'Perfect' Lavish Period Drama Based on Classic Novels
The new Channel 5 production, The Forsytes, brings audiences a lush prequel and reimagining of John Galsworthy’s Nobel Prize-winning novels. This lavish period drama explores themes of love, ambition, and social class within a wealthy British family.
Though it has been twenty years since The Forsyte Saga first captivated viewers, the story’s enduring charm continues to draw praise from fans of classic period dramas.
A Return to the Forsyte Legacy
The original ten-part ITV miniseries narrated the turbulent lives of the Forsyte family across three generations, from the 1870s to the 1920s. The new series offers a deeper look into their origins, expanding on the intricate social and emotional conflicts that defined their rise and fall.
Character and Conflict
At the heart of the story stands Soames Forsyte, portrayed by Damien Lewis, whose performance as the calculating yet vulnerable patriarch has been described as a “constant marvel.”
Soames, a prosperous solicitor obsessed with wealth and property, becomes entangled in a doomed romance with Irene Heron, played by Gina McKee. Despite her initial rejection, he insists on marriage, only to discover that affluence cannot guarantee affection or happiness.
“Money cannot buy love.”
The failure of their marriage and its far-reaching consequences form the emotional core of this sweeping family saga, which examines the decay of upper-class values and the shifts in British society from the Victorian era through the aftermath of World War I.
Social Reflection Through Time
Spanning nearly fifty years of change, The Forsyte Saga remains a captivating reflection of Britain’s evolving moral and social landscape. Through grandeur and tragedy alike, it portrays the unrelenting pursuit of status—and the emotional cost of success.
Author’s Summary: A refined prequel to Galsworthy’s literary classic, The Forsytes intertwines love, greed, and status in a sweeping portrayal of a family trapped by its own ambition.