Qanqor I just finished watching this series, and in the end, I must give it a thumbs down. It's well made for what it is. But what it is isn't anything very good.Sure, it's well made. It's well acted, well directed; it looks good, the sets and costumes and all bring the various periods to life. It's a classy, competent product. But what is the product? What is this thing they've made into a movie? Well, I'll tell you what it is: it's the story of a man's life. That's it. There's no plot other than that. Which is to say, there's no plot at all. By definition, a plot is connected sequence of events which follow a logical sequence to arrive at a climax. There's none of that here. There's just the events of one man's life. So what we have is not a plot, just a bunch of stuff that happens.Sorry, for me, plot is not optional, it is essential. Granted, some of the stuff that happens is interesting. Some of it is heart-wrenching. But in the end, it's still just a series of vignettes, not a coherent, integrated whole.

ianlouisiana Mr Boyd's novel has this quote from Henry James on the frontispiece and is written in a style that combines Evelyn Waugh and Anthony Burgess to great effect. It follows Logan Mountstuart from his days as a rather unpleasant, arrogant public school man till his death aged 85,and is in the form of a journal. The TV series is made as a straightforward tale and suffers a lack of a narrative voice. Mountstuart had a "nearly" life.He was "nearly" a successful novelist. He was "nearly" closely involved in some pivotal moments of the 20th century. In his early life he was "nearly" as clever as he thought he was. Mr Boyd wrote the screenplay so presumably was happy with the way his work was presented on screen. Personally I found the novel had been adapted for 21st century BBC TV presentation rather clumsily,with certain aspects coarsened. Logan's love life is somewhat de - sensitized to fit in with the medium's obsession with straining bodies and tangled sheets. Such is the abysmal quality of far too many TV productions today that "Any human heart" stands out as a work of really high quality amongst the dross. The actors - as so often - seem far from my conception of the characters they play:even the great Mr J.Broadbent is a way away from my idea of an elderly Mountstuart.But this is purely subjective and shouldn't be allowed to diminish your enjoyment of a superior TV series. Whilst in the novel Mountstuart is never entirely either likable or admirable,his televised version is less ambivalent. Unlike Master Copperfield he has no doubt as to who will turn out to be the hero of his story.

hasnoform Certainly very well made and exceptionally well-acted. An interesting story of a man's life and the trials and happiness he is subjected to. The main character seems often irrevocably drawn back to memories of his past, painful ones and the melancholy of happiness which has missed his grasp. Tom Hollander was incredible, the release he had in some of his scenes and his whole characterisation was immaculate. Matthew McFaddyn too was engaging. Exceptionally good dialogue too which is essential for any drama, or any comedy for that matter, to work. Intriguing insight into corruption and the way people in positions of power are able to twist the lives of those beneath them.

ebender-989-511716 After seeing the three episodes on PBS Masterpiece Theatre , I really wonder if lots of material was simply left out. I understand the premise of the novel but what appeared on TV was so herky-jerky that it left me wondering why not a couple of more hours of Mountstuart's eventful life to put things in context. For example, in the book (haven't read it though I shall) he apparently has an affair with his late son's friend Monday until it is revealed to him she is a minor - at which point he has to leave his successful New York career for eventual penury in London. But on TV, there's one shot of Monday holding his hand - and then he's gone from riches-to-rags with no satisfactory explanation. Also, his involvement with the radical leftists in London-Germany-Switzerland was so unbelievable portrayed that there must be much more coherent detail in the book - or on the editing room floor. I thought the cast was first-rate and - having been born in WW2 England myself - the story seemed very authentic. But all-in-all, I'm disappointed. It could and should have been much better.