Thursday, October 16, 2014

The Cinder Path 1994


The Cinder Path


     This series is based on a novel by Catherine Cookson.  Edward MacFell owns a farm in Northumberland but he is a bully who likes to humiliate family members and workers.  One of the farm hands arranges for Edward to fall off his horse but he didn’t mean for him to die.  Edward’s son, Charlie inherits the farm and 2/3 of the money.  His mother receives 1/3 of the money but his sister receives nothing.  Chapman is a nearby farmer who wants Charlie to marry his daughter Victoria.  Charlie has money, Chapman has land and that makes for a good partnership?  World War I has started and Charlie is conscripted into the Army.  Unfortunately, he is doing his training under Sergeant Ginger Slater who used to work on the farm.  Charlie's father made Slater crawl on a path of cinders.  Slater is in Charlie’s face every minute of the training until Charlie is selected for a commission.
     Charlie didn’t have the courage to stand up to his father or the choices brought into his life.  He was kind to those around him but filled with self-doubt.  It seems like his only luck is bad luck.  This series is good but a bit melodramatic.  3* (This movie is OK)  

145 min, TV min-series with Catherine Zeta-Jones, Lloyd Owen, Polly Adams, Antony Byrne, Ralph Ineson, Maria Miles, Victoria Scarborough.

Note:  Imdb 6.8 out of 10, 29% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, 4.3* out of 5* on Amazon with 42 reviews.







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