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What happens when all your dreams have turned to dust in your
hand? For Charlie the answer is to be condemned to live a
life as an uninspired bank clerk in a small Welsh town. That
is until he meets a dusky haired vixen and the idea of robbing
his own bank, which starts as a joke, soon turns to dreadful,
tragic reality...
Come
Home Charlie and Face Them (1990) was originally broadcast
as a three part mini-series. Directed by Roger Bamford , whose
latest work can be seen on Heartbeat, from an original
novel by R. F. Delderfield and adapted for the screen by Alun
Owen, who had penned the script for A Hard Days Night
amongst others.
It
is a cautionary tale about being careful what you wish for
and misplaced trust as Charlie's world is turned up side down.
It would be a moot point, given the show's title, to try and
hide the fact that Charlie goes through with the robbery,
but it is the consequences of his action which brings the
greater devastation.
The
show has a good cast, though some of them will raise a few
eyebrows. Gary Olsen (2 point 4 children) is positively
odd as the posh Porsen, it's not that he's bad it was just
a little disconcerting to see him play such a radically different
role. Peter Sallis plays Gwlady Rhys-Jones with all the easy
professionalism of the British institution that he has become.
He portrays his character with such venom that all thoughts
of Wallace and Gromit are quickly dispelled from your
mind. Of course Tom Radcliffe, who plays the title role, has
to carry much of the weight of the story, and fans of period
drama will be pleased to know that his acting skills make
bearing the weight an easy task for him.
The
disc is presented in its original 4:3 aspect ratio and although
the picture is soft I would imagine that this was a deliberate
choice rather than a factor of age. Like many shows part of
the appeal of the story is its setting and its evocation of
nostalgia for a time long gone. What better way than to shoot
the story with a soft focus, which reflects the audiences
own mental soft focus when contemplating the past.
The extras are limited, which is odd as the show is not that
old, most of the principle cast still being alive. What you
do get is text based cast filmographies, a R.F. Delderfield
biography and bibliography. Audio is clear, but for some reason
there is no option for subtitles.
Overall
it's an interesting, if a little slow, period drama.
Charles
Packer
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