I am very attracted to long, involved stories about families and that is precisely what The Cazalets (2001; BritBox, 5 episodes) is. The series, based on the novels The Light Years and Marking Time by Elizabeth Jane Howard, investigates both deeply and sensitively the lives of the three generations of an upper middle-class British family at the time of World War ll. It stars the great Hugh Bonneville as Hugh Cazalet. The numerous plot lines intersect and diverge and allow intimate glances into the lives of each member of this extended family. We come face-to-face with their challenges, dreams and aspirations. The action takes place almost entirely at the county home of the senior Cazalets, a place of security and refuge.
Donald Combe is a retired English teacher who loves to go to the movies. Until he resumes going to theatres, he has graciously agreed to share his opinions, through "short and sweet" exclusives, of online series and movies for The Local.