Production Year: 2003 - Drama - Director: David Yates - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: James McAvoy, Kelly MacDonald, Bill Nighy, John Simm, David Morrissey more
SHAMELESS writer Paul Abbott’s acclaimed BBC drama follows the connection between the death of a politician’s research assistant and the death of a drug dealer. Stephen Collins... more
State Of Play: Series 1 DVD
Stephen Collins is an ambitious politician. Cal McAffrey is a well-respected investigative ... more
journalist and Stephen's ex-campaign manager. En route to work one morning Stephen's research assistant mysteriously falls to her death on the London Undergroun...
State Of Play - Series 1
A tense conspiracy thriller that twists deeper and deeper into the hostile twilight world ... more
where politics meets the press.Stephen Collins is an ambitious politician hotly tipped for the Cabinet. When his assistant mysteriously falls to her death on the London Underground, it is not long before revelations of their affair hit the headlines. But one journalist - Stephen's former campaign manager, Cal McAffrey - is after the bigger story, one that will test friendships and put careers and even lives on the line...
yourmultimedia leisure activities! This 1.5 TB multimedia player can be easily connected to any standard television,or even to an HD television thanks to its HDMi socket. The USB port also means youcan rapidly transfer videos, music and slideshows quickly and easily, and then watchthem all in the comfort of your living room. As well as storing all your multimedia content, the ScreenPlay HD can also be used to store all your important personal files - just like aregular external hard drive. The stylish and sturdy ScreenPlay HD from Iomega is an idealaddition to any high-definition set-up. -Product 2:The Vertex Turbo Series solid state disk is the latestaddition to OCZ's new generation of flash-memory drives, and is astable, safe storage solution that will see you into the future. In fact, with an incredibly robust design that withstands the most severe shocks, theVertex Turbo instantly gives you access to your data, withspeeds ofup to 240 Mbps in read mode and 145 Mbps in write mode.
Production Year: 1981 - Drama - Director: Franco Zeffirelli - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Brooke Shields, Martin Hewitt, Shirley Knight, Don Murray, Richard Kiley, Penelope Milford, Beatrice Straight
Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
A review by jesperado77 on State Of Play - Series 1 (DVD) May 24th, 2009
Author's product rating:
Did you enjoy it?
Loved it
Story
Outstanding
Characters / Performances
Outstanding
Special Effects
Good
How does it compare to similar films?
Outstanding
Advantages:
Superb acting and clever story
Disadvantages:
None !
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
HAT IS IT: State of Play is a six part BBC drama first shown in 2003. It has recently been adapted into a Hollywood film starring Russell Crowe and Helen Mirren. The original series began with two seemingly unrelated deaths: the shooting of a young man thought to be drugs related and the death of a young female political researcher. As the series develops, a complex network is established which draws in the drugs underworld, the press and important political figures. I don't want to say too much as I don't want to spoil this fantastic series for anyone; sufficed to say themes of corruption and betrayal abound across the press, government and police force.
CAST: State of Play has one of the best casts I think I have ever seen in one drama. David Morrissey, John Simm, Bill Nighy, Marc Warren, Kelly MacDonald and James McAvoy all feature in the ensemble cast. The series was written by Paul Abbott, the acclaimed television writer who created such series as Shameless and Cracker. I really can't say enough about how fantastic this cast is and how brilliant all of their performances are. It is rare to see a cast work this well together; no-one attempts to hog the limelight and every performance is award worthy.
As there is such a complex network of relationships in this series and the plot is so intricate, it is difficult to know how to talk about it. I will just go through a few of the things that have caught my attention. I am currently re-watching the series and have just watched the second episode but I'll try not to give too much away!
STEPHEN AND CAL: The relationship between politician Stephen Collins (David Morrissey) and journalist Cal McCaffrey (John Simm) is one of the most engaging and well developed onscreen friendships (if this is really the right word to use) I have ever seen in a drama. Stephen and Cal are old friends who have drifted apart as Stephen has risen through the political ranks to head up a high profile energy committee. The two are brought back together as Stephen becomes involved in a scandal and Cal offers his help. The mixture of warmth and tension between the two men is captured perfectly by both actors and makes for very exciting viewing.
