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Haley Mills all grown up! Still think of "The Parent Trap" when I see her. In this lovely Elspeth Huxley memoir of growing up British in East Africa, it leaves you spellbound. This was on as a miniseries....7 episodes. The beginning finds the Grant family has migrated to the Kenyan wilderness in 1913, in search of a new way of life and also for a coffee plantation in which to make their fortune. Robin, Tilly and Elspeth find more than they ever expected. They find the mystery and enchantment and disaster of Africa, their new home. I love that this was filmed on location instead of a fake movie lot. A must see. Hayley Mills is absolutely wonderful!
Through the eyes of a child growing up in rural Africa comes a true story told in the Flame Trees of Thika. The child's mother had married and for love reluctantly follows her new husband, a handsome and retired British officer, and his dream to build a coffee plantation on a plot in the empty and open wilderness of Africa. The family meets other whites and the local tribes people, and in the era of Victorian Colonial Briton, the daughter retells their adventures and compares her encounters with wild beasts and the native domestic animals while also learning of the good and the bad that confronting diverse cultures enhances in men and women. And appealing and entertaining tale with genuine character, this film is well worth watching, an earnest delivery for the soft-hearted viewer.
A very good series that documents the events in Africa at the start of the twentieth century from all sides as seen by a very smart child. It's brilliantly filmed with a lot of beautiful views of Africa and its wildlife as seen by everyone - it's pretty much historically accurate without a "good" or "bad" bias - it just shows you the events as remembered by Elspeth. A young child's view of the world tells you a lot about the world. It's based on the book but doesn't duplicate the book so it's easy to watch and very good.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Saw this on PBS when it first came out. Then bought the VHS tapes. Now, the DVD. Represents some of the best productions to come out of 70's/80s UK studios. Well acted believable characters. Wish they had been able to film more episodes. Need the two-DVD set to see all seven episodes. DVD #2 has some video compression issues, but not so much that it's a deal-breaker.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
DO NOT SHOW THIS MOVIE TO YOUNG KIDS. I bought this for my young nephew thinking it would be a fun, family movie. Boy, was I wrong. In the first 20 minutes, a lamb is killed, a snake is shot, and a gazelle is shot. My nephew was in tears, and I had to shut it off immediately. From other reviews I read (too late) it supposedly gets even worse. More gazelles, caribous and misc wildlife are shot or killed on camera. I don't know if they were killed specifically for this film or if it's stock footage, but my nephew doesn't care... he's bawling his butt off. Spare your child the trauma and spare yourself the embarrassment.
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