place in the novel. Producer Sita Williams stated that "The novels actually start with the engagement of June to Bosinney, in the middle of the story. You learn about Soames's wooing of Irene and about Young Jolyon's affair with the governess, Helene, through the gossip and memories of the other characters. It's great for a novel, but not for TV. This isn't like adapting Dickens, who wrote perfect, straightforward, linear narratives. Galsworthy is more complicated than that. So we had to look at the back story and tease out the important things and put them on screen."
Irene
In the novels, the character of Irene is rather mysterious. She has no voice within the narrative and is described only by her effect on the characters around her. In the series the character of Irene is far more complex and the viewer is able to form a more personal relationship with the character and more readily sympathise with her. In the novel Irene is described more than once as having fair hair and dark eyes, this physical appearance being key to her particular brand of her attractiveness to nearly all the men in the novels. Actress Gina McKee, who portrayed Irene in the series, did not. This mattered little to Director Christopher Menaul "The hardest part of casting was the search for Irene. She's an elusive character - even Galsworthy admitted that he'd drawn her in shadows, that she presented a different facade to every character in the book".
Forsyte siblings
The early novels put more emphasis on the older generations of Forsytes. All ten of the older Forsyte siblings feature in the novels which include several chapters devoted to Timothy (Afternoon at Timothy's, Timothy Prophesies) who shares his house on the Bayswater Road with his sisters Ann, Hester and Mrs Small (Aunt Juley). Roger (George Forsyte's father) features in the novel, as do the other Forsyte siblings Nicholas and Susan, none of whom appear in the television series. Much of the dialogue of the older, generation and their Victorian sensibilities are an ironic counter balance to the new, younger generation of Forsytes and the sometimes scandalous and dramatic events in their lives. Many other characters such as George Forsyte's siblings Francie and Eustace, and Nicholas's children Young Nicholas and Euphemia are also not featured in the television series. Imogen Dartie features briefly in the early television episodes and not seen again in the later series. Her presence is much greater in the novels.
Writer Jan McVerry explained that there were tough decisions to be made and that many of the secondary characters had to be omitted from the series. "We were concentrating on the strongest stories." she said "We went through the novels and decided which episodes were going into the script and which weren't You have to do that with any adaptation: you can't represent every incidental character or you'd go on for thousands of hours and bore everyone to death. This is drama and you have to pare it down a bit".
Other differences include:
The interlude Indian Summer of a Forsyte, which takes place in the summer of 1892, describes the rekindling of Old Jolyon and Irene's relationship (parts of which are featured in Episode Four of the 2002 television series). In the novel Helene is abroad with Young Jolyon and June at that time and dies in 1894, in the series she has already died.
Bosinney's death is the background of the novel but is vividly displayed on screen in the series More contact with his Aunt Baines including a trip to Wales to visit her during his engagement to June, is featured in the novels.
Similarly the rape of Irene by Soames in the fourth episode of the series is only mentioned in the novel as the opening lines of the chapter entitled Voyage into the Inferno the fourth chapter of The Man of Property: “The morning after a certain night on which Soames last asserted his rights and acted like a man, he breakfasted alone”. This event, quite overlooked by the novel in some respects, features as a major catalyst which ultimately determines the future of many of the characters in the television adaptation.
In the novel Jolly and Val meet while both at Oxford and it is Young Jolyon and Holly's visit there that begins Holly and Val's relationship. In the series Holly and Val's meeting takes place at Robin Hill just as Jolly has left for the university, and it is combined with Soames's first approach to Jolyon, as Irene's trustee, to find out if there is evidence for him to undertake divorce proceedings.
Irene does not visit Robin Hill to tell Young Jolyon to tell him of Soames approaching her to resume their marriage in the novel, nor does Soames attempt to approach her in the street while Irene is assisting her "ladies of the night" as depicted in the series - rather Young Jolyon visits Irene several times and meets Soames in the street when he has been at Irene's flat in Chelsea and his discovery is made there.
The character of Montague Dartie continues on into the second To Let series but does not appear in the novels. It is stated in the series of novels that Monty's death occurs in 1913, seven years before the To Let events occur.
In the novel Irene and June resume their friendship prior to Young Jolyon and Irene becoming romantically involved. Their reunion is delayed in the series until after the birth of their son Jon, at the end of the last episode.
In To Let, Michael Mont meets Soames in June Forsyte's Cork Street Gallery, not at an auction, and this occurs moments before Fleur and Jonhave their first encounter. The series shows a meeting of Jon and Fleur at the home of June's Aunts on Hester's birthday when they are both around nine years old but this is not described in the novel.
The series shows Fleur going incognito to Robin Hill and making the acquaintance of Young Jolyon thereby providing an excuse for Young Jolyon to behave angrily toward her later and to provide evidence to his son that she is not to be trusted. This does not occur in the novels.
The painting of the girl in the hat by Degas is not a feature of the novel. It is a painting by Goya that is mentioned several times but a painting does not feature in Irene and Soames's later meeting in the novel.
In the novel To Let, Jon Forsyte is provided the information regarding his mother‘s past relationship to and ultimate violation by Soames in a letter written by his father. Those revelations are provided by his father face to face, together with Irene, in the series. This conversation does not, in the novel, immediately precede Young Jolyon’s death (though it comes soon after) and it is Jon, not Irene who learns of his illness first.
In the novels Jon and Fleur do not have a sexual encounter during their initial romance. In a later Galsworthy novel, Swan Song, Fleur wishes she had trapped Jon into marriage by sleeping with him and being "compromised," and later Jon and Fleur do have a one night stand, while both married to other people, many years after events of To Let take place.
In the novels the character of Aunt Hester dies in 1907 but in the series she's still alive in 1920.
The scene between Soames and Fleur on her wedding day that includes his confession about his grand passion for Irene and his lingering regret at what happened between them does not occur in the novels.
The character of Prosper Profond is less important to the events that occur in the novels. In contrast, in the series he is quite prominent, being instrumental to the lives of some characters and often behaves in a rather clownish manner which is in contrast to the rather shadowy figure he is depicted as in the novels.
At the end of the novel Jon Forsyte goes to work in British Columbia, rather than in New York as the series suggests. In the novel his mother Irene joins him but this is not made clear in the series.
Finally, the hand shake that takes place between Irene and Soames in the last scene of the television series does not occur in the novel. In the novel it is Soames who refuses Irene's hand but this scene takes place in the gallery, not at Robin Hill and some time later than the series depicts.
Response
Critical response was positive overall. Maclean's gave the series a glowing review. TIMETime
Time is a part of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify rates of change such as the motions of objects....
magazine gave the production a tepid review, calling it "lush, well acted--and stale." People
People (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
magazine proclaimed it the "Show of the Week" and called Lewis's performance "a constant marvel."
DVD releases
| DVD set | Episodes | Special features | R2 release date | R4 release date | R1 release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Series One | 6x70 minutes | "The Forsyte Saga: On Location" featurette, photo gallery, cast filmographies, John Galsworthy biography and book list | May 23, 2002 | February 5, 2007 | October 8, 2002 |
| Series Two | 4x70 minutes | Photo gallery, cast filmographies, John Galsworthy biography and book list | June 30, 2003 | May 7, 2007 | February 24, 2004 |
| The Complete Series | 10x70 minutes | Same features as series sets. | July 14, 2004 (Cinema Club) November 20, 2006 (ITV DVD) |
May 7, 2007 (original release) May 5, 2008 (new slimline packaging) |
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