What I can say firstly about the 1967 British series The Forsyte Saga is thank the producers for not putting music to the entire series.I love how there is intelligent conversation, beautiful sets and gorgeous costumes for the production.Imagine a program that does not have nasty cussing,cursing God and Jesus,explosions,loud music,ridiculous sex on the desk after sweeping off all of the items on the desk, or next to the wall with a man that can barely hold up the woman while he is experiencing a very fast orgasm.The reason that I was rather crude in my description is so the point can be made that television productions in 1967 were watchable.Now they are not.Imagine that a series is based on a classic story that is not about every filthy subject known to man.This 1967 British production relied on acting ability alone.It is 26 episodes in glorious black and white and as far as I am concerned the series was not long enough.For lovers of the early British Masterpiece Theater series,you will be gloriously happy with this one.

(If you haven't seen the series yet, there is a possible spoiler in this review.)I remember when I first heard that this series was about to air on Television New Zealand. In 1967 I was 22 and not at all interested in TV. I'd never been much interested in movies either. I preferred reading. But this series had the whole family riveted. I remember criticism (from a New Zealand critic) of Nyree Dawn Porter's portrayal of Irene. But I felt she did everything that was required of her, which was mainly to look so ravishing the gaze of all, both male and female, followed her, and to have an air of mystery. She also had to make it plain that she was unaware of the effect she had on others. Irene could have chosen any man she wanted, but unfortunately Soames Forsyte saw to it that no other man could get near her. And she was so naive and innocent she didn't realise how dangerous it was to marry a man whose very proximity made her flinch and shudder. Her stepmother wouldn't have cared to enlighten her either; she just wanted rid of the girl, and Soames was, to all intents and purposes, a very good catch.I feel this series is, on the whole, much better than the remake. The only improvement in the remake was Bosinney, played by Ioan Gruffud. I'd have fallen for a Bosinney who looked like Gruffud, but I never could believe in Irene (or June) falling for John Bennett. Neither could I believe that all eyes would follow an Irene who looked like Gina McKee. There is nothing wrong with McKee's looks; she just isn't outstandingly beautiful enough for the part. Neither did she have the air of mystery that was so much a part of Nyree Dawn Porter's appeal as Irene.Apart from a miscast Bosinney, I also felt the 1967 series was badly let down by its portrayal of the rape scene. In the books Irene was in bed asleep and therefore more helpless than portrayed in the 1967 series. At least the 2001 didn't make this very grave error.Eric Porter as Soames was absolutely brilliant; an act that nobody, regardless of his acting skills, could hope to match, never mind outdo. While Porter managed to convey Soames's coldness, he also grabbed viewers' sympathies. That's no mean achievement.Finally, I have to express my disappointment that this series is in black and white. I saw it in black and white, because that's all New Zealand television had at the time, but I didn't realise it wasn't filmed in colour. I probably received the impression it was filmed in colour because of a colour photograph of Irene on the cover of The Listener.

To my knowledge this series was the first of its kind, and established the style and tone for all the programs which the term "Masterpiece Theater" now stands for. It is a mystery to me why it seems to have been forgotten completely, and why videos of the series are not available. Its successor, "Upstairs, Downstairs" seems to have usurped The Forsyte Saga's rightful place as the favorite high-toned soaper. Because it was the first, it should be honored for that reason alone.

The series is a marvelous treat. I watched it twice in the 1960s, when my local public television station ran it twice back-to-back. I have since watched it twice again; I found it on video. So I wanted people to know that it is now available.