20/44
Coincidentally, Aidan Turner has previously filmed at Chavenage House (The Priory in Rivals)
Line of Events
It follows Rupert Campbell-Black and Tony Baddingham as their long-running rivalry comes to a head. The same filming location was also used to portray Trenwith House in the 2015 BBC TV adaptation of Poldark.
critics felt Jilly Cooper’s novels were outdated and silly
This is far from the truth, Cooper satirizes the Cotswolds upper class with an iron wit and has always understood comedy, characters and funny plots. In many ways her work has been more akin to Restoration Comedy than Carry On, with characters given more development and more interior life than you’d expect.
The changes are minor and actually open up the period and politics more
Now from Disney comes RIVALS which boasts a stellar cast and the good news is it’s a fantastic watch, yes it’s full of naughty moments, boobs and bums, even the occasional Willy. Its triumph, though, is that it has the budget and time to do justice to the atmosphere and spirit of the original book.
The 80s soundtrack is perfect and makes Rivals a real triumph for Disney
Bella Maclean is brilliant in the central role of Tagie and Alex Hassel does a great job as Rupert, a role that is impossible to cast because no one in the story can be the character that Cooper created: part villain, part Adonis, part whiny child. He does a truly remarkable job, but the real star of this film is the ensemble of great character actors Emily Atack, Danny Dyer and Katherine Parkinson, all of whom give career-best performances.