A Woman of Substance
- TV Mini Series
- 1984
- 5h
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
1.2K
YOUR RATING
Emma Harte, a bright and ambitious servant girl, overcomes her impoverished beginnings in her quest to become a retailing magnate and one of the world's richest women.Emma Harte, a bright and ambitious servant girl, overcomes her impoverished beginnings in her quest to become a retailing magnate and one of the world's richest women.Emma Harte, a bright and ambitious servant girl, overcomes her impoverished beginnings in her quest to become a retailing magnate and one of the world's richest women.
- Nominated for 2 Primetime Emmys
- 3 nominations total
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Did you know
- TriviaAs of 2010, this is still the highest rated mini-series on Channel 4 in the U.K., peaking at 13.84 million viewers on the third night, January 4, 1985. This fact is still correct as of november 2019.
- GoofsThe timescales are implausible. The Series begins in about 1905, and Emma seems to be about 20. However, the present day is set in the 80s. This would make Emma well over 100 in the present day and her eldest child in her 80s - none of them are old enough.
- Quotes
Gerald Fairley: [late in the film, after Emma has purchased everything the Fairleys once owned] How can you cold-bloodedly set out to ruin someone?
Young Emma Harte: That was my plan, but you did it yourself, really. I just helped you along the way.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The 37th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (1985)
Featured review
Girl power rules
A Woman of Substance is an entertaining, typically British mini series, which tells the story of a young woman empowering herself through hard work and hatred against a high class family that have always been indifferent and bossy to her and her poor relatives. She rapidly grows into a powerful business woman who ruins the hated family to the very last crumb.
A biography must always find a fine line: how 'old' can the actors grow and when to substitute characters with new players? They've done a marvelous job with 'Blackie' Neeson; he really looks like an old man at the end of the series, although his mannerisms completely oppose his former, playful self. And it must be added: gluing a beard and silvering his hair makes the job a lot easier.
Miss Seagrove didn't make it into old age, she got replaced by (a first-rate) Deborah Kerr. In the main story Emmy ages some 40 years, but in her fifties she still looks like the teenage lass from the beginning of the story. Here, old-fashioned haircuts and clothes don't help; Seagrove just has too youthful a face The acting is of a reasonable level. Seagrove does a fine job, with the exception of some cheesy moments and the instances where she talks to her young children - as if she doesn't know how to talk to kids. Although this could also have been the director's fault. All in all, Seagrove is believable in her role, and she has one of the sweetest smiles I've ever seen...
The other dozen or so actors are okay but forgettable, except for two of them: Blackie, the happy-go-lucky everybody's friend and Gerald Fairley, Mr. Evil Impersonated; overacting has never been so effective!
A biography must always find a fine line: how 'old' can the actors grow and when to substitute characters with new players? They've done a marvelous job with 'Blackie' Neeson; he really looks like an old man at the end of the series, although his mannerisms completely oppose his former, playful self. And it must be added: gluing a beard and silvering his hair makes the job a lot easier.
Miss Seagrove didn't make it into old age, she got replaced by (a first-rate) Deborah Kerr. In the main story Emmy ages some 40 years, but in her fifties she still looks like the teenage lass from the beginning of the story. Here, old-fashioned haircuts and clothes don't help; Seagrove just has too youthful a face The acting is of a reasonable level. Seagrove does a fine job, with the exception of some cheesy moments and the instances where she talks to her young children - as if she doesn't know how to talk to kids. Although this could also have been the director's fault. All in all, Seagrove is believable in her role, and she has one of the sweetest smiles I've ever seen...
The other dozen or so actors are okay but forgettable, except for two of them: Blackie, the happy-go-lucky everybody's friend and Gerald Fairley, Mr. Evil Impersonated; overacting has never been so effective!
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- Des Lebens bittere Süße
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