All for Love (British TV series)

This article is about the 1982/1983 Granada Television/PBS miniseries. For other media with the same title, see All for Love (disambiguation).

All for Love
GenreDrama
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series2
No. of episodes12
Production
Production companyGranada Television
Original release
Release31 March 1982 (1982-03-31) –
9 October 1983 (1983-10-09)

All For Love was a Granada television production consisting of adaptations of short stories by authors such as Rumer Godden, Elizabeth Taylor, and William Trevor. The series presents 12 unrelated episodes all concerning various types of human love.

Four episodes from the series were broadcast in the US on PBS as part of their Masterpiece Theatre series. They were Mona, L'Elegance, A Bit of Singing and Dancing, and Letting the Birds Go Free.[1]

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byStory/ScreenplayOriginal air date
1"A Dedicated Man"Robert Knights[2]Elizabeth Taylor (short story)/Hugh Whitemore (screenplay)31 March 1982 (1982-03-31)
A lonely waitress agrees to pose as the wife of a fellow waiter in order for him to obtain a better position. As his past emerges, things go downhill. Starring Joan Plowright and Alec McCowen.
2"Mona"Robert KnightsFrancis King (short story)/Thomas Ellice (screenplay)1 April 1982 (1982-04-01)
Set after the First World War, a young girl takes care of an ex-soldier suffering from the effects of being gassed. No one around her approves of her involvement. Starring Frank Finlay and Deborah Stokes.[3]
3"L’Elegance"Jack GoldRumer Godden (short story)/Lee Langley (screenplay)8 August 1982 (1982-08-08)
Using her favorite fashion magazine as a guide, a lonely shop woman takes luxury vacations in France in her attempt to pass as a wealthy woman. Starring Geraldine McEwan.
4"Combat"Brian MillsThomas Ellice (screenplay)15 August 1982 (1982-08-15)
A persistent and opinionated mother attempts to find a wife for her son whom she fails to recognize is a homosexual. Starring Joyce Redman, Rupert Frazer and Nigel Havers. Released as TV Movie A Different Kind of Love on 28 February 1985 in the USA.
5"A Bit of Singing and Dancing"Robert KnightsSusan Hill (short story)/Hugh Whitemore (screenplay)22 August 1982 (1982-08-22)
When her mother dies, spinster Esme Fanshow takes in the seemingly proper Mr. Curry as a boarder. Her mother's ghost warns her to mistrust the rather mysterious gentleman.
6"Lovers of Their Time"UnknownWilliam Trevor (short story)/Hugh Whitemore (screenplay)29 August 1982 (1982-08-29)
An unhappily married man begins an affair with a young shopgirl. The realities of the situation finally come to bear. Starring Edward Petherbridge and Cheryl Prime.
7"Down at the Hydro"John IrvinWilliam Samsom (short story)/Hugh Whitemore (screenplay)4 September 1983 (1983-09-04)
Looking for rest and exercise, Colonel Hunt enters a health spa. There he meets Mrs. Mackay. Starring Jean Simmons and Ian Carmichael.
8"Miss A. and Miss M."Robert KnightsElizabeth Taylor (short story)/Stephen Wakelam (screenplay)11 September 1983 (1983-09-11)
While staying in a guesthouse with her mother, a young girl becomes taken with Miss Alliott who shares a nearby cottage with Miss Martin.
9"Mrs. Silly"James Cellan JonesWilliam Trevor (short story)/Bob Larbey (screenplay)18 September 1983 (1983-09-18)
A young boy sees his divorced mother as embarrassing while she seeks his affections. At the same time he sees his father in a stable relationship. Starring Maggie Smith.
10"Letting the Birds Go Free"Moira ArmstrongPhilip Oakes (short story)/Stephen Wakelam (screenplay)25 September 1983 (1983-09-25)
A homeless young man is caught stealing eggs at a local farm. The father puts him to work where he meets his daughter.
11"Fireworks for Elspeth"Alvin RakoffRumer Godden (short story)/Lee Langley (screenplay)2 October 1983 (1983-10-02)
A young woman prepares to enter a convent while contending with her merciless mother.
12"To the Camp and Back"John Glenister, Moira Armstrong (uncredited)Francis King (short story)/Stephen Wakelam (screenplay)9 October 1983 (1983-10-09)
A young widow meets a German soldier from a nearby prisoner of war camp. She is conflicted as her late husband was killed in the war. Starring Phoebe Nicholls.

Reception

John O’Connor of the ‘’New York Times’’ reviewed the first episode, “A Dedicated Man” called the production "exquisite” and “turns out to be a quietly unsettling slice of British life. It provides a very impressive debut for the series.”.[4]

References

  1. ^ TV Guide: Masterpiece Theatre Season 14 episodes
  2. ^ Encyclopedia of Television Film Directors.
  3. ^ Priscilla, John (7 January 2022). "Priscilla John describes casting for All for Love with Frank Finlay". Granada Land: An Oral History of Granada Television. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  4. ^ O’Connor, John (29 March 1985). "DEDICATED MAN' OPENS STORY SERIES". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 February 2022.