A Dance to the Music of Time [1997]

The lowdown: 'A Dance to the Music of Time' is a television adaptation of the epic novel by Anthony Powell.
It was first broadcast on Channel 4 in the UK from 09-30 October 1997. It chronicles the lives of a group of people
over five decades, including Nicholas Jenkins, Peter Templar, Charles Stringham, Jean Duport and the completely
unlikeable Kenneth Widmerpool (superbly played by Simon Russell Beale throughout the four-part series). This lavish
production features a cast of over 100, and chronicles the lives of the main characters from their schooldays to their
middle age, looking at their lives and loves, success and failures, including the second world war and its aftermath.
The cast includes Edward Fox, Sir John Gielgud, Zoe Wannamaker and Miranda Richardson. Plus a very brief cameo
by Colin Baker in Episode four, in which he plays Canon Fenneau.

This show is inevitably compared with 'Brideshead Revisited', and they do indeed have many similarities. However,
fans of period drama will enjoy this just as much as the Evelyn Waugh classic, although it should be noted that the
huge cast often makes it difficult to follow the characters, and people who have read the original books (all 12 of them!)
will probably find it easier to follow the story. Indeed, it must have been quite a challenge to condense so many novels
into a four-part mini-series. But the acting, period costumes and sets are excellent, and 'Dance' is highly recommended
to those of you who enjoy such shows. However, it does run for 480 minutes, so patience is required. And if you don't
like this kind of drama, then this is probably one to avoid.

Trivia: Simon Russell Beale deservedly won both a BAFTA and a Royal Television Society award in 1998 for
his portrayal of Widmerpool.

Video Clip: Canon Fenneau (5.3mb)