As Time Goes By: Series 1 & 2 (1992)
Review by HTQ4
Film:
DVD:

Features:

• Cast bios
  

Anamorphic: No, it appears in its original 1.33:1 format
My Advice: Own it

Lionel Harcastle (Palmer) is writing his memoirs as a coffee planter called My Life in Kenya. He has retired to a hotel in London to put on the finishing touches and he calls for a secretary from a local agency that happens to be run the first true love of his life, Jean Pargetter (Dench). They were a young couple in love just before he got shipped off to Korea. See, the letters that he sent her never got delivered so, naturally, each of them assumed they were forgotten by the other. They each got on with their lives. The romance starts over again, but it has a few stumbling blocks along the way.

This is quite possibly the best sitcom I have ever seen. The writing is so absolutely brilliant, witty and literate: it's very refreshing to watch a show where the writer actually takes the time to be clever and think of those boring things like, say, character development. Take the stellar writing and add to that a phenomenal cast and you've got the makings for the outstanding show that I'm telling you about. I know that acting veterans Dench and Palmer are the principle cast members, but the rest of the actors are just as strong as they are; every relationship is incredibly well rounded.

It's just a bloody shame that the DVD presentation wasn't better. The only little bits we get in the way of special features are Cast Bios. Those are simply text on screen and that's about it. The fact that this series is now making its way onto the screens of homes on this side of the pond makes the DVD cry out for something else. Anything would be nice, really: a director's commentary on the opening episode, or a commentary from the cast; a featurette where the writers are interviewed...like I said, for a show this good you just want anything to ice the wonderful cake.

Still, the show even by its lonesome is worth putting on the shelf as a permanent addition to anyone's collection. Highly recommended.