Customer Reviews:
delightful.......2008-02-04
I had not seen the tv series or even heard about it. Thought it was absolutely delightful. Gentle, entertaining and an insight into life in Kenya at that time. Maybe everyone looked a bit too clean but then that is an error that film makers often still make. Could not beleive how good the animal photography was considering it was make at least 25 years ago. Some of the acting might have been a bit week but the child who plays Elspeth was terrific.
Wonderful, full of charm.......2007-06-25
I was 15 when I first watched this back in the early 80's. Having just watched it again I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's a gentle drama, full of charm as it's partially seen through the eyes of 11 year old Elspeth, and the backdrop of Kenya is breathtaking. The performances are strong and an excellent production overall.
Dated but still good.......2007-04-11
I agree that this is dated but I didn't find the quality of film too bad. The story is slow and gentle but that's the story! It still makes a great change from the American "cops and robbers" rubbish and if you want to watch a well told tale with no violence, sex or swearing this is well worth viewing. One for a quiet evening in with nothing on the telly!
I have never seen it before so I'm free from the bias of childhood memories.
Not As Good As I Remember It.......2006-03-03
When I first discovered this was available on DVD I thought `Great`! I loved it as a child when it was broadcast back in 1982 I think.
However when it arrived and I started to watch it I lost interest in the first half hour.
The picture has not been restored, its grainy and wishy washy.
Also the actual series it self was weak, boring and badly acted in places. For some reason I remember it being so much more entertaining and riveting when I was a kid.
So if you are the same as me, and you wish to refresh your happy child hood memories of this series I recommend you not to bother. Save your money and by a new film instead.
It’s a real let down and disappointment.
Thanks for reading this.
Miles
Amazon.co.uk Review
Based on the beloved autobiographical novel by Elspeth Huxley, BBC miniseries The Flame Trees of Thika brings an eventful childhood in Eastern Africa to vivid life. In 1913, 11-year-old Elspeth Grant (Holly Aird) traveled with her mother, Tilly (Hayley Mills), from England to Kenya to help build a coffee plantation. (Born in 1907, Huxley was actually six at the time.) Her father, Robin (David Robb), who had preceded them, was waiting to greet his family in the arid town of Thika. Also waiting for them were lions, elephants, giraffes, and countless other creatures (the 18-week production was filmed on location in Kenya).
Directed by Roy Ward Baker (A Night To Remember) and written by John Hawkesworth (Upstairs, Downstairs), The Flame Trees of Thika isn't just about one girl, or one family, adrift in an occasionally hostile foreign land, but also about the dangers of colonialism. The Grants, their neighbors, the Palmers (Nicholas Jones and Sharon Maughan), and most of the other Europeans in Thika feel certain they're bringing culture to the uncivilized, without realizing what they're destroying in the process. Ian Crawford (Ben Cross from Chariots of Fire), is one possible exception to the rule, but he brings another kind of danger in his pursuit of Mrs. Palmer.
Since their actions are seen through the eyes of a child, The Flame Trees of Thika is never preachy, but the meddling of these adults--however well intentioned--in the affairs of the Masai, the Kikuyu, and other locals frequently creates tension. As Tilly notes, "It's like two whole separate circles revolving around each other--their world and ours--and only just touching occasionally." What began as Elspeth's coming-of-age story, becomes one for her parents, as well, in this sensitive and engaging series. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
Customer Reviews:
If I had to choose one video to keep..........2002-03-14
What a joy it was to find this still available. I first read the book in the 70s, after finding it in Nairobi on my first visit. On hearing in the 80s that a TV adaptation was coming up I was wary, but it was beautifully done. It would be very easy for a film like this, seen through a child's eyes, to descend into gooey sentimentality, but it never does. The story is based on Elspeth Huxley's memoirs of her childhood in Kenya shortly before WW1, when her parents, with little money and a lot more hope than experience, set out to start a coffee farm. Every character, whether African or European, is perfectly cast. The scenery is beautiful, the storylines have everything from drama to pathos to humour (just check out poor Mrs Nimmo at her New Year's Eve party) and the music is hauntingly beautiful. Add to all that a most poignant love affair - what more can you ask? I envy anyone who's never seen this - you have such a treat in store.
UK DVD:
- Ghost Whisperer : Season 1 [2006]
- Haven [2001]
- Henry - Portrait Of A Serial Killer [Uncut] [1986]
- Highlander - Immortal Edition (Limited Edition Steel Tin - 2 Disc Special Edition) [1986]
- Homicide - Series 2 - Complete
- Innocent Voices
- Inventing The Abbotts [1997]
- Jekyll : Complete BBC Series 1 [2007]
- Julia Roberts - In The Frame Collection (Steel Magnolias/Erin Brockovich/My Best Friends Wedding/Americas Sweethearts/Mary Reilly/Stepmom)
- Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love [1997] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
UK DVD List
UK DVD
All Drama
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Drama
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Categories
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DVD
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Video
The Mottled Lizard
The Flame Trees of Thika: Memories of an African Childhood (Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics)
![The Far Pavilions [1984]](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B00005M6RE.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
The Far Pavilions [1984]
The Moon-Spinners
Flambards: The Complete Series
![Flame Trees Of Thika [1981]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21XSQY9A31L.jpg)
![The Flame Trees of Thika [1981] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21MW9P3W1SL.jpg)
