When it comes to historical accuracy, you can always count on the BBC to do a pretty decent job. In the case of Love in a Cold Climate, which follows the loves and lives of several young aristocratic women in Britain between the two World Wars, it's not just decent, but painstakingly and lovingly correct. In retelling the loosely biographical novels of Nancy Mitford, the producers of this film even managed to secure rights to use her family home, Batsford Park, to film much of the program, along with other English castles and country houses, as well as conducting interviews and research to make sure everything, from costumes to behavior, was just right.

So does this make a good production? It depends on what you're looking for. Fans of Mitford's novels will most likely find it very enjoyable to see the story play out in such a lavish and detailed setting, with a quite respectable cast that includes Alan Bates, Celia Imrie, and Rosamund Pike. For viewers who aren't familiar with the novels, it's more of a mixed bag.

The story is a primarily character-based one, with three young women looking for love and struggling against the roles that their family and culture have marked out for them. In the background is the looming second World War, and as the story develops we see how it directly affects some of the characters, but in general the focus remains squarely on the relationships among the characters. It's an odd mix of drama and comedy, with a generally dramatic and sometimes critical tone that is nonetheless often spiked with humor from the more eccentric characters. I tend to like my dramas "straight up" rather than mixed, so the tone didn't quite work for me, but it's consistent and reasonably well done if you like that approach.

The main snag, I'd say, is that Love in a Cold Climate is a television adaptation of not one, but two novels: Nancy Mitford's The Pursuit of Love and Love in a Cold Climate. That's a lot of storytelling to pack into a 155-minute miniseries, and the production sags under the weight of it, especially with the ensemble cast and the length of time that the story is supposed to unfold over (even though it's compressed for the miniseries). There are quite a few people to keep track of here, and given the tendency of the characters to talk about each other, it's necessary for the viewer to remember names... something that's always a strike against a program. Even apart from that, there's simply not enough time to really get to know any of the characters, or even to know them slightly, in some cases. Viewers who are familiar with the characters from having read the books will be able to forgive this, and will also be able to mentally fill in the background on neglected tertiary characters, but it does make it a bit hard on viewers who don't have that knowledge.

The DVD

Video

Love in a Cold Climate is presented in its original widescreen 1.85:1 aspect ratio, and is anamorphically enhanced. The image quality is a good overall, though far from perfect. On the whole, the image is clean and bright, with warm and natural colors and minimal edge enhancement; detail is presented well in close-up shots. However, there's a substantial amount of grain in many scenes, so that detail is lost in longer shots. Overall, the good qualities of the transfer win out.

Audio

The Dolby 2.0 soundtrack is clean and clear, and handles the dialogue and voiceover nicely.

Extras

There are only a few minor special features here. We get a text biography of author Nancy Mitford, production notes, and cast filmographies.

Final thoughts

Love in a Cold Climate was evidently produced with a lot of love and attention to detail, and the 1920s-era historical drama has a polished look and feel to it. For viewers who are already familiar with the semi-autobiographical novels by Nancy Mitford that the miniseries is based on, it's a good choice. However, I'd say that the effects of compressing two full novels into a two-part miniseries leaves a lot to be desired for the rest of the audience; I also didn't find the mixed tone of comedy and drama to be particularly effective. Overall, I'll give it a "rent it" recommendation.