Monday, July 23, 2018

"MASTERPIECE: MAN IN AN ORANGE SHIRT" - First Premiered on TV on 6/17 -- Now Available to Own on DVD and Digital Download (Review)

Disclosure: I was sent a screener from the vendor in exchange for an honest review. All views shared are mine and mine alone.






I first learned about this movie after a friend online started posting about it after seeing it air on Masterpiece back on 6/17.  I was intrigued by the movie based on how he was describing it -- two love stories set 60 years apart that are linked by a secret of a forbidden relationship during WWII.  Then, after seeing others comment on his thread and seeing how they were taking stance based on their political and religious views of homosexual relationships, I found myself really wanting to get my hands on a copy of this movie to watch it for myself.  I, for one, believe everyone should be created and looked at equally and raise my daughters to think and respond the same way. 

I finally found time to watch "Man in an Orange Shirt" this weekend and have to say that it is a powerful movie about forbidden love, while also sharing about modern-day romance.  If you are a sucker for romance movies and don't hold a bias on same-sex relationships, then you will love this film.  I can see now after watching this film why this film has sparked conversation for and against it.  Even though we should now be living in a time of equal rights for all, we can't help but find ourselves getting held back as a result of outdated attitudes of how a relationship so be.    Once you watch this movie, you can't help but find yourself being moved by it, and wanting to talk to others about it.


More about this recent DVD release:

"PBS Distribution announced today it is releasing “MASTERPIECE: MAN IN AN ORANGE SHIRT” on DVD, Blu-ray and Digital HD.  Scripted by bestselling novelist Patrick Gale (A Place Called Winter) and starring Oscar®winner Vanessa Redgrave (Julia), “MASTERPIECE: MAN IN AN ORANGE SHIRT” portrays a pair of love stories, sixty years apart, linked by family ties, sexual identity, and a mysterious painting.

MASTERPIECE: MAN IN AN ORANGE SHIRT” will be available on DVD and Blu-ray June 19, 2018. The run time of the program is approximately 114 minutes.  The DVD SRP is $29.99 and the Blu-ray SRP is $34.99. The program will also be available for digital download.

MAN IN AN ORANGE SHIRT” was broadcast to wide critical acclaim in the UK in 2017 for the fiftieth anniversary of the decriminalization of homosexuality. The Telegraph (London) praised the drama as “a well-crafted and moving dialogue between past and present.” The Guardian (London) wrote, “‘Man in an Orange Shirt’ does a beautiful job of showing the consequences of repression for all during this time of upheaval.” And The Mail on Sunday (London) proclaimed “Vanessa Redgrave is a magnificent standout.”

Joining Redgrave are Joanna Vanderham (The Paradise), Laura Carmichael (Downton Abbey), Julian Sands (A Room with a View), Frances de la Tour (The Collection), Adrian Schiller (VictoriaBeauty and the Beast), and Joanna David (Rebecca).
Playing the star-crossed lovers are Oliver Jackson-Cohen (Mr. Selfridge), James McArdle (Salting the Battlefield), Julian Morris (Little Women), and David Gyasi (Interstellar).

The plot opens on the Italian front near the end of World War II. British Captain Michael Berryman (Jackson-Cohen) saves the life of a wounded fellow officer and recognizes him as Thomas March (McArdle), an old schoolmate, now serving as an official war artist. Though engaged to his childhood sweetheart, Flora (Vanderham), Michael feels a powerful attraction to Thomas, who feels the same way. After the artist’s recuperation, the two share a brief, passionate encounter before parting.

With the war over, Michael looks up Thomas in London, and they spend a liberating, amorous weekend at Michael’s rundown country cottage. There, Thomas sketches Michael for a painting that will become “Man in an Orange Shirt.” In an era when homosexuality in England was punished by prison, there is no hope of living together. Furthermore, Michael feels honor-bound to marry Flora, and he asks Thomas to be his best man. This sets the stage for a turbulent marriage, not least because Flora suspects nothing about her fiancé’s sexual preference.

The second half of the drama skips two generations to the present day. Michael and Thomas have died, and Flora (Redgrave) keeps house with her grandson, Adam (Morris), a young veterinarian active in London’s gay hookup scene—a subject Flora carefully avoids.

Into Adam’s restless life comes Steve (Gyasi), an architect eager for a stable relationship and intrigued by the challenge of fixing up the cottage that Adam has been given by Flora—the same place where Michael and Thomas spent their idyllic weekend six decades earlier. The times change, the laws change, the technology changes (as illustrated by Adam’s addiction to dating apps), but the problem of love, commitment, and acceptance is as persistent and formidable as ever.
It’s not just Adam and Steve who face this dilemma. Flora, too, has unfinished business with the past.

MAN IN AN ORANGE SHIRT” is produced by Kudos for MASTERPIECE and BBC TWO. The executive producer is Diederick Santer. Lucy Richer is the executive producer for the BBC. Rebecca Eaton is the executive producer for MASTERPIECE. The producer is Lisa Osborne. The writer is Patrick Gale. The director is Michael Samuels. "


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About MASTERPIECE
The top-rated drama series on PBS, MASTERPIECE celebrated its 45th anniversary in 2016. It is presented on PBS by WGBH Boston. Rebecca Eaton is executive producer. Funding for MASTERPIECE is provided by Viking® and Farmers Insurance® with additional support from public television viewers and contributors to The MASTERPIECE Trust. MASTERPIECE is known for presenting iconic shows such as Downton Abbey, Sherlock, Victoria, Prime Suspect, Poldark and Wolf Hall.

About PBS Distribution
PBS Distribution is a leading distributor of public media content reaching global audiences through multiple platforms including PBS-branded OTT channels, digital download and streaming services, theatrical and inflight entertainment, DVD and Blu-ray sales and international licensing. 

PBS Distribution offers consumers and educators over 4,000 hours of the highest quality factual, scripted and children’s programming, including films from producer Ken Burns, hit dramas from MASTERPIECE, entertaining and educational children’s series and award-winning documentaries from NOVA, FRONTLINE, AMERICAN MASTERS, NATURE, AMERICAN EXPERIENCE and many independent producers. We extend the reach of programming beyond broadcast while generating revenue for the public television system, stations and producers.

MAN IN AN ORANGE SHIRT
Street Date: June 19, 2018
Genre: Drama
Run Time: 114 Minutes on 1 Disc
SRP: DVD, $29.99, Blu-ray, $34.99
Format: DVD, Blu-ray & Digital HD



As you may already be aware, PBS Distribution announced they will be releasing the upcoming program "MASTERPIECE: MAN IN AN ORANGE SHIRT" on DVD June 19 and available on Digital HD now. This program tells the story of star-crossed love between two soldiers, separated by time and honoring the fiftieth anniversary of the decriminalization of homosexuality.


Disclosure: I was sent a screener from the vendor in exchange for an honest review. All views shared are mine and mine alone.

2 comments :

  1. I have never heard of this movie before. It sounds pretty interesting.

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  2. I love Masterpiece so much on PBS and I know I would like this show thanks for sharing I will check it out now.
    heather [email protected]

    ReplyDelete