THE POLICE AND THE PRESS: The cat and mouse game between the press and the police begins with the former trying to keep hold of their exclusive story but quickly becomes a lot more dangerous as the journalists uncover things which put them in great danger. The first episode sees a tender working relationship develop between smart young journalist Della and the slightly naïve DI Brown. The sweetness of this relationship is a credit to Paul Abbott's writing as it is completely natural and believable. Bill Nighy also shines as the cynical but protective newspaper boss who will do anything to keep a story and protect his staff. MacAvoy is very charming as the morally dubious young reporter desperate to prove himself.
There are so many interweaving storylines and the action moves at such a pace that you cannot help but be utterly sucked in by this intelligent and well written series. The characters are so credible that you cannot help be moved by them. I really cannot recommend this thoroughly enough!
Advantages: Top quality scripting and brilliant acting Disadvantages: Screen and scene selection could have been easier
I first became a big fan of John Simm whilst watching the brilliant sci-fi cop drama 'Life On Mars'. My Mother - although some would claim slightly bias for various reasons - assured me that the man himself was fabulous in everything that he did, only taking the best scripts available to him.
So, I went off to my local HMV and picked the 'Political Thriller', 'State Of Play' from the shelf, which had been highly recommended to me. As someone who ... ...pursue as a career - this DVD ticked many boxes for me; a great cast, a writer who I was familiar with from watching the highly entertaining 'Shameless' (Paul Abbott) and an interesting, original plot.
The show focuses on the clash between politics and the media's portrayal of events. Perhaps seen as a thin line between the two, the first episode opens with the assassination of a young man with news that a Sonia Baker has died. Or was she killed? ...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Plot: A politician's life becomes increasingly complex as his research assistant is found dead after falling to her death on the London Underground. Meanwhile, a suspected drug dealer is shot dead.
Remake Of: State Of Play ( 2009 United States of America ), State Of Play ( 2009 United States of America ), State Of Play ( 2009 United States of America ), State Of Play ( 2009 United States of America ), State Of Play ( 2009 United States of America )
SHAMELESS writer Paul Abbott’s acclaimed BBC drama follows the connection between the death of a politician’s research assistant and the death of a drug dealer. Stephen Collins (David Morrissey, BASIC INSTINCT 2) is an ambitious, high-flying British politician. Cal McAffrey (John Simm, LIFE ON MARS) is Collins’ former campaign manager who is now an investigative journalist. One day, Collins’ research assistant mysteriously falls to her death on London Underground. A revelation about Collins’ relationship with his assistant soon hits the headlines. A young suspected drug dealer is murdered. The two apparently unconnected deaths lead to a web of intrigue. Friendships are tested and lives are put on the line as it unfolds. The drama is a taut six-part conspiracy thriller looking at the relationship between politics, big business and the press. Also stars Bill Nighy (LOVE ACTUALLY) and Kelly MacDonald (TRAINSPOTTING).
Languages
Main Language: English
Subtitle Language: English
Technical information
Aspect Ratio: 15:9
Sound: Dolby Digital Stereo
Professional reviews
Review: Great performances, taut direction, brilliant script - State of Play deserves to take every award going. (The Guardian, )
Ciao
Listed on Ciao since : 18/06/2005
Compare State Of Play - Series 1 (DVD) to other similar Drama
Similar products and search queries by other users
State DVD, State Of DVD, State Play DVD, State Series DVD, State 1 DVD, State Of Play DVD, State Of Series DVD, State Of 1 DVD, State Play Series DVD, State Play 1 DVD, State Series 1 DVD, State Of Play Series DVD, State Of Play 1 DVD, State Of Series 1 DVD, State Play Series 1 DVD
Are you the manufacturer / provider of State Of Play - Series 1 (DVD)? Click here