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Editorial Review:
Amazon.com:
At one point during The Aristocrats, the dutiful, devoted, yet rather dim husband of Louisa Lennox cannot find the word to describe the magnificent party they are attending. 'Resplendent,' his wife offers. That pretty much describes this impeccably mounted BBC miniseries.
Based on the biography by Stella Tillyard, The Aristocrats vividly re-creates 'a different world' that would eventually be shattered by rebellion and bloodshed. 'The much pampered' Emily Lennox narrates her family's history, as tumultuous as it was charmed. The Lennox sisters, Caroline (Serena Gordon), Emily (Geraldine Somerville, and as an older woman, Sian Phillips), Louisa (Anne-Marie McDuff), and Sarah (Jodhi May), were of royal blood and they mixed with royalty. Part 1 chronicles elder daughter Caroline's 'small rebellion' that tears her family apart. Against her father's wishes ('I would sooner let you sell fish in the street,' he thunders), she marries for love Henry Fox, a politician who is 20 years older. Caroline is banished from the house and her sisters' lives. Part 2 charts the misfortunes of sister Sarah, who as a child was a favorite of the king and is later courted, but ultimately rejected, by his heir. She becomes 'an inconvenient woman,' scandalizing her family with her indiscretions. Part 3 makes the last reel of Gone with the Wind look like Singin' in the Rain as bittersweet reunions, sibling rivalries, death, infidelities, and revolution take their tragic toll.
Originally broadcast on Mobil Masterpiece Theatre, The Aristocrats is presented on video in a three-volume set. Anglophiles will find it difficult not to take in all 246 minutes in a single sitting. But the peerless ensemble and rich production ensures rewarding repeat viewings. --Donald Liebenson
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Fantastic
This is a terrific series! The costumes and the actors are exceptional. My husband watched this story with me.
He is someone who loves your typical guy movie like "The Terminator". Trust me, when you can get someone like him watch this kind of series... it means it is a really a good one!
Rating: - Aristocrats
After just returning from Ireland for a 3 week driving trip around the entire country, I began researching Lord Edward Fitzgerald on the web, and came across "The Aristocrats" BBC film series. It is about his mother and her sisters, illegitimate descendants of King Charles(?) I think. I absolutly loved it! After reading so much Irish history from the Irish Catholic point of view,seeing the Michael Collins, IRA, statue in Dublin, and touring the political murals in Belfast, it was wonderful to look ... Read More
Rating:  - Intriguing...Yet utlimately Dull
I thoroughly enjoy a good Period epic- and at the beginning I was very much intrigued by the premise of these Aristocratic sisters, yet the actors themselves quickly began to bore me. The dialogue became a bit tired- and most importantly you don't really develop much of a sense of connection with the main character Emily- She is narrating- and you do get to find out more of what she thinks and feels- but I was still bored with her. I struggled to care about what was going to happen next- it always seemed ... Read More
Rating: - If you like historical drama, you should watch
Not 100% perfect, but still awesome. Anne Marie Duff from Elizabeth, the Virgin Queen plays one of the sisters. It's hard to sit down and watch just one episode. I highly recommend.
Rating: - Resplendent
"Caroline is clever, Emily is a mother to me, Louisa is an angel and Cecilia is a child. I am a disappointment."
That line (uttered by Sarah Lennox) sums up the tumultuous "Aristocrats," a sumptuous, glittering miniseries about the famous and/or infamous Lennox sisters, who were the great-granddaughters of Charles II and his mistress Louise de Kérouaille. Solid acting and a wonderfully soapy storyline make this a great historical drama, but it spins way out there in the last episode.
... Read More
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