Sparkhouse [Regions 2 & 4]

Why stress? 220-electronics.com has a huge variety of code free, all region pal/NTSC players on the Internet for sale. The Pioneer :DV-420V-k is highly rated & on sale now for $79.00. It's the one I bought. It's great and hard coded inside the DVD player to translate PAL format to NTSC. You switch a setting on your remote menu SIMPLE and that's it! The sales guy from 220- spoke English and I got it in 2 days. Pal to NTSC & hard coded is the way to go. Avoid software download types. This movie is not a family movie. It has adult content. I'm not too crazy about Whethering Heights and this adaptation is so extreme that it really stands alone and IMO is a superior story to WH. The characters are so well developed. You can't help rooting for Carol & John. John's character (R.Armitage) is a simple and honest farmhand (non-smelly because you're blinded by his great qualities) who possesses common sense, compassion, patience, gentleness, strength and loving kindness not to mention A LOOKER, makes me melt. If you could put a picture to the definition of wanker Carol's dad fits the bill. If you could put a picture to the definition of drama queen...Andrew would suffice. He is the epitomy of pathetic too. Because I can't stand his character sometimes I have to FForward. The dialog in the UK productions that I have seen are obviously more intelligent and superior. It's best to get an all region DVD player. With today's technology it's a snap.

Carol is a strong character, a woman who has had to deal with serious hardships in her life and mistreatment by her father and boyfriend and neglect by her mother, all whilst caring for her younger sister and enduring the ostracization of her community. Although the main "love story" portrayed in this movie is between Carol and Andrew, it doesn't work for me at all. Andrew is a self-absorbed, immature idiot. I spend most of his time on screen pretending that I'm squishing his head between my fingers, just to get through his scenes, because he's such a waste of time.Happily, Richard Armitage plays John, the only really good man in the whole situation, and in my mind, John and Carol are the *real* love story. Although the ending isn't an obviously happy one, at least it ends on a hopeful note, leaving the door open for Carol to finally be able to build a healthy life for herself.Excellent acting from all involved. If you like Wuthering Heights, you'll probably find this movie an interesting twist on the theme. If you don't like Wuthering Heights, well, at least you got to watch a movie with Richard Armitage in it. :-D

I would give it 4.5 stars but I can't make that work. I was eager to view this, to see some early Richard Armitage. Since I am in the U.S. and the DVD is formatted for England/Europe I watched it on my computer. I can only do that 4 times according to the computer so I watched the whole 3 hour DVD at one time (rather than break into two nights and thereby use up 2 of my 4 opportunities. Kind of like the three wishes from a genie---you don't want to waste a wish!) The location shots were amazing and the story was gripping. John (Richard Armitage) is not the dashing handsome character we are used to seeing Richard play but he stole my heart anyway. The story ends in tragedy but you hope that the surviving characters will be able to rise above it all and carry on. I was just thinking of using one of my "wishes" and watching it again. I will have to invest in a multi-region DVD player sooner or later in order to view more of Mr. Armitage's work.

Took a while to arrive, but probably due to weather and holidays. Item was in stated condition.The film itself was a good one. I really enjoyed the story. I saw SOME similarities to Bronte's Wuthering Heights. However, overall, I felt this story was a much different story with other elements not found in Wuthering Heights. I did not care for the abrupt ending AT ALL!***SPOILER ALERT***Wuthering heights did not end once Catherine died. Heathcliffe lived and was haunted by her until his death. After Andrew's death, the movie just ends with Carol leaving with her husband and daughter. I wanted more. The story was by no means over, even though the film ended. I recommend that others who haven't seen the film to view it. It's definitely worth watching and even owning. Just be prepared to be let down by the unfinished ending. Those of us who happen to know the original story and previous films, I suppose, can simply use our imaginations concerning what should be. However, those who are not familiar with the original(s) are being cheated for sure!

Okay I have never written a review before although I have bought tons of stuff from Amazon but this time I could not keep silent. I gave this 4 stars and have never seen the movie but from all the reviews I have read here and elsewhere it sounds really good. I fell in love with North and South (who wouldnt)and thought I would check this movie out. Very disapointed I can't get it here. Would buy it in a minute if it was a U.S. formatted dvd. Come on whats the hold up????? There are way too many BBC fans here in the states for this not to be on DVD here! Hope it will be soon. Oh, and yes I too am a RA fan.

well i am huge RA's FAN!!!!! thats why i bought it even region 2!!! also i bought region free DVD!! but guess what ? wow i dont like movie, i want to give 2 stars, but RA was casting that's why i gave 3 stars.if you are RA's fan He was on this movie not much. but He was very good acting this movie i was supplies. dirty un clean farm guy with not smart... he was very good. well like a say If you are RA's fan dont buy wast your money!!

Intriguing iteration of Wuthering Heights featuring a woman in the Heathcliff role. It doesn't work completely (the boy is so wimpy and the girl is too unlikable). Richard Armitage fans, you'll be surprised at his work in this; it's quite different from anything he has done since but, in keeping with his acting prowess, he runs away with the movie when he's on screen.

This was a really good movie! I'm generally not a fan of Charlotte Bronte, but I like the way the story was re-worked. This movie should be available region free or in USA formatting.

Starkhouse Farm is a modern retelling of the old Wuthering Heights story over 3 episodes.*** Please be aware this review will probably contain SPOILERS ***Carol Bolton (Sarah Smart) lives at Sparkhouse Farm with her family. Nearby lives the love of her life Doctor's son Andrew Lawton (Joe McFadden). Carol's life is not the greatest she lives at the whim of others, including her violent father Richard (Alun Armstrong) and little sister Lisa, in a house that is as run down as the farm that they are trying to keep going.Andrew, on the other hand, lives in the nice house up the road with his "ideal" parents - teacher mum Kate (Celie Imrie) and doctor dad Paul (Nicholas Farrell) ... yet all in the Lawton garden is not rosy.Andrew is a bit of a mommy's boy living to please his parents. These parents are living a life behind a mask; everything is for show for the outside world. Mommy dearest is not past grubbing around in the muck to find anything to use to break up her precious son and his lowly girlfriend and daddy is too gutless to stand up to her - the apple didn't fall far from the tree on that one.Both Carol and Andrew are manipulators and will use and abuse anyone to get-back at the other. For Andrew it is a pickup at the local pub. In the case of Carol it is the big, gentle, shy farm hand John Strandring (Richard Armitage) who thinks the world of her but she can only see him as a way of getting petty revenge on Andrew. In fact nothing is out of bounds if Carol wants revenge or anything else for that matter.We are supposed to feel for our broken star crossed lovers, Carol and Andrew, but I couldn't. He is a pompous, gutless, little pillock who thinks because they were close as children and teenagers that he still owns her and can tell her what to do or not to do and she's thoroughly unpleasant at any time. Andrew who went to university found a new girlfriend/wife and yet expects Carol to be celibate - this is something which (from experience) the male of the species are prone to.The transformation of John (Richard Armitage) from scruffy, almost downtrodden, hunched up farmhand to tall, dark and handsome almost hero is a delight to watch (see beginning of episode 3) and shows this characters development over time (and proves that with a shave and a decent haircut ... hmm ... anyway, er, what was I saying. Oh yes). This development is something that we do not see with the other characters who seem to be stuck in time, always remaining the same regardless of tragedy or heart break the acting and character development from our 2 leads pales by comparison.It was John that I was pulling for, John that I hope for and wished the best for - not Carol, not Andrew, not even little sister Lisa, but the quite, big hearted, gentle giant.Teenage Lisa is played by Holliday "Holly" Granger who even though quite young shows herself to be an excellent actress in the making - and that could have been one of the problems as the outstanding performances weren't from the lead "lovers" Sarah Smart and Joe McFadden but from a teenage kid and Richard Armitage and both only made any real appearances in episode 2 and 3.Sparkhouse is a slow burning "tragedy" and probably one of those films that I will shove in my bag with my portable dvd player when off to hospital so I can watch something other than the daytime regime of antique/house-moving shows that seem to be the thing at the moment.

An incredibly compelling drama which I watched in its entirety in one sitting. Sally Wainwright's very clever take on the Wuthering Heights story sees the roles of Heathcliff and Cathy completely turned on their heads . Sarah Smart as Cathy (Heathcliff) and Joseph McFadden as Andrew (Cathy) brought a lot of powerful acting to their respective roles. Praise too to \Alun Armstrong in the Hindley Earnshaw role as Sarah Smart's father-a quite detestable part which must have been pretty traumatic to play,Some of the scenes between father and daughter were brutal. Richard Armitage played the Hareton Earnshaw role beautifully-underplayed would be more accurate as he really got into his characters skin to the extent that you rooted for him-.With excellent support from Celia Imrie, Nicholas Farrell(ever reliable) and a young Holliday Grainger this drama is not for the faint hearted but ultimately leaves you questioning parental responsibility and the mistakes that turn to ultimate tragedy. Highly recommended.

This is one of my most favourite dramas ever. Based on Wuthering Heights (but not tied to it, and not in a traditional way), it tells the story of two lovers and their journey from their teenage years into adulthood. This has it all - romance, love, pain, turmoil, anguish, longing, lust, horrific family secrets - it's just fantastic. Some scenes are gut-wrenching, and both leads (Sarah Smart and Joe McFadden) are particularly good at portraying their deepest, darkest emotions with just one look. Richard Armitage also has a huge part to play - you can't help but have sympathy for his quiet, unassuming character, John.I caught this on TV when it aired over three weeks in three parts, and the minute I heard that the DVD was available I sought it out. I can't recommend this enough, if you've never seen it, you don't know what you're missing. There hasn't been any drama this good since.

"Sparkhouse" is a BBC miniseries from 2002 and one I missed first time around. Based on the classic "Wuthering Heights", the series is well written and very well acted by Sarah Smart and Joe McFadden (the lead characters), Alun Armstrong (a drunken farmer and father), Celia Imre and Nicholas Farrell. Great stuff!

I had this recorded off the tv when it was shown years ago but since my video player packed up years ago I was desperate to see this again. Now I have the dvd it's great to watch again. Very powerful performance by the great young actress Sarah Smart. I don't know why she isn't given more opportunities as she is a brilliant actress